Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-09-16

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 John,

Hope you are doing good. I am writing you to request to extend the lease agreement, beyond the date that we agreed.

I want to get extend the lease for next two years. Hence, I would like to know about your decision regarding the extension.

Initially, we planned to move to a different province by the end of 6th month. Unforunately, the plan changed due to a problem in my workplace. Previosuly, my boss informed me that I need to work from our main office which is located in province of Alberta. However, last week he emailed me that another person has selected for the transfer. This is the reason to change my plan.

Even though, this is a nice place to live. Recently, a problem occured in the kitchen area. After a thorough inspection I observed that lot of mice come daily in to the kitchen and damage the stored foods. I placed some traps. But It looks like it is out of control. Therefore I would like to request your kind attention regarding that matter too.

I would like to receiving your response and a solution for the mentioned problem. Thank you for your valuable time.

Yours sincerely,

Chamath.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0

The student covers all parts of the task well. Firstly, the desired rental duration is clearly stated as 'next two years'. Secondly, the change in plans is explained by describing the workplace situation regarding the transfer to Alberta and how another person was selected instead. Thirdly, the problem in the apartment is highlighted by mentioning that 'lot of mice come daily in to the kitchen and damage the stored foods'. The tone is appropriate for a semi-formal letter to a landlord. All bullet points from the prompt are fully addressed with relevant and coherent ideas, satisfying the requirements for Band 7.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

The letter is generally clear and easy to follow. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate different topics, such as the lease request, the reason for the changed plans, and the maintenance issue with the mice. Cohesive devices are employed, including transition words like 'Initially', 'Hence', and 'However'. However, some referencing and transitions feel slightly mechanical or abrupt, such as 'This is the reason to change my plan.' Despite these minor flaws, there is a clear logical progression throughout the response, which places it firmly in the Band 7 range.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The student demonstrates a sufficient range of vocabulary to communicate clearly and with some flexibility. Expressions like 'lease agreement', 'thorough inspection', and 'out of control' show adequate control. However, there are noticeable word choice and collocation errors, such as 'I want to get extend' instead of 'extend' or 'have the lease extended', and 'stored foods' instead of 'stored food'. Additionally, 'Unforunately' is misspelled. Because these errors do not impede communication and the vocabulary is adequate for the task, the response aligns well with Band 6.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The writer attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, utilizing structures like conditional and subordinate clauses (e.g., 'Even though, this is a nice place to live.' and 'After a thorough inspection I observed that lot of mice come...'). However, there are frequent grammatical errors, such as 'I am writing you to request to extend' (unnecessary 'to'), missing articles ('that lot of mice'), and incorrect punctuation or sentence fragments (starting a sentence with 'Even though, this...'). These errors occur regularly and cause occasional strain, though communication remains mostly clear. This reflects the Band 6 descriptors.

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

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