Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · 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 5.0)

Dear Mr Delton.

I am writing to express my concern regarding the apartment rental agreement we had 6 months ago. However, due to some circumstances that are recently happening at work I will kindly request you to extend my stay until last day of January 2027.

Please note that the reason I am requesting the rental extension is that we do have a new project at work to install solar panels system that will boost Umtata town. This is a very huge and multi-million rands project so the CEO of my company asked me a kind request to facilitate the project and assure that everything runs accordingly. Such, as handling the spares that would be needed, the finances and clients to see if they are treated with dignity and respect.

I hope my request will be highly taken into consideration.

Best Regards,

Edward Gama

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 3.5

The letter gives a clear extension request, specifying that you want to stay until the last day of January 2027, and explains that a new solar-panel project at work has changed your plans. However, the task also asks you to report a problem in the apartment, and no such problem is mentioned, so an important part is missing. The reason for the extension is relevant, but details about your responsibilities at work take up space without explaining the rental request further. The response is also six words below the required minimum. To address the task more fully, add a specific apartment issue and explain briefly how long you need the extension for in relation to the original agreement.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

The response has a recognisable letter structure: it opens with the purpose, gives the reason in a separate paragraph, and ends with a polite request and sign-off. The sequence from requesting an extension to explaining the work project is generally understandable. However, the second paragraph contains several details joined in a way that makes the progression less clear, particularly the sentence beginning “Such, as handling the spares”. This fragment does not connect smoothly to the preceding sentence. The letter also moves directly from the explanation to the closing, without a paragraph about the requested apartment problem. Use clearer sentence links and organise the content into distinct paragraphs for the request, reason, and apartment issue.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use a suitable range of vocabulary for a formal request, including “rental agreement”, “extend my stay”, “facilitate the project”, and “taken into consideration”. These choices make the purpose and work-related reason clear, and the meaning is generally accessible. Some expressions are inaccurate or unnatural in context, such as “a kind request” and “multi-million rands project”; these suggest attempts at more specific language but weaken naturalness. “Boost Umtata town” is also vague about the project's effect. Aim for precise, conventional collocations in formal letters, such as describing the project as “a major solar-panel installation project” and saying your employer “asked me to oversee it”.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The letter includes both straightforward sentences and some attempts at more complex structures, for example the explanation beginning “due to some circumstances” and the sentence about the CEO asking you to facilitate the project. The main request is understandable, and the writer generally controls basic sentence forms. Some grammatical and punctuation errors remain: “Dear Mr Delton.” should end with a comma, and “the reason I am requesting … is that we do have” is awkwardly constructed. The phrase “Such, as handling…” is a sentence fragment, while “the last day of January 2027” would be clearer as “the end of January 2027” in this context. Check sentence boundaries and revise complex sentences so each clause is grammatically complete.

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