Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · 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 6.5)

Dear Alex,

I hope you are doing well. I am writing this letter regarding the rent agreement which I signed five months earlier for six-months. I was wondering if you could extend the rent agreement.

I wish to rent this apartment for more six-months. The major reason behind a sudden change in my plan is my current job. It is reliable to commute for my job from this particular location where the apartment is situated. In addition, all other shops and stores for basic necessities are near to the apartment which saves a lot of time of mine.

Further, I also want to mention a few problems which face while living in this apartment. There is only one bulb in my room which cause problem when I am working during night time. Due to inadequate lighting, I request you to fit an extra bulb in the celling of my room.

Please let me know if you are happy to increase the rent agreement. I am waiting to hear from you.

Kind regards,

Jasmeet Kaur

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0

The letter successfully addresses all three bullet points: the duration of the extension, the reason for the change in plans, and the maintenance issue. The tone is appropriate for a formal request to a landlord. The ideas are clearly presented, though the explanation regarding the job commute could be slightly more detailed to fully flesh out the reasoning. However, all requirements of the prompt are met, and the purpose of the letter is clear from the beginning. The structure is logical and follows the standard conventions of a formal letter.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

The letter is well-organized with clear paragraphing. Each paragraph focuses on a specific point, which helps the reader follow the narrative easily. Cohesive devices such as 'In addition', 'Further', and 'Due to' are used to link ideas, although some transitions feel slightly mechanical. The progression of ideas is logical, moving from the request to the justification and finally to the maintenance issue. The use of referencing is generally clear, and the letter maintains a consistent flow throughout.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The vocabulary is sufficient for the task, allowing the writer to convey their message clearly. There are some minor inaccuracies in word choice, such as 'reliable to commute' (which is not a standard collocation) and 'fit an extra bulb in the celling' (should be 'ceiling'). While the range is adequate, it lacks the sophistication or precision that would elevate it to a higher band. The vocabulary is functional and appropriate for the context of a landlord-tenant communication, but it does not demonstrate a wide range of less common lexical items.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The letter uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical errors, such as 'five months earlier for six-months' (should be 'a six-month agreement') and 'which cause problem' (should be 'which causes a problem'). Additionally, 'more six-months' should be 'another six months'. While these errors are noticeable, they do not impede communication. The writer shows an attempt at complex structures, but control over these is inconsistent. Punctuation is generally accurate, but there are minor slips in article usage and subject-verb agreement.

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

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