Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-09-13

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 Anita,

I hope you are doing well!

I am requesting to extend the lease agreement from six months to an additional year till December 2027. It has now been five months I am living at 85 Westgrove Place Apartment 34.

Originally, I had a lease for six months, and I want to extend it because there is a change in my work plans. My job has now been extended till December 2027, so I want to be a leaseholder till that time. It would be appreciated if you would extend my lease for a year.

There is an issue from last week with the sink in the bathroom, it is leaking. I did not pay much attention because I am not staying longer before so I put bucket underneath to minimise the damage, since my work schedule is changed now so, I am requesting to fix it as soon as possible.

Thank you for your time and consideration. I am looking forward to discussing with you regarding the terms and conditions of the new agreement.

Yours sincerely,

Anamika

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0

The response successfully covers all the bullet points outlined in the prompt. You state how long you want to rent the apartment for by requesting an extension until December 2027. You also provide a clear explanation for this change in plans, noting that your job has been extended. Finally, you inform the owner about a maintenance issue, specifically the leaking bathroom sink. The tone is appropriately polite and formal for a semi-formal letter to a landlord. All parts of the task are well-addressed with adequate details provided for each bullet point.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The letter has a clear overall progression and logical organization. It begins with an appropriate greeting, moves through the request, reasons, and a maintenance issue, and concludes politely. Paragraphing is used effectively to separate different ideas. However, some cohesive devices and transitions are slightly repetitive or mechanical, such as 'since my work schedule is changed now so, I am requesting'. Referencing is generally clear, but paragraph transitions could be smoother with a wider variety of linking phrases.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You use an adequate range of vocabulary suitable for the task, such as 'extend the lease agreement', 'terms and conditions', and 'minimise the damage'. There are a few vocabulary and collocation errors, such as 'It has now been five months I am living' instead of 'It has now been five months since I started living' and 'I am not staying longer before'. Less common items are attempted with some success, and spelling is generally accurate throughout the letter, allowing the message to be communicated clearly.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The response features a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, such as conditional or relative-style clauses used in 'It would be appreciated if you would extend my lease for a year.' There are several grammatical errors and awkward phrasings, including comma splices and run-on structures like 'There is an issue from last week with the sink in the bathroom, it is leaking.' and 'since my work schedule is changed now so, I am requesting'. Despite these errors, they rarely impede overall communication.

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

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