Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-09-18

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 6.0)

Dear Mr. Collins

I am writing this letter to ask you about extension of my six months agreement for renting your apartment.

My name is Gurpreet Kaur. I am living in apartment number 402 from last six months. My contract lasts till June but I want to live here for next six months.

I am pursuing master's in Business Management. My last semester is going to end in June that's why I have made a contract up to this month only. But now, I have made my mind to continue my training in Wipro company and for that I have to stay here.

I want to tell you about some problems I am facing in the apartment. The window pane of my room is broken. Also, there is a leakage in tap of kitchen. There is problem of lighting in the living room.

Hope to hear from you soon.

Yours sincerely,

Gurpreet

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The response successfully covers all three bullet points required in the prompt. First, the student states the desired rental extension clearly by writing 'I want to live here for next six months.' Second, the change in plans is explained by mentioning the completion of a master's degree and an upcoming training opportunity with Wipro. Third, the letter addresses a maintenance issue by detailing problems with a broken window pane, a leaking kitchen tap, and poor lighting in the living room. Although the development of each point is relatively straightforward, all necessary information is communicated effectively to the recipient, fulfilling the requirements of a General Training Task 1 letter.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The letter follows a clear overall progression, beginning with an appropriate salutation and statement of purpose, followed by body paragraphs addressing the prompt's bullets, and concluding with a standard sign-off. However, paragraphing is somewhat fragmented, with single-sentence paragraphs used frequently (e.g., 'Hope to hear from you soon.'). Cohesive devices are functional rather than flexible, with simple transitions like 'Also' and 'that's why'. While the letter is coherent and easy to follow, the cohesion can be mechanical at times, placing this response firmly in the mid-band range.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary suitable for a semi-formal request letter, including terms such as 'extension', 'agreement', 'pursuing', and 'training'. There are some word choice and collocation inaccuracies, such as 'from last six months' instead of 'for the past six months' and 'made a contract up to this month' instead of 'signed a lease until this month'. Additionally, 'made my mind' should be 'made up my mind'. While these errors are noticeable, they do not impede communication, allowing the reader to fully grasp the intended meaning.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The response features a mix of simple and moderately complex sentence structures, such as subordinate clauses introduced by 'that' and 'because' concepts. However, there are several grammatical errors and omissions of articles. For instance, the opening sentence lacks an article ('extension of my six months agreement'), and the mention of the master's degree omits a necessary article ('pursuing master's' should be 'pursuing a master's degree'). Preposition errors also occur, such as 'leakage in tap' instead of 'leakage in the tap'. Despite these recurring errors, the sentences remain clear and understandable.

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

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