Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-08-05

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. Smith,

I am writing to ask if it would be possible to extend my stay in your apartment for a year, as I have decided to study a new course at the same college where I am doing my education currently.

I have been considering this course for some time because I believe it would help me to enhance my skills in my current job. After a survey, I find that this college has a scholarship for the students who passed the pervious course with 90% of marks.

If possible, could you please ask the electrician to fix the lights of living area as soon as possible because the bulb is too old. Apart from this, the hot water tap is not work properly during the winter season.

I would be very grateful if you could consider my request. I would be happy to discuss this with you at your convenience.

Your Sincerely,

Shikha

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0

The letter addresses all three bullet points required by the prompt. You clearly state the desired extension period, explain the change in plans related to your studies, and identify two maintenance issues. The tone is appropriate for a formal letter to a landlord. To improve, ensure that the explanation for the change in plans is more directly linked to the apartment situation if possible, or keep it concise to allow more room for the maintenance request details. The ideas are relevant and the purpose of the letter is clear throughout.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

The letter is logically organized with a clear introduction, body paragraphs for the request and the maintenance issues, and a polite closing. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate distinct topics. You use some cohesive devices such as 'Apart from this' and 'If possible', which help the flow of information. To reach a higher band, you could vary your linking words further and ensure that the transition between the academic explanation and the maintenance request feels slightly more natural, perhaps by using a concluding sentence for the first body paragraph.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'extend my stay', 'convenience', and 'scholarship'. However, there are some minor inaccuracies in word choice and collocation, such as 'doing my education currently' (should be 'pursuing my studies') and 'passed the pervious course' (spelling error: 'previous'). The phrase 'the hot water tap is not work properly' contains a grammatical error that affects the lexical accuracy. Focusing on more precise collocations will help improve your score in this area.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is generally clear, there are several grammatical errors that persist. For example, 'the hot water tap is not work properly' should be 'is not working properly', and 'fix the lights of living area' requires an article ('the living area'). Additionally, 'Your Sincerely' is an incorrect closing; it should be 'Yours sincerely'. While these errors do not impede communication, they occur frequently enough to prevent a higher band score. Focus on subject-verb agreement and article usage.

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

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