Band 7.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 7.0 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-09-04

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 James,

I would like to extend my rent agreement for another year from the original six-month agreement.

As my original rent agreement was for 6 months which is now about to be expired, I would like to renew it for 1 more year from the date of expiry. My last day as per the current agreement is 30th September, so after one year extension the new agreement date will be 1st October.

I have got a job in the city and it is a great opportunity for me, so I am planning to stay here a bit longer. My new job contract is for 1 year from my date of joining which is 1st October, so accordingly I am requesting an extension in rental agreeement as well.

However, I have noticed an issue in the apartment as well. The shower in the bathroom has a leakage problem. Water keeps dripping from it and it causes the overhand tank to empty faster.

Looking forward to your response on my request and a solution for the mentioned problem.

Kind regards,

Jacob

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.5

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 letter to a landlord. The ideas are clearly presented and the purpose of the letter is immediately apparent. To reach a higher band, the student could provide slightly more detail regarding the impact of the shower leak to further develop the ideas, but overall, the task requirements are fully met.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.5

The letter is well-organized with a clear logical progression. Each paragraph focuses on a specific aspect of the request, which makes the information easy to follow. Cohesive devices such as 'However', 'as well', and 'accordingly' are used effectively to link ideas. The paragraphing is appropriate for a formal letter. The flow is smooth, and the relationship between the request for extension and the maintenance issue is clearly established.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.5

The vocabulary is sufficient and appropriate for the context of a rental agreement. Phrases like 'extend my rent agreement', 'date of expiry', and 'leakage problem' are accurate and natural. There is a minor repetition of the word 'agreement' and 'as well', but this does not impede communication. The student demonstrates a good grasp of functional language necessary for this type of correspondence, though a wider range of synonyms could elevate the score further.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.5

The student uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures with generally good control. There are some minor grammatical slips, such as 'which is now about to be expired' (should be 'is about to expire') and 'overhand tank' (likely 'overhead tank'). However, these errors are infrequent and do not cause any confusion for the reader. The punctuation is generally accurate, and the sentence structure is clear throughout the letter.

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

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