Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-08-03

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 Mr Jones,

I am writing this letter to express my interest to live in your apartment for another six months. My previous six-month rent agreement is expiring in the following month. I choose to leave on the agreement ending date while signing the rental document because my plans were to move to different city because of my work. I was expecting a promotion and the new work location supposed to be in the other city. However, due to current financial issues of the company my promotion have been delayed for another half-year.

I was hoping if you have not decided to vacate the apartment for any purpose or looking for a new tenant. Please consider my request for extending my rental agreement for another 6 months. Apart from this, I am facing problems using microwave and dishwasher due to any mechanical problem. I will appreciate if you can send any repairmen to fix the issues.

I will be very thankful to you for considering my application and will be waiting your response.

Your tenant,

Ishpreet Singh

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0

You have successfully addressed all three bullet points in the prompt. You clearly stated the desired extension period, provided a logical explanation for your change in plans regarding your promotion, and identified the specific maintenance issues with the microwave and dishwasher. The tone is appropriate for a formal letter to a landlord. To reach a higher band, ensure that your explanation of the change in plans is slightly more concise to allow for a more natural flow, as the current explanation feels a bit repetitive in its phrasing regarding the company's financial situation.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The letter is logically organized into clear paragraphs, each serving a distinct purpose. You use some cohesive devices such as 'However,' 'Apart from this,' and 'Therefore' (implied). However, the transition between the explanation of your plans and the request for the extension could be smoother. Some sentences, such as 'I was hoping if you have not decided to vacate the apartment,' are slightly awkward in their construction, which affects the flow. Using a wider variety of linking words would help improve the overall cohesion of the text.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, such as 'expiring,' 'tenant,' and 'mechanical problem.' There are some minor inaccuracies in word choice, such as 'I choose to leave on the agreement ending date' (should be 'chose') and 'vacate the apartment' (which usually refers to the tenant leaving, not the landlord). While these do not impede communication, they show a need for more precise collocation. Expanding your vocabulary to include more formal expressions for requesting repairs or extensions would enhance your score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical errors, such as 'the new work location supposed to be' (missing 'was'), 'my promotion have been delayed' (subject-verb agreement error), and 'waiting your response' (missing 'for'). These errors are frequent but do not prevent the reader from understanding your message. To improve, focus on subject-verb agreement and the correct use of auxiliary verbs in passive constructions. Increasing the variety of complex sentences while maintaining accuracy will help you achieve a higher band.

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

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