Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-08-31

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 writing to inform that, I would like to extend my agreement to stay longer in apartment. Initially we agreed on six months agreement, would to like to extend if its possible.

We want to extend our lease for a year. I would be happy to do paperwork as soon as possible to extend our lease.

Initially we were concerned about the renting apartment for longer period, but when we lived at this place we loved it. This changes our mindset to stay for prolonged period. The other reason is our commute to work is far more convenient at this location.

Lastly would like to request that you fix the frequent water shut down at our apartment. I am extremely dissatisfied with this as it takes longer time to be fixed. Sometimes it takes a whole day without notice from the office. It's terrible to survive in that situation. I am sure that you will work on it.

Thanks you

Regards

Tori

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 issue regarding water supply. The tone is generally appropriate for a formal letter to a landlord, although it lacks some of the conventional politeness markers expected in such correspondence. The ideas are relevant, but the development is somewhat brief. For instance, the explanation for the change in plans is clear, but the request to fix the water issue could be phrased more professionally to ensure the landlord takes prompt action. Overall, the response fulfills the requirements of the task effectively.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The letter is organized into logical paragraphs, with each addressing a specific requirement of the prompt. There is a clear progression of ideas from the request to the explanation and finally the complaint. However, the use of cohesive devices is somewhat mechanical and limited. For example, the transition between the second and third paragraphs is abrupt. Some sentences are slightly disjointed, such as 'Initially we were concerned about the renting apartment for longer period, but when we lived at this place we loved it.' Improving the use of linking words like 'furthermore,' 'consequently,' or 'in addition' would enhance the flow and coherence of the letter.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The vocabulary used is adequate for the task, allowing the student to communicate their needs clearly. There are some instances of slightly unnatural phrasing, such as 'extend my agreement to stay longer in apartment' (missing 'the') and 'survive in that situation.' While the student attempts to use some descriptive language, the range is somewhat limited. There are minor errors in word choice and collocation, such as 'frequent water shut down' instead of 'frequent water supply interruptions.' To reach a higher band, the student should focus on using more precise vocabulary and idiomatic expressions suitable for formal requests.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The letter contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. However, there are frequent grammatical errors, particularly with articles ('the apartment'), prepositions, and verb forms (e.g., 'I am writing to inform that' should be 'I am writing to inform you that'). There are also issues with subject-verb agreement and missing words, such as 'would to like to extend' and 'renting apartment.' While these errors do not prevent the reader from understanding the message, they are frequent enough to impact the overall fluency and accuracy of the writing. More attention to proofreading for basic grammatical structures is recommended.

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

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