Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-08-01

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)

Hello John,

I hope you are doing well. I am writing this letter to request for a longer stay in your apartment. I have been living in your apartment from last almost 4 years, and I really appreciate our relationship during entire period.

As you know our lease is ending by the end of the next month, due to some reasons, I would request you to allow me stay here for at least one more year. Both of my daughters are attending the school, just a few minutes away from our apartment. They are going to graduate by next month, and I want no significant change in their daily life. Furthermore, I, being a single mom, feel this building is a place for me and for my daughters until we could not find another one.

Secondly, I want to mention a problem, I am facing nowadays in our apartment, that the water supply is hardly four hours a day. I myself tried to talk with the building management but unfortunately they are not seem interested in resolving my query.

I hope you would be accepting my request and resolving the problem as soon as possible.

Kind Regards.

Namra Amin

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The letter covers all three bullet points: the duration of the requested extension, the reasons for the change in plans, and the mention of the water supply issue. However, there is a significant factual inconsistency: the prompt states you have been renting for five months on a six-month agreement, but the letter claims you have been living there for 'almost 4 years'. This contradiction undermines the task requirements. While the tone is appropriate for a formal letter to a landlord, the development of ideas is slightly hampered by this confusion regarding the timeline of the tenancy.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

The letter is organized into clear paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the progression of the request. Cohesive devices such as 'Furthermore', 'Secondly', and 'As you know' are used to link ideas. However, some transitions are slightly mechanical or misused, such as 'until we could not find another one', which creates a confusing logical link. The referencing is generally clear, but the overall flow is occasionally interrupted by the aforementioned factual inconsistencies and minor grammatical awkwardness in sentence structure.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.5

The vocabulary is adequate for the task, allowing the writer to communicate their needs effectively. There are some attempts at more formal phrasing, such as 'appreciate our relationship' and 'resolving my query'. However, there are some inaccuracies in word choice and collocation, such as 'request for a longer stay' (should be 'request a longer stay') and 'they are not seem interested' (should be 'they do not seem interested'). The range is sufficient for the task but lacks the precision and flexibility required for higher bands.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.5

The letter uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is generally clear, there are frequent grammatical errors, particularly with verb tenses and prepositions, such as 'living in your apartment from last almost 4 years' and 'I hope you would be accepting'. These errors are noticeable but do not impede communication. The control over complex structures is inconsistent, and the punctuation is generally functional, though some phrasing feels slightly unnatural for a formal letter.

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