Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

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

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 Mr Peter,

I hope you are doing well. I am writing today to inform you that my lease contract of your rental apartment is going to ends in next month and I would like to let you know that I am planning to stay longer as my planning has changed.

I got my dream job and luckiley it's only 15 miniutes away from the apartment which provides more comfort and less travel time. As a result, I would like to extend my rental agreement for next two years.

Because of nearby accomodation I have bunch of benefits so I want to stay longer here. Additionally, I like the neighbourhood too. Grocery stores, public transport and gym are only five minitues away so I like the location of apartment too.

However, I would like to mention a problem of water boiler. It stoped working and winter will start in next few months thus I would greatly appreciate if you fixed it before winter.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Yours faithfully,

Kate Anderson

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0

You have successfully addressed all three bullet points in the prompt. You clearly stated the desired extension period (two years), explained the change in your circumstances (a new job nearby), and identified the maintenance issue (the water boiler). The tone is appropriate for a formal letter to a landlord. To reach a higher band, ensure that your explanations are slightly more nuanced; for instance, while you mentioned the benefits of the location, you could have linked this more directly to your decision to stay, rather than repeating the list of amenities. Overall, the task is fully completed with a clear purpose.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

The letter is logically organized with a clear introduction, body paragraphs for each requirement, and a formal closing. Each paragraph focuses on a specific aspect of the task, which helps the reader follow your ideas easily. You use some cohesive devices such as 'As a result', 'Additionally', and 'However' to link your thoughts. To improve, try to vary your transitions further and ensure that the flow between sentences is smoother. For example, the transition between your job and the apartment location could be more integrated to avoid a slightly repetitive structure.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You have an adequate range of vocabulary to convey your message clearly. You use some relevant terms like 'lease contract', 'rental agreement', and 'neighbourhood'. However, there are some spelling errors, such as 'luckiley' (luckily), 'miniutes' (minutes), 'accomodation' (accommodation), and 'stoped' (stopped). These errors are noticeable but do not impede communication. To achieve a higher band, you should aim for more precise vocabulary and ensure accurate spelling of common words. Using more sophisticated collocations would also enhance your score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

You demonstrate a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While your meaning is generally clear, there are several grammatical inaccuracies. For example, 'my lease contract... is going to ends' should be 'is going to end', and 'I have bunch of benefits' should be 'I have a bunch of benefits'. Additionally, 'winter will start in next few months' requires an article: 'in the next few months'. While these errors do not prevent the reader from understanding your intent, they occur frequently enough to limit your score. Focus on subject-verb agreement and article usage to improve your accuracy.

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

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.