Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-08-18

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,

I hope you doing well, I am writing this letter to request you for increasing my apartment lease.

I have been staying in this apartment for now 5 months, it is been an amazing experience for me. I would like to expand my agreement for more 6 months.

Initially, I planned to move somewhere else, however, I changed my thought and now I want to stay here for more six months. The reason to flip my plan is that, I really enjoy living here. There are many advantages such as, it is 5 kilometer away from my work, all the groceries stores are near around, and last major reason is bus station is just next my apartment, which makes my life more easier.

On the other hand, I have found some issues in the apartment as well. First thing is heater is not working properly, especially when it is cold outside, it gives me hard time during the winters. Second thing I have noticed that, there is a leakage in the corner of my bathroom. It has been a problem since i moved here. I really appreciate if these problems will be solved as soon as possible.

I look forward to hearing from you side regarding my contact.

Yours faithfully,

Jaimin Padhiyar

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0

You have successfully addressed all three bullet points in the prompt: stating the desired extension length, explaining the change in plans, and reporting maintenance issues. The tone is appropriate for a formal letter to a landlord. The ideas are relevant and clearly presented, though the development of the maintenance issues could be slightly more detailed to fully meet the criteria for a higher band. Overall, the response is well-focused and fulfills the requirements of the task effectively.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The letter is logically organized into clear paragraphs, each serving a specific purpose. You use some cohesive devices, such as 'Initially', 'however', and 'On the other hand', which help the reader follow your train of thought. However, the transition between ideas could be smoother in some places. For instance, the jump from the benefits of the apartment to the maintenance issues is a bit abrupt. Using a wider variety of linking words and ensuring that referencing (e.g., 'these problems') is always precise would improve the flow further.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully conveying your meaning. Phrases like 'amazing experience' and 'not working properly' are clear and functional. To reach a higher band, try to incorporate more precise or less common collocations. For example, instead of 'flip my plan', you could use 'reconsider my plans'. There are some minor word-choice inaccuracies, such as 'request you for increasing' (should be 'request an extension of') and 'near around' (should be 'nearby'). These do not impede communication but show a need for more natural phrasing.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is generally clear, there are several grammatical errors, such as 'I hope you doing well' (missing 'are'), 'it is been' (should be 'it has been'), and 'makes my life more easier' (double comparative). Additionally, there are some punctuation and article errors, such as 'bus station is just next my apartment' (missing 'the' and 'to'). These errors are frequent enough to be noticeable but do not prevent the reader from understanding your message. 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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