Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-10-13

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 sir,

I am writing to ask if could stay for an additional 3 more months after the six month contract ends. As you know my house is under construction, and my contractor has informed me that there will be a delay of 90 days in completing the residence.

Currently, a labour strike is ongoing due to which the workers as refusing to work because of lower wages. There is in ongoing negotiations with the workers to resolve the issue, On top of that, there is delay in construction material also. As a result, there will be a delay in the whole project.

I just wanted to give you an heads-up that your house need a repaint, as there are cracks in the wall. One more thing that you need to fix is the window glass, as there is a crack in it. Rest everything else is fine.

I hope you understand my problem and allow me to extend my rental agreement for three more months

Your sincerely,

Manav Shah

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

You address all three required points: you request a further three months, explain that construction of your home is delayed, and report cracks in the wall and window glass. The reason is relevant and supported with details about the strike and material delays. The request is also clear, though “an additional 3 more months” is redundant, and the apartment problems are presented more as instructions to the owner than as a tactful report. To strengthen the letter, explain briefly why the extension needs to be exactly three months and make the repair request more explicit and courteous. The response covers the task well overall, but some details and the purpose of the problem report could be developed more fully.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The letter has a clear overall sequence: extension request and reason, further construction details, then apartment problems and a closing request. Paragraphing helps distinguish these points, and phrases such as “As a result” show cause and effect. However, the second paragraph relies on several links in quick succession (“due to which,” “On top of that,” and “As a result”), making the progression somewhat mechanical. The shift from explaining your circumstances to telling the owner what needs fixing could also be smoother. Use a more direct transition, and ensure each sentence connects clearly to the one before it. The organisation is coherent, though cohesion and referencing are not consistently natural.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use an adequate range for the situation, including “construction,” “labour strike,” “negotiations,” “residence,” and “rental agreement.” These choices communicate the main points, and the construction-related vocabulary adds useful detail. Some expressions are less natural or precise: “give you an heads-up” is informal for a letter to a landlord, while “there is delay in construction material” does not clearly express the supply problem. “Your house” may also be unclear when referring to the rented apartment. Aim for more accurate collocations and a consistently polite register, such as describing a delay in the delivery of building materials and referring to “the apartment.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and more complex sentence forms, including the explanation beginning “As you know” and the cause-and-effect sentence “As a result, there will be a delay in the whole project.” The main message remains understandable, but some grammatical errors recur. For example, “if could stay” is missing a subject, “the workers as refusing” has an incorrect verb form, and “there is in ongoing negotiations” has an incorrect article and structure. There are also agreement and article errors in “your house need a repaint” and “an heads-up.” Review subject–verb agreement, articles, and complete clause structure, then proofread punctuation and sentence boundaries. More accurate control of these patterns would make the letter smoother.

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