Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-09-01

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 Landlord,

I hope things are going well for you and your family. Today, I am writing this letter to request an extension of the lease for your apartment, where I have been living for last six months.

As we discussed while signing the agreement, my spouse was supposed to come to Canada at the end of this month, but due to some mishap, he was not able to make it. Furthermore, I would like to request you to extend the time of lease for an additional six months, as I feel comfortable here in your property because I don't have to share it with anyone. As well as that, the bus station is very feasible for me, which helps me save a lot of time. Consequently, I am facing one issue with the entrance light of the apartment, which is not working from last few days, so if you could fix it, that would be a great help.

I hope you understand my situation and will come up with the best outcome.

Best regards,

Anish Gaba

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0

The letter successfully addresses all three bullet points: the duration of the extension, the reason for the change in plans, and the maintenance issue. The tone is appropriate for a formal request to a landlord. The ideas are clearly presented, although the explanation regarding the spouse's situation is slightly vague ('due to some mishap'). The purpose of the letter is clear from the beginning, and the request is well-supported by the mention of the convenient location. Overall, the response fulfills the requirements of the task effectively.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The letter is logically organized with a clear introduction, body, and conclusion. The use of cohesive devices such as 'Furthermore', 'As well as that', and 'Consequently' helps to connect ideas, although some transitions feel slightly mechanical. Paragraphing is present, though the body of the letter could have been split into two distinct paragraphs—one for the lease extension and one for the maintenance issue—to improve the flow and readability. However, the progression of ideas is easy to follow throughout the text.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The vocabulary is adequate for the task, allowing the student to communicate their needs clearly. There are some minor inaccuracies in word choice, such as 'feasible' to describe a bus station, where 'convenient' or 'accessible' would be more natural. The phrase 'come up with the best outcome' is a bit informal and slightly awkward in this context. While the range is sufficient, there is limited use of less common or sophisticated lexical items that would elevate the score to a higher band.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The student demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are some grammatical slips, such as 'for last six months' (missing 'the') and 'not working from last few days' (should be 'for the last few days'). Despite these errors, the meaning remains clear, and the mistakes do not impede communication. The sentence structures are generally functional, but there is a lack of more advanced grammatical variety that would be expected for a higher band score.

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

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