Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-08-21

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 Alex,

I am writing to request an extension on my six-month agreement and to inform you about the reason of extension.

I have been living in this apartment for six-months now and want to extend my rent agreement for an year. Although I would have moved to another department, this is very comfortable and cosy apartment for me.

I recently joined a medical research centre as a research and development scientist. Since, the research centre is near to my current apartment, it is very convenient for me to travel and save both time and money. Additionally, it is also convenient for me to travel to the nearest bus station, supermarket and hospital. Consequently, I would like to stay in the same flat for the duration of 1-year.

Although everything has been going well so far, the fire alarm is not functioning properly from last 2 weeks. I would appreciate it if you could arrange a qualified technician to investigate the problem as soon as possible.

Thank you for considering my request to extend rent agreement and I look forward to your response.

Yours faithfully,

Ashu Berwal

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0

You have successfully addressed all three bullet points in the prompt. You clearly stated the desired extension period, provided a logical reason for the change in plans related to your new employment, and reported the maintenance issue with the fire alarm. The tone is appropriate for a formal letter to a landlord. The ideas are well-developed and relevant, ensuring the reader understands your situation and your request. To reach a higher band, ensure that all details are accurate; for instance, you mentioned you have been there for six months, but the prompt states you started five months ago. Consistency in these details is important for task completion.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

The letter is logically organized with a clear progression of ideas. Each paragraph focuses on a specific aspect of the task, which makes the letter easy to follow. You used cohesive devices such as 'Although', 'Additionally', and 'Consequently' to link your ideas effectively. The paragraphing is appropriate for a formal letter. To improve, ensure that your referencing is precise; for example, in the second paragraph, you mention 'another department', which seems to be a slight misuse of vocabulary in this context, slightly affecting the flow of your argument.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'extension', 'convenient', and 'qualified technician'. However, there are some minor inaccuracies in word choice, such as 'department' instead of 'apartment' and 'for an year' (should be 'a year'). While these errors do not impede communication, they prevent the use of vocabulary from being considered 'flexible' or 'precise'. To improve, focus on collocations and ensure that your word choices are contextually accurate to convey your message with more sophistication.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, such as the conditional 'Although I would have moved...' and the causal 'Since, the research centre is near...'. There are some grammatical slips, such as the incorrect article usage in 'for an year' and the preposition error in 'from last 2 weeks' (should be 'for the last 2 weeks'). Additionally, the comma after 'Since' is unnecessary. While these errors are noticeable, they do not cause difficulty for the reader. Increasing the frequency of error-free complex sentences will help you achieve a higher band.

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

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