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 Mr. Patel

I hope you are doing well. I would like to talk you about the lease agreement which is going to finish next month. Firstly, I want ask you to extend the lease agreement if it's possible to do for another 2 years.

The reason behind to stay in this apartment is I got an admission in the nearby college and the course which I chose is 2 year diploma. Apart from this, my job is not too far from here. And , if I rent this apartment then I do not have to spend money on transport as it's just 5 minutes walk from home and it will save my time as well.

I would like to make one request that the heating system is not working properly so if you can just fix that issue as soon as possible that would be awesome other than that everything else is perfect.

I am hoping to hear a prompt response from you.

Yours sincerely,

Vipal Patel.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0

The letter successfully addresses all three bullet points: the duration of the extension, the reason for the change in plans (college admission), and the maintenance issue (heating). The tone is appropriate for a formal request to a landlord. The ideas are relevant and clearly presented, though the development of the 'reason' could be slightly more sophisticated to reach higher bands. The purpose of the letter is clear from the outset, and the reader is left with no doubt about the writer's intentions. Overall, the response fulfills the requirements of the task effectively.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

The letter is logically organized into clear paragraphs, each serving a distinct purpose. The progression of ideas is easy to follow. Cohesive devices are used, such as 'Firstly', 'Apart from this', and 'other than that', which help link the sentences. However, some transitions are slightly mechanical or repetitive. The use of punctuation is generally functional, though there are minor issues with comma placement, such as 'And , if I rent'. Despite these minor flaws, the overall structure is coherent and the message is conveyed without confusion.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The vocabulary is adequate for the task, allowing the writer to express their needs clearly. There are some instances of slightly unnatural phrasing, such as 'talk you about' (should be 'talk to you about') and 'got an admission' (should be 'was admitted to' or 'received an offer'). While the range is sufficient to communicate the message, it lacks the precision and flexibility required for higher bands. The word choices are functional but do not demonstrate a wide range of less common lexical items or sophisticated collocations.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The letter contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical errors, such as 'The reason behind to stay' (should be 'The reason for staying'), 'I want ask you' (should be 'I want to ask you'), and 'if it's possible to do for' (should be 'if it is possible to extend it for'). While these errors are noticeable, they do not impede communication. The writer demonstrates an attempt at complex structures, but control is inconsistent. Punctuation is generally acceptable, though there are minor errors in sentence boundary marking.

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

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.