Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-08-13

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,

I am writing this letter to request an extend of my stay at your diamond high rise apartments.

My lease agreement is likely to finish this month end. It would be great if you increase my staying period by four months. I probably thinking to leave this apartment in Christmas as i have to visit my aunt who is living in France.

I have been working as contractor for Accenture company as Software Developer. My contract supposed to finish this month end. Because of their requirement, company has offered me an extension of the contract till December mid with increase in salary. That has changed my plans and it's great offer which i should accept for my future development.

I have been staying in your apartment for past five months. Everything working perfectly fine in this apartment. However, sometimes kitchen sink fills with water because of the blockage in the pipe which is connected to the drainage system. This issue is not that big, but you can call plumber in your convenience.

I hope you understand my situation and give me extension for my stay.

Warm Regards,

Herry

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The letter successfully addresses all three bullet points required by the prompt. You clearly state the desired extension period, explain the change in your professional circumstances, and report the maintenance issue in the kitchen. The tone is appropriate for a formal request to a landlord. The ideas are well-developed and relevant, providing sufficient detail to justify the request. To reach a higher band, ensure that the opening and closing are more standard for formal correspondence, and avoid minor inconsistencies in the timeline, such as the slight confusion regarding the lease end date versus the contract end date.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The letter is logically organized, with each paragraph focusing on a specific aspect of the request. The progression of ideas is clear, moving from the request to the justification and finally to the maintenance issue. You use some cohesive devices, such as 'However' and 'Because of', to link ideas. To improve, try to use a wider variety of linking words and ensure that transitions between paragraphs are smoother. For instance, the jump from the professional explanation to the apartment maintenance issue is a bit abrupt; a transitional phrase could help bridge these two distinct topics more effectively.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'lease agreement', 'contractor', and 'development'. However, there are some inaccuracies in word choice and collocation, such as 'request an extend' (should be 'extension') and 'at your convenience' (should be 'at your earliest convenience'). Additionally, 'this month end' is slightly informal and non-standard. While these errors do not impede communication, they limit the score. Focusing on more precise collocations and standard formal phrasing will help you achieve 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. However, there are several grammatical errors that occur throughout the text, such as 'I probably thinking' (should be 'I am probably thinking'), 'company has offered' (should be 'the company'), and 'call plumber' (should be 'call a plumber'). There are also minor issues with article usage and verb tense consistency. While these errors rarely impede the reader's understanding, they are frequent enough to prevent a higher score. Proofreading for basic subject-verb agreement and article usage would significantly improve your accuracy.

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

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