Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-08-10

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 6.0)

Dear Keith,

My name is Jay and I have been living at your apartment for the past one and half year. I want to request you to extend the current lease, as it supposed to complete on next month. I want to expand the lease by the end of the year.

The main reason why I have to change the plan is because of my studies. Before, it ought to complete by next month. However, due to unwanted schedule break, now it will be done by December. Thus, I need to make changes to the original agreement.

In addition to that, I also want to bring your attention to few problems I am facing right now. Firstly, it is the pipe leakage from bathroom which makes carpets wet and it leads to stinky smell in the flat. Also, the power sockets of the main room is not working, due to that I am unable to light up the tube light.

I hope you can understand my situation and address the issues of the apartment.

Yours faithfully,

Jay Panchal

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

You have addressed all three bullet points in the prompt: stating the desired extension length, explaining the change in plans, and reporting maintenance issues. However, there is a significant factual inconsistency. The prompt states you have been renting for five months on a six-month agreement, but you mention you have been there for 'one and half year'. This contradiction confuses the reader regarding the timeline of your request. To improve, ensure your details align with the prompt's scenario. The tone is generally appropriate for a formal letter to a landlord, though the purpose could be stated more clearly in the opening sentence.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The letter is logically organized into clear paragraphs, each serving a specific purpose. You use some cohesive devices such as 'In addition to that', 'Firstly', and 'However' to link your ideas. However, the flow is occasionally hindered by awkward phrasing, such as 'due to that I am unable to'. The transition between the request for an extension and the mention of the maintenance issues is functional, but could be smoother. Overall, the paragraphing is effective, and the progression of ideas is easy to follow despite the minor issues with referencing and sentence-level cohesion.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'extend the current lease' and 'original agreement'. There are some inaccuracies in word choice and collocation, such as 'unwanted schedule break' (which is unclear) and 'light up the tube light' (which is unnatural). You also use 'expand' where 'extend' would be more precise. While your vocabulary is sufficient to convey your meaning, it lacks the precision and flexibility required for higher bands. Focusing on more natural collocations and avoiding repetitive phrasing will help improve your score in this area.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors. Examples include 'it supposed to complete on next month' (missing auxiliary verb and incorrect preposition), 'few problems' (should be 'a few'), and 'the power sockets... is not working' (subject-verb agreement error). While these errors do not prevent the reader from understanding your message, they are frequent enough to impact the overall fluency. To reach a higher band, you should focus on subject-verb agreement, correct tense usage, and ensuring that complex sentences are constructed accurately without missing articles or auxiliary verbs.

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

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