Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-10-29

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 5.0)

Dear sir,

I am writting this formally to increse our rental agreement six months to one year. when five months before i came here for my studies that is a six months course . But now I am getting an oppturnty to work with my menters. I do not want to loose that oppturnty. I also love this place and expexting posotive responce from your side to extend my agreement six months to one year.

Every thing perfect in this apartment but there is small issue that is into my next apartment two youth moved last month . They used to play video game at mind-night on extreme volume. Thus, I cannot sleep properly. kindly visit them and tell them apartment rules .

your

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You address all three required points: you request an extension, explain that a work opportunity has changed your plans, and report noise from the neighbouring apartment. However, the request is not fully clear: “six months to one year” could mean adding six months or renting for one year in total. The reason is relevant but needs more explanation, and the apartment problem would benefit from clearer details and a specific request. The response also contains 124 words, below the required 150, so the letter is underdeveloped. State the exact end date or total rental period, explain how long the work opportunity lasts, and politely ask the owner to address the noise.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The letter has a basic sequence: it first asks to extend the agreement and explains the changed plans, then raises the noise problem. This makes the main purpose reasonably easy to follow. However, the ideas are compressed into two long paragraphs, and links such as “But now” and “Thus” do not always create smooth progression. The closing “your” is incomplete and leaves the letter unfinished. Use separate, clearly developed paragraphs for the extension request and the apartment issue, and add a complete sign-off. More precise connections between the study course, the new job, and the requested rental period would also improve the flow.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use some relevant vocabulary for the situation, including “rental agreement,” “opportunity,” “studies,” and “volume,” so the reader can identify the main topics. However, the range is limited and several spelling errors make the letter less clear, such as “writting,” “increse,” “oppturnty,” and “expexting.” Some expressions are also unnatural or imprecise: “my menters,” “at mind-night,” and “extreme volume.” Choose accurate, conventional phrases for a formal letter, such as “extend the tenancy,” “career opportunity,” and “late at night.” Proofreading spelling and selecting more natural collocations would make your meaning easier to understand.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The response mainly uses simple sentence patterns, with a few attempts to connect ideas using “when,” “that,” and “Thus.” These attempts are often faulty, and frequent errors sometimes make the message difficult to follow. For example, “when five months before i came here” has an unclear time structure, while “I am getting an opportunity” does not clearly express the timing of the opportunity. There are also problems with sentence boundaries and capitalization, including the lowercase “when” after a full stop and the fragment “your.” Practise forming complete sentences with clear subjects and verbs, and check tense, articles, and punctuation before sending the letter.

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

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