Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-08-20

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 6.0)

Dear owner,

I hope you are doing well. I have been living from six months in your apartment and I feel it is very convenient to grocery store as well as my university so I want to renew my rent agreement for a year.

Firstly I thought I have to change my university campus because they did not teach the particular course which I have to learn and it's very important course but now they started that particular course therefore, I do not need to change my apartment.

Furthermore, I just want to tell you about a problem in the house and there is a dishwasher. it is not starting with a beep and it's stop the working in the middle of the process and another problem which I faced from a very long time is that a washing machine. it is also not working properly and my clothes are coming out without wash. So, I request you to please fix these problems as soon as possible.

yours respectively,

Darshil

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The letter covers all three bullet points required by the prompt: the duration of the extension, the reason for the change in plans, and the maintenance issues. The tone is appropriate for a formal letter to a landlord. However, the development of ideas is somewhat limited. For example, the explanation regarding the university course is a bit repetitive and could be more concise to allow for a more professional closing. The request for repairs is clear, but the description of the issues is slightly informal. Overall, the task is fulfilled adequately, though the expression of ideas could be more polished to reach a higher band.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The letter is logically organized into paragraphs, each addressing a specific requirement of the task. The use of cohesive devices such as 'Firstly', 'Furthermore', and 'therefore' helps guide the reader through the text. However, some transitions feel slightly mechanical, and the flow between sentences within the third paragraph is a bit choppy due to punctuation errors (e.g., '...dishwasher. it is not...'). Improving the use of linking words and ensuring consistent punctuation would enhance the overall coherence and make the progression of ideas smoother.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, allowing the message to be conveyed clearly. There are some instances of awkward phrasing, such as 'living from six months' instead of 'living for six months' and 'stop the working'. While the student attempts to use specific vocabulary related to the apartment and university, the range is somewhat limited. To improve, the student should focus on more natural collocations and avoid repetitive structures. The use of 'yours respectively' is an incorrect closing; 'Yours sincerely' or 'Best regards' would be more appropriate for this context.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The student uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. However, there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally distract the reader, such as 'I have been living from six months', 'it is stop the working', and 'without wash'. Punctuation is also inconsistent, particularly with sentence boundaries and capitalization after periods. While the meaning remains clear, the frequency of these errors prevents the writing from reaching a higher band. Focusing on subject-verb agreement and correct preposition usage would significantly improve the accuracy of the writing.

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.