Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-08-15

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 Raj,

I hope you are doing great. I am writing to request that you permit me to stay in the apartment for longer than six months.

Initially, I thought 6 months would be enough for me, but now it is necessary for me to stay here for a longer duration. Now, I want to rent this property for 1 year, if possible. If you can grant me that, then I do not need to move out and rent another place.

Originally, I was supposed to stay for six months to complete my project because the deadline was strictly half a year. However, due to an emergency at our company, I have to be there for a longer period. Since I have lots of pending work, staying in the same place would be helpful for me because I do not need to move out.

I would like to draw your attention to the water pipeline in my apartment. It is broken since 2 months, which cause a water leak. Please fix it as soon as possible.

I will wait for your response. Thank you for your time and consideration.

Your Tenant,

Sara.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0

You have successfully addressed all three bullet points in the prompt. You clearly stated your request for a one-year extension, explained the change in your plans due to a company emergency, and identified the issue with the water pipeline. The tone is appropriate for a formal letter to a landlord. To improve, you could provide slightly more detail regarding the 'emergency' to make the justification more persuasive, and ensure the request for the repair is framed with a bit more urgency or specific detail about the location of the leak to help the landlord take action.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

The letter follows a logical structure with clear paragraphing. Each paragraph focuses on a specific requirement of the task, which helps the reader follow your points easily. You use some cohesive devices like 'Initially', 'However', and 'Since', which help connect your ideas. To reach a higher band, try to vary your linking words further and ensure that the transition between the request for an extension and the mention of the maintenance issue feels slightly more natural, perhaps by using a transitional phrase like 'In addition to this request, I would also like to bring to your attention...'

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

Your vocabulary is generally accurate and sufficient for this task. You use functional phrases like 'draw your attention to' and 'time and consideration'. However, there are some minor inaccuracies, such as 'It is broken since 2 months', which should be 'It has been broken for two months'. Additionally, some phrasing is slightly repetitive, such as 'move out' appearing twice in close proximity. Using a wider range of synonyms for 'stay' or 'move' would demonstrate a more flexible command of the language.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

You demonstrate a good mix of simple and complex sentence structures. Most of your sentences are clear and easy to understand. However, there are some persistent grammatical errors, particularly with verb tenses. For example, 'It is broken since 2 months' is incorrect; it should be the present perfect continuous: 'It has been leaking for two months'. Another error is 'which cause a water leak', which should be 'which is causing' or 'which causes'. Focusing on subject-verb agreement and consistent tense usage will help you achieve a higher score.

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

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