A Famous City You Find Interesting

Part 3 follow-up questions

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

1. 1. Why are so many young people attracted to city life?

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

   Band 6.5

   This answer uses plain, separate sentences with the basic connector 'but' to present a direct claim, a personal example, and a short list of reasons, all in everyday vocabulary.

   I think it is because cities give people a lot of choice, and when you are eighteen, choice feels like freedom. When I moved to Hanoi for university, the thing that surprised me most was not the traffic, it was that there were twelve cinemas to choose from, but in Hue there was only one. Jobs are another big reason, especially for fields like mine that do not really exist in small towns. Young people also want to meet different kinds of people and try new things without their whole neighbourhood watching them. Cities are one of the only places that let you do that.

   Why this band

   • FC“Jobs are another big reason, especially for fields like mine that do not really exist in small towns.” — This point is introduced as a fresh, separate sentence with the plain phrase 'another big reason'. A band 7 answer would more likely present this as the more obvious, practical point before moving to a deeper reason, using a marker like 'obviously' to guide the listener.
   • LR“try new things without their whole neighbourhood watching them” — This is a plain, literal description of the idea of privacy while experimenting. A higher band answer would likely use a more abstract, precise phrase, such as 'try on identities', to capture the same idea with more nuance.
   • GRA“When I moved to Hanoi for university, the thing that surprised me most was not the traffic, it was that there were twelve cinemas to choose from, but in Hue there was only one.” — This long sentence strings three clauses together with commas and 'but', which is accurate but somewhat linear. A 7.5 answer would likely break this into a punchier structure using a dash, separating the surprising realisation from the explanation more sharply.

   Band 7.0

   The natural spoken tags 'Honestly' and 'obviously' frame this answer with reflective fluency beyond a 6.5 response's plain listing, and the dash before the Hue comparison shows a more flexible way of adding contrast.

   Honestly, I think it's because cities offer choice, and at eighteen choice feels like freedom. When I arrived in Hanoi for university, what actually overwhelmed me wasn't the traffic, it was realising there were twelve cinemas and I could pick any of them — back in Hue there was just one. Jobs are the practical reason, obviously, especially in fields like mine that barely exist in small towns. But underneath that, I'd say young people want to meet people unlike themselves and try on identities without the whole neighbourhood watching. Cities are pretty much the only places that offer that at scale, which is probably part of the appeal.

   Why this band

   • FC“Jobs are the practical reason, obviously, especially in fields like mine that barely exist in small towns.” — The aside 'obviously' marks this point as the expected, surface-level answer before the speaker moves to a deeper one, showing awareness of layered argument-building. A 6.5 answer would more likely present this same point flatly as 'Jobs are another big reason' without signalling its relative importance.
   • LR“try on identities without the whole neighbourhood watching” — 'Try on identities' is a moderately more abstract, figurative phrase than the plainer 'try new things' a 6.5 answer would use, borrowing an image from clothing to describe experimenting with who you are. It shows developing precision in expressing an abstract idea.
   • GRA“what actually overwhelmed me wasn't the traffic, it was realising there were twelve cinemas and I could pick any of them — back in Hue there was just one” — This sentence uses a dash to separate the main realisation from the contrasting comparison, rather than joining everything with 'but' as a 6.5 answer would. It shows more flexible punctuation-based structure without reaching the fully compressed grammar of a 7.5 answer.

   Band 7.5

   The fronted structure 'What overwhelmed me... wasn't the traffic — it was...' and the closing self-aware aside 'which is oddly motivating' give this answer compact, evaluative grammar, alongside the genuinely less common word 'crave'.

   Because cities offer choice, and at eighteen, choice feels like freedom itself. What overwhelmed me when I first arrived in Hanoi for university wasn't the traffic — it was realising there were twelve cinemas within reach, when Hue had offered exactly one. Jobs are the practical reason, obviously, especially in fields like mine that barely exist outside a handful of large cities. But underneath that, young people crave meeting people unlike themselves and trying on identities without the whole neighbourhood watching. Cities are pretty much the only places offering that at scale, and, perhaps counterintuitively, they're also where you're least likely to be the most interesting person in the room, which is oddly motivating.

   Why this band

   • FC“and, perhaps counterintuitively, they're also where you're least likely to be the most interesting person in the room, which is oddly motivating” — This closing observation adds a surprising, self-reflective twist on top of the main argument, marking the answer with the kind of layered, evaluative insight typical of the highest band. A 6.5 or 7.0 answer would more likely stop after the point about meeting different people, without this extra ironic observation.
   • LR“young people crave meeting people unlike themselves” — 'Crave' is a genuinely less common, more intense word than the plainer 'want' a lower band would use, suggesting a stronger, almost instinctive desire. It gives the sentence more emotional precision than a flatter verb would.
   • GRA“What overwhelmed me when I first arrived in Hanoi for university wasn't the traffic — it was realising there were twelve cinemas within reach, when Hue had offered exactly one.” — This sentence is fronted with 'What overwhelmed me...' as the subject, delaying the real information until after the dash, which is a more flexible, emphatic structure than a straightforward subject-verb-object sentence. This kind of cleft, fronted construction is characteristic of the grammatical range expected at 7.5.

2. 2. Do you agree or disagree that cities are better places for young people than for older people?

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

   Band 6.5

   Short sentences joined with 'but' and 'so' present a direct opinion, a specific example, and a balanced conclusion, all in plain, everyday vocabulary.

   I only agree a little bit. Cities are built for young people in obvious ways, like the fast pace, the stairs, and the noise, and most older people I know in Hue would find a big city like Da Nang tiring. But my parents' former neighbour, a retired teacher, moved here to be near her son, and now she has more friends than she ever had at home, because of a tai chi group in the park and a market where she talks to people every morning. Cities have hospitals, services, and company close by, which is good for someone who cannot drive anymore. So cities are usually better for young people, but a well-planned city can also be very good for older people.

   Why this band

   • FC“I only agree a little bit.” — The opening opinion is stated as a very short, flat sentence with a basic quantifier. A band 7 answer would more likely open with a softer, more considered hedge like 'I'd only half agree', giving the same idea a touch more nuance.
   • LR“now she has more friends than she ever had at home” — This is simple, direct vocabulary describing an increase in friendships. A higher band answer would likely add more specific, evocative detail about how, such as naming the exact activities that built those friendships, rather than stating the outcome so plainly.
   • GRA“Cities have hospitals, services, and company close by, which is good for someone who cannot drive anymore.” — This sentence lists three nouns before adding a relative clause explaining their benefit, a functional but fairly plain structure. A 7.5 answer would likely compress this into a phrase like 'suits someone who can't drive any more', avoiding the more formal 'which is good for'.

   Band 7.0

   The hedge 'I'd only half agree, to be honest' softens the opening claim more naturally than a 6.5 answer's flat statement, and the dash-set list of city features shows a more flexible way of adding detail.

   I'd only half agree, to be honest. Cities are built for the young in fairly obvious ways — the pace, the stairs, the noise — and most older people I know in Hue would probably find Da Nang exhausting. But my parents' former neighbour, a retired teacher, moved here to be near her son and actually has more friends now than she ever had back home, through a tai chi group in the park and a market where she chats every morning. Cities have services, hospitals and company within walking distance, which suits someone who can't drive any more. So they favour the young by default, but a well-designed city can be genuinely kind to older people too.

   Why this band

   • FC“I'd only half agree, to be honest.” — This opener combines a hedged quantifier ('only half agree') with the spoken tag 'to be honest', giving the opinion a more nuanced, considered tone than a flat statement. A 6.5 answer would more likely state the same view as a simpler, unhedged sentence.
   • LR“which suits someone who can't drive any more” — 'Suits' is a more compact, slightly idiomatic verb than the fuller phrase 'is good for' a 6.5 answer would use, expressing the same idea more economically. It shows developing precision in word choice.
   • GRA“Cities are built for the young in fairly obvious ways — the pace, the stairs, the noise — and most older people I know in Hue would probably find Da Nang exhausting.” — The dash-set list of three short nouns is inserted directly into the sentence without a connecting phrase like 'such as', showing more flexible structure than a 6.5 answer's plainer comma-list. It stops short of the further compression a 7.5 answer would apply to the surrounding clauses.

   Band 7.5

   The compact idiomatic phrase 'courtesy of' replaces a fuller connector, and the balanced closing sentence 'they favour the young by default, but a well-designed city can be remarkably kind' shows the parallel, evaluative structure typical of band 7.5.

   I'd only half agree. Cities are built for the young in fairly obvious ways — the pace, the stairs, the noise — and most older people I know back in Hue would find a city like Da Nang exhausting. But my parents' former neighbour, a retired teacher, moved here to be near her son and now has more friends than she ever managed at home, courtesy of a tai chi group in the park and a market where she chats every morning. Cities offer hospitals, services and company within walking distance, which suits anyone who can no longer drive. So they favour the young by default, but a well-designed city can be remarkably kind to older people too.

   Why this band

   • FC“So they favour the young by default, but a well-designed city can be remarkably kind to older people too.” — This closing sentence balances two contrasting clauses with parallel grammar, delivering a confident final judgement on the whole question. A 6.5 or 7.0 answer would more likely state a similar contrast with plainer wording like 'good for young people' versus 'also good for older people'.
   • LR“courtesy of a tai chi group in the park” — 'Courtesy of' is a genuinely less common, slightly formal-idiomatic phrase for attributing a positive outcome to its cause, more precise than the plainer 'through' or 'because of' a lower band would use. It adds a touch of natural sophistication to the sentence.
   • GRA“moved here to be near her son and now has more friends than she ever managed at home, courtesy of a tai chi group in the park and a market where she chats every morning” — This long sentence links the move, the outcome and the cause into one continuous flow using 'and' and 'courtesy of' rather than breaking into separate sentences. This kind of extended, single-sentence cause-and-effect chain is characteristic of the flexible grammar expected at 7.5.

3. 3. How does living in a city affect the way people see the world?

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

   Band 6.5

   Short, separate sentences joined with 'but' and 'so' give a direct claim, an everyday example, and a simple final contrast, using plain vocabulary throughout.

   I think it makes you more tolerant but also less curious at the same time. After years of sharing lifts, pavements and cafés with people from everywhere, I barely notice differences anymore, like a tourist wearing unusual clothes or a colleague with unfamiliar habits. That is the tolerant part. But cities also teach you to filter people out, because you cannot really pay attention to two hundred strangers a day, so you stop noticing most of them. People from my hometown notice everything and everyone, which can be a bit nosy, but it is also a kind of attention that I think I have lost. So city life makes your world bigger but your attention smaller, and I am not sure that is a fair trade.

   Why this band

   • FC“That is the tolerant part.” — This is a very short, plain sentence summarising the previous point. A band 7 answer would more likely fold this label into the sentence before it rather than stating it separately, showing tighter coherence between ideas.
   • LR“cities also teach you to filter people out” — This is direct, literal phrasing. A higher band answer would likely use a more precise verb for the mental process being described, such as 'train you to filter', which fits more naturally with the idea of a learned habit rather than a lesson being taught.
   • GRA“People from my hometown notice everything and everyone, which can be a bit nosy, but it is also a kind of attention that I think I have lost.” — This sentence adds a relative clause and a further contrast using 'but', building up the idea step by step. A 7.5 answer would likely compress this using a dash or a more economical phrase, avoiding the slightly wordy 'that I think I have lost'.

   Band 7.0

   The reflective tag 'I'd say' and the dash before the tolerance example show more natural spoken structure than a 6.5 answer's flat statements, and the balanced closing sentence links two ideas with 'and' more economically.

   Honestly, I think it makes you more tolerant and less curious at the same time. After years of sharing lifts, pavements and cafés with people from everywhere, I barely notice difference any more — a tourist in unusual clothes or a colleague with unfamiliar habits just isn't remarkable. That's the tolerance, I'd say. But cities also train you to filter, since you can't really take in two hundred strangers a day, so you stop truly seeing any of them. People from my hometown notice everything and everyone, which can be nosy but is also a kind of attention I've lost. City life widens your world and thins your attention, and I'm not sure that's a fair trade.

   Why this band

   • FC“That's the tolerance, I'd say.” — The trailing aside 'I'd say' turns this summarising sentence into a personal, reflective judgement rather than a flat label, showing more natural spoken habit than a 6.5 answer's plain 'That is the tolerant part'. It signals the speaker actively weighing their own claim.
   • LR“cities also train you to filter” — 'Train' is a more precise, slightly figurative verb than the plainer 'teach' a 6.5 answer would use, suggesting a gradual, habitual process rather than a single lesson. It shows developing lexical precision without being a rare word.
   • GRA“City life widens your world and thins your attention, and I'm not sure that's a fair trade.” — This closing sentence pairs two contrasting verbs ('widens', 'thins') in parallel before adding a reflective final clause, a more economical structure than a 6.5 answer's fuller 'makes your world bigger but your attention smaller'. It shows more compact grammar, though not yet the fully compressed style of a 7.5 answer.

   Band 7.5

   The colon before 'you can't take in two hundred strangers a day' compresses the explanation into the same sentence, and the paired verbs 'widens... thins' give the closing line the tight, parallel structure typical of band 7.5.

   I think it makes you more tolerant and less curious at the same time. After years of sharing lifts, pavements and cafés with people from everywhere, I barely register difference any more — a tourist in unusual clothes or a colleague with unfamiliar habits simply isn't remarkable. That's the tolerance. But cities also train you to filter: you can't take in two hundred strangers a day, so you stop really seeing any of them. People from my hometown notice everything and everyone, which can be nosy but is also a kind of attention I've lost. City life widens your world and thins your attention, and I'm not convinced that's a fair trade.

   Why this band

   • LR“I barely register difference any more” — 'Register' used here for noticing is a genuinely less common, more precise word than the plainer 'notice' a lower band would use, suggesting a more automatic, almost perceptual process. It shows the kind of natural but unusual word choice associated with wide lexical resource.
   • FC“But cities also train you to filter: you can't take in two hundred strangers a day, so you stop really seeing any of them.” — This sentence uses a colon to launch directly into the explanation rather than a separate connecting word, and links the cause and effect with a single 'so' inside one continuous flow. A 6.5 or 7.0 answer would more likely split this into two separate sentences with a full stop after 'filter'.
   • GRA“City life widens your world and thins your attention, and I'm not convinced that's a fair trade.” — The paired verbs 'widens' and 'thins' create a tight, parallel contrast in place of a fuller comparative structure like 'makes your world bigger but your attention smaller'. This kind of compact, verb-led parallelism is characteristic of the grammatical range expected at 7.5.

4. 4. What factors have led to the rapid growth of towns and cities around the world?

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

   Band 6.5

   This answer lists causes in short, separate sentences joined with 'because' and 'and', giving concrete examples in plain, everyday vocabulary.

   I think jobs are the main reason. Half of the young people from my uncle's village in Quảng Trị have moved to factories and service jobs in Da Nang within about ten years, because farming pays much less than a job in a warehouse does. Machines doing farm work also push people off the land at the same time as factories pull people into cities. Education and healthcare are another reason, because governments usually build these in cities, so families move there for their children. Better transport made moving possible, and mobile phones made it easier, because people can still stay in touch with home. It is basically the same story everywhere.

   Why this band

   • FC“Machines doing farm work also push people off the land at the same time as factories pull people into cities.” — This sentence uses the plain connector phrase 'at the same time as' to link two related processes, presented as a fairly literal description. A band 7 answer would more likely use a more compact word pair like 'pushes... pulls', treating them as two sides of a single economic force.
   • LR“farming pays much less than a job in a warehouse does” — This is plain, direct comparative vocabulary. A higher band answer would likely use a more specific, quantifying phrase, such as saying farming pays 'a fraction of' what a warehouse job pays, for a more precise contrast.
   • GRA“Better transport made moving possible, and mobile phones made it easier, because people can still stay in touch with home.” — This sentence repeats the structure 'X made Y [adjective]' twice before adding a reason with 'because', which is accurate but somewhat mechanical. A 7.5 answer would likely vary the second half of this parallel structure, replacing the repeated pattern with a differently phrased clause.

   Band 7.0

   The opener 'Jobs, more than anything, I'd say' and closing tag 'to be honest' give this answer natural spoken reflection, while the paired verbs 'pushes... pulls' show more economical structure than a 6.5 answer's fuller phrasing.

   Jobs, more than anything, I'd say. Half the young people from my uncle's village in Quảng Trị have moved to factories and services in Da Nang within a decade, simply because farming pays a fraction of what a job in a logistics warehouse does. Mechanised agriculture pushes people off the land at the same time as industry pulls them into towns. Then there's education and healthcare, which governments tend to concentrate in cities, so families move for their children. Transport made it possible, and mobile phones made it easier, since migrants can stay connected to home. It's essentially the same story everywhere, to be honest.

   Why this band

   • FC“Mechanised agriculture pushes people off the land at the same time as industry pulls them into towns.” — The paired verbs 'pushes' and 'pulls' frame the two forces as a single economic mechanism rather than two separately described actions, showing more efficient idea-linking than a 6.5 answer's fuller 'push people off... pull people into'. This economical parallel is typical of band 7 coherence.
   • LR“farming pays a fraction of what a job in a logistics warehouse does” — 'A fraction of' is a moderately more precise, quantifying phrase than the plainer 'much less than' a 6.5 answer would use, giving a sharper sense of scale. It shows developing lexical precision.
   • GRA“Transport made it possible, and mobile phones made it easier, since migrants can stay connected to home.” — This sentence links two parallel clauses with 'and' before adding a 'since' clause for the reason, showing slightly more complex structure than a 6.5 answer's version of the same idea. It stops short of the further variation a 7.5 answer would apply to avoid repeating the same sentence pattern.

   Band 7.5

   The paired verbs 'pushes... pulls' and the closing parallel clause 'the countryside needs fewer hands, and the city keeps offering more' give this answer the compact, aphoristic finish typical of band 7.5.

   Jobs, more than anything. Half the young people from my uncle's village in Quảng Trị have moved to factories and services in Da Nang within a decade, because farming pays a fraction of what a warehouse job does. Mechanised agriculture pushes people off the land just as industry pulls them into towns. Then there's education and healthcare, which governments concentrate in cities, so families relocate for their children's sake. Transport made the move possible, and mobile phones made it painless, since migrants can now stay connected to home without really leaving it behind. It's essentially the same story everywhere — the countryside needs fewer hands, and the city keeps offering more.

   Why this band

   • FC“It's essentially the same story everywhere — the countryside needs fewer hands, and the city keeps offering more.” — This closing sentence uses a dash to launch into a compact, parallel summary of the whole pattern just described, giving the answer a memorable, well-organised finish. A 6.5 or 7.0 answer would more likely end on a plainer restatement like 'It's essentially the same story everywhere' without this added parallel flourish.
   • LR“mobile phones made it painless, since migrants can now stay connected to home without really leaving it behind” — 'Painless' is a genuinely less common, more evaluative word than the plainer 'easier' a lower band would use, and the trailing clause 'without really leaving it behind' adds a subtle figurative twist. Together they show a more expressive, precise use of vocabulary.
   • GRA“Mechanised agriculture pushes people off the land just as industry pulls them into towns.” — The paired verbs 'pushes' and 'pulls' are set in a tight 'just as' comparative structure rather than the fuller 'at the same time as' a 6.5 answer uses, compressing the parallel relationship into fewer words. This kind of economical parallelism is characteristic of the grammatical range expected at 7.5.

5. 5. What can be done to improve the quality of life in cities?

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

   Band 6.5

   This answer states each idea in short, separate sentences joined with 'but' and 'because', giving concrete examples in plain, everyday vocabulary such as 'reduce heat and noise' and 'real part of quality of life'.

   I think the government should give people places to be that are not shops or roads. The best thing Da Nang has done recently, I think, is the walkway along the Han River. It is just a wide path with benches and some lighting, but every evening it is full of families, teenagers, and old couples, people who did not really have anywhere else to just relax outside. Other than that, the obvious things help too, like reliable public transport, housing that nurses and teachers can afford near their work, and trees, because they reduce heat and noise. I would also protect the small markets and street food, because eating well for a low price on the pavement is a real part of quality of life.

   Why this band

   • FC“Other than that, the obvious things help too, like reliable public transport, housing that nurses and teachers can afford near their work, and trees, because they reduce heat and noise.” — This long sentence introduces the list with the plain transitional phrase 'Other than that, the obvious things help too', a functional but slightly clunky way to signal a shift to more general points. A band 7 answer would more likely use a punchier phrase like 'Beyond that, the obvious things' to move more smoothly.
   • LR“people who did not really have anywhere else to just relax outside” — This is a plain, functional description. A higher band answer would likely phrase the same idea more precisely, describing people who 'previously had nowhere to simply exist outside', which captures a slightly deeper sense of absence than just 'relax'.
   • GRA“It is just a wide path with benches and some lighting, but every evening it is full of families, teenagers, and old couples, people who did not really have anywhere else to just relax outside.” — This sentence joins a description, a contrast with 'but', and a further explanatory phrase all with commas, building a fairly long chain. A 7.5 answer would likely break the description off with a colon to introduce the list of people more sharply.

   Band 7.0

   The colon before the river-walkway description and the dash-set list of who uses it show more flexible punctuation than a 6.5 answer's comma-chained sentences, while the phrase 'in my view' adds natural spoken reflection.

   Honestly, I'd say give people places to be that aren't shops or roads. The best thing Da Nang has done recently, in my view, is the walkway along the Han River: it's just a wide path with benches and some lighting, and every evening it's full of families, teenagers, old couples — people who previously had nowhere to simply exist outside. Beyond that, the obvious things help too: reliable public transport, housing that nurses and teachers can actually afford near their work, and trees, which cut heat and noise more than anything mechanical. I'd also protect the small markets and street food, since eating well for very little on the pavement is a real part of quality of life.

   Why this band

   • FC“The best thing Da Nang has done recently, in my view, is the walkway along the Han River:” — The aside 'in my view' is folded naturally into the middle of the sentence rather than placed at the very start, showing a more integrated, spoken way of signalling personal opinion. A 6.5 answer would more likely open the whole sentence with 'I think' instead.
   • LR“people who previously had nowhere to simply exist outside” — 'Simply exist outside' is a more abstract, evocative phrase than the plainer 'just relax outside' a 6.5 answer would use, hinting at a deeper lack of public space rather than just a lack of leisure spots. It shows developing precision in expressing a subtle idea.
   • GRA“it's just a wide path with benches and some lighting, and every evening it's full of families, teenagers, old couples — people who previously had nowhere to simply exist outside” — This sentence uses a dash to launch into the list of visitors before adding the explanatory phrase, avoiding the extra comma-chain a 6.5 answer uses. It shows more flexible punctuation, though not yet the fully compressed colon-based structure a 7.5 answer applies throughout.

   Band 7.5

   The verbless colon-launched list 'Beyond that, the obvious things:' and the closing evaluative line about planning documents give this answer compressed, precise grammar and an idiomatic final flourish typical of band 7.5.

   Give people places to be that aren't shops or roads. The best thing Da Nang has done recently, in my view, is the walkway along the Han River: just a wide path with benches and some lighting, and every evening it's full of families, teenagers, old couples — people who previously had nowhere to simply exist outside. Beyond that, the obvious things: reliable public transport, housing that nurses and teachers can afford near their work, and trees, which cut heat and noise more than anything mechanical ever could. I'd also protect the small markets and street food. A city where you can eat well for a dollar on the pavement has a quality of life no planning document captures.

   Why this band

   • FC“A city where you can eat well for a dollar on the pavement has a quality of life no planning document captures.” — This closing sentence delivers a vivid, slightly provocative final judgement that ties the whole answer together, contrasting lived experience with bureaucratic planning. A 6.5 or 7.0 answer would more likely end on a plainer statement like 'eating well for very little is a real part of quality of life'.
   • LR“trees, which cut heat and noise more than anything mechanical ever could” — The intensifying phrase 'ever could' adds a genuinely more emphatic, idiomatic edge to the comparison than the plainer 'more than anything mechanical' a lower band would settle for. It shows confident, natural use of an intensifying structure.
   • GRA“Beyond that, the obvious things: reliable public transport, housing that nurses and teachers can afford near their work, and trees, which cut heat and noise more than anything mechanical ever could.” — This sentence drops the verb entirely after 'Beyond that, the obvious things', letting the colon introduce a bare list rather than a full clause. This verbless, colon-based compression is characteristic of the flexible, economical grammar expected at 7.5.

6. 6. Do you think cities will continue to grow in the future?

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

   Band 6.5

   This answer states its claims in short, separate sentences joined with 'but' and 'because', giving one vivid detail (the cranes) and a plain final prediction in everyday vocabulary.

   I think the big cities will keep growing, at least in this part of the world. The cranes on the Da Nang skyline have not stopped since I arrived. But I think the way cities grow will change. Remote work means some people can choose to live in smaller places, and some of my friends are already looking at towns up the coast where a house costs much less. Climate change will matter too, because coastal cities like mine flood more every year, and at some point that will affect where people want to live. So my guess is that cities will keep growing overall, but the fastest growth will move to medium-sized places instead of the biggest ones.

   Why this band

   • FC“But I think the way cities grow will change.” — This shift to the second half of the argument is signalled with the plain connector 'But' at the start of a new, short sentence. A band 7 answer would more likely fold this same shift into the flow with a phrase like 'But I think the shape of growth will change', avoiding the flat, separate sentence.
   • LR“a house costs much less” — 'Much less' is a vague, general comparison. A higher band answer would likely use a more specific, quantifying phrase for the same idea, such as 'a third as much', giving a sharper sense of scale.
   • GRA“Remote work means some people can choose to live in smaller places, and some of my friends are already looking at towns up the coast where a house costs much less.” — This sentence joins two related facts with 'and', building a fairly linear chain of information. A 7.5 answer would likely tighten this by dropping the repeated verb phrase, linking the ideas with a comma instead of restating 'some of my friends' separately.

   Band 7.0

   The dash before the crane image and the phrase 'the shape of growth' show more natural spoken structure and precise vocabulary than a 6.5 answer's plainer statements, while the closing sentence links two ideas with 'but' inside one continuous flow.

   The big ones will, I'd say, at least in this part of the world — the cranes on the Da Nang skyline haven't stopped since I arrived. But I think the shape of growth will change. Remote work means some people can choose smaller places, and a few of my friends are already looking at towns up the coast where a house costs a third as much. Climate will matter too, since coastal cities like mine flood more each year, and at some point that's bound to affect where people want to live. So my guess is that cities keep growing in absolute terms, but the fastest growth probably shifts to mid-sized places rather than the giants.

   Why this band

   • FC“But I think the shape of growth will change.” — 'The shape of growth' is a more abstract, compact way of framing the idea of how cities expand than the plainer 'the way cities grow' a 6.5 answer would use, treating growth as something with a describable form. This shows a slightly more sophisticated way of packaging the same idea.
   • LR“a house costs a third as much” — 'A third as much' is a moderately more precise, quantified comparison than the vague 'much less' a 6.5 answer uses, giving a concrete sense of scale. It shows developing precision in expressing comparative information.
   • GRA“at least in this part of the world — the cranes on the Da Nang skyline haven't stopped since I arrived” — The dash introduces the supporting image directly after the claim, avoiding a separate sentence as a 6.5 answer would use. This shows a more flexible way of attaching evidence to a claim, though it isn't yet as consistently compressed as a 7.5 answer's structure.

   Band 7.5

   The fronted, comma-interrupted clause 'the shape of growth, I suspect, will change' and the layered closing sentence with 'because' nested inside 'but' show the compressed, multi-clause grammar typical of band 7.5.

   The big ones will, at least in this part of the world — the cranes on the Da Nang skyline haven't stopped since I arrived. But the shape of growth, I suspect, will change. Remote work means some people can now choose smaller places, and a few of my friends are already eyeing towns up the coast where a house costs a third as much. Climate will matter too, since coastal cities like mine flood a little more each year, and at some point that's bound to shift where people actually want to live. So my guess is that cities keep growing in absolute terms, because populations and jobs are still concentrating, but the fastest growth shifts to mid-sized places rather than the giants.

   Why this band

   • LR“a few of my friends are already eyeing towns up the coast” — 'Eyeing' is a genuinely less common, more vivid verb than the plainer 'looking at' a lower band would use, suggesting active, interested consideration rather than passive observation. It adds a touch of natural, idiomatic colour to an otherwise ordinary sentence.
   • FC“But the shape of growth, I suspect, will change.” — The aside 'I suspect' is inserted into the middle of the sentence rather than placed at the start, showing a more integrated, confident way of hedging a prediction. A 6.5 or 7.0 answer would more likely place a similar hedge, like 'I think' or 'I'd say', at the very beginning of the sentence instead.
   • GRA“cities keep growing in absolute terms, because populations and jobs are still concentrating, but the fastest growth shifts to mid-sized places rather than the giants” — This sentence nests a 'because' clause inside a larger 'but' contrast, building two layers of reasoning into one continuous structure. This kind of multi-level clause embedding without losing clarity is characteristic of the grammatical control expected at 7.5.

7. 7. Are there any disadvantages for people who live in cities that are popular with tourists?

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

   Band 6.5

   Short, listed sentences joined with 'and' and 'because' give a direct claim and several plain examples, using everyday vocabulary such as 'daily trouble' and 'things made to look nice in photos'.

   Yes, and prices are just the beginning. My favourite café near My Khe Beach doubles its prices in high season and stops selling the local dishes, because tourists pay more for pancakes than for mì Quảng. Housing has the same problem, because landlords prefer short-term rentals to a nurse on a yearly lease. There is also daily trouble, like crowded pavements, noise at night, and being asked for directions in three languages before breakfast. And there is a deeper cost too, which is that the city starts performing for visitors, so the real local parts get replaced by things made to look nice in photos. Tourism brings money, but the people who actually live there rarely get much of it.

   Why this band

   • FC“There is also daily trouble, like crowded pavements, noise at night, and being asked for directions in three languages before breakfast.” — This point is introduced with the plain phrase 'There is also daily trouble, like', a functional but generic transition. A band 7 answer would more likely name the category more precisely, such as 'the daily friction too', giving the same list a sharper, more specific frame.
   • LR“the real local parts get replaced by things made to look nice in photos” — This is plain, literal phrasing for the idea of a city performing for tourists. A higher band answer would likely use a more precise verb for this process, such as describing parts of the city as 'replaced by versions designed to be photographed', which sounds more deliberate and specific.
   • GRA“My favourite café near My Khe Beach doubles its prices in high season and stops selling the local dishes, because tourists pay more for pancakes than for mì Quảng.” — This sentence joins two actions with 'and' before adding a reason with 'because', a clear but fairly standard structure. A 7.5 answer would likely replace 'stops selling' with a more vivid verb like 'drops', giving the same idea more bite.

   Band 7.0

   The dash-set list of daily annoyances and the phrase 'a subtler cost' give this answer more flexible structure and precise vocabulary than a 6.5 answer's plainer listing, while 'quietly drops' adds a natural evaluative touch.

   Plenty, and prices are honestly just the start. My favourite café near My Khe Beach doubles its prices in high season and quietly drops the local dishes, since tourists pay more for pancakes than for mì Quảng. Housing goes the same way, because landlords prefer short-term rentals to a nurse on a yearly lease. There's the daily friction too — crowded pavements, noise at night, being asked for directions in three languages before breakfast. And there's a subtler cost, which is that the city starts performing itself for visitors, so the genuinely local parts get replaced by versions designed to be photographed. Tourism brings money, but the people actually living with it rarely see much of it.

   Why this band

   • FC“There's the daily friction too — crowded pavements, noise at night, being asked for directions in three languages before breakfast.” — The word 'friction' names the whole category of small annoyances precisely before the dash unpacks it with examples, a more efficient way of organising the list than a 6.5 answer's generic 'daily trouble, like'. This kind of precise category-naming shows stronger coherence.
   • LR“the genuinely local parts get replaced by versions designed to be photographed” — 'Versions designed to be photographed' is a more precise, evaluative phrase than the plainer 'things made to look nice in photos' a 6.5 answer uses, hinting at deliberate curation rather than simple prettiness. It shows developing lexical precision.
   • GRA“My favourite café near My Khe Beach doubles its prices in high season and quietly drops the local dishes, since tourists pay more for pancakes than for mì Quảng.” — The verb 'drops' replaces the fuller 'stops selling' a 6.5 answer would use, giving the same idea in fewer, more vivid words. This kind of economical verb choice shows more compact grammar without losing precision.

   Band 7.5

   The colon before the list of daily annoyances and the verbless fragment 'And a subtler cost, which is...' show the compressed, flexible punctuation typical of band 7.5, alongside the precise phrase 'versions designed to be photographed'.

   Plenty, and prices are only the start. My favourite café near My Khe Beach doubles its prices in high season and quietly drops the local dishes, because tourists pay more for pancakes than for mì Quảng. Housing goes the same way — landlords prefer short-term rentals to a nurse on a yearly lease. There's the daily friction too: crowded pavements, noise at night, being asked for directions in three languages before breakfast. And a subtler cost, which is that the city starts performing itself for visitors, and the parts that were genuinely local get replaced by versions designed to be photographed. Tourism brings money, but the people living with it rarely see much of it.

   Why this band

   • FC“And a subtler cost, which is that the city starts performing itself for visitors, and the parts that were genuinely local get replaced by versions designed to be photographed.” — This sentence begins with 'And' as a deliberate fragment continuing the previous list, rather than restarting with a full subject and verb as a lower band would. This kind of stylistic sentence fragment for rhetorical effect is a mark of confident, native-like coherence.
   • LR“the parts that were genuinely local get replaced by versions designed to be photographed” — The phrase 'versions designed to be photographed' precisely names the deliberate, curated nature of tourist-facing change, a more evaluative and specific choice than the vaguer phrasing a lower band would use. It reflects genuinely wide, precise lexical resource.
   • GRA“There's the daily friction too: crowded pavements, noise at night, being asked for directions in three languages before breakfast.” — The colon launches directly into a verbless list of three short noun phrases, avoiding any connecting word like 'such as' or a repeated 'there is'. This kind of compact, colon-based listing is characteristic of the grammatical range expected at 7.5.

8. 8. What benefits do cities gain from having large numbers of tourists?

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

   Band 6.5

   This answer lists benefits in fairly long but plainly connected sentences using 'and' and 'because', giving concrete local examples in everyday vocabulary.

   Money, obviously, and then the infrastructure that the money pays for. Da Nang's airport, the bridges, and the daily beach cleaning are all things local people use every day, and none of them would be at this standard without visitors. Tourism also creates jobs that do not need a university degree, which is important for families like my uncle's, and it keeps crafts and food traditions alive because someone is paying for them. There is also a softer benefit, which is that a city that welcomes strangers all year becomes more open and better at speaking English, and its young people can meet the world without leaving home. Whether these benefits are worth the costs depends on how the money gets shared.

   Why this band

   • FC“There is also a softer benefit, which is that a city that welcomes strangers all year becomes more open and better at speaking English” — This point is introduced with the plain phrase 'There is also a softer benefit, which is that', a functional but slightly wordy way to frame the idea. A band 7 answer would more likely compress this opening, moving straight into the description without the extra relative clause.
   • LR“young people can meet the world without leaving home” — This is a fairly common, general way of describing cultural exposure. A higher band answer would likely phrase this with a more idiomatic pairing, describing young people as becoming 'more open' in a way tied more precisely to hosting strangers, adding subtlety to the same idea.
   • GRA“Da Nang's airport, the bridges, and the daily beach cleaning are all things local people use every day, and none of them would be at this standard without visitors.” — This sentence lists three items before a general statement, then adds a further clause with 'and', creating a fairly long, additive chain. A 7.5 answer would likely compress the list into a dash-set fragment before the main claim, dropping the 'are all things' framing.

   Band 7.0

   The dash-set list of infrastructure and the colon before the softer benefit show more flexible punctuation than a 6.5 answer's fuller connecting phrases, while the aside 'I'd say' adds natural spoken reflection to the closing line.

   Money, obviously, and then the infrastructure the money pays for. Da Nang's airport, the bridges, the beach cleaning every morning — locals use all of that daily, and none of it would exist at this standard without visitors. Tourism also creates jobs that don't require degrees, which matters a lot for families like my uncle's, and it keeps crafts and food traditions alive because somebody is paying for them. There's a softer benefit too: a city that hosts strangers all year becomes more open and better at English, and its young people meet the world without leaving home. Whether those benefits outweigh the costs, I'd say, depends entirely on how the money is shared.

   Why this band

   • FC“There's a softer benefit too: a city that hosts strangers all year becomes more open and better at English” — The colon here launches directly into the description of the softer benefit, dropping the extra relative clause 'which is that' a 6.5 answer uses. This more economical transition is typical of band 7 coherence.
   • LR“its young people meet the world without leaving home” — This phrase is slightly more compact and natural-sounding than a 6.5 answer's fuller 'can meet the world without leaving home', dropping the modal 'can' for a punchier, more confident statement. It shows a modest step toward more idiomatic phrasing.
   • GRA“Da Nang's airport, the bridges, the beach cleaning every morning — locals use all of that daily, and none of it would exist at this standard without visitors.” — The dash introduces a bare list of three items directly, without the fuller framing 'are all things local people use' a 6.5 answer includes. This shows a more flexible, compressed way of presenting the same information.

   Band 7.5

   The idiomatic phrase 'footing the bill' and the intensified closing clause 'without ever leaving home' give this answer natural, precise vocabulary, while the dash-launched infrastructure list shows the compressed grammar typical of band 7.5.

   Money, obviously, and then the infrastructure the money pays for. Da Nang's airport, the bridges, the beach cleaning every morning — locals use all of that daily, and none of it would exist at that standard without visitors. Tourism also creates jobs that don't require degrees, which matters enormously for families like my uncle's, and it keeps crafts and food traditions alive because somebody is footing the bill for them. There's a softer benefit too: a city that hosts strangers all year becomes more open and better at English, and its young people meet the world without ever leaving home. Whether those benefits outweigh the costs depends entirely on how the money gets shared around.

   Why this band

   • LR“somebody is footing the bill for them” — 'Footing the bill' is a genuinely idiomatic collocation for paying a cost, more vivid and natural-sounding than the plainer 'paying for them' a lower band would use. It gives the sentence a native-like, conversational texture.
   • FC“its young people meet the world without ever leaving home” — The intensifier 'ever' sharpens the contrast between staying home and encountering the world, adding emphasis that a 6.5 or 7.0 answer's plainer version lacks. This small addition shows a more deliberate, evaluative use of language.
   • GRA“Da Nang's airport, the bridges, the beach cleaning every morning — locals use all of that daily, and none of it would exist at that standard without visitors.” — The dash launches a bare three-item list before the main clause, avoiding any framing phrase like 'are all things'. This kind of compressed, punctuation-led listing is characteristic of the flexible grammar expected at 7.5.

9. 9. What kinds of things do tourists like to do when they visit cities?

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

   Band 6.5

   This answer moves through a list with short, plainly connected sentences using 'and' and 'while', giving concrete local examples such as Dragon Bridge in everyday vocabulary.

   The famous thing first. Every Saturday night in Da Nang, you can see hundreds of visitors waiting on Dragon Bridge for it to breathe fire, because that is the image they arrived with. After that, it is mostly food, and more and more it is the local, slightly hidden food rather than restaurants. Walking tours of old neighbourhoods and markets are popular too, mostly for the atmosphere rather than for shopping. Younger tourists look for cafés and viewpoints that will look good online, while older tourists want museums and a slower pace. I think what they all want, if I am honest, is to feel for a few days that they live somewhere other than home.

   Why this band

   • FC“The famous thing first.” — This opening is an extremely short, fragmentary sentence functioning as a simple label. A band 7 answer would more likely integrate this same idea into a fuller opening sentence, showing more deliberate control over how the answer begins.
   • LR“you can see hundreds of visitors waiting on Dragon Bridge for it to breathe fire” — This is a clear, literal description of the scene. A higher band answer would likely add a more specific time detail, such as pinpointing the exact hour, to make the image feel more vivid and precisely observed.
   • GRA“Younger tourists look for cafés and viewpoints that will look good online, while older tourists want museums and a slower pace.” — This sentence contrasts two groups using the connector 'while', with a fairly repetitive parallel structure. A 7.5 answer would likely vary this slightly, using different sentence patterns for each half rather than a strictly mirrored comparison.

   Band 7.0

   The dash after 'first' and the semicolon-joined list of activities show more flexible punctuation than a 6.5 answer's plainer connected sentences, while the verb 'hunt for' adds a more vivid touch to the younger-tourist example.

   The famous thing, first — every Saturday night in Da Nang you can see hundreds of visitors waiting on Dragon Bridge for it to breathe fire, because that's the image they arrived with. After that it's food, and increasingly the local, slightly hidden food rather than restaurants; walking tours of old neighbourhoods; markets, mostly for the atmosphere rather than shopping. Younger tourists hunt for cafés and viewpoints that will look good online, while older ones want museums and a slower pace. What they all seem to want, honestly, is to feel for a few days that they live somewhere other than home.

   Why this band

   • FC“The famous thing, first — every Saturday night in Da Nang you can see hundreds of visitors waiting on Dragon Bridge for it to breathe fire” — The dash attaches the opening label directly to the explanation in one continuous sentence, rather than leaving it as its own short fragment as a 6.5 answer does. This shows a more integrated way of opening the answer.
   • LR“Younger tourists hunt for cafés and viewpoints that will look good online” — 'Hunt for' is a more vivid, active verb than the plainer 'look for' a 6.5 answer would use, suggesting a more deliberate, purposeful search. It shows developing precision in describing tourist behaviour.
   • GRA“After that it's food, and increasingly the local, slightly hidden food rather than restaurants; walking tours of old neighbourhoods; markets, mostly for the atmosphere rather than shopping.” — This sentence uses semicolons to string together three separate activity categories without repeating a verb for each, a more flexible structure than a 6.5 answer's fuller sentences joined with 'and' and 'too'. It shows more grammatical range while still being clear.

   Band 7.5

   The semicolon-joined list carries over from a 7.0 structure, but the closing clause 'the best cities make that remarkably easy' adds an evaluative final touch, and the idiom 'built for the feed' offers genuinely current, precise vocabulary typical of band 7.5.

   The famous thing, first — every Saturday night in Da Nang you can watch hundreds of visitors waiting on Dragon Bridge for it to breathe fire, because that's the image they arrived with. After that it's food, and increasingly the local, slightly hidden food rather than restaurants; walking tours of old neighbourhoods; markets, mostly for the atmosphere rather than shopping. Younger tourists hunt for cafés and viewpoints built for the feed, while older ones want museums and a slower pace. What they all seem to want, if I'm honest, is to feel for a few days that they live somewhere other than home, and the best cities make that remarkably easy.

   Why this band

   • FC“and the best cities make that remarkably easy” — This closing clause extends the answer with a final evaluative observation about cities themselves, rather than ending on the tourists' desire alone. A 6.5 or 7.0 answer would more likely stop right after describing what tourists want, without this additional layer of comment.
   • LR“cafés and viewpoints built for the feed” — 'Built for the feed' is a genuinely current, idiomatic shorthand for spaces designed with social media in mind, more precise and natural than the fuller, more explanatory phrase a lower band would use. It shows confident, up-to-date lexical resource.
   • GRA“After that it's food, and increasingly the local, slightly hidden food rather than restaurants; walking tours of old neighbourhoods; markets, mostly for the atmosphere rather than shopping.” — This sentence strings three activity categories together with semicolons rather than repeated connecting words or separate sentences, keeping the list tight and fast-moving. This kind of semicolon-based compression across a list is characteristic of the grammatical range expected at 7.5.