Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-11-12

IELTS Writing Task 1 question

Five months ago, you started renting an apartment on a six-month agreement. You now wish to stay in the apartment for longer than the six months you originally agreed with the owner.

Write a letter to the owner of your apartment. In your letter

• say how long you now want to rent the apartment for
• explain why your plans have changed
• tell the owner about a problem in the apartment

You do NOT need to write any addresses.

Begin your letter as follows:

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

Student answer (Band 6.5)

Dear Sir or Madam,

I am writing to inform you about my change of plan to stay longer than six months and I request you to update the rental agreement to our new set date.

If you do not have issues, I would love to stay in your beautiful apartment for next 2 years until december 2028.

Because of continuation of my studies, I need to stay here for more than I expected. I came to Canada to pursue my tertiary education in University of Victoria and I have successfully gained my bachelor's degree in commerce. Now I am opting courses for masters degree to acquire well-rounded knowledge before going back to my own country.

Although all amenities in the apartment are up-to-dated which ensures friendly environment, dishwasher sometimes is not working well. It leaves the used utensils unwashed which bothers me alot. Fixing this issue will allow me to save my time and utilize it to other productive work.

I look forward in hearing from you and thank you in anticipating your abrupt actions to both matters.

Yours faithfully,

Sargun

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.0

You address all three required points and maintain a clear, polite purpose: you request an extension, explain that you are continuing your studies, and report that the dishwasher does not work reliably. The proposed period—“for next 2 years until december 2028”—is specific, and the study explanation gives relevant background. The apartment problem is also linked to its practical effect on you. To make the response more fully developed, clarify the exact extension period in relation to the original agreement and state more directly what repair or action you would like the owner to take. The closing reference to “both matters” is somewhat unclear, but the main request and reason remain understandable.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The letter has a clear overall sequence: request, explanation of changed plans, apartment problem, and closing. Separate paragraphs help the reader follow these distinct points, and phrases such as “Because of continuation of my studies” and “Although” signal relationships between ideas. This gives the response a coherent arrangement. However, some links are less natural or precise, particularly “I look forward in hearing from you” and “thank you in anticipating your abrupt actions to both matters,” which make the ending difficult to follow. The opening also combines the request and agreement update in one long sentence. More direct transitions and a clearer closing would make cohesion smoother and more flexible.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use an adequate range of vocabulary for the letter, including relevant terms such as “rental agreement,” “tertiary education,” “bachelor’s degree,” and “well-rounded knowledge.” These choices communicate your circumstances and the apartment issue. There are also attempts at more formal or less common expressions, but some are inaccurate or unnatural in context: “up-to-dated” for modern amenities, “abrupt actions” for prompt action, and “thank you in anticipating” do not convey the intended meaning clearly. “Alot” is also incorrectly written as one word. Aim for natural collocations and precise wording rather than formality for its own sake; this will make the request sound more fluent and professional.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

The response includes both simple and more complex sentence forms, such as the sentence beginning “Although all amenities…” and the explanation of your studies. Most meaning is clear, and the grammar errors rarely prevent understanding. Some errors remain in sentence construction and grammatical patterns. For example, “I would love to stay… for next 2 years” needs an article before the time period, while “Because of continuation of my studies” needs a more complete article pattern. “I look forward in hearing” uses the wrong preposition after “look forward,” and “courses for masters degree” has missing articles. Review articles, prepositions, and sentence phrasing, and check punctuation and capitalization in “december.”

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

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