Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-08-16

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 Rahul,

I am writing this letter to you regarding extension in my agreement for renting an apartment. I think you remember when I moved to this town I don't have any job and did the agreement with you for renting an apartment for six months. But luckily I got job at gas station which is on the 2 minutes walk from apartment.

Our six month lease is expiring next month. I want to make a long term lease with you for renting an apartment because transit facility is available from near and my work is very close too. I found this area and apartment perfect for me.

There is only one problem which I faced within five month is that kitchen exhaust fan needs to be replaced because when I deep fry anything then exhaust fan doesn't work properly and it hardly remove smoke from kitchen.

I really appreciate your help and I will wait to sign a new contract.

Your Faithfully

Deep

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The letter covers all three bullet points required by the prompt: the desired length of the extension, the reason for the change in plans, and a specific maintenance issue. The tone is appropriate for a formal letter to a landlord. However, the development of ideas is somewhat basic. For instance, the explanation regarding the job change is clear but could be more naturally phrased. The request for the extension is stated, but the letter lacks a specific duration (e.g., 'another six months' or 'one year'), which is a minor omission in terms of fully addressing the task requirements. Overall, the purpose of the letter is clear and the reader is fully informed.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

The letter is logically organized into distinct paragraphs, each serving a clear purpose. The progression of ideas is easy to follow, moving from the introduction to the explanation, the maintenance issue, and finally the closing. Cohesive devices are used, such as 'but', 'because', and 'however' (implied), though some transitions are a bit mechanical. The use of paragraphing is appropriate for a formal letter. While the flow is generally smooth, the connection between sentences could be improved with a wider variety of linking words to enhance the overall cohesion of the text.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The vocabulary is adequate for the task, allowing the student to communicate their needs effectively. There are some instances of slightly unnatural phrasing, such as 'did the agreement' instead of 'signed the agreement' or 'transit facility is available' instead of 'public transport is accessible'. The student attempts to use specific vocabulary related to the apartment (e.g., 'exhaust fan', 'lease', 'contract'), which is good. However, the range is somewhat limited, and there are minor errors in word choice that, while not impeding communication, prevent the response from reaching a higher band score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The student uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical errors, such as 'I don't have any job' (should be 'I didn't have a job'), 'got job' (missing article 'a'), and 'on the 2 minutes walk' (should be 'a two-minute walk'). Additionally, 'Your Faithfully' is incorrect; it should be 'Yours faithfully'. While these errors are frequent, they do not impede the reader's understanding of the message. The control over basic grammar is generally good, but the lack of consistent accuracy in articles and verb tenses limits the score.

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

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