Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-08-04

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 owner,

I am writing to request an extension of the agreement that was initially signed for six months, however due to unforeseen reasons I would have to extent my stay for another 4 months.

We signed a lease until September only, however I enrolled in extra course offered by my college which will finish in December. Therefore, being a long-standing tenant here I would like to extend my stay rather than looking for other rental apartments.

The reason for changing my plans is convenience, as my college is 2 kilometers away from this location, and also my institute offers free transportation with 3 kilometers range.

Although apartment provides conveniency such as easy access to bus stop and budget friendly rent, it has a few disadvantages. The major problem is Microwave, because I often order food online, hence I have to use that more frequent and sometimes it is not functioning properly and stops in between. Thus, if you could provide us a new Microwave I will be delighted.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Yours sincerely,

Jack.

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 reason for the change in plans (enrolling in an extra course), and identified a specific issue with the microwave. 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 more tightly integrated with the request for the extension, as the current structure slightly separates the reason from the request. Overall, the task is fully addressed.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The letter follows a logical progression, moving from the request to the justification and finally the maintenance issue. You use some cohesive devices like 'Therefore' and 'Although', which help the flow. However, the paragraphing is a bit disjointed; the transition between the reason for staying and the apartment's features is somewhat abrupt. To improve, ensure each paragraph has a clear thematic focus. For instance, grouping the request and the reason for the extension in one paragraph, and the apartment issues in another, would create a more professional structure.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'long-standing tenant' and 'unforeseen reasons'. There are some minor errors in word choice and form, such as 'extent' instead of 'extend' and 'conveniency' instead of 'convenience'. Additionally, 'with 3 kilometers range' is slightly unnatural; 'within a 3-kilometer radius' would be more precise. While your vocabulary is sufficient to convey your meaning clearly, incorporating more precise collocations would elevate your score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical slips, such as 'I would have to extent' (should be 'extend'), 'extra course' (should be 'an extra course'), and 'more frequent' (should be 'more frequently'). The sentence 'Although apartment provides...' is missing an article ('the'). While these errors do not impede communication, they occur frequently enough to prevent a higher band. Focusing on subject-verb agreement and the correct use of articles will help improve your accuracy.

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

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