Band 7.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 7.0 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-08-23

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 7.0)

Dear Mr. Alex,

I am writing to request an extension for my stay at your apartment for two more years.

To begin with, I have been living in this rented apartment for the past five months. I will be completing my internship at the end of next month. Initially, we agreed on a six-month stay at your apartment as mention in the contract. However, I would like to extend it for the following two years as I received a job application from a company based in the same area. Therefore, I have decided to continue with the same lease for a longer time. Furthermore, I would like to address a concern regarding a water leakage in the kitchen that I am experiencing from last month. In addition, I have tried to fix the issue multiple times but the problem still persists. I kindly request that you to schedule a plumber particularly at the weekend to resolve this issue.

I would greatly appreciate it if you could send the details of the updated contact at your earliest convenience.

Thank you for your time and consideration.

Yours sincerely,

Payal Bhakta

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.5

The letter successfully addresses all three bullet points required by the task. You clearly state the desired duration of the extension, explain the change in your plans due to a new job offer, and describe the kitchen water leakage issue. The tone is appropriate for a formal letter to a landlord. The ideas are well-developed and the purpose of the letter is clear from the outset. To reach a higher band, ensure that the explanation of the change in plans is slightly more nuanced, but overall, the response is complete and fulfills all requirements effectively.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.5

The letter is logically organized with a clear introduction, body, and conclusion. You use cohesive devices such as 'To begin with', 'However', 'Therefore', and 'Furthermore' to link your ideas effectively. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the request from the maintenance issue. The progression of ideas is smooth, and the referencing is clear throughout the text. The flow is natural, and the letter is easy to follow from start to finish. No significant issues were noted in this area.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.5

You demonstrate a sufficient range of vocabulary to convey your message clearly. Phrases like 'at your earliest convenience' and 'consideration' are appropriate for a formal context. There are some minor issues with collocation, such as 'received a job application' (usually one receives a job offer) and 'experiencing from last month' (which should be 'experiencing since last month'). While these errors do not impede communication, they prevent the vocabulary from being considered highly sophisticated or perfectly natural. Expanding your range of collocations will help you achieve a higher score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.5

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures effectively. However, there are a few grammatical slips, such as 'as mention in the contract' (should be 'as mentioned') and 'I kindly request that you to schedule' (the 'to' is redundant). Additionally, 'experiencing from last month' is a tense error; 'have been experiencing since last month' would be more accurate. Despite these occasional errors, the majority of your sentences are error-free, and your meaning is always clear. The punctuation is generally accurate, supporting the overall readability of the letter.

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