Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Barron's Writing · 2026-08-19

IELTS Writing Task 1 question

You have a problem in your apartment that needs repairs.

Write a letter to the building manager. In your letter
• describe the problem.
• say what you think should be done about it.
• ask the building manager to visit your apartment to see the problem.

You do NOT need to write any addresses.

Begin your letter as follows:

Dear _________,

Student answer (Band 6.5)

Dear Sir / Ma'am,

I hope this letter finds you well. I am writing to request a 3-month extension on my current lease agreement for the apartment.

My plans have changed as my parents are planning to visit me for the upcoming Christmas holidays. Finding a new place on short notice would be quite difficult, so extending my stay here would be immensely helpful. I am also happy to discuss a reasonable rent adjustment for this extended period if necessary.

Additionally, I wanted to bring a maintenance issue to your attention. The washer and dryer unit has recently started malfunctioning, which is making it very difficult to manage my laundry schedule. I would appreciate it if you could schedule an appointment with your preferred technician to inspect and repair the unit as soon as possible.

Thank you for your time and understanding. I look forward to hearing from you soon.

Yours sincerely,

Yash

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0

The response fails to address the core requirement of the prompt. The instructions explicitly ask you to write a letter to the building manager regarding a problem in your apartment that needs repairs. While you do mention a maintenance issue in the third paragraph, the primary focus of your letter is an unrelated request for a lease extension. Because the prompt did not ask for a lease extension, this content is irrelevant and distracts from the required task. You successfully described the washer/dryer problem and requested a visit, but the inclusion of the lease request means you have not fully addressed the task as instructed.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

The letter is logically organized with clear paragraphing. Each paragraph has a distinct focus, and the progression of ideas is easy to follow. You use appropriate cohesive devices such as 'Additionally' and 'so' to link your thoughts. The tone is consistently formal and appropriate for a letter to a building manager. The opening and closing salutations are correct. To improve, ensure that all paragraphs directly support the specific instructions provided in the prompt rather than introducing extraneous topics like the lease extension.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.5

You demonstrate a sufficient range of vocabulary to convey your meaning clearly. Phrases such as 'malfunctioning', 'maintenance issue', and 'reasonable rent adjustment' are well-chosen and appropriate for the context. There are no significant spelling or word-choice errors that impede communication. While the vocabulary is functional and accurate, it is somewhat standard. To reach a higher band, you could incorporate more precise collocations or slightly more sophisticated phrasing to describe the urgency of the repair, such as 'urgent attention' or 'inconvenience caused by the breakdown'.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 7.5

The grammar is generally accurate, and you use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures effectively. For example, 'Finding a new place on short notice would be quite difficult, so extending my stay here would be immensely helpful' is a well-constructed complex sentence. There are no major grammatical errors, and punctuation is used correctly throughout. The writing is fluent and easy to read. To achieve a higher score, you could experiment with a wider variety of complex structures, such as conditional sentences or passive voice constructions, to further demonstrate your grammatical control.

See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.

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