Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-08-14

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 Salal,

I am writing to request for a lease extension as I will be completing my six-month agreement next month and wish to extend it to one year period.

Recently, I accepted full time job offer in the same city. Altough, I was planing to move, I decided to grab the opportunity to live in same city I am familier with. Not only this but I also like your apartment and personally you as a owner as you are very helpful and easy to deal with.

Unfortunately, I am still facing difficulty with kitchen ceiling leakage. Even after repairing it, it is again started leaking from different area. I would really apprecite if you look into this matter and send plumber to fix it as soon as possible as it is ruining my food and its hard to cook food due to that.

I hope to hear back from you soon. Thank you for your time and consideration.

b

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0

You have successfully addressed all three bullet points in the prompt. You clearly stated the desired extension period, provided a logical reason for your change in plans (a new job), and described the ongoing maintenance issue with the kitchen ceiling. The tone is appropriate for a formal letter to a landlord. The ideas are well-developed and the purpose of the letter is clear from the beginning. To reach a higher band, ensure that the closing is slightly more formal, as 'b' at the end is unclear and unprofessional.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

The letter is logically organized with clear paragraph breaks for each point. You use some cohesive devices such as 'Not only this but I also' and 'Unfortunately' to guide the reader. However, the flow between sentences could be improved by using a wider variety of linking words. For example, the transition between the job offer and the apartment appreciation is slightly abrupt. The referencing is generally clear, though the structure of the final paragraph is a bit simple. Overall, the progression of ideas is easy to follow.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, such as 'lease extension', 'grab the opportunity', and 'consideration'. There are some minor spelling and word choice errors, such as 'Altough' (Although), 'planing' (planning), 'familier' (familiar), and 'apprecite' (appreciate). These errors do not impede communication, but they do suggest a need for more careful proofreading. To improve, try to incorporate more precise collocations related to property management, such as 'maintenance request' or 'urgent repair'.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical slips, such as 'request for a lease extension' (should be 'request a lease extension'), 'one year period' (should be 'a one-year period'), and 'it is again started leaking' (should be 'it has started leaking again'). Additionally, there are missing articles, such as 'in same city' (should be 'in the same city'). While these errors are frequent, they rarely cause confusion for the reader. Focusing on subject-verb agreement and article 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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