Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-09-22

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. Dhan,

I hope you are doing well. I am writing a letter to request you for change in a duration of renting an apartment. Moreover, I would like to extend my stay more than expected.

I have been living in this building from last five months, as per rental agreement I have one more month to live at same place. However, I would like to extend it for another six months so, in total I want to stay in this flat for one year.

I like to apologize for any inconvenience because I am informing you in very short notice reason behind this is that my university made change in the exam time table and add extra subjects at last minutes so I need to stay over here until my exam and courses will finish.

I would like to say that apartment has leakage problem in the kitchen area so please fix it as soon as possible. The sound of a tap disturbing me lot at night. I am not sure about your plans but if it is possible please let me know in advance.

Thank you so much for understanding.

Yours sincerely,

Kaira Boss

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0

The response successfully covers all three bullet points required in the task instructions. You clearly stated how long you want to rent the apartment for ('extend it for another six months so, in total I want to stay in this flat for one year'), explained why your plans have changed due to university exam timetable modifications, and informed the owner about the kitchen leakage problem and the noisy tap. The tone is appropriately polite and semi-formal for a landlord-tenant correspondence. However, some ideas are slightly repetitive or lack full elaboration, placing this performance at a solid Band 6.5 to 7 level. Overall, all parts of the task are adequately addressed with a clear and understandable purpose throughout.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The letter exhibits a clear overall logical arrangement with a traditional salutation and sign-off. Paragraphing is used effectively to separate different topics, such as the rental duration, the reason for the change, and the maintenance issue. Cohesive devices are generally present, for example, 'However', 'Moreover', and 'therefore', though some transitions feel slightly mechanical. Referencing is mostly clear, though occasional minor phrasing choices make the flow a bit abrupt. Despite these minor issues, the progression of ideas is easy to follow, supporting a Band 6.0 descriptor.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You use an adequate range of vocabulary for this general task, successfully conveying meaning regarding rental agreements, exam timetables, and apartment maintenance issues. There are attempts at less common lexical items such as 'inconvenience', 'timetable', and 'maintenance', but there are also some noticeable word choice and collocation inaccuracies, such as 'request you for change in a duration' instead of 'request a change in the duration', and 'short notice reason behind this' which lacks proper clause connection. Spelling is generally accurate, but vocabulary limitations and occasional awkward phrasing keep this criterion at a Band 6.0.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The response demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, such as 'However, I would like to extend it for another six months so, in total I want to stay...'. There are several grammatical errors and punctuation issues present, including run-on sentences ('...six months so, in total...'), missing prepositions ('living in this building from last five months' instead of 'for the last five months'), and article omissions ('has leakage problem'). While these errors occur with some frequency, they do not impede communication, as the reader can easily understand your message. This corresponds well to a Band 6.0 rating.

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