Band 7.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 7.0 · 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 7.0)

Dear Sir,

I am writing this email to inform you that five months ago, I rented this apartment for six months on a lease, but now I am planning to stay there longer.

Firstly, my contract will finish next month on 15 November, but I am thinking of staying there for six more months because I have tried to find a new house, but students are back in school, so it is so hard to find a new place. Moreover, I love this area a lot because neighbours are very cooperative, the supermarket is near my apartment, and the best thing is the better transport facilities. These things have not allowed me to move from this place.

Furthermore, recently I got a new job, which is only 10 minutes away from my apartment, so I think it would be a bad decision if I moved from this place because living there saves me transport costs. When I moved there at that time, I came to study; I did not have a job that is the reason I rented this apartment only for six months, but now I have a job, and I would like to stay there.

Actually, the heater is not working properly, and winter will start soon. I would appreciate it if you could repair it as soon as possible, so that I do not face any problems in future.

Looking forward to hearing from you soon.

Yours sincerely,

Sargun

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.5

You address all three requirements clearly: you request a further six months, explain that your circumstances have changed because you have found a nearby job, and report that the heater is not working properly. The reasons for staying are relevant and supported with details about the neighbourhood, supermarket and transport. Your purpose remains clear throughout, and the polite request for a repair is appropriate. To make the explanation even more fully developed, clarify the point about students being back in school, as its connection to difficulty finding a new home is not immediately clear. You could also state more directly that you are asking the owner to extend the existing rental agreement.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 7.0

The letter has a clear progression: you introduce your request, explain why you want to stay, and then raise the maintenance issue before closing politely. Paragraphing helps separate these purposes, and linking expressions such as “Moreover” and “Furthermore” guide the reader through your reasons. However, the sequence of reasons in the second and third paragraphs is somewhat repetitive, since both explain why moving would be inconvenient. The repeated use of “this place” also makes the cohesion more noticeable than necessary. Group the reasons more tightly—for example, combine the location benefits and nearby job—and use clearer references such as “the apartment” or “the area” to make the progression smoother.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

Your vocabulary is adequate for the task and communicates the key points, including “lease,” “cooperative,” “transport facilities” and “repair.” You also use a suitably polite phrase, “I would appreciate it if you could…”. Some choices are imprecise or less natural in this context, such as “students are back in school” to explain the housing search, and “These things have not allowed me to move,” which sounds stronger and less idiomatic than intended. “I rented this apartment” is also less precise than language describing an ongoing tenancy. Aim for more natural collocations and avoid repeating general phrases such as “this place”; this would make the letter more fluent and precise.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.5

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, including a conditional request (“I would appreciate it if you could repair it”) and clauses explaining your reasons. Meaning is generally clear, and several sentences are controlled well. Some grammatical choices remain inaccurate or awkward: “I rented this apartment for six months” does not clearly express that the tenancy is still ongoing, while “When I moved there at that time” is redundant and disrupts the sentence structure. The long sentence beginning “Firstly, my contract will finish…” also joins several ideas in a way that is difficult to manage. Use clearer tense choices for the current agreement and divide long explanations into shorter, well-formed sentences. This would build on your existing range and improve accuracy.

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

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