Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-08-12

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 John,

Hope you are doing well, I am writing this letter to request for an extension of our six-month agreement.

I would like to stay at your apartment for another 8 months. Since my office is very close, it is very convenient for me to travel. Additionally, every essential factors such gym, grocery store are at a walkable distance.

Initially I planned to move to ABC street. The apartment is being constructed. I expected them to complete within 6 months but the working is taking longer than expected. Some electrical and plumbing works remain.

Furthermore, I would like to install an air conditioner unit , since there are no outlet holes, it will be very difficult to install the outlet unit. I request you to allow for a few drilling holes in the bedroom wall.

Hope you will accept my requests and I am looking forward for your kind reply

Yours faithfully,

Adam

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

You have successfully addressed all three bullet points required by the prompt. You clearly stated the desired extension period (8 months), provided a logical reason for the change in plans (construction delays at your new apartment), and introduced a specific maintenance request regarding the air conditioner. The tone is appropriate for a formal letter to a landlord. To reach a higher band, you could provide slightly more detail regarding the 'problem' to ensure the landlord fully understands the scope of the drilling required, as this would demonstrate a more thorough development of ideas.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The letter is logically organized with clear paragraphing. Each paragraph focuses on a specific aspect of the request, which helps the reader follow your train of thought. You use some cohesive devices such as 'Additionally', 'Initially', and 'Furthermore' to link your ideas. However, the transition between the explanation of the construction delay and the request for the air conditioner is slightly abrupt. Using more varied cohesive devices or smoother linking phrases would improve the flow of the letter and help you achieve a higher score in this criterion.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for this task, using terms like 'extension', 'convenient', and 'essential'. However, there are some minor inaccuracies in word choice and collocation. For example, 'every essential factors' should be 'all essential factors' or 'every essential factor'. Additionally, 'the working is taking longer' is unnatural; 'the construction work is taking longer' would be more precise. While your vocabulary is sufficient to convey your meaning clearly, incorporating more sophisticated or precise collocations would elevate your writing to a higher band.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, which is appropriate for this task. There are some grammatical errors, such as 'request for an extension' (the verb 'request' does not need 'for' when used as a transitive verb here) and 'every essential factors such gym' (missing 'as' and 'a'). Punctuation is generally functional, though there are some minor issues with comma usage. Despite these errors, your meaning is always clear, and the mistakes do not impede communication. Focusing on subject-verb agreement and preposition usage will help improve your accuracy.

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

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