Band 7.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 7.0 · 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 7.0)

Dear Salal,

I am writing to request 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. Although, 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 appreciate 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.

Best Regards,

Anis Sah

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.5

The letter successfully addresses all three bullet points: the duration of the extension, the reason for the change in plans, and the ongoing maintenance issue. The tone is appropriate for a formal request to a landlord. The ideas are clearly presented and the purpose of the letter is immediately apparent. The response is well-structured, and the request for the extension is logically linked to the change in employment status. All parts of the task are covered well, meeting the requirements for a Band 7.0 or higher.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.5

The letter is logically organized into distinct paragraphs, each serving a clear purpose. The progression of ideas is smooth, moving from the request to the justification and finally to the maintenance issue. Cohesive devices such as 'Although', 'Not only this, but', and 'Unfortunately' are used effectively to connect sentences and ideas. The paragraphing is appropriate for a formal letter, and the overall flow is natural and easy to follow throughout the text.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.5

The vocabulary is generally appropriate for the task, with clear and functional language used throughout. There are some minor inaccuracies, such as 'full-time job offer' (missing an article) and 'familier' (spelling error). While the range is sufficient to convey the message clearly, it lacks the more sophisticated or precise collocations that would be expected at a higher band level. However, the vocabulary is adequate for the context and does not impede communication.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The letter demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical errors, such as 'it is again started leaking' (incorrect verb tense/passive voice usage), 'same city I am familier with' (missing article), and 'send plumber' (missing article). Despite these errors, the meaning remains clear, and the punctuation is generally correct. The control of grammar is sufficient for the task, but the frequency of minor errors prevents a higher score.

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

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