Band 7.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 7.0 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-10-22

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 am writing to request an extention to my lease agreement for another three months, due to unexpected change in my work schedule.

As per the intial agreement at office, the work expected to finish by end of this month, but due to technical issues, I have to stay in the city for another three months to investigae and fix the problem. I feel very comfortable at your apartment, It's convenient to all facilities like commute, restaurants and grocery stores. I would appreciate it if you could extend the lease agreement to another three months.

However, there is a significant amount of leakage from the kitchen sink started from today which needs your immediate attention, before it creates a huge damage.

Please let me know if you need any further documents to extend the lease agreement and let me know about your availability preferably weekends to sign the lease document.

Yours faithfully,

Pranusha

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.5

The letter clearly addresses all three requirements: you request a further three months, explain that technical problems at work have extended your stay, and report a leak from the kitchen sink. The reason for the change is relevant and the request is polite, while the apartment’s convenient location helps explain why you wish to remain. The problem is also made clear and its urgency is conveyed. To make the response more fully developed, specify when the extension would begin or the exact date you hope to leave, and give a little more detail about the leak, such as whether it is continuous or causing damage already. Overall, the purpose and position remain clear throughout.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 7.0

The letter follows a clear sequence: it opens with the extension request, explains the changed work plans, raises the maintenance issue, and closes with practical next steps. Paragraphing supports this progression, and linking phrases such as “However” help signal the shift to the leak. The final paragraph also gives the owner a clear way to respond. Some connections could be smoother: the sentence beginning “As per the initial agreement” combines the original work plan, the technical problem, and the reason for staying in a long sequence. Breaking this into two sentences would make the progression easier to follow. The repeated request to “let me know” in the closing could also be varied or combined.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.5

You use an adequate range of vocabulary for a formal rental letter, including “lease agreement,” “technical issues,” “immediate attention,” and “availability.” These choices communicate the situation clearly, and phrases such as “I would appreciate it if” suit the polite tone. There are, however, some spelling and word-choice or collocation slips that limit precision: “extention,” “intial,” and “investigae” are misspelled, while “a huge damage” is not a natural expression. “Commute” is also less suitable in the list of nearby amenities than “public transport” or “transport links.” Proofreading spelling and choosing more natural combinations would make the vocabulary more controlled and flexible.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

The letter includes both simple and more complex sentence forms, such as the clause beginning “due to unexpected change in my work schedule” and the conditional request, “I would appreciate it if you could extend the lease.” Most meaning is clear, but some grammatical errors remain. In “the work expected to finish,” the sentence needs a passive form (“the work was expected to finish”); “started from today” needs a clearer verb construction, such as “started today”; and “before it creates” has an unclear reference and tense relationship. The capital letter in “It's” after a comma also creates a punctuation error. Review articles, verb forms, and sentence boundaries, while retaining the complex structures you have attempted.

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