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 Sir,

As per our previous agreement I had signed six months contact for apartmental renting, but I hereby request for an extension for 3 months. I would be grateful if you allow me to stay longer.

One of the reason for the extension is my exams have been postponed and thereby need to stay longer. Addition to this I have my family planning for vacation and they need a place to stay, since it would be difficult to find accomodation on last the moment it would be great if they could stay with me.

But I do have some requests on the maintainence of the apartment, the ceilings' and the walls'; the paint is wearing off, and the water faucets have been leaking continuosly.

It would be great if you could kindly sent someone to fix it asap. I would really appreciate your feedback.

Thank you

Regards,

John Wright

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0

You have successfully addressed all three bullet points required by the prompt: stating the desired extension length, explaining the change in plans, and reporting the maintenance issues. The tone is appropriate for a formal letter to a landlord. However, the development of ideas is somewhat brief. For instance, while you mention the exams and family vacation, providing slightly more detail would have strengthened the letter. The request for the extension is clear, and the maintenance issues are specific enough for the landlord to understand the urgency. Overall, the task is fully addressed, meeting the requirements of the prompt effectively.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

The letter is logically organized with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a closing. Each paragraph focuses on a specific aspect of the task, which helps the reader follow your points easily. You use some cohesive devices such as 'As per', 'Addition to this', and 'since', which help link your ideas. However, the transition between the request for extension and the maintenance issues is a bit abrupt. Using more sophisticated linking phrases or a clearer concluding sentence for the second paragraph would improve the flow. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the different topics.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, such as 'agreement', 'extension', 'postponed', and 'maintenance'. There are some minor errors in word choice and spelling, such as 'contact' instead of 'contract', 'apartmental' which is non-standard, and 'continuosly' (spelling). Additionally, 'last the moment' is a slight misuse of the idiom 'at the last moment'. While these errors do not impede communication, they prevent the vocabulary from reaching a higher band. Using more precise collocations would enhance the professional tone of your writing.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical errors, such as 'I had signed six months contact' (should be 'a six-month contract'), 'One of the reason' (should be 'reasons'), and 'kindly sent someone' (should be 'send'). Punctuation is generally functional, though the use of semicolons in 'the ceilings' and the walls';' is incorrect. Despite these errors, the meaning remains clear throughout the letter. To improve, focus on subject-verb agreement and ensuring that verb tenses are used consistently, especially when discussing future plans and past agreements.

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

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