Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-09-07

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 John,

I am writing to request you about the lease agreement that I signed six month ago. Next month will be the last month according to it, but I want to extend the lease agreement for one more year.

I have lived in this apartment for five months, and it has been going well. The location of this building is more accessible to me for my college and various stores, especially the grocery store.

Initially, I was not sure about the apartment and whether it would be suitable for me or not, as a result, I signed the lease agreement for six months. But now I want to go for another year with the same accommodation at the same rent price. However, I have noticed a minor problem with the laundry area. It is always full, and I am not able to manage my laundry on time. Are there any specific time slots for each flat holder? This is the only concern as of now.

Overall, I hope you will extend my lease agreement for another year. Thank you so much.

Kind regards,

James

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0

The response successfully addresses all three bullet points required by the task. You clearly state the desired extension period (one year), explain the change in plans due to the apartment's convenient location, and identify a specific issue regarding the laundry facilities. The tone is appropriate for a formal request to a landlord. The ideas are relevant and well-developed, ensuring the reader understands your position and your concerns. To reach a higher band, you could provide slightly more detail regarding the laundry issue, such as how it specifically affects your daily routine, to further demonstrate your ability to expand on ideas.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

The letter is logically organized with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a closing. Each paragraph focuses on a distinct point, which helps the reader follow your argument easily. You use some cohesive devices such as 'Initially', 'But now', and 'However' to transition between ideas. While the flow is generally smooth, some of the transitions are slightly mechanical. To improve, you could vary your linking words and ensure that the connection between the apartment's location and your decision to stay is more tightly integrated with the rest of the paragraph.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'lease agreement', 'accessible', and 'accommodation'. The language is natural and conveys your meaning clearly. However, there are some minor inaccuracies in word choice, such as 'request you about' (should be 'request an extension of') and 'flat holder' (which is less common than 'tenant'). To achieve a higher score, try to incorporate more precise collocations and less common vocabulary to show greater flexibility and control over your word choices.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.5

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, which is appropriate for this task. Most of your sentences are clear and easy to follow. There are a few minor grammatical slips, such as 'six month ago' (should be 'six months ago') and 'more accessible to me for my college' (which is slightly awkward phrasing). Despite these occasional errors, your grammar does not impede communication. To improve, focus on ensuring subject-verb agreement and consistent pluralization, and try to incorporate a wider variety of complex sentence structures to demonstrate greater grammatical control.

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

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