Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-08-29

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 Sir,

I am your current tenant renting your 4B apartment at Costal Heights. I am writing this letter to request some changes in our current lease agreement. Current lease agreement is for six month and I would like to change it to three months.

The reason for this change is ongoing construction right outside the apartment. I am allergic to dust and upon inquiry, I was being told that this construction might last more then six months. At the time of signing lease agreement, construction did not start nor I was made aware of it. This is currently impacting my health with issues related to breathing, migraine and headaches which is affecting my work. Hence, I would appreciate if you can make modifications to the lease agreement. I believe in these three months, I should be able to find and move into a new apartment.

Since this lease agreement does not talk about any penalty in this situation, I would be glad you can make an exception and not charge extra. I would also appreciate if you can respond to this request promptly which would help me decide on next steps. Looking forward for your response.

Yours sincerely,

PK

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

You have addressed all three bullet points: the duration of the extension, the reason for the change, and a problem in the apartment. However, there is a significant misunderstanding of the prompt. The prompt asks you to request to stay *longer* than the original six months, but your letter asks to *shorten* the lease to three months. This misinterpretation of the core task requirement limits your score. While the ideas are relevant and the tone is appropriate for a formal letter, the failure to address the specific instruction regarding the extension of the lease prevents a higher band score.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The letter is logically organized into clear paragraphs, each serving a specific purpose. You use some cohesive devices such as 'The reason for this change', 'Hence', and 'Since', which help the flow of ideas. However, the transition between the request to shorten the lease and the mention of the construction problem is slightly abrupt. The use of referencing is generally clear, though some sentences could be linked more fluidly to improve the overall progression of the argument. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the request, the explanation, and the closing.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'tenant', 'lease agreement', 'modifications', and 'promptly'. There are some minor inaccuracies, such as 'upon inquiry, I was being told' (should be 'I was told') and 'this lease agreement does not talk about' (a bit informal; 'mention' or 'specify' would be better). The vocabulary is sufficient to convey your meaning clearly, but it lacks the range and precision required for higher bands. You rely on fairly standard phrasing throughout the letter.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical errors, such as 'construction did not start nor I was made aware of it' (should be 'nor was I made aware of it') and 'last more then six months' (should be 'than'). Additionally, there are minor issues with articles, such as 'at the time of signing lease agreement' (should be 'the lease agreement'). While these errors are noticeable, they do not impede communication. To improve, focus on subject-verb inversion after negative structures and correct article usage.

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

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