Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-10-06

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 Bobby,

I hope you are doing well. I am writing this letter in order to request you about my rental lease extension and have also mentioned why I would be requiring the accomodation for a longer period of time.

I would like to request you if you are able to extend my rental lease for a year once the six month agreement is finished. The reason I am making this request is that I have successfully secured a full time job at the plaza next to our community. Earlier, I had been trying to search an opportunity of employment in the nearby area for a long time but it seemed that no vaccancies were open and I had no reason for extending my stay over here.

Apart from that, I would also like to inform you about the malfunctioning of the thermostat in the bedroom. The temprature changes by itself and at night it becomes extremely cold. I would also appreciate if you can have a look at it by coming into the room.

Thank you for your time and support. I hope you will revert me back positively on my rental extension request.

Regards,

Utsavsinh

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.0

The response addresses all parts of the task in a clear manner, which places it at this level. You successfully state how long you want to rent the apartment for by requesting an extension for 'a year'. You also explain your change of plans by mentioning that you have secured a full-time job at the plaza nearby. Furthermore, you inform the owner about a problem in the apartment by describing the malfunctioning thermostat in the bedroom. However, some ideas show a slight tendency to over-generalise or remain slightly under-developed, particularly when explaining the background of your job search. To reach a higher band, you could expand more naturally on how these circumstances directly impact your living arrangements while maintaining a consistent and polished tone throughout.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The letter maintains a clear overall arrangement with an appropriate and logical sequence of ideas. You use standard formatting for a semi-formal letter, beginning with a proper salutation and concluding with a sign-off. Paragraphing is used sufficiently to separate different points, such as the lease extension, the reasons for changing plans, and the maintenance issue. Cohesive devices are employed adequately throughout the text, for instance, phrases like 'Apart from that' and 'The reason I am making this request is that'. Nevertheless, referencing is occasionally mechanical, and transitional elements can sometimes feel slightly rigid. To improve further, you should aim for a smoother, more fluid transition between paragraphs and ideas so that the progression of the letter feels entirely natural and unobtrusive.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, attempting less common items such as 'rental lease extension', 'malfunctioning', and 'secured a full time job'. However, there are some word choice and spelling inaccuracies that prevent a higher score, such as 'accomodation' (spelled with a double c instead of a double m), 'vaccancies' (spelled with a double c instead of a double n), and the phrase 'request you about' which is slightly unnatural compared to 'requesting an extension from you'. Additionally, 'revert me back positively' is an inappropriate collocation; 'respond favourably' or 'reply positively' would be more suitable. To achieve a higher band, focus on refining word choices, ensuring correct spelling, and mastering natural collocations for semi-formal correspondence.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

You make use of a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating the ability to construct longer sentences such as 'The reason I am making this request is that I have successfully secured a full time job at the plaza next to our community.' There are some errors in grammar and punctuation, though they rarely impede communication. Examples include prepositional patterns like 'trying to search an opportunity' instead of 'searching for an opportunity', and awkward phrasing like 'by coming into the room'. Punctuation is generally acceptable, but articles and prepositions require closer attention. To reach the next level, you should incorporate a wider variety of error-free complex structures and ensure tighter control over prepositions and verb complements.

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

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