Band 7.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 7.0 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-08-07

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 7.0)

Dear John,

The purpose of my writing today is about the change in plans for staying in the apartment. I hope you remember, we had a six-month tenant agreement i.e. till end of the August.

However, my last month of stay according to our agreement is approaching to an end. I wanted to inform you about my sudden change in plan and I wish to extend this agreement to 6 more months that means February, 2027.

I got an internship opportunity in an IT firm for 6 months that is just 600 meters away from this apartment. Since, I am already well settled here and commute will be easier for me from this place.

There are some minor concerns that I wanted to share, chimney is not working properly. Everytime, I cook it doesn't clear the smoke and alerts the fire alarm. I request you to get it repaired.

I am looking forward to seeing how my suggestions translate into prompt actions from your side. Your cooperation in this matter is highly appreciated.

Thanks and Regards,

Vaishali Wadhwa

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.5

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 (the internship), and identified a specific maintenance issue (the chimney). The tone is appropriate for a formal letter to a landlord. The ideas are relevant and well-developed, ensuring the reader understands your situation and your request. To reach a higher band, ensure that the closing statement is more natural; for instance, 'I look forward to hearing from you regarding these matters' is more standard than 'translating suggestions into prompt actions'.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

The letter is logically organized with a clear introduction, body paragraphs for each requirement, and a formal sign-off. Paragraphing is used effectively to separate the request for extension from the maintenance issue. You use some cohesive devices, such as 'However' and 'Since', to link ideas. To improve, consider using a wider variety of linking words to improve the flow between sentences. For example, in the second paragraph, you could use 'Consequently' or 'As a result' to better connect your internship opportunity to your desire to stay in the apartment.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.5

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'internship opportunity', 'commute', and 'cooperation'. However, there are some minor inaccuracies in word choice and phrasing, such as 'approaching to an end' (should be 'approaching its end') and 'the chimney is not working properly' (which is clear but could be more precise). The vocabulary is sufficient to convey your meaning clearly, but incorporating more sophisticated collocations would elevate the response to a higher band.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.5

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are some grammatical slips, such as 'The purpose of my writing today is about the change' (should be 'is to inform you about the change') and 'Everytime, I cook it doesn't clear' (should be 'Every time I cook, it does not clear'). Punctuation is generally functional, though there are minor errors with comma usage. The errors present do not impede communication, but more consistent control over complex sentence structures and article usage would improve your score.

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