Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-09-26

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 Sir,

I hope this letter finds you well.

Five months ago, I moved to your apartment with the rental agreement of six months which I want to now extend for another six months. Therefore, I am writing this letter to submit a request to extend my rental contract for further six months which makes it total 1 year time period.

The reason behind to ask you for this is because of my extended study schedule. When I came to this town as an exchange student, I was informed that I have to attend two subjects in the state university for 6 months. That made my decision to tie up with this apartment for six months. Having studied and almost approaching the end of semester, I was recently told that my study time is going to extend for next semester. Had I known this earlier, I would have informed you few months ago only. So, according to current contract, lease period is ended on 31st July. If my requests will be suitable to you then can you please change it to 31st January next year. At the beginning of lease period, I already transfered deposite money, so I don't think that terms will be changed, correct?

In addition, I also want to inform you that the ceiling light of kitchen is used to flickering which leads me to a doubt that there might be some kind of wiring or voltage issue. So, could you please send some electrician to investigate this before it converts into a big issue. You could also share the name and contact number of your known service man with me, I can also directly describe the situation and ask for an appointment.

Should you require any further information, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Yours sincerely,

Vishal

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.0

The response covers all three bullet points required by the task prompt. The student clearly states that they wish to extend the rental agreement for another six months, explains the change in plans due to an extended study schedule at the university, and successfully highlights a maintenance issue regarding the flickering kitchen ceiling light and potential wiring problems. The tone is appropriately formal and polite for a letter to an apartment owner. However, there is some minor repetition in stating the extension period in the first paragraph ("extend for another six months" and "further six months"), but overall, all parts of the prompt are fully addressed and well-developed, earning a strong band score for this criterion.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 7.0

The letter is logically organised with a clear beginning, middle paragraphs addressing the specific bullet points, and a polite closing. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the main purpose, the explanation, the maintenance issue, and the sign-off. Cohesive devices such as "Therefore", "The reason behind", and "In addition" are generally used to guide the reader, although some referencing is slightly clunky, such as "the ceiling light of kitchen is used to flickering" and "before it converts into a big issue". Overall, the information flows logically and progression is clear throughout the text, satisfying the requirements for a band 7.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.5

The student demonstrates an adequate to sufficient range of vocabulary suitable for a general correspondence task. Phrases like "rental agreement", "exchange student", and "investigate this" are used accurately. There are some less common lexical items attempted, such as "tie up with this apartment", though this collocation is somewhat unnatural. Minor word choice and preposition errors occur, such as "transfered deposite money" (spelling and collocation) and "service man" instead of "serviceman" or "technician". Despite these occasional inaccuracies, the vocabulary is flexible enough to convey precise meaning without impeding communication.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

The writer attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating good control of conditional structures ("Had I known this earlier, I would have informed you...") and relative clauses. However, there are several grammatical inaccuracies and awkward phrasings present, such as "the rental agreement of six months which I want to now extend", "The reason behind to ask you for this is because of", and "the ceiling light of kitchen is used to flickering". Punctuation is generally fine, but articles and prepositions occasionally slip. These errors do not impede communication, placing the response comfortably within the band 6 category.

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

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