Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-08-24

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 David,

I am writing to express my willingness to stay in my current apartment for more than six months.

As you know, I have been living in this apartment for the last five months, and I have received all necessary amenities, which is significantly appreciated.

According to my plans, I would like to stay here for one year because my final exam will take place after 3 months. Therefore, I would like to extend my stay in a similar apartment.

However, since everything is perfect here, I want to inform you about a few problems that I faced during my stay. There is no mailbox at the front, which caused considerable inconvenience last week. Because it was a rainy day, and currier member left my letter outside the door, and it got wet. That's why I had to rearrange everything for this letter.

I hope you will continue my renting apartment for upcoming year and look into the concern promptly.

I am looking for your response.

Thank you,

yours faithfully,

John

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0

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 issue. The tone is generally appropriate for a formal letter to a landlord. However, the development of ideas is slightly uneven; the explanation regarding the exam is clear, but the transition to the maintenance issue feels a bit abrupt. The purpose of the letter is clear from the outset, and the reader is left in no doubt about the writer's intentions. To reach a higher band, ensure that the connection between the request for an extension and the mention of the maintenance issue is more naturally integrated.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

The letter is logically organized with a clear opening and closing. Paragraphing is used to separate the request from the maintenance issue, which helps the reader follow the structure. Cohesive devices such as 'Therefore', 'However', and 'Because' are used to link ideas, though some transitions feel slightly mechanical. The referencing is generally clear, although the phrase 'rearrange everything for this letter' is a bit vague and could be more precise. Overall, the flow of information is logical and the message is easy to follow throughout the response.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The vocabulary is sufficient for the task, allowing for clear communication. There are some good collocations like 'necessary amenities' and 'considerable inconvenience'. However, there are some minor inaccuracies and awkward phrasing, such as 'currier member' (should be 'courier') and 'continue my renting apartment' (should be 'extend my lease'). While the range is adequate to convey the intended meaning, the use of less common lexical items is limited, and some word choices are slightly unnatural. Improving precision in word choice would help elevate the score in this criterion.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The letter uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical errors, such as 'currier member left' (missing article), 'for upcoming year' (missing article), and 'I am looking for your response' (should be 'I look forward to your response'). Punctuation is generally functional, though the sentence structure in the paragraph regarding the mailbox is slightly repetitive. While these errors do not impede communication, they occur frequently enough to prevent a higher score. Focusing on article usage and standard formal letter phrases would improve the accuracy significantly.

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

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