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 owner or landlord,

I am writing to enquire about extending my stay in the apartment for more than six month which we agreed previously.

I would like to rent the apartment again for the next six months. The main reason why I decided to stay longer was a changes in my business plan and raised up opportunity in my career job. Could you please confirm whether the apartment available for the next 6 month, and if you are good to arrange a new extension lease contract?

I would also like to inform you about a problem with a pipe in your apartment. Not too long time ago, a main pipeline in the kitchen starts leaking for some unknown reasons. I used fibber towels and bucket to prevent leakage. Could you please call a plumber or handy man to fix this issue.

Please let me know if you require any further information to complete a new agreement and time when the pipe will be fixed.

Thank you for your assistance. I look forward to your reply.

Your faithfully,

Mark

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0

The letter successfully addresses all three bullet points required by the prompt. You clearly state your intention to extend the lease for six months, provide a plausible reason for the change in plans, and report the maintenance issue regarding the leaking pipe. The tone is appropriate for a formal letter to a landlord. The ideas are relevant and sufficiently developed to meet the requirements of the task. To reach a higher band, ensure that the opening and closing salutations are consistent with the level of formality required, as 'Dear owner or landlord' is slightly unnatural compared to 'Dear Mr/Ms [Name]'.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The letter is logically organized, with each paragraph focusing on a specific requirement of the prompt. The progression of ideas is clear, moving from the request to the explanation and finally the maintenance issue. You use basic cohesive devices such as 'The main reason why' and 'I would also like to inform you', which help the flow. However, the transition between the request for an extension and the maintenance issue is somewhat abrupt. Using more sophisticated linking phrases or better paragraph transitions would improve the overall coherence and help the letter feel more cohesive.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, such as 'enquire', 'extension lease contract', and 'assistance'. However, there are several instances of awkward word choice and minor errors, such as 'raised up opportunity' instead of 'increased opportunities' or 'career advancement', and 'fibber towels' (likely meaning 'paper towels'). These errors do not impede communication, but they do highlight a need for more precise collocation and vocabulary development. Focusing on common business and formal collocations would help elevate your score in this criterion.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, such as 'The main reason why I decided to stay longer was...'. However, there are frequent grammatical errors, including subject-verb agreement issues ('a main pipeline... starts leaking') and article usage ('a changes in my business plan'). Additionally, there are minor punctuation and phrasing errors, such as 'six month' instead of 'six months' and 'Your faithfully' instead of 'Yours faithfully'. While these errors do not prevent the reader from understanding your message, they occur frequently enough to limit the score. Focusing on proofreading for basic tense and pluralization errors will be beneficial.

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

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