A Person You Enjoy Spending Time With

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 some people more solitary while others are more sociable?

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

   Band 6.5

   Strings short clauses together with plain 'and'/'but', and adds new points with flat sentence-starters like 'Also' and 'And'.

   I think it's mostly about how a person is born. My sister and I grew up in the same house with the same parents, but she loves to be with people and I get tired after an hour and need to leave. Maybe it's about energy — some people get energy from being with others, and some people lose energy. Also, the way you grow up can change it, like if you move a lot. And your job or family can make you want to be alone more too.

   Why this band

   • FC“Also,” — The answer leans on plain additive connectors like 'Also' and 'And' to open new sentences, which is clear but repetitive. A 7.0 answer would vary this with a spoken hedge such as 'I'd say', and 7.5 folds the extra point into the same sentence with a dash instead of starting a new one.
   • LR“get energy from being with others” — The phrasal description is accurate but plain, doing the job without much precision. The 7.0 version upgrades this to 'energised by company', and 7.5 tightens it further to 'charged by company', a more natural, economical collocation.
   • GRA“but she loves to be with people and I get tired after an hour and need to leave” — This long chain of clauses joined by 'and' is correct but monotonous. Higher bands subordinate one half instead, as in the 'while' contrast used at 7.0 and 7.5.

   Band 7.0

   Uses the hedge 'I'd say' to soften a claim and pairs it with the moderately complex 'yet... while' contrast in the second sentence.

   Honestly, I think a lot of it comes down to how people are wired. My sister and I grew up in exactly the same house, yet she lights up a room while I quietly slip out after an hour to recharge, and nobody really taught us to be that way. I'd say energy is the key factor — some people are energised by company, others are drained by it, and both are completely normal. Upbringing plays a part too, especially for only children, who often learn to enjoy their own company early. To be fair, circumstances like a stressful job can push almost anyone toward solitude.

   Why this band

   • FC“I'd say” — The hedge softens the claim about energy being the key factor, typical of natural spoken fluency at this band. The 6.5 answer states the same idea flatly as 'Maybe it's about energy', while 7.5 drops the hedge entirely for a confident diagnosis.
   • LR“energised by company” — This collocation is more precise than the 6.5 phrasing 'get energy from being with others'. The 7.5 answer pushes further still with the more vivid 'charged by company'.
   • GRA“yet she lights up a room while I quietly slip out after an hour to recharge” — The contrast is built with 'yet... while', a moderately complex structure, where 6.5 instead chains simple clauses with 'but... and'. It sits a notch below the 7.5 version's dash-interrupted clause that packs in an extra aside.

   Band 7.5

   Closes with the reflective 'in the end' and uses the idiomatic verb 'savour' to describe enjoying solitude.

   Some of it, I suspect, is simply wiring rather than conscious choice. My sister and I were raised under the same roof by the same parents, and yet she walks into a room and fills it, while I quietly retreat after an hour to recover — nobody taught either of us that instinct. Energy seems to be the real dividing line: some people are charged by company, others are drained by it, and neither is a flaw. Upbringing adds another layer, since only children or those who moved house a lot often learn early to savour solitude. Circumstances matter too — a demanding job or a chaotic household can push even a natural extrovert toward the quiet end of the spectrum. Most of us, in the end, drift somewhere in between.

   Why this band

   • FC“Most of us, in the end, drift somewhere in between.” — The closing line uses 'in the end' as a reflective, evaluative signal that rounds the answer off, something the flatter 6.5 ending lacks. The 7.0 answer gestures at reflection with 'To be fair' mid-answer but doesn't close on the same considered note.
   • LR“savour solitude” — This is a deliberately vivid, slightly idiomatic collocation neither lower band attempts; 6.5 just says people 'can change it' and 7.0 says people 'learn to enjoy their own company', which is accurate but plainer.
   • GRA“nobody taught either of us that instinct” — This dash-led aside interrupts the main clause to add a compressed observation, a flexible structure the 6.5 answer avoids by using separate short sentences. It is slightly more ambitious than the similar aside at 7.0 because it is folded into a longer 'and yet' contrast rather than standing alone.

2. 2. Which relationships have the greatest influence on a person's personality development?

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

   Band 6.5

   Marks the sequence of influences with plain time words — 'After that', 'Later' — and a simple 'So' to reach the conclusion.

   I think parents have the biggest influence, especially when you are young. I still copy the way my grandmother handled angry people — she would wait, smile, and ask a question — and I do the same now with angry clients, because I lived with her until I was eight. After that, friends matter a lot too, especially in the teenage years, because young people copy each other. Later, a partner can slowly change you as well. So for me, family in the early years has the strongest effect.

   Why this band

   • FC“After that,” — Plain sequencing markers like 'After that' and 'Later' organise the answer clearly but mechanically. The 7.0 version replaces the first with the more natural spoken 'I'd say close friends come next', and 7.5 uses a semicolon to fuse two stages into one sentence instead of separating them.
   • LR“copy the way” — The verb 'copy' is repeated for both the grandmother anecdote and the teenage-friends point, which is functional but a little repetitive. The 7.0/7.5 versions vary it with 'handling... exactly the way' and 'by imitation', spreading the vocabulary out.
   • GRA“she would wait, smile, and ask a question” — This is a simple listed sequence inside dashes. It's the same structure used at 7.0 and 7.5, but the 6.5 sentence around it stays short and coordinated with 'and', whereas 7.5 subordinates it further with 'despite having lived with her only until I was eight'.

   Band 7.0

   Opens with the discourse marker 'Honestly' and uses 'I'd say' before the second main point, a typical 7.0 hedging pattern.

   Honestly, parents and whoever raises you in the early years are hard to compete with. I catch myself handling an angry client exactly the way my grandmother handled an angry market trader — wait, smile, ask a question — even though I only lived with her until I was eight. I'd say close friends come next, particularly during the teenage years, because that's when people work out who to be, largely by copying each other. Later on, a partner shapes you more than you'd expect, simply through daily contact. To be fair, teachers and bosses matter too, though usually in one specific direction.

   Why this band

   • FC“I'd say” — The hedge introduces the claim about friends more tentatively than the flat 6.5 statement 'friends matter a lot too'. It's a smaller move than 7.5's confident 'If I had to bet', which frames the same idea as a considered judgement.
   • LR“hard to compete with” — This idiomatic phrase for 'clearly the strongest' is more natural than the 6.5 phrasing 'have the biggest influence'. 7.5 goes further with the more literary 'in a league of their own'.
   • GRA“even though I only lived with her until I was eight” — This is a concessive subordinate clause, a step up from the plain 'because' clause used at 6.5 ('because I lived with her until I was eight'). It's slightly less compact than 7.5's 'despite having lived with her only until I was eight', which uses a participle after 'despite'.

   Band 7.5

   Uses the semicolon to link two related stages of life in one sentence and closes with the reflective 'If I had to bet'.

   Parents, or whoever raises you in the early years, are frankly in a league of their own. I catch myself handling an irate client exactly the way my grandmother handled an angry market trader — wait, smile, ask a question — despite having lived with her only until I was eight. After childhood, close friends probably matter most, especially through the teenage years, when people are essentially deciding who to be, and doing so by imitation. Later, a partner reshapes you more than you'd ever expect, purely through the drip-feed of daily contact; teachers and bosses can matter enormously too, but usually along one narrow dimension. If I had to bet, the strongest influences are the people you never actually chose.

   Why this band

   • FC“If I had to bet,” — This closing hedge frames the conclusion as a considered judgement rather than a flat statement, going beyond the simple 'So for me' at 6.5 and the more neutral 'I'd say' pattern at 7.0.
   • LR“in a league of their own” — This idiomatic phrase is more vivid than 6.5's plain 'the biggest influence' and slightly more ambitious than 7.0's 'hard to compete with'.
   • GRA“purely through the drip-feed of daily contact; teachers and bosses can matter enormously too, but usually along one narrow dimension” — The semicolon joins two related ideas into one flowing sentence instead of starting a new one, which is more compact than the separate sentences used at 6.5 and 7.0 for the same content.

3. 3. How does people's behaviour change when they are with older people?

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

   Band 6.5

   Joins short observations with the basic contrast word 'But' at the start of the final sentence.

   People usually become more polite and careful around older people. In Vietnam, this is very common. I once saw my loud colleagues become quiet and polite when an old man, our client's father, walked into the room. They stopped joking and sat up straight. People also listen more and don't tell older people everything, like bad news about a party. Some of this is respect, but some is just acting like a 'good' young person. But if the older person is relaxed, people can become more open instead.

   Why this band

   • FC“But if the older person is relaxed,” — The exception is introduced with a plain sentence-initial 'But', which works but is a little abrupt. The 7.0 version signals the same shift with 'Interestingly', and 7.5 folds it into a longer sentence built around a dash.
   • LR“acting like a 'good' young person” — This is a workable but slightly clumsy paraphrase of 'performing a role'. The 7.0/7.5 versions tighten this to 'a kind of performance' and 'the performance of being a good young person', which reads more naturally.
   • GRA“They stopped joking and sat up straight.” — This is a short, simple sentence with two coordinated verbs. Higher bands compress the same information into one clause inside a longer sentence, as in 'the jokes stopped instantly and everyone sat up straighter'.

   Band 7.0

   Uses 'Honestly' to open and 'Interestingly' to flag the exception, both typical 7.0 spoken-discourse markers.

   Honestly, people tend to become noticeably more formal, and in Vietnam that shift is hard to miss. I once watched my loudest colleagues turn into polite, softly-spoken versions of themselves the moment our client's elderly father walked in — the jokes stopped instantly and everyone sat up straighter. People also listen more, or at least pretend to, and they quietly edit what they share, since nobody tells their grandmother about last weekend's party. I'd say some of this is genuine respect and some is a kind of performance. Interestingly, when the older person is unusually relaxed, people can end up being more open than they would with their own peers.

   Why this band

   • FC“Interestingly,” — This discourse marker flags the exception case clearly, replacing the blunter 'But' used at 6.5. The 7.5 answer achieves a similar effect without a marker at all, relying instead on the phrase 'the curious exception'.
   • LR“softly-spoken versions of themselves” — This phrase is more natural than the plain 'quiet and polite' at 6.5. The 7.5 version pushes further with 'softly-spoken children', a slightly more vivid image.
   • GRA“the moment our client's elderly father walked in” — This reduced time clause ('the moment...') is more economical than the 6.5 full clause 'when an old man... walked into the room'. It's comparable in ambition to 7.5's similar structure but slightly shorter overall.

   Band 7.5

   Uses a semicolon to balance two parallel ideas and closes with a because-clause explaining the exception.

   People generally become more guarded, and in Vietnam the shift borders on theatrical. I once watched my loudest colleagues turn into polite, softly-spoken children the instant our client's elderly father walked into the room — the language shifted to respectful forms, the jokes evaporated, everyone sat up. People also listen more, or at least perform listening, and they quietly edit what they share, since nobody confesses the weekend's party to their grandmother. Some of this is genuine respect; some is simply the performance of being a good young person. The curious exception is the rare older person who's utterly relaxed — around them, people often open up more than they would with their own peers, precisely because there's no status game left to play.

   Why this band

   • FC“Some of this is genuine respect; some is simply the performance of being a good young person.” — The semicolon balances two parallel explanations in one sentence, more compact than the 6.5 version's separate 'Some of this is... but some is...' structure and slightly tighter than 7.0's similar pairing.
   • LR“borders on theatrical” — This is a vivid, evaluative collocation well beyond the plain 'very common' at 6.5 and the more neutral 'hard to miss' at 7.0.
   • GRA“precisely because there's no status game left to play” — This because-clause gives an explicit causal explanation for the exception, going further than the simple observation at 6.5 and 7.0, which state the exception without explaining its cause.

4. 4. How should managers behave towards their employees?

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

   Band 6.5

   Adds each new requirement with a plain 'also' and 'because' clause, keeping the reasoning very explicit.

   I think managers should trust their staff instead of watching them all the time. My boss always ends our meetings by asking 'What do you need from me?' and then she really does it. This one habit is a big reason I stayed at my job even when other companies offered more money. Managers should also be clear about what they want and honest about how someone is doing. They should be fair, because if they have favourites, the team becomes unhappy. A manager doesn't need to be a friend, though — sometimes they need to say difficult things.

   Why this band

   • FC“Managers should also be clear about what they want and honest about how someone is doing.” — The list of requirements is spelled out in a plain, separate sentence starting with 'also'. The 7.0/7.5 versions fold the same list into one flowing sentence with commas instead, e.g. 'clear about expectations, honest about performance, and fair'.
   • LR“watching them all the time” — This is a functional but slightly clumsy way of saying 'surveillance'. The 7.5 answer uses the more precise, formal noun 'surveillance' itself, a clear step up in register.
   • GRA“because if they have favourites, the team becomes unhappy” — This cause-effect is expressed with a simple 'because if... then' pattern. Higher bands compress the same logic into a noun phrase acting as subject, as in 'favouritism poisons morale', which is more economical.

   Band 7.0

   Uses the hedge 'I'd say' before listing manager qualities and 'To be fair' to introduce a further point.

   Honestly, I think managers should treat people as adults who need to be trusted rather than watched. The best thing my boss does is end every one-to-one with 'what do you need from me?' — and then she actually follows through, which is a big reason I stayed at the studio through two better-paid offers. I'd say managers should be clear about expectations, honest about performance, and fair in ways the team can actually see, because favouritism poisons morale faster than almost anything else. To be fair, they should also shield their staff from nonsense coming from above, without trying too hard to be liked.

   Why this band

   • FC“To be fair,” — This hedge introduces an additional point in a considered, conversational way, replacing the flatter 6.5 sentence starter 'A manager doesn't need to be a friend, though'. It's a smaller move than 7.5's tighter colon structure for the same idea.
   • LR“poisons morale” — This is a vivid, idiomatic verb choice for 'badly damages', clearly above the plain 6.5 phrasing 'the team becomes unhappy'. The 7.5 version reuses a close variant, 'poisons a team', showing the same lexical upgrade.
   • GRA“clear about expectations, honest about performance, and fair in ways the team can actually see” — This is a parallel triple structure joined by commas, more sophisticated than the 6.5 version's two separate sentences for the same content. It's matched in ambition by 7.5's very similar triple, 'transparent about expectations, candid about performance, and visibly fair'.

   Band 7.5

   Closes with a colon that sets up a crisp final judgement, a more compact device than the earlier bands use.

   Managers, in my view, should treat people as adults who need trust rather than surveillance. The single best habit my boss has is ending every one-to-one with 'what do you need from me?' — and then genuinely delivering on it, which alone has kept me at the studio through two better-paid offers elsewhere. They should be transparent about expectations, candid about performance, and visibly fair, since favouritism poisons a team faster than almost anything. A good manager also runs interference, shielding staff from nonsense filtering down from above. What they shouldn't be is a friend: a manager too eager to be liked tends to dodge the difficult conversations that are, in the end, the actual job.

   Why this band

   • FC“What they shouldn't be is a friend:” — The colon sets up the closing judgement directly, a more compact device than the softer 6.5 phrase 'A manager doesn't need to be a friend, though' or the 7.0 hedge 'To be fair'.
   • LR“runs interference” — This idiomatic phrase for 'protects proactively' is more vivid than the plain 6.5 verb 'protect' and slightly more colourful than 7.0's 'shield'.
   • GRA“a manager too eager to be liked tends to dodge the difficult conversations that are, in the end, the actual job” — This sentence nests a relative clause ('that are... the actual job') inside a parenthetical aside ('in the end'), a denser structure than the simpler cause-effect sentences used at 6.5 and 7.0 for the same idea.

5. 5. Who do people usually spend most of their time with in their daily lives?

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

   Band 6.5

   Uses a simple 'So... which is why' pattern to reach the closing conclusion.

   For most working adults, it's colleagues, whether they like it or not. If I count honestly, I spend about forty hours a week with people at my studio, but only a few hours with my family, mostly on video calls. For children, it's classmates and teachers, and for older people it's often just a partner, or sometimes nobody. So the people we spend most time with are usually not the people we would choose, which is why the few hours we do choose really matter.

   Why this band

   • FC“So the people we spend most time with are usually not the people we would choose” — The conclusion is signalled with a plain 'So', a functional but basic connector. The 7.0 version upgrades this to 'So the honest answer is that...', adding a small evaluative frame around the same idea.
   • LR“colleagues” — The word is used plainly without elaboration. The 7.5 version dresses the same idea up with the collocation 'colleagues win by default', which is more vivid and economical.
   • GRA“For children, it's classmates and teachers, and for older people it's often just a partner, or sometimes nobody.” — Two categories are joined with a simple 'and' inside one sentence. The 7.5 version extends this pattern to three parallel categories separated by semicolons, a more ambitious structure for listing comparable ideas.

   Band 7.0

   Adds the evaluative frame 'I'd say' before naming what has changed, and opens with 'Honestly'.

   Honestly, for most working adults it's colleagues, like it or not. If I count my own week fairly, I spend around forty hours with people at the studio and maybe three with my family, mostly over video calls. For children it's classmates and teachers, for parents of young kids it's their children, and for older people it's often a partner or, sadly, sometimes nobody at all. What's changed, I'd say, is the online layer — plenty of people now spend more waking hours in group chats than in any physical room. So the honest answer is that our time mostly goes to people we didn't choose.

   Why this band

   • FC“I'd say,” — This mid-sentence hedge softens the claim about the online layer, a more natural spoken device than the plain 6.5 sentence 'For children, it's classmates and teachers'. It's a smaller move than 7.5's semicolon-linked triple for the same list.
   • LR“the online layer” — This compact noun phrase names a whole trend precisely, something the 6.5 answer doesn't attempt at all. The 7.5 answer reuses the exact phrase, showing it's already at an appropriate register for higher bands.
   • GRA“for parents of young kids it's their children, and for older people it's often a partner or, sadly, sometimes nobody at all” — Three parallel categories are chained with commas and 'and', slightly more ambitious than the two-category version at 6.5. It's matched by 7.5's semicolon-separated version of the same list, which reads as marginally more controlled.

   Band 7.5

   Uses semicolons to separate three parallel categories cleanly, avoiding repeated 'and's.

   For most working adults, colleagues win by default, like it or not. Counted honestly, my own week runs to roughly forty hours with people at the studio and perhaps three with my family, mostly squeezed into video calls. For children it's classmates and teachers; for parents of young kids, it's the children themselves; for older people, often a partner and, sadly, sometimes nobody at all. What's shifted is the online layer — plenty of people now log more waking hours in group chats than in any physical room they occupy. So the honest answer is that the people we spend the most time with are rarely the ones we'd actually pick, which is exactly why the few hours we do choose matter so much.

   Why this band

   • FC“For children it's classmates and teachers; for parents of young kids, it's the children themselves; for older people, often a partner and, sadly, sometimes nobody at all.” — The three categories are separated by semicolons rather than repeated 'and's, giving tighter control over a long list than either the 6.5 or 7.0 versions manage.
   • LR“colleagues win by default” — This idiomatic collocation is more vivid than the plain 'it's colleagues' at 6.5 and slightly more polished than 7.0's 'for most working adults it's colleagues'.
   • GRA“which is exactly why the few hours we do choose matter so much” — The relative clause closes the sentence with a causal link back to the opening idea, a denser structure than the separate final sentence used at 6.5 and comparable to, but tighter than, the 7.0 closing sentence.

6. 6. Do you agree or disagree that it is important to spend time with different kinds of people?

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

   Band 6.5

   Signals the caveat with a plain 'But' and ends on a short, simple comparison sentence.

   I strongly agree. I learned more about how a hospital really works from a few coffees with a nurse friend than from months of work research, because she has lived it. If you only spend time with people like yourself — same job, same age, same opinions — your idea of 'normal' becomes too narrow. Different people also make you explain your ideas, which helps you think better. But I think it should be a real friendship, not just collecting different kinds of friends for show. One real friendship matters more than many polite conversations.

   Why this band

   • FC“But I think it should be a real friendship,” — The caution is introduced with a basic 'But', which is clear but blunt. The 7.0 version frames the same caution more deliberately with 'I'd just add one caution:', and 7.5 tightens this further into 'The one caveat is that...'.
   • LR“your idea of 'normal' becomes too narrow” — This is a workable but slightly informal way of describing a cognitive limitation. The 7.0/7.5 versions use the more precise verb phrase 'narrows your sense of what's normal', which reads more naturally in academic-leaning speech.
   • GRA“One real friendship matters more than many polite conversations.” — This closing comparison is a short, simple sentence. The 7.5 version expands the same comparison with a semicolon and the more specific phrase 'across a divide... a dozen polite conversations', adding detail within one sentence.

   Band 7.0

   Uses 'simply because' to give a tighter reason and a colon to introduce the closing caution.

   I strongly agree, and I have a clear example. I learnt more about how a hospital actually runs from a few coffees with a nurse friend than from months of formal research for clients, simply because she'd lived it while my clients had only described it. Spending time only with people like yourself — same job, same age, similar opinions — narrows your sense of what's normal until you stop noticing your own assumptions. Different people also force you to explain yourself, which is honestly where real thinking happens. I'd just add one caution: it has to be genuine time, not collecting diverse acquaintances like a project.

   Why this band

   • FC“I'd just add one caution:” — The colon signals an upcoming clarification in a controlled way, more deliberate than the plain 'But' at 6.5. It's slightly less compact than 7.5's parallel phrase 'The one caveat is that...', which achieves the same function with fewer words.
   • LR“narrows your sense of what's normal” — This verb phrase is more precise than the 6.5 wording 'your idea of normal becomes too narrow'. The 7.5 answer reuses the same core phrase, showing it's already pitched at a higher band.
   • GRA“simply because she'd lived it while my clients had only described it” — This 'while' contrast clause compresses two related facts into one sentence, more economical than treating them as separate ideas. It's very close to the 7.5 structure but 7.5 adds the word 'secondhand' for extra precision.

   Band 7.5

   Uses a semicolon to attach a punchy final comparison rather than starting a new sentence.

   I strongly agree, and I have a fairly concrete example. I learnt more about how a hospital actually functions from a few coffees with a nurse friend than from months of formal client research, simply because she'd lived it while my clients could only describe it secondhand. Spending time exclusively with people like yourself — same job, same age, the same opinions on repeat — narrows your sense of what's normal until your own assumptions become invisible to you. Different people also force you to explain yourself, which is precisely where real thinking happens. The one caveat is that it has to be genuine time, not diverse acquaintances collected like trophies; one honest friendship across a divide outweighs a dozen polite conversations.

   Why this band

   • FC“The one caveat is that it has to be genuine time,” — This phrase introduces the caution more crisply than the 6.5 'But' and slightly more economically than 7.0's 'I'd just add one caution:'.
   • LR“collected like trophies” — This is a vivid, slightly idiomatic image for insincere collecting of acquaintances, going beyond the plain 6.5 phrase 'for show' and the more neutral 7.0 phrase 'like a project'.
   • GRA“one honest friendship across a divide outweighs a dozen polite conversations” — This final clause is attached with a semicolon rather than starting a new sentence, and uses the verb 'outweighs' to compress a comparison that the 6.5 version needs a full separate sentence to express.

7. 7. Do you agree or disagree that people behave differently when they are talking to someone who is rich or famous?

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

   Band 6.5

   States the exception in a short separate sentence beginning 'The exception is...'.

   I agree, and it usually happens without people deciding to. I was once in a meeting where a wealthy client made three weak jokes and the whole room laughed at each one, but when I made a better joke, there was silence. It wasn't planned flattery — his presence just changed the mood. People also stand straighter and agree faster around important people, partly from self-interest and partly an old instinct about status. The exception is people who've been around wealth so long they're no longer impressed by it.

   Why this band

   • FC“It wasn't planned flattery” — The idea is expressed as a short, direct negative statement. The 7.0/7.5 versions expand this into a fuller contrastive clause, 'not because anyone decided to flatter him, but because...', which links cause and effect more explicitly.
   • LR“changed the mood” — This is a simple, slightly vague way of describing the social effect. The 7.5 version upgrades this to the more precise, almost literary 'shifting the room's temperature', a stronger image for the same idea.
   • GRA“People also stand straighter and agree faster around important people, partly from self-interest and partly an old instinct about status.” — This packs two reasons into one sentence with 'partly... and partly', which is already reasonably complex. The 7.5 version adds a semicolon before this same contrast, integrating it with a preceding list rather than starting fresh.

   Band 7.0

   Uses the dash for a contrastive explanation and a colon to introduce the named exception.

   I agree, and honestly it seems to happen involuntarily. I once sat in a meeting where a very wealthy client made three fairly weak jokes and the whole room laughed at each one, and then I made a decent joke and got silence — not because anyone decided to flatter him, but because his presence simply changed the temperature of the room. People stand straighter, agree faster, and steer the conversation toward what the important person wants to discuss. I'd say it's partly self-interest and partly a deep instinct about status. To be fair, there's an exception: people who've been around wealth or fame long enough to be bored by it.

   Why this band

   • FC“To be fair, there's an exception:” — The colon sets up the exception in a controlled, deliberate way, more developed than the blunt 6.5 sentence starter 'The exception is'. The 7.5 version achieves a similar effect without the colon, relying on the phrase 'The interesting exception is' instead.
   • LR“bored by it” — This casual but precise phrase captures a subtle social state economically. The 7.5 version intensifies it slightly to 'thoroughly unimpressed by it', a marginally more formal register.
   • GRA“not because anyone decided to flatter him, but because his presence simply changed the temperature of the room” — This 'not because... but because' structure explicitly contrasts two possible causes, a more sophisticated move than the flat 6.5 statement 'It wasn't planned flattery'. It closely matches the 7.5 structure but without the added dash-led aside 'just his presence quietly shifting the room's temperature'.

   Band 7.5

   Adds a dash-led aside at the end to extend the point about the exception without starting a new sentence.

   I agree, and what strikes me is how involuntary it is. I once sat in a meeting where a very wealthy client cracked three distinctly weak jokes and the whole room laughed at each one, and then I made a genuinely decent one and got silence — not calculated flattery, just his presence quietly shifting the room's temperature. People stand straighter, agree faster, and steer conversation toward whatever the important person wants to talk about; it's part self-interest, part a deep-rooted instinct about status. The interesting exception is people who've been around wealth or fame long enough to be thoroughly unimpressed by it — and they're often the only ones the rich person actually enjoys talking to.

   Why this band

   • FC“what strikes me is how involuntary it is” — This reflective opening frames the whole answer around a personal observation, a more developed device than the flat 6.5 opening 'it usually happens without people deciding to' and the simpler 7.0 version 'honestly it seems to happen involuntarily'.
   • LR“shifting the room's temperature” — This is a vivid, almost literary metaphor for a subtle social effect, clearly beyond the plain 6.5 phrase 'changed the mood' and a step past 7.0's near-identical but less polished 'changed the temperature of the room'.
   • GRA“and they're often the only ones the rich person actually enjoys talking to” — This dash-led clause extends the sentence with an additional observation instead of starting a new one, a more flexible structure than the separate final sentence used at 6.5 and 7.0 for the same idea.

8. 8. Do you agree or disagree that the success of a relationship depends on how similar the personalities are?

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

   Band 6.5

   Marks the qualified disagreement with the simple phrase 'at least about personality' and lists shared values with a plain dash.

   I disagree, at least about personality. My parents have been married for thirty-two years, and my father says maybe forty words a day while my mother talks about everything she does out loud. They are very different, but it works well. I think what they share is values — like what money is for and how to treat family — and that is what really matters. Similar personalities can be nice at first but boring later, or they can clash in the same way. Different personalities can actually balance each other out if the values match.

   Why this band

   • FC“They are very different, but it works well.” — This contrast is expressed as a short, simple sentence with 'but'. The 7.0/7.5 versions fold the same contrast into a longer sentence using a dash and 'and yet', which reads as more fluent and connected.
   • LR“what really matters” — This is a plain, slightly vague way of naming the key factor. The 7.0/7.5 versions replace it with the more precise, evaluative phrase 'the real predictor of success', which sounds more like a considered judgement.
   • GRA“Similar personalities can be nice at first but boring later, or they can clash in the same way.” — This sentence uses a simple 'but' and 'or' to link two possibilities. Higher bands intensify the parallelism with repeated phrasing, as in 7.5's 'clash in identical ways at identical moments', which is grammatically more ambitious.

   Band 7.0

   Uses the hedge 'I'd say' mid-sentence and the closing phrase 'To be fair' before the final concession.

   I disagree, at least when it comes to personality itself. My parents have been married for thirty-two years, and my father says perhaps forty words a day while my mother narrates everything she does out loud — they're wildly different people, and somehow it works. What they actually share, I'd say, is values: what money is for, how to treat family, what counts as a good life, and that seems to be the real predictor of success. Similar personalities can be easy at first and then dull, or clash in exactly the same way at exactly the same time. To be fair, different personalities cover each other's blind spots, as long as the values line up.

   Why this band

   • FC“I'd say,” — This hedge is inserted mid-sentence to soften the claim about shared values, a more natural spoken device than the flat 6.5 statement 'I think what they share is values'. It's a smaller move than 7.5's similarly placed but slightly bolder 'I'd argue'.
   • LR“the real predictor of success” — This evaluative noun phrase is more precise than the vague 6.5 phrase 'what really matters'. The 7.5 answer reuses this exact phrasing, confirming it's already pitched at the higher band.
   • GRA“they're wildly different people, and somehow it works” — This clause is attached to the previous one with a dash rather than a full stop, more fluent than the 6.5 version's separate sentence 'They are very different, but it works well.' It's matched closely by 7.5's parallel 'wildly mismatched people, and yet it works', which uses 'yet' for a slightly sharper contrast.

   Band 7.5

   Closes with a semicolon balancing two abstract nouns, a notably compact device.

   I disagree, at least where personality alone is concerned. My parents have been married for thirty-two years, and my father speaks perhaps forty words a day while my mother narrates everything she does out loud — wildly mismatched people, and yet it works. What they actually share is values: what money is for, how to treat family, what a good life even looks like, and that, I'd argue, is the real predictor of success. Similar personalities can feel effortless at first and then dull, or clash in identical ways at identical moments. Different personalities, provided the values line up, tend to cover each other's blind spots instead. Similarity of temperament is comfortable; similarity of direction is essential.

   Why this band

   • FC“Similarity of temperament is comfortable; similarity of direction is essential.” — This closing sentence balances two abstract noun phrases across a semicolon, a much more compact device than the fuller comparative sentences used at 6.5 and 7.0 to make a similar final point.
   • LR“wildly mismatched people” — This is a punchier, more vivid phrase than the plain 6.5 description 'very different' and slightly sharper than 7.0's 'wildly different people'.
   • GRA“Different personalities, provided the values line up, tend to cover each other's blind spots instead.” — The condition 'provided the values line up' is inserted as a parenthetical in the middle of the sentence rather than added afterwards, a more flexible structure than the 6.5 version's trailing 'if' clause at the end of the sentence.

9. 9. How important is it for people to spend some time alone?

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

   Band 6.5

   Opens with a full subject-verb sentence 'I think it's very important' and lists ideas in short separate sentences.

   I think it's very important, and I had to learn this myself. I keep Tuesday evenings free now — no plans, just a motorbike ride to the beach and nobody to talk to. If I skip it for two weeks, I get irritable without knowing why. Time alone lets people think about what happened to them, instead of just following what the group thinks. It's also when creative ideas often come. The right amount is different for everyone, but I've never met anyone who was better off having none.

   Why this band

   • FC“It's also when creative ideas often come.” — This point is given its own short, simple sentence. The 7.0/7.5 versions attach the same idea to the previous sentence instead, using 'and' or a comma, which reads as more connected and less list-like.
   • LR“Time alone lets people think about what happened to them” — The verb 'lets' is functional but plain. The 7.0/7.5 versions replace it with the more precise phrase 'is where people process', a noun-based construction that sounds more considered.
   • GRA“If I skip it for two weeks, I get irritable without knowing why.” — This is a simple conditional sentence with 'if... I get'. The 7.5 version embeds the same conditional inside a longer sentence introduced by a dash, joining it directly to the description of the Tuesday ritual.

   Band 7.0

   Adds 'Honestly' and the reflective aside 'I speak as someone who had to learn it the hard way'.

   Honestly, I'd say it's very important, and I speak as someone who had to learn it the hard way. I keep Tuesday evenings empty now — no plans, just a motorbike ride to the beach and nobody to talk to — and if I skip it for two weeks I become irritable without quite knowing why. Time alone is where people process what's happened to them and remember what they actually think, as opposed to what the group thinks. It's also where most creative work happens, in my experience. The amount people need varies enormously, but I've never met anyone who was better for having none at all.

   Why this band

   • FC“I speak as someone who had to learn it the hard way.” — This reflective aside frames the speaker's authority on the topic, a more developed opening move than the flat 6.5 statement 'I had to learn this myself'. It's matched almost exactly by the 7.5 version, showing this phrasing already suits the higher band.
   • LR“process what's happened to them” — This verb phrase is more precise than the plain 6.5 wording 'think about what happened to them'. The 7.5 answer reuses the identical phrase, confirming its suitability at the top band.
   • GRA“no plans, just a motorbike ride to the beach and nobody to talk to — and if I skip it for two weeks I become irritable without quite knowing why” — This sentence chains a listed description with a dash into a following conditional clause, a longer and more integrated structure than the 6.5 version's two separate sentences for the same content.

   Band 7.5

   Closes with a short fragment 'Very important, I'd say' before the main clause, and ends on a generalising final sentence.

   Very important, I'd say, and I speak as someone who had to learn it the hard way. I now keep Tuesday evenings deliberately empty — no plans, a motorbike ride to the beach, nobody to talk to — and if I skip it for a fortnight I turn irritable without quite knowing why. Time alone is where people process what's happened to them and remember what they actually think, as distinct from what the group thinks, and it's where most creative work quietly gets done. The right dose varies enormously from person to person, yet I've never met anyone who was better off having none. A life with no solitude, in the end, is a life lived entirely in reaction.

   Why this band

   • FC“Very important, I'd say, and I speak as someone who had to learn it the hard way.” — The answer opens with a fronted adjective phrase before the subject, a more stylistically confident opening than the full 'I think it's very important' sentence at 6.5 or the 'Honestly, I'd say' opener at 7.0.
   • LR“A life with no solitude, in the end, is a life lived entirely in reaction.” — This closing line uses the abstract, evaluative phrase 'lived entirely in reaction', which is more idiomatic and reflective than the plain 6.5 closing 'better off having none' or the near-identical but shorter 7.0 ending.
   • GRA“The right dose varies enormously from person to person, yet I've never met anyone who was better off having none.” — The two clauses are joined by 'yet' to create a single flowing contrast, slightly more integrated than the 6.5 version's similar but shorter 'but' sentence.