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)

Respected Sir,

I am writing to formally request you to increase my 6-month rental agreement to a year. I know this is very short notice request because there are amendments in my work contract.

I moved to this residence due to my work. Initially my work contract was of 6 months now my company extend my contract to a year, which is why I want to stay longer. Moving forward, we can sign the lease for a year for security. Beside this, It is very comfortable for me to get access for basic requirements from this place such as shoppers, Fresh co etcetera.

Although I want to extend my agreement, there is problem with apartment. The heating system of main room is not working properly which gave lot of problem to me, which needs to be repaired.

I appreciate your consideration and looking for positive response.

Faithfully,

Lily

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

You have addressed all three bullet points required by the prompt: the duration of the extension, the reason for the change, and the maintenance issue. However, the response is slightly under the 150-word minimum requirement, which impacts the overall task completion. While the ideas are relevant, the development is somewhat brief. For example, the explanation regarding the work contract is clear, but the description of the apartment problem could be more detailed to better justify the request. To improve, ensure you expand on your points sufficiently to meet the length requirement and provide a more comprehensive explanation for each task component.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The letter is organized into logical paragraphs, which helps the reader follow your points. You use some cohesive devices like 'Although' and 'Initially', which assist in connecting ideas. However, the flow is occasionally mechanical, and some transitions between sentences feel abrupt. For instance, the jump from discussing the lease to mentioning the apartment's location ('Beside this, It is very comfortable...') lacks a smooth transition. To improve, try to use a wider variety of linking words and ensure that each paragraph has a clear topic sentence that connects logically to the next.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

Your vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, allowing you to communicate your needs clearly. You use some appropriate business-related terms like 'rental agreement' and 'amendments'. However, there are some inaccuracies in word choice, such as 'shoppers' to refer to local amenities or shops, and 'gave lot of problem' which is not a natural collocation. The use of 'etcetera' is also slightly informal for a formal letter. To reach a higher band, focus on using more precise vocabulary and natural collocations, and avoid overly informal or vague expressions.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

You demonstrate a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally distract the reader. For example, 'there are amendments in my work contract' is slightly awkward, and 'there is problem with apartment' is missing an article ('a' or 'the'). Additionally, 'which gave lot of problem to me' contains errors in article usage and tense consistency. While these errors do not completely impede communication, they are frequent enough to affect the overall fluency. Focusing on subject-verb agreement and the correct use of articles would significantly improve your accuracy.

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

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.