Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-09-10

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. Boucher,

I hope this letter finds you well. I am writing this letter to requesting you to increase your apartment lease. Before five months, I moved to your apartment on six months lease because at that time I do not have any plan to live in this town for more than six months and I was completing my internship in Away We Grow Daycare.

Moreover, now I got a full time permanent job in the same daycare, so I want stay six more months in your apartment because after six months I have plan to buy by own house in this town because of my work.

In addition, I want to request you to call the plumber because in the washroom, water is dropping from the faucet continuously, so If possible can you please look after this problem as soon as possible because I do not like to waste water.

I will look forward for your prompt response. Thank you so much for your time and understanding.

Yours faithfully,

Raj

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0

The letter covers all three bullet points required by the task: 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, although the explanation regarding the change in plans is slightly repetitive. The purpose of the letter is clear from the beginning, and the reader is left with no doubt about the writer's intentions. To reach a higher band, the writer could provide more specific details about the requested extension period or the nature of the plumbing issue to further develop the response.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The letter is logically organized into distinct paragraphs, each serving a clear purpose. The use of cohesive devices such as 'Moreover', 'In addition', and 'because' helps to guide the reader through the text. However, some transitions feel slightly mechanical, and the flow between sentences could be smoother. For example, the transition between the internship and the new job could be more fluid. Overall, the paragraphing is appropriate, and the progression of ideas is easy to follow, meeting the requirements for a Band 6.0 or 7.0 level.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, allowing the writer to communicate their needs clearly. There are some instances of slightly unnatural phrasing, such as 'requesting you to increase your apartment lease' instead of 'requesting an extension of my lease' and 'buy by own house' (a typo for 'my own'). While the range is sufficient to convey the message, it lacks the precision and flexibility required for higher bands. The use of 'water is dropping' is understandable but 'leaking' would be the more natural collocation.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The letter contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical errors, such as 'I do not have any plan' (should be 'did not have'), 'I want stay' (missing 'to'), and 'I will look forward for' (should be 'to'). These errors are frequent enough to be noticeable but do not impede the overall meaning of the letter. The writer demonstrates an attempt at complex structures, but control over these is inconsistent. Improving subject-verb agreement and preposition usage would significantly enhance the accuracy of the writing.

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.