Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · 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 6.0)

Dear Mr.Sharma,

I hope you are doing well. I want to ask you in this letter that, I am planning to stay one more month in this apartment. The reason of changing my plan is that I going to buy my own house and my deal with house broker is almost done, but i need to do construction in my new house according to my taste and preference. However, for only one month It is really hard to find new rental house , as well moving is not easy so I am requesting you , can i stay one more month in this apartment.

Apart from that in this apartment there is the only problem in this apartment is cockroaches and insects. I personally used lots of liquid and drugs to solve the problem but its increasing everyday. I am waiting for your positive reply, thank you so much.

Kind regards,

Sumaiyaben.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The letter addresses all three bullet points required by the prompt: the duration of the extension, the reason for the change, and the issue with pests. The tone is appropriate for a formal letter to a landlord. However, the development of ideas is somewhat limited. For example, the explanation regarding the construction in the new house is a bit repetitive, and the description of the pest problem could be more precise. While the task is fully addressed, the ideas could be expanded slightly to provide more clarity and professional polish. Overall, the response meets the requirements of the task effectively.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The letter is organized into logical paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the progression of ideas. There is a clear opening and closing. However, the use of cohesive devices is somewhat mechanical and limited. Phrases like 'Apart from that' and 'The reason of changing my plan' are functional but basic. The transition between the request for an extension and the mention of the pest problem is abrupt. To improve, you should use a wider variety of linking words and ensure that sentences flow more naturally into one another to enhance the overall readability of the text.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The vocabulary used is generally adequate for the task, allowing the message to be conveyed clearly. However, there are some inaccuracies in word choice and collocation. For instance, 'liquid and drugs' is not the standard way to refer to household pest control products; 'insecticides' or 'pest control sprays' would be more appropriate. Additionally, 'rental house' is slightly unnatural in this context; 'rental property' or 'apartment' would be better. The range of vocabulary is sufficient to communicate, but it lacks the precision and flexibility required for a higher band score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The letter contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical errors, such as 'The reason of changing my plan is that I going to buy' (should be 'The reason for changing my plan is that I am going to buy') and 'there is the only problem in this apartment is' (which is redundant). Punctuation is also inconsistent, particularly with the placement of commas and spaces. While these errors do not prevent the reader from understanding the message, they occur frequently enough to impact the overall fluency and accuracy of the writing.

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

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