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 Sir,

I hope this message finds you well. I am writing to inquire about an extension of the six-month lease agreement.

I rented your apartment six months ago because I got a contract job for six months near to the apartment. But now I got full time job at the same company, so I would like to extend the lease agreement. I would like to rent the apartment for one more year. My plans have changed to stay for a longer period of time because of the changed job contract.

I would like to mention a problem that I am facing in the apartment are water leakage in the washroom and a shortage of electricity. Due to these issues, I am not happy. So I would like to request to repair this issue.

Thank you for your time and consideration. I am looking forward to hearing from you.

Yours sincerely,

John.

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 the desired duration of the extension (one year), explain the change in your employment status as the reason for your request, and identify specific maintenance issues (water leakage and electricity). The tone is appropriate for a formal letter to a landlord. To improve, you could provide more detail regarding the maintenance issues, such as how long they have been occurring or the specific impact they are having on your daily life, which would help in developing your ideas more fully to reach a higher band.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The letter is logically organized with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a formal closing. Each paragraph focuses on a distinct point from the prompt, which helps the reader follow your message easily. You use basic cohesive devices such as 'but now', 'because of', and 'due to' to link your ideas. To achieve a higher score, try to incorporate a wider variety of linking words and transition phrases (e.g., 'consequently', 'furthermore', 'in addition to this') to improve the flow between sentences and create a more sophisticated structure.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

Your vocabulary is adequate for the task and allows you to communicate your needs clearly. You use relevant terms like 'lease agreement', 'contract job', and 'consideration'. However, the range is somewhat limited and repetitive. For instance, you use the word 'apartment' and 'job' multiple times. To improve, aim to use more varied synonyms and collocations. For example, instead of saying 'I got a job', you could use 'I secured a position' or 'I was offered employment'. Expanding your vocabulary will help you express yourself with more precision and style.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

You demonstrate a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is generally clear, there are some grammatical inaccuracies. For example, 'I am facing in the apartment are water leakage' contains a subject-verb agreement error; it should be 'the problems I am facing... are' or 'the problem... is'. Additionally, 'I got full time job' is missing an article ('a full-time job'). To reach a higher band, focus on consistent subject-verb agreement and the correct use of articles. Increasing your use of varied complex sentence structures while maintaining accuracy will also be beneficial.

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

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