A Child You Know Who Enjoys Painting or Drawing

Part 3 follow-up questions

These are the discussion questions examiners asked after this cue card. Sample answers are shown where available.

1. 1. At what age do children usually start to paint and draw?

   May–Aug 2026
   Compare Band 6.5 / 7.0 / 7.5 for this question

   Band 6.5

   This is a 6.5 answer because of its clear, plainly listed stages of development and the simple final example 'sometimes they use the wrong surface, like a wall'.

   I think children start drawing very early, almost as soon as they can hold a crayon. My nephew made his first marks on my sister's wall when he was about eighteen months old, and he drew his first person, just a circle with legs, at around four. Most children follow a similar pattern: scribbling at one or two years old, then shapes at three, and people or houses by four or five. Children usually teach themselves to draw if they have crayons and paper, but sometimes they use the wrong surface, like a wall.

   Why this band

   • FC“Most children follow a similar pattern” — This is a plain, generic transitional sentence introducing the list of stages, without any distinctive framing. A 7.0 answer would use the closer paraphrase 'Most children follow that path', and a 7.5 answer would use the slightly more formal 'Most children trace that same arc'.
   • LR“a circle with legs” — This is a plain, literal descriptive phrase with no elaboration. A 7.5 answer would extend this with the more vivid verb phrase 'a circle sprouting legs', showing a livelier image for the same idea.
   • GRA“he drew his first person, just a circle with legs, at around four” — This sentence uses a simple appositive phrase set off by commas, in an otherwise plain past-tense structure. A 7.0 answer would extend this into a longer sentence joined by 'and' describing both the first marks and the first person together, and a 7.5 answer would use a more literary appositive, 'a circle sprouting legs'.

   Band 7.0

   This is a 7.0 answer because of the reflective closing observation 'it's one of the few skills children seem to teach themselves', which adds a mild evaluative comment beyond a plain description.

   Almost as soon as they can hold something that makes a mark, I'd say. My nephew produced his first drawings on my sister's wall at about eighteen months, lines and loops that were pure pleasure in the movement, and his first recognisable person, a circle with legs, arrived around four. Most children follow that path: scribbling from one or two, shapes and symbols by three, and people or houses by four or five. Honestly, it's one of the few skills children seem to teach themselves, given crayons and any surface, though the surface they pick isn't always the right one.

   Why this band

   • FC“Honestly, it's one of the few skills children seem to teach themselves” — This sentence opens with the spoken marker 'Honestly' before making a reflective, generalised observation, rather than simply stating a fact. A 6.5 answer would state this more flatly as 'Children usually teach themselves to draw', with no such framing, and a 7.5 answer might drop the hedge 'seem to' for a more confident claim.
   • LR“pure pleasure in the movement” — This is a moderately abstract, evocative phrase describing the physical joy of drawing, more distinctive than the plain description at 6.5. A 7.5 answer keeps a similar phrase but embeds it in a more literary sentence structure.
   • GRA“his first recognisable person, a circle with legs, arrived around four” — This sentence uses a delayed subject with the verb 'arrived' instead of a simple 'he drew', personifying the milestone as something that happens to the child. A 6.5 answer would use the plainer active construction 'he drew his first person... at around four', and a 7.5 answer would extend the appositive with more vivid wording.

   Band 7.5

   This reaches 7.5 through the vivid image 'a circle sprouting legs' and the closing parenthetical insertion 'more often than not', which adds a wry, compact evaluative touch rather than a plain statement.

   Almost as soon as they can hold something that makes a mark. My nephew produced his first drawings on my sister's wall at about eighteen months, lines and loops that were pure pleasure in the movement, and his first recognisable person, a circle sprouting legs, arrived around four. Most children trace that same arc: scribbling from one or two, shapes and symbols by three, then a long stretch of drawing the same handful of things with steadily growing detail. It's one of the few skills children teach themselves entirely unprompted, given only crayons and a surface, and the surface, more often than not, turns out to be the wrong one.

   Why this band

   • FC“It's one of the few skills children teach themselves entirely unprompted” — This sentence adds the precise adverb 'entirely unprompted' to sharpen the claim, going beyond the hedged 'seem to teach themselves' used at 7.0. A 6.5 answer would state this fact plainly with 'Children usually teach themselves to draw', without any such intensifying detail.
   • LR“a circle sprouting legs” — This is a vivid, slightly playful verb choice ('sprouting') applied to a simple drawing, more distinctive and image-based than the plain 'a circle with legs' used at 6.5.
   • GRA“the surface, more often than not, turns out to be the wrong one” — This sentence uses a parenthetical phrase ('more often than not') inserted mid-clause, a flexible structure that adds wry emphasis without a separate sentence. A 7.0 answer would use the simpler concessive clause 'though the surface they pick isn't always the right one', and a 6.5 answer would state this as a short separate final sentence.

2. 2. Should children have art lessons or classes at school?

   May–Aug 2026
   Compare Band 6.5 / 7.0 / 7.5 for this question

   Band 6.5

   This is a 6.5 answer because of its short, separated sentences describing the two teachers and the plain closing warning 'children may stop enjoying it'.

   Yes, I think children should have art lessons, but the type of teaching matters a lot. I had two art teachers in Hue. One teacher did not let us copy her drawing and told us to draw the room from our own corner. The other teacher only gave good marks if we copied her drawing exactly. I think only the first teacher was really teaching art. Lessons can give children freedom to create without a correct answer and help them notice things carefully. But if schools only give grades for drawing, children may stop enjoying it.

   Why this band

   • FC“I think only the first teacher was really teaching art.” — This sentence states a plain personal judgement using the simple verb 'was really teaching', without any stronger or more idiomatic framing. A 7.0 answer would rephrase this as 'Only one of those, I'd say, was actually teaching art', and a 7.5 answer would use the more formal 'it's fair to say'.
   • LR“did not let us copy” — This is a plain, literal negative verb phrase describing the teacher's rule. A 7.0 answer would use the stronger verb 'forbade' instead, and a 7.5 answer might use the same verb within a more compressed sentence.
   • GRA“One teacher did not let us copy her drawing and told us to draw the room from our own corner.” — This sentence joins two actions with the simple connector 'and' in a plain coordinated structure. A 7.0 answer would use the more formal verb 'forbade' followed by a relative clause, and a 7.5 answer would compress this into a semicolon-linked structure describing both teachers in one sentence.

   Band 7.0

   This is a 7.0 answer because of the natural closing tag 'honestly' after the opening opinion and the moderately complex sentence joining both teachers with 'while' inside a single structure.

   Yes, and the kind matters more than the number, honestly. I had two art teachers in Hue: one forbade us from copying her drawing on the board and sent us off to draw the room from a corner nobody had chosen, while the other simply marked us on how precisely we reproduced hers. Only one of those, I'd say, was actually teaching art. Lessons give children permission to make things without a right answer, practice in looking carefully, and a way to express what they can't yet put into words. The risk, though, is turning drawing into just another graded subject, which is usually how children learn to stop.

   Why this band

   • FC“Only one of those, I'd say, was actually teaching art.” — The parenthetical hedge 'I'd say' inserted mid-sentence softens the judgement in a natural, spoken way. A 6.5 answer would state the same judgement flatly as 'I think only the first teacher was really teaching art', with no such insertion, and a 7.5 answer might drop the hedge for the more assured 'it's fair to say'.
   • LR“forbade us from copying” — This uses the more formal, precise verb 'forbade' rather than the plain 'did not let us copy' used at 6.5. A 7.5 answer keeps this same verb but compresses the surrounding sentence further.
   • GRA“one forbade us from copying her drawing on the board and sent us off to draw the room from a corner nobody had chosen, while the other simply marked us on how precisely we reproduced hers” — This sentence uses a contrastive 'while' clause to combine descriptions of both teachers into one long, balanced sentence with an embedded relative clause ('nobody had chosen'). A 6.5 answer would describe the two teachers in two entirely separate sentences, and a 7.5 answer would use a semicolon instead of 'while' for tighter compression.

   Band 7.5

   This reaches 7.5 through the semicolon-linked contrast between the two teachers and the vivid closing verb 'abandon', replacing the plainer 'stop' used at lower bands.

   Yes, though what kind of lessons matters far more than how many. I had two art teachers in Hue: one forbade copying her drawing off the board and packed us off to sketch the room from whichever corner we'd claimed; the other graded us purely on how faithfully we'd reproduced hers. Only one of those, it's fair to say, was teaching art at all. Good lessons grant children permission to create without a single correct answer, sharpen the habit of looking closely, and give shape to feelings they can't yet articulate in words. The danger lies in reducing drawing to yet another graded subject, which is precisely how most children learn to abandon it.

   Why this band

   • FC“it's fair to say, was teaching art at all” — The compact parenthetical 'it's fair to say' inserted mid-clause, paired with the intensifying tag 'at all', gives a more confident, idiomatic judgement than a plain statement. A 7.0 answer would use the similar but slightly less compressed 'I'd say', and a 6.5 answer would state the judgement with no hedge at all.
   • LR“packed us off to sketch” — This is a vivid, idiomatic phrasal verb ('packed us off') paired with the more formal 'sketch', considerably more distinctive than the plain 'told us to draw' used at 6.5.
   • GRA“one forbade copying her drawing off the board and packed us off to sketch the room from whichever corner we'd claimed; the other graded us purely on how faithfully we'd reproduced hers” — This sentence uses a semicolon to join two balanced, mirrored descriptions of the teachers instead of the subordinating 'while' used at 7.0, a more compact and literary structure. A 6.5 answer would use two entirely separate sentences for the two teachers.

3. 3. Why do children often paint and draw more than adults do?

   May–Aug 2026
   Compare Band 6.5 / 7.0 / 7.5 for this question

   Band 6.5

   This is a 6.5 answer because of its plain chronological story about the niece and the simple listing sentence about materials, 'children have more free time and materials like paper and crayons ready to use'.

   I think children draw more because they are not embarrassed yet. My niece used to draw all the time until she was eleven. Then a classmate laughed at one of her horse drawings, and she has not drawn since that day. Children draw because it is a way to think, play, and tell stories, without worrying about other people watching. Adults have learned that people judge drawings, and they think their own work is not good enough. Also, children have more free time and materials like paper and crayons ready to use.

   Why this band

   • FC“Children draw because it is a way to think, play, and tell stories, without worrying about other people watching.” — This sentence lists three simple reasons joined by commas and 'and', using the plain phrase 'without worrying about'. A 7.0 answer would rephrase this as 'with no audience in mind', a more compact and idiomatic ending, and a 7.5 answer would push this further to 'conducted with no audience in mind whatsoever'.
   • LR“not embarrassed yet” — This is a basic negated adjective phrase explaining the reason, without any more vivid or specific wording. A 7.0 answer would restate this as 'nobody has taught them yet to be embarrassed', a fuller and more natural construction, and a 7.5 answer would use the same idea with tighter phrasing.
   • GRA“she has not drawn since that day” — This is a short, simple negative sentence in a plain structure. A 7.0 answer would compress this into the phrase 'she hasn't drawn since', attached directly to the earlier clause, and a 7.5 answer would add the reflective appositive 'the day judgement arrived was the day the drawing stopped'.

   Band 7.0

   This is a 7.0 answer because of the reflective appositive clause 'the day judgement arrived was the day the drawing stopped' and the closing conditional 'if the fear left and the afternoon came back', which shows more nuance than a flat conclusion.

   Because nobody has taught them yet to be embarrassed, I'd say. My niece drew constantly until eleven, when a classmate laughed at a horse, and she hasn't drawn since, the day judgement arrived was the day the drawing stopped. Children draw because it's a way of thinking, playing and telling stories with no audience in mind. Adults, on the other hand, have learned that drawings get judged, that their own aren't 'good', and that time should produce something useful. There's also simple access: a child has paper and crayons within reach and an afternoon with nothing in it. Honestly, most adults would probably draw again if the fear left and the afternoon came back.

   Why this band

   • FC“the day judgement arrived was the day the drawing stopped” — This appositive clause reflects on the anecdote with a balanced, almost poetic structure, rather than simply stating the fact plainly. A 6.5 answer would state the fact plainly as 'she has not drawn since that day', with no such reflective framing, while a 7.5 answer keeps a very similar structure, showing this device already sits near the top of the band range.
   • LR“with no audience in mind” — This is a more compact, idiomatic phrase than the plainer 'without worrying about other people watching' used at 6.5. A 7.5 answer intensifies this further to 'conducted with no audience in mind whatsoever'.
   • GRA“a child has paper and crayons within reach and an afternoon with nothing in it” — This sentence uses two parallel noun phrases joined by 'and', both built around abstract nouns of availability ('within reach', 'with nothing in it'), a more flexible structure than a simple listing sentence. A 6.5 answer would state this as 'children have more free time and materials... ready to use', a flatter parallel list.

   Band 7.5

   This reaches 7.5 through the compressed imperative closing sentence 'Strip away the fear and hand back the afternoon, and most adults would probably start drawing again', a livelier structure than a plain conditional statement.

   Because nobody has yet taught them to be embarrassed. My niece drew constantly until eleven, when a classmate laughed at a horse, and she hasn't drawn since, the day judgement arrived was the day the drawing stopped. For children, drawing is a form of thinking, playing and storytelling conducted with no audience in mind whatsoever. Adults, by contrast, have internalised the idea that drawings get judged, that theirs aren't 'good enough', and that time ought to yield something useful. There's a simpler factor too: access, a child has paper and crayons within arm's reach and an afternoon with nothing scheduled into it. Strip away the fear and hand back the afternoon, and most adults would probably start drawing again.

   Why this band

   • FC“Strip away the fear and hand back the afternoon, and most adults would probably start drawing again.” — This closing sentence uses two imperative verb phrases joined by 'and' before the main clause, a distinctive rhetorical structure instead of a standard conditional 'if' clause. A 7.0 answer would use the plainer conditional 'if the fear left and the afternoon came back', and a 6.5 answer would not attempt this kind of closing device at all.
   • LR“conducted with no audience in mind whatsoever” — The intensifying tag 'whatsoever' added onto the already moderately idiomatic phrase pushes this further than the 7.0 version, showing a more emphatic, polished register. A 6.5 answer manages only the basic phrase 'without worrying about other people watching'.
   • GRA“a child has paper and crayons within arm's reach and an afternoon with nothing scheduled into it” — This sentence uses the more idiomatic 'within arm's reach' and the precise passive participle 'scheduled into it', both elevating the register beyond the 7.0 version's plainer 'within reach' and 'with nothing in it'. A 6.5 answer states this idea with the flattest possible list structure.

4. 4. Why do many people enjoy going to galleries and museums to see art?

   May–Aug 2026
   Compare Band 6.5 / 7.0 / 7.5 for this question

   Band 6.5

   This is a 6.5 answer because of its simple listed reasons and the plain closing remark 'Some people even go just for the coffee shop, and that is fine too'.

   I think people enjoy galleries and museums for different reasons. At the Cham sculpture museum in Da Nang, I have seen tourists taking photos, students sketching, and some old men from the neighbourhood just sitting quietly near one stone statue they visit often. Museums offer beauty and quiet, which is hard to find in a busy city. They let people see old things made by hand a long time ago. They are also social places, somewhere to walk and talk with a friend. Some people even go just for the coffee shop, and that is fine too.

   Why this band

   • FC“Some people even go just for the coffee shop, and that is fine too.” — This closing sentence states a light concluding idea plainly, joined by 'and', with no more idiomatic framing. A 7.0 answer would use the fuller 'Honestly, some people just go for the café, and that's allowed too', and a 7.5 answer would use the slightly more formal 'not unreasonably'.
   • LR“quietly near one stone statue they visit often” — This is a plain descriptive phrase using basic vocabulary. A 7.0 answer would use the phrase 'a particular stone figure they've been visiting for years', a more precise and evocative alternative.
   • GRA“I have seen tourists taking photos, students sketching, and some old men from the neighbourhood just sitting quietly near one stone statue they visit often” — This sentence lists three groups of people using present participles joined by commas and 'and', in a fairly plain list structure. A 7.0 answer would drop the main verb 'I have seen' for a more direct list, and a 7.5 answer would add the further reflective clause 'each drawing something entirely different from the same room'.

   Band 7.0

   This is a 7.0 answer because of the reflective closing tag 'each enjoying something quite different' after the list of museum visitors, adding a small evaluative observation.

   For several reasons that all share one building, I'd say. At the Cham sculpture museum in Da Nang, tourists photograph everything, students sketch, and a few old men from the neighbourhood simply sit with a particular stone figure they've been visiting for years, each enjoying something quite different. Galleries offer beauty, obviously, and a kind of quiet that cities generally lack. They let people see something made by hand centuries ago and feel a strange connection across time. They're social too, a place to walk and talk with a friend where the art gives you something to talk about. Honestly, some people just go for the café, and that's allowed too.

   Why this band

   • FC“each enjoying something quite different” — This trailing participial phrase adds a reflective observation onto the list of visitors, rather than simply ending the list, showing a mild evaluative move typical of 7.0. A 6.5 answer would end the list without this kind of reflective tag, while a 7.5 answer would extend the same idea into a fuller clause, 'each drawing something entirely different from the same room'.
   • LR“a kind of quiet that cities generally lack” — This phrase uses the relative clause 'that cities generally lack' to make the description more precise, a step up from the plainer 'which is hard to find in a busy city' used at 6.5.
   • GRA“tourists photograph everything, students sketch, and a few old men from the neighbourhood simply sit with a particular stone figure they've been visiting for years” — This sentence uses a three-part parallel list with present-tense verbs and an embedded relative clause on the final item, a more elaborate list structure than the participle-based list at 6.5. A 6.5 answer would use present participles ('taking photos', 'sketching') introduced by 'I have seen' rather than parallel finite verbs.

   Band 7.5

   This reaches 7.5 through the vivid idiom 'brush up against something made by hand' and the closing sentence fragment 'And, not unreasonably, some people simply go for the café', a compact and confident closer.

   For several reasons that happen to share one building. At the Cham sculpture museum in Da Nang, tourists photograph everything in sight, students sketch quietly in corners, and a handful of old men from the neighbourhood simply sit with one particular stone figure they've been visiting for years, each drawing something entirely different from the same room. Galleries offer beauty, obviously, and a rare pocket of quiet that cities otherwise lack. They let people brush up against something made by hand centuries ago and feel, however briefly, a connection across time. They're social spaces too, somewhere to walk and talk with a friend while the art supplies the conversation. And, not unreasonably, some people simply go for the café.

   Why this band

   • FC“And, not unreasonably, some people simply go for the café.” — This closing sentence opens with the coordinating conjunction 'And' plus the parenthetical hedge 'not unreasonably', a more compact and idiomatic construction than a full independent sentence. A 7.0 answer would use the fuller opener 'Honestly, some people just go for the café, and that's allowed too', and a 6.5 answer would state this even more plainly.
   • LR“brush up against something made by hand centuries ago” — This is a vivid, idiomatic verb phrase ('brush up against') describing the experience of seeing old art, considerably more distinctive than the plain 'see old things made by hand' used at 6.5.
   • GRA“each drawing something entirely different from the same room” — This sentence uses a participial phrase ('drawing...') as a compressed summary clause attached to the list, rather than a full finite clause. A 7.0 answer would use the finite participial tag 'each enjoying something quite different', and a 6.5 answer would end the list with no such summarising phrase at all.

5. 5. Should entry to galleries and museums be free for everyone?

   May–Aug 2026
   Compare Band 6.5 / 7.0 / 7.5 for this question

   Band 6.5

   This is a 6.5 answer because of its plain factual sentences and the simple closing suggestion 'Maybe tourists could pay, but local people, especially children, should not have to pay'.

   Yes, I think public museums should be free, at least for local people. Near my home, there is a museum that is free on one Sunday every month, and on that day, many local families come who never visit on other days. This shows that even a small ticket price is a big problem for them. Free entry also helps children build a habit of visiting museums when they grow up. Of course, museums need money for staff and to take care of the art. Maybe tourists could pay, but local people, especially children, should not have to pay.

   Why this band

   • FC“This shows that even a small ticket price is a big problem for them.” — This sentence states the conclusion plainly using the basic phrase 'a big problem', without any more precise or idiomatic wording. A 7.0 answer would rephrase this as 'the fee, even a small one, turns out to be the whole barrier', with a more specific noun, and a 7.5 answer would use the more literary 'the entire barrier'.
   • LR“helps children build a habit” — This is a plain, literal verb phrase describing the long-term benefit. A 7.0 answer would restate this with the more natural 'builds the habit early, in children who then return as adults', and a 7.5 answer would use the more vivid verb 'plants the habit early'.
   • GRA“many local families come who never visit on other days” — This sentence uses a relative clause attached to a plain main clause, in a straightforward structure. A 7.0 answer would restate this using the more precise phrase 'who never appear on paid days', and a 7.5 answer would compress this further within a longer, more literary sentence.

   Band 7.0

   This is a 7.0 answer because of the natural opening framing 'and one detail persuades me' and the closing concession 'The counter-argument is funding, and it's a fair one', which acknowledges an opposing view before responding to it.

   For public collections, yes, and one detail persuades me. The museum near me has one free Sunday a month, and on that day it fills with local families who never appear on paid days, the fee, even a small one, turns out to be the whole barrier. Art that a nation owns should really be seen by the nation, not just by tourists and the well-off. Free entry also builds the habit early, in children who then return as adults. The counter-argument is funding, and it's a fair one, museums need money for conservation and staff. Charging tourists while letting locals in free, as some countries do, seems like a reasonable compromise.

   Why this band

   • FC“The counter-argument is funding, and it's a fair one, museums need money for conservation and staff.” — This sentence explicitly names and validates an opposing argument, 'and it's a fair one', before addressing it, a more balanced and reflective structure than simply stating a fact. A 6.5 answer would state the same idea more flatly as 'Of course, museums need money for staff and to take care of the art', without explicitly acknowledging the argument as fair.
   • LR“the whole barrier” — This phrase uses the more emphatic and specific noun 'barrier' rather than the vaguer 'a big problem' used at 6.5. A 7.5 answer intensifies this further to 'the entire barrier'.
   • GRA“the fee, even a small one, turns out to be the whole barrier” — This sentence uses a parenthetical phrase ('even a small one') inserted mid-clause, a flexible structure adding emphasis without a separate sentence. A 6.5 answer would state this as a separate summary sentence, 'This shows that even a small ticket price is a big problem for them', and a 7.5 answer would use the adverb 'however modest' in the same position for a more formal register.

   Band 7.5

   This reaches 7.5 through the idiomatic verb phrase 'waving locals through' and the closing personified clause 'conservation and staff don't pay for themselves', a livelier way of stating the funding argument.

   For public collections, yes, and one small detail settles it for me. The museum near me runs one free Sunday a month, and that single day fills with local families who never turn up on paid days, the fee, however modest, turns out to be the entire barrier. Art a nation owns ought to be seen by the nation, not reserved for tourists and the comfortably off. Free entry also plants the habit early, in children who then return as adults without a second thought. Funding is the obvious counter-argument, and a legitimate one, since conservation and staff don't pay for themselves. Charging tourists while waving locals through, as some countries already do, strikes me as a sensible compromise.

   Why this band

   • FC“Funding is the obvious counter-argument, and a legitimate one, since conservation and staff don't pay for themselves.” — This sentence names the counter-argument as 'obvious' and 'legitimate' before justifying it with the personified clause 'don't pay for themselves', a more confident and idiomatic structure than the 7.0 version's plainer phrasing. A 7.0 answer would use the similar but less vivid 'The counter-argument is funding, and it's a fair one, museums need money for conservation and staff'.
   • LR“waving locals through” — This is a vivid, idiomatic phrasal verb describing free entry for residents, considerably more distinctive than the plain 'letting locals in free' used at 7.0.
   • GRA“conservation and staff don't pay for themselves” — This clause personifies abstract nouns with a colloquial idiom ('don't pay for themselves'), a more sophisticated construction than a literal statement of need. A 7.0 answer would state this literally as 'museums need money for conservation and staff', and a 6.5 answer would use the plainest version, 'museums need money for staff and to take care of the art'.

6. 6. Do you agree or disagree that when people look at art in galleries or museums, they can learn a lot about life in general?

   May–Aug 2026
   Compare Band 6.5 / 7.0 / 7.5 for this question

   Band 6.5

   This is a 6.5 answer because of its short, plain sentences and the simple closing summary 'So art can teach us about life, but only part of it'.

   I agree, but I think the learning is indirect. For example, a very old carving of a mother and child in the Cham museum told me more about how people felt about family than any book could. Paintings show what people cared about, feared, or believed in the past. Looking closely at art is also a useful skill for life in general. But museums cannot teach practical things, like how a society really worked or who had power. So art can teach us about life, but only part of it.

   Why this band

   • FC“But museums cannot teach practical things, like how a society really worked or who had power.” — This sentence states a limitation plainly using the basic phrase 'practical things', without more precise vocabulary. A 7.0 answer would replace this with 'the practical side, how a society worked, who paid, who suffered', a more specific list, and a 7.5 answer would compress this into an asyndetic fragment list.
   • LR“told me more” — This is a plain, simple verb phrase, without any more figurative or precise alternative. A 7.0 answer would extend this idea with the fuller phrase 'carries the feeling of a time', a more abstract and reflective wording.
   • GRA“a very old carving of a mother and child in the Cham museum told me more about how people felt about family than any book could” — This sentence uses a comparative structure ('more...than any book could') in a fairly plain, single clause. A 7.0 answer would extend this into a longer sentence adding the reflective clause 'art carries the feeling of a time, and feeling is most of what life is', and a 7.5 answer would use even more formal vocabulary throughout.

   Band 7.0

   This is a 7.0 answer because of the reflective aside 'art carries the feeling of a time, and feeling is most of what life is', which adds genuine interpretation rather than a plain description.

   Agree, though the learning is indirect, I'd say. A thousand-year-old carving of a mother and child in the Cham museum told me more about how those people felt about family than any caption or history book, art carries the feeling of a time, and feeling is most of what life is. Paintings show what people valued, feared, wore and worshipped, and portraits reveal faces that are entirely modern in their boredom or pride. Looking closely at anything is itself a skill for life. What galleries can't teach is the practical side, how a society worked, who paid, who suffered, so someone who learned about life only from art would end up with a strange, partial picture.

   Why this band

   • FC“art carries the feeling of a time, and feeling is most of what life is” — This is a reflective, almost aphoristic aside added onto the main clause, offering genuine interpretation rather than a plain fact. A 6.5 answer would not attempt this kind of reflective generalisation, stopping instead at the plain comparison with a book, while a 7.5 answer keeps a very similar structure, showing this device already sits near the top of the band range.
   • LR“what people valued, feared, wore and worshipped” — This four-item parallel verb list is more elaborate and specific than the three-item list ('cared about, feared, or believed') used at 6.5, showing wider vocabulary range. A 7.5 answer keeps a nearly identical list, again showing this is already an advanced feature.
   • GRA“What galleries can't teach is the practical side, how a society worked, who paid, who suffered, so someone who learned about life only from art would end up with a strange, partial picture” — This long sentence uses an asyndetic list of short fragments ('how a society worked, who paid, who suffered') attached to a cleft construction ('What galleries can't teach is...'), followed by a result clause with 'so'. A 6.5 answer would state the limitation as a short separate sentence with a plain list, 'like how a society really worked or who had power'.

   Band 7.5

   This reaches 7.5 through the precise verb 'betray' replacing the plainer 'show' and the closing participial clause 'leaving anyone schooled on art alone with a strange, beautiful, partial picture', a more literary construction than a finite result clause.

   Agree, though the learning is indirect rather than instructive. A thousand-year-old carving of a mother and child in the Cham museum told me more about how those people felt about family than any caption or history book managed, art carries the feeling of a time, and feeling, arguably, is most of what life amounts to. Paintings betray what people valued, feared, wore and worshipped, while portraits reveal faces entirely modern in their boredom or pride. Looking closely at anything, for that matter, is itself a transferable skill. What galleries can't teach is the practical machinery of a society, how it worked, who paid, who suffered, leaving anyone schooled on art alone with a strange, beautiful, partial picture.

   Why this band

   • FC“art carries the feeling of a time, and feeling, arguably, is most of what life amounts to” — This sentence inserts the parenthetical hedge 'arguably' mid-clause and replaces the simple verb 'is' with the more considered 'amounts to', showing a slightly more sophisticated, self-aware register than the 7.0 version. A 6.5 answer makes no attempt at this kind of reflective aside at all.
   • LR“Paintings betray what people valued” — The precise verb 'betray', used here to mean 'reveal', is a genuinely less-common and more literary word choice than the plain 'show' used at both 6.5 and 7.0. A 7.0 answer uses the safer 'Paintings show what people valued'.
   • GRA“leaving anyone schooled on art alone with a strange, beautiful, partial picture” — This is a participial phrase ('leaving...') replacing the finite result clause 'so someone... would end up with' used at 7.0, a more compact and literary construction. A 6.5 answer would use the plainest form, a short separate sentence stating the limitation.

7. 7. What do you think of the view that creating art is beneficial for everyone, whether they are talented or not?

   May–Aug 2026
   Compare Band 6.5 / 7.0 / 7.5 for this question

   Band 6.5

   This is a 6.5 answer because of its plain descriptive sentences and the simple closing contrast 'talent decides if other people like the result, but it does not matter for the person making it'.

   I completely agree, and I saw a good example in my neighbourhood. When our neighbours repainted the walls together, some retired men with no artistic skill at all spent the whole weekend painting, laughing, and feeling proud of their crooked lines. The benefit was not about how good the painting looked. Making something gives people a feeling close to rest and helps build confidence, because making something shows you can do it. Art also helps people express feelings when words are not enough. So talent decides if other people like the result, but it does not matter for the person making it.

   Why this band

   • FC“So talent decides if other people like the result, but it does not matter for the person making it.” — This closing sentence uses the basic connector 'but' to state the final contrast plainly. A 7.0 answer would split this into two short, punchy sentences for emphasis, 'Talent decides whether other people enjoy the result. It has nothing to do with whether the maker does', and a 7.5 answer would keep a very similar structure with slightly sharper phrasing.
   • LR“feeling close to rest” — This is a plain descriptive phrase using basic vocabulary. A 7.0 answer would use the more precise 'a state of attention that's close to rest', a fuller and more abstract construction.
   • GRA“some retired men with no artistic skill at all spent the whole weekend painting, laughing, and feeling proud of their crooked lines” — This sentence lists three parallel participles joined by commas and 'and' in a fairly plain structure. A 7.0 answer would add the comparative clause 'prouder of their crooked lines than I've ever been of a finished design', embedding a further comparison into the same sentence.

   Band 7.0

   This is a 7.0 answer because of the embedded comparative clause 'prouder of their crooked lines than I've ever been of a finished design' and the short, punchy closing pair of sentences for emphasis.

   I agree completely, and the alley proved it. When our neighbours repainted the walls together, the retired men with no artistic ability whatsoever spent a weekend absorbed, laughing and prouder of their crooked lines than I've ever been of a finished design, the benefit had nothing to do with the quality of the result. Making something puts a person into a state of attention that's close to rest. It builds confidence, since a made thing is evidence of capability. It gives feelings a shape when words fail, which is part of why art gets used in hospitals and with children who've been through hard things. Talent decides whether other people enjoy the result. It has nothing to do with whether the maker does.

   Why this band

   • FC“the benefit had nothing to do with the quality of the result” — This clause states the reflective conclusion directly within the same sentence as the anecdote, rather than as a separate flat sentence. A 6.5 answer would state this as its own simple sentence, 'The benefit was not about how good the painting looked', while a 7.5 answer inserts a similar clause but with the added adverb 'clearly' for extra emphasis.
   • LR“a state of attention that's close to rest” — This phrase is a more abstract, precise construction than the plain 'a feeling close to rest' used at 6.5, adding the noun 'attention' for extra specificity.
   • GRA“the retired men with no artistic ability whatsoever spent a weekend absorbed, laughing and prouder of their crooked lines than I've ever been of a finished design” — This sentence embeds a comparative clause ('prouder... than I've ever been') directly into the list of participles, a more complex single-sentence structure than the plain three-item list at 6.5. A 6.5 answer would end the list with 'feeling proud of their crooked lines' with no further comparison attached.

   Band 7.5

   This reaches 7.5 through the vivid opening verb 'drops a person into' and the closing inverted sentence 'Whether the maker does is an entirely separate matter', a more sophisticated structure than a plain repeated negative.

   I agree completely, and the alley made the case for me. When our neighbours repainted the walls together, the retired men with zero artistic ability spent a weekend thoroughly absorbed, laughing and visibly prouder of their crooked lines than I've ever been of a finished design, the benefit, clearly, had nothing to do with the quality of the result. Making something drops a person into a state of attention verging on rest. It builds confidence, since a finished thing stands as evidence of capability. It also lends feelings a shape when words fail, which is precisely why art turns up in hospitals and with children recovering from hard experiences. Talent decides whether other people enjoy the result. Whether the maker does is an entirely separate matter.

   Why this band

   • FC“Whether the maker does is an entirely separate matter.” — This closing sentence uses a subject clause beginning with 'Whether...' functioning as the grammatical subject of the sentence, a more advanced construction than a plain negative statement. A 7.0 answer would state this more simply as 'It has nothing to do with whether the maker does', and a 6.5 answer would use the plainest version, joined with 'but' to the previous clause.
   • LR“verging on rest” — This is a precise, less-common phrase ('verging on') describing a state approaching but not quite reaching rest, more distinctive than the plainer 'close to rest' used at lower bands.
   • GRA“the benefit, clearly, had nothing to do with the quality of the result” — This sentence inserts the parenthetical adverb 'clearly' mid-clause, interrupting the flow for emphasis, a more flexible construction than the plain version at 7.0. A 6.5 answer states this idea as its own separate, unembedded sentence.

8. 8. Do you agree or disagree that art and artists should be valued more by society?

   May–Aug 2026
   Compare Band 6.5 / 7.0 / 7.5 for this question

   Band 6.5

   This is a 6.5 answer because of its plain factual sentences and the simple closing contrast 'It does not mean treating them like heroes, just noticing their work'.

   Yes, I agree that artists should be valued more by society. For example, the old sign painter who taught me how to letter by hand earned less money than a plumber his whole life, and now only a few of his students remember him. But every shop on his street looked more beautiful because of his work. Society only really values a few famous artists, but most working artists are not valued much at all. Valuing artists more means paying them fairly for their design or music work, and helping fund art education. It does not mean treating them like heroes, just noticing their work.

   Why this band

   • FC“Society only really values a few famous artists, but most working artists are not valued much at all.” — This sentence uses the simple connector 'but' to state a plain contrast, without any more literary or precise vocabulary. A 7.0 answer would rephrase this as 'Society values a handful of famous artists enormously and the working majority barely at all', using more precise quantifying language, and a 7.5 answer would use the verb 'lavishes' for a more vivid image.
   • LR“earned less money than a plumber” — This is a plain, literal comparison using basic vocabulary. A 7.0 answer would compress this into 'earned less than a plumber his whole life', and a 7.5 answer would restructure the whole sentence around a relative clause for a more literary effect.
   • GRA“the old sign painter who taught me how to letter by hand earned less money than a plumber his whole life, and now only a few of his students remember him” — This sentence joins two ideas with the simple connector 'and' in a fairly plain relative-clause structure. A 7.0 answer would use the more precise verb 'is remembered' in a compressed passive, and a 7.5 answer would restructure the whole sentence into a semicolon-linked comparison.

   Band 7.0

   This is a 7.0 answer because of the reflective opening qualifier 'with a note about what 'valued' actually means' and the closing idiomatic phrase 'noticing who made the things that make places worth living in'.

   Agree, with a note about what 'valued' actually means. The old sign painter who taught me to letter by brush earned less than a plumber his whole life and is remembered now only by the few of us he taught, and yet every shop in his street was more beautiful because of him, that kind of artist is undervalued in money and in memory. Society values a handful of famous artists enormously and the working majority barely at all. Valuing them more means paying fairly for design, music and craft rather than expecting it for free, funding art education, and treating an illustrator as a professional. It doesn't mean worship, it just means noticing who made the things that make places worth living in.

   Why this band

   • FC“Agree, with a note about what 'valued' actually means.” — This opening uses a compact fragment structure, 'Agree, with a note about...', rather than a full sentence, immediately signalling a nuanced position. A 6.5 answer would open with the plain full sentence 'Yes, I agree that artists should be valued more by society', with no such nuance flagged up front.
   • LR“undervalued in money and in memory” — This phrase uses a neat parallel structure ('in money and in memory') to make an abstract point vividly, more distinctive than the plainer contrastive sentence used at 6.5.
   • GRA“The old sign painter who taught me to letter by brush earned less than a plumber his whole life and is remembered now only by the few of us he taught” — This sentence uses a relative clause plus a compound predicate joined by 'and', combining two ideas about pay and memory into one flowing sentence. A 6.5 answer would present these as two separate ideas joined loosely by 'and now', and a 7.5 answer would use a semicolon to link an even more compressed pair of clauses.

   Band 7.5

   This reaches 7.5 through the idiomatic verb 'lavishes esteem' and the closing pair of short parallel sentences, 'It's not about worship. It's about noticing...', a compact rhetorical structure.

   Agree, with a caveat about what 'valued' should actually mean. The old sign painter who taught me to letter by brush earned less across a lifetime than a plumber, and is remembered now only by the handful of us he trained, yet every shopfront on his street was the better for his hand, that's an artist undervalued both in money and in memory. Society lavishes esteem on a handful of famous names while the working majority go largely unnoticed. Valuing them properly means paying fairly for design, music and craft rather than assuming it should come free, funding art education, and treating an illustrator as a professional rather than a hobbyist. It's not about worship. It's about noticing who actually made the places worth living in.

   Why this band

   • FC“It's not about worship. It's about noticing who actually made the places worth living in.” — This closing pair of short, parallel sentences repeats the same grammatical frame ('It's...about') for rhetorical emphasis, a more polished device than a single sentence joined by a comma. A 7.0 answer would join these same ideas with a comma into one sentence, 'It doesn't mean worship, it just means noticing...', and a 6.5 answer would state this even more plainly.
   • LR“lavishes esteem on a handful of famous names” — This is a vivid, less-common verb choice ('lavishes') paired with the abstract noun 'esteem', considerably more distinctive than the plainer 'values... enormously' used at 7.0.
   • GRA“every shopfront on his street was the better for his hand, that's an artist undervalued both in money and in memory” — This sentence uses the idiomatic construction 'was the better for his hand' (meaning improved by his work) followed by a demonstrative summary clause, a more literary and compact structure than the plainer version at 7.0. A 6.5 answer would state this idea with the flattest possible wording, 'every shop on his street looked more beautiful because of his work'.

9. 9. Do you think art produced by artificial intelligence will ever be as highly valued as art produced by humans?

   May–Aug 2026
   Compare Band 6.5 / 7.0 / 7.5 for this question

   Band 6.5

   This is a 6.5 answer because of its plain narrative example and the simple closing prediction 'so human art will probably stay more special'.

   I think AI art can be useful, but I do not think it will be valued the same as human art. For example, one of my clients loved a set of posters until he found out they were made by a computer in one minute. After that, he lost interest, even though the pictures did not change at all. What he really valued was knowing a real person made them with effort. AI can make a lot of good and useful pictures, but the value of art is also about who made it and why. A machine cannot copy that part, so human art will probably stay more special.

   Why this band

   • FC“After that, he lost interest, even though the pictures did not change at all.” — This sentence states a plain observation using the basic connector 'even though', without any more reflective framing. A 7.0 answer would rephrase this with the more vivid image 'his interest collapsed at that single word', and a 7.5 answer would keep a similar but slightly more polished version of the same idea.
   • LR“with effort” — This is a basic, plain prepositional phrase describing human input, without any more precise or reflective wording. A 7.0 answer would extend this into the fuller phrase 'the sense of a person having meant them', a more abstract and reflective construction.
   • GRA“one of my clients loved a set of posters until he found out they were made by a computer in one minute” — This sentence uses a simple 'until' clause in a plain past-tense structure. A 7.0 answer would use the more precise verb 'generated' and add the reflective aside 'and one client taught me why', and a 7.5 answer would use the closely related but slightly more formal verb 'discovered'.

   Band 7.0

   This is a 7.0 answer because of the parallel opening structure 'Valued for use, yes, valued as art, I doubt it' and the reflective phrase 'the sense of a person having meant them', which goes beyond a flat statement.

   Valued for use, yes, valued as art, I doubt it, and one client taught me why. He loved a set of posters until he learned they'd been generated by a machine in a minute, and his interest collapsed at that single word, nothing about the images had changed, but what he'd valued was the sense of a person having meant them. AI will produce enormous amounts of competent, useful, even beautiful imagery, and a lot of commercial illustration will probably go that way. But the value of art has always been partly about who made it, why, and what it cost them. A machine can imitate the surface of that and not really the story behind it.

   Why this band

   • FC“nothing about the images had changed, but what he'd valued was the sense of a person having meant them” — This sentence uses a contrastive structure with the past perfect 'had changed' and a cleft construction ('what he'd valued was...') to build a genuinely reflective observation. A 6.5 answer would state this plainly as 'the pictures did not change at all... he really valued knowing a real person made them', with less grammatical compression.
   • LR“generated by a machine” — This phrase uses the more precise, technical verb 'generated' rather than the plainer 'made by a computer' used at 6.5. A 7.5 answer keeps this same verb, showing it as an established feature at this level.
   • GRA“He loved a set of posters until he learned they'd been generated by a machine in a minute, and his interest collapsed at that single word” — This sentence chains a subordinate 'until' clause with a coordinated result clause using the vivid verb 'collapsed', showing more advanced sentence-building than the plain version at 6.5. A 6.5 answer would state the two ideas as separate short sentences with plainer verbs.

   Band 7.5

   This reaches 7.5 through the vivid verb 'churn out' and the closing rhetorical repetition of 'the story', a compact, evaluative image rather than a plain closing statement.

   Valued for use, certainly, valued as art, I remain doubtful, and one client illustrated exactly why. He'd loved a set of posters until he discovered they were machine-generated in under a minute, and his enthusiasm collapsed at that single word, nothing about the images themselves had changed, yet what he'd prized all along was the sense of a person having meant them. AI will churn out vast quantities of competent, useful, even genuinely beautiful imagery, and swathes of commercial illustration will likely go that route. But art's value has always been bound up with who made it, why, and what it cost them to do so. A machine can mimic the surface of that story without ever living the story itself.

   Why this band

   • FC“A machine can mimic the surface of that story without ever living the story itself.” — This closing sentence uses the repeated noun 'story' in a deliberate rhetorical echo, plus the vivid contrast between 'mimic' and 'living', for a more polished, memorable ending than a flat prediction. A 7.0 answer would close more plainly with 'A machine can imitate the surface of that and not really the story behind it', and a 6.5 answer would end with the simplest version, 'human art will probably stay more special'.
   • LR“churn out vast quantities” — This is a vivid, idiomatic phrasal verb ('churn out') paired with the formal 'vast quantities', more distinctive than the plainer 'produce enormous amounts' used at 7.0.
   • GRA“nothing about the images themselves had changed, yet what he'd prized all along was the sense of a person having meant them” — This sentence uses the reflexive intensifier 'themselves' and the more literary verb 'prized' within a cleft construction, a slightly more polished version of the same structure used at 7.0. A 6.5 answer would state this with a much plainer construction and no cleft sentence at all.