Band 7.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 7.0 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-10-17
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 Owner,
I hope you are doing well. I am writing to request you to extend my rental agreement to 1 year. I am living here from past five months and next month is the end of my tenure.
I am living here to pursue my six month training with initial plans to move Pune afterwards. However, I have given several interviews and here now I have a job offer to work in a reputed organization in the same city. Moreover, the location is around 30 minute drive from the my apartment. That's why, I have planned to continue staying here and requested you to extend my tenure.
However, I have been facing a few issues with the electricity supply as invertor is not working properly and sometime rescue only for half hour. In addition, the Aquaguard water purifier has not been working properly, and I would appreciate it if you could arrange for a technician to visit and resolve the issue as soon as possible.
I am looking forward to hearing from you.
Yours sincerely,
Aashima
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 8.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 7.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 6.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 6.5 |
| Overall | 7.0 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 8.0
The letter covers all three required points clearly: you request an extension, explain that a job offer has changed your plans, and report problems with both the inverter and water purifier. The reason for staying is well supported by the detail that the job is in the same city and about a 30-minute drive away. The request to rent for “1 year” is clear, although it could be made more precise by stating whether this means one year from the current agreement’s end. The repair request is also appropriately specific and polite. Overall, the purpose is clear throughout and the key ideas are developed well; a little more precision about the extension period would make the response even more complete.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 7.0
The letter follows a clear progression: it opens with the extension request, explains the change in circumstances, then raises the apartment problems before closing. Paragraphing supports this sequence, and linking expressions such as “However,” “Moreover,” and “In addition” help connect the points. The contrast marker “However” before the maintenance issues is understandable, though the shift is not really a contrast; a transition such as “I would also like to mention” would be more natural. The phrase “That’s why” repeats the reason-and-request link already established in the paragraph. Overall, the organisation is easy to follow, with some room to make transitions and referencing more flexible and less repetitive.
Lexical Resource: Band 6.5
You use a suitable range of vocabulary for a formal rental letter, including “rental agreement,” “job offer,” “reputed organization,” and “resolve the issue.” The maintenance concerns are communicated clearly, and the polite phrase “I would appreciate it if you could arrange for a technician” is effective. Some choices are imprecise or unnatural, however: “extend my rental agreement to 1 year” could specify the intended period more clearly, while “rescue” does not convey the intended meaning about how long the inverter works. “Tenure” is also less natural than “rental period” in this context. These issues do not prevent understanding, but more accurate collocations and phrasing would improve precision and fluency.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.5
The response includes a mix of simple and more complex sentences, such as “However, I have been facing a few issues…” and the conditional request “I would appreciate it if you could arrange…”. Most ideas remain understandable, but some grammatical errors recur. For example, “I am living here from past five months” needs a present-perfect form and an article or possessive construction, while “I have planned to continue staying here and requested you” shifts awkwardly between verb forms. There are also errors in “30 minute drive from the my apartment” and “sometime rescue only for half hour,” involving number, articles, and sentence construction. Improving tense consistency and checking articles and verb forms would make the writing more accurate.
See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.
Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.