Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

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

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 hope you are doing well, I am writing to inform you to extend my lease agreement in your apartment.

I am Tinkal Desai, your tenant at No.13 apartment in Krishna colony for the past five and half month. As per renting agreement I have to live for six month in this apartment and leave after fifteen days on 23rd August. But now I have to stay 2 months more in your apartment as my job policies have been changed. Previously the policy for resignation period was just one week, but on day before yesterday my institution have changed this policy due to some reasons, which has been extended to two months. So, now I have to do my job for seven weeks more, which will be almost of two months.

Although, everything is very well maintained in house, but for the last two weeks the tube lights are not working properly. Because at night time I cannot do my work due it’s dimming issues. So, I am kindly requesting you to please look for it.

Thank you for attention to this matter.

Your sincerely,

Tinkal Desai

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0

The letter covers all three bullet points required by the prompt: the duration of the extension, the reason for the change, and the maintenance issue. The tone is appropriate for a formal letter to a landlord. However, the explanation regarding the job policy change is slightly repetitive and could have been more concise to allow for a more natural flow. The request for the extension is clear, and the maintenance issue is specific enough to be understood. Overall, the response fulfills the requirements of the task well, though the development of ideas could be slightly more polished to reach a higher band.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

The letter is logically organized with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a closing. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the request for extension from the maintenance issue. Cohesive devices such as 'Although', 'Because', and 'So' are used, though some transitions feel a bit mechanical or simplistic. The progression of ideas is generally clear, but the connection between the job policy change and the specific request for two months could be smoother. Overall, the structure is easy to follow, and the information is presented in a logical sequence.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The vocabulary is adequate for the task, allowing the student to convey their message clearly. There are some instances of slightly unnatural phrasing, such as 'inform you to extend my lease agreement' (should be 'inform you that I would like to extend') and 'do my job' (should be 'work'). While the student attempts to use specific terms like 'resignation period' and 'maintained', the range is somewhat limited. There are no significant spelling errors, but the word choice lacks the precision and variety required for a higher band score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The student uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical errors, such as 'five and half month' (should be 'five and a half months'), 'six month' (should be 'six months'), and 'day before yesterday my institution have changed' (should be 'has changed'). Punctuation is generally functional, though there are some comma splices and minor errors in article usage. While these errors do not impede communication, they occur frequently enough to prevent a higher score. A greater focus on subject-verb agreement and pluralization would improve the accuracy significantly.

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

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