Band 7.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 7.0 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-11-04

IELTS Writing Task 1 question

You would like to reduce your working hours in order to study part time.

Write a letter to your boss. In your letter

  • explain why you want to reduce your working hours
  • say which hours you would like to work
  • describe how your part-time studies would benefit your employer

You do NOT need to write any addresses.

Begin your letter as follows:

Dear ....................................,

Student answer (Band 7.0)

Dear Sir,

I am writing to request you to decrease my hours of work because I decided to join college for my part time studies.

I have enrolled in a Business Management course in Lambton College, which requires me to be present in a class for 5 days. Unfortunately, I cannot be at workplace on weekdays because of my commitment to studies. This is one of the main reason I wanted you to decrease my hours.

As my classes start from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday to Friday, I could not come to my regular shifts starting from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m.. I would be grateful if you could schedule me on weekends, as I am fully availabe on Saturdays and Sundays.

I would also like to inform you that business management course will allow me to learn practical skills and develop my leadership abilities. In addition to that, I will learn how to handle challenging situations calmly with confidence. I can apply the knowlege, which I gained from my studies to your company, and help in developing the company. As a result, my study will not only help me to grow but also benefit your company. I would appreciate your time and effort.

Looking forward to hearing from you soon.

Yours sincerely,

Yasha

AI examiner evaluation

CriterionBand
Task Achievement / Task Response7.5
Coherence and Cohesion7.0
Lexical Resource6.0
Grammatical Range and Accuracy6.5
Overall7.0

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.5

The letter addresses all three requested points and maintains a clear, appropriate purpose. You explain that you have enrolled in a Business Management course and give the specific schedule you are seeking: weekend work, since classes run from Monday to Friday. You also connect your studies to the employer’s interests by mentioning practical skills, leadership, and applying what you learn to the company. These ideas are relevant and generally supported, which makes the request persuasive. To strengthen the development further, explain more concretely how your new skills could help in your particular role or workplace; the claim that you can help develop the company remains somewhat general. The formal opening and closing also suit a letter to a boss.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 7.0

The information follows a clear progression: you state your request, explain the course timetable, propose weekend availability, and then describe benefits to the employer. Paragraphing helps distinguish these stages, and linking expressions such as “In addition to that” and “As a result” make the relationships between ideas clear. The letter is easy to follow overall. Some connections are slightly repetitive or mechanical, however: “This is one of the main reason” repeats the reason already given, while “I would also like to inform you” is a somewhat formulaic transition. You could make the progression more natural by removing repeated explanations and linking the employer benefit directly to the skills you describe.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

Your vocabulary is adequate for the purpose and includes relevant terms such as “Business Management course,” “practical skills,” “leadership abilities,” and “challenging situations.” These choices communicate your plans and potential contribution clearly. There are, however, some spelling and word-choice inaccuracies, including “availabe” and “knowlege,” and a few phrases are not natural in this context: “decrease my hours of work” and “present in a class” could be expressed more idiomatically. “Help in developing the company” is also broad and imprecise. Aim for accurate workplace collocations and more specific language about the contribution you could make; this would improve precision while retaining the appropriate formal tone.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.5

You use a mix of simple and complex forms, including a relative clause in “which requires me to be present” and a conditional request beginning “I would be grateful if you could…”. Meaning remains clear throughout. Some grammatical errors persist, particularly with agreement, articles, and tense or modal choices. For example, “one of the main reason” needs a plural noun, and “business management course” needs an article or other determiner. In “As my classes start…, I could not come,” the past form does not fit the ongoing schedule; “I cannot come” is more suitable. The sentence about being unable to attend on weekdays also conflicts with the later weekend request, so revise it to state clearly that you are unavailable for weekday shifts. More consistent control of these patterns would make the letter smoother.

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