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 Rachel,

I hope you are doing well. I am writing this letter to request you, to approve my extended stay.

To begin with, I was working in Google office from last 6 months and I was under the impression that after completing our assigned tasks I will go back to my city but perhaps, I got a promotion within our company and I have been requested to stay longer. I request you, to let me continue my stay for more 6 months.

During my stay, I came across many problems such as poor air conditioning which make my life challenging also we do not have laundry faculty on site. Other than that, the apartment really need some maintenance on its roof, it leaks in rainy season.

I hope you will consider this letter and will approve my overstay. I would really appreciate if you can address all the concerns raised.

Looking forward to hearing back from you.

Yours Faithfully,

David Bekham

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0

The letter successfully addresses all three bullet points: the duration of the extension, the reason for the change, and the maintenance issues. The tone is appropriate for a formal request to a landlord. The ideas are clearly presented, although the development of the maintenance issues is slightly brief. The purpose of the letter is clear from the outset, and the reader is left in no doubt about the writer's intentions. To reach a higher band, you could provide more specific details regarding the maintenance issues, such as how long the roof has been leaking, to make the request more persuasive.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

The letter is logically organized into clear paragraphs, each serving a distinct purpose. The progression of ideas is easy to follow. You use some cohesive devices such as 'To begin with', 'Other than that', and 'During my stay', which help guide the reader. However, some transitions feel slightly mechanical. The use of referencing is generally clear, though the connection between the promotion and the request to stay could be smoothed out with more sophisticated linking words. Overall, the structure is effective and supports the purpose of the communication.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, such as 'under the impression', 'extended stay', and 'maintenance'. There are some minor errors in word choice, such as 'laundry faculty' instead of 'laundry facilities' and 'overstay', which is usually used in a negative context (e.g., visa overstay) rather than a lease extension. While the vocabulary is sufficient to convey your meaning clearly, it lacks the precision and variety required for a higher band. Focusing on collocations and more natural phrasing would improve your score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical errors, such as 'I was working... from last 6 months' (should be 'for the last 6 months') and 'the apartment really need' (subject-verb agreement: 'needs'). Additionally, there is unnecessary punctuation, such as the comma after 'request you' and 'I hope you will consider this letter and will approve'. While these errors do not impede communication, they occur frequently enough to prevent a higher score. Focusing on subject-verb agreement and correct preposition usage will help improve your accuracy.

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

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