A Person You Follow Regularly on Social Media or Other Media

Part 3 follow-up questions

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

1. 1. Are the same types of media equally important to young people and older people?

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

   Band 6.5

   Opens the answer with a flat 'No,' and links the two family habits with a simple 'but'.

   No, and in my family the gap is really big. My father listens to the radio every morning and reads a printed newspaper at lunch, but I have never turned on a radio in my life — my news just comes from a feed I didn't really choose. Older people trust media from a known source, like a station or a newspaper, but younger people trust individual people, even ones they've never met. Television is in the middle; my parents watch it live and my sister watches clips the next day. The only thing both groups share now is messaging apps.

   Why this band

   • FC“but I have never turned on a radio in my life” — The contrast between father and speaker is joined with a basic 'but'. The 7.0/7.5 versions replace this with the more formal connector 'whereas' or a semicolon, which reads as more controlled.
   • LR“a known source” — This phrase is plain but accurate. It is reused unchanged at 7.0 and 7.5, showing it is already pitched at an appropriate level across bands, while the surrounding sentence structure is what actually develops.
   • GRA“Older people trust media from a known source, like a station or a newspaper, but younger people trust individual people, even ones they've never met.” — This long sentence is built entirely with coordinating conjunctions ('but'). Higher bands replace this with the subordinator 'while', which more clearly signals a direct contrast within a single clause.

   Band 7.0

   Uses 'whereas' for the main contrast and 'Honestly' to frame the final observation.

   No, and in my family the gap is total. My father has the radio on every morning and reads a printed newspaper at lunch, whereas I've never turned on a radio in my life, and my news simply arrives through a feed I didn't consciously choose. I'd say older people tend to trust media with a known source — a station, a paper, a presenter — while younger people trust individuals, often ones they've never met. Television sits somewhere in the middle; my parents watch it live and my sister watches clips of it the next day. Honestly, the one thing both groups still share is messaging apps.

   Why this band

   • FC“whereas I've never turned on a radio in my life” — The subordinator 'whereas' signals contrast more precisely than the plain 'but' used at 6.5. The 7.5 version drops the conjunction altogether, using a semicolon instead for an even more compact contrast.
   • LR“consciously choose” — This is a more precise verb phrase than a plain word like 'pick', capturing the idea of passive algorithmic exposure. It's reused identically at 7.5, showing it already fits the top band.
   • GRA“while younger people trust individuals, often ones they've never met” — The subordinator 'while' creates a tighter single-clause contrast than the 6.5 version's separate 'but' clause. It's identical to the 7.5 structure, though 7.5 surrounds it with a semicolon-linked sentence rather than a full stop before it.

   Band 7.5

   Uses a semicolon instead of a conjunction to link the two contrasting family habits directly.

   No, and in my family the gap is total. My father has the radio on every morning and reads a printed newspaper at lunch; I've never turned on a radio in my life, and my news arrives through a feed I didn't consciously choose. Older people tend to trust media with a known source — a station, a paper, a presenter — while younger people trust individuals, often ones they've never met. Television sits somewhere in the middle: my parents watch it live, my sister watches clips of it the next day. The one thing both generations still share is messaging apps; beyond that, we're essentially living in different information worlds, which explains a fair few family arguments.

   Why this band

   • FC“I've never turned on a radio in my life, and my news arrives through a feed I didn't consciously choose.” — The semicolon before this clause replaces the conjunction 'whereas' used at 7.0, creating a tighter, more literary contrast than either the 6.5 or 7.0 versions.
   • LR“living in different information worlds” — This is a vivid, slightly abstract metaphor for a media gap, going beyond the plain 6.5 phrase 'the gap is really big' and the more literal 7.0 phrasing.
   • GRA“beyond that, we're essentially living in different information worlds, which explains a fair few family arguments” — The relative clause 'which explains...' is attached directly to the end of the sentence, adding a causal conclusion in the same breath rather than as a separate sentence, unlike the simpler final sentences at 6.5 and 7.0.

2. 2. Do you think social media is a good way to highlight important issues?

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

   Band 6.5

   Uses the plain contrast opener 'but not so good' and a short closing sentence with 'but'.

   Good at making people notice, but not so good at anything after that. A post about a dirty canal in Da Nang went viral last year, and the canal was cleaned within two weeks — no petition could have done that so fast. Social media is great at making one problem visible to a million people overnight. The problem is that people's attention moves on fast, so issues that need years of work only get a week of anger and then silence. It also likes dramatic stories more than important ones. So it's a good spotlight, but a spotlight isn't a solution.

   Why this band

   • FC“no petition could have done that so fast” — This is a simple comparative claim. The 7.0/7.5 versions extend it with the more specific 'no petition or committee could have managed/pulled that off', adding a second example and a more idiomatic verb.
   • LR“making people notice” — This is a plain, general verb phrase. The 7.0/7.5 versions replace it with the more precise noun 'highlighting', which matches the register of the question itself.
   • GRA“The problem is that people's attention moves on fast, so issues that need years of work only get a week of anger and then silence.” — This sentence links cause and effect with a simple 'so'. It's the same basic logic used at 7.0/7.5, but those versions attach an extra clause afterwards ('it also rewards...') within the same flow of ideas rather than as a fully separate point.

   Band 7.0

   Adds 'I'd say' to soften the opening claim and uses a semicolon before the final example.

   Good at highlighting, less good at anything after that, I'd say. A post about a stinking canal in Da Nang went viral last year, and the canal was cleaned within two weeks — no petition or committee could have managed that. Social media is genuinely brilliant at making one problem visible to a million people overnight. The weakness is that attention moves on just as fast, so issues needing years of work get a week of outrage and then silence. It also rewards the dramatic over the important; a rare disease with a moving video beats a common one without. So it's a good spotlight, but people sometimes mistake sharing for actually doing something.

   Why this band

   • FC“I'd say” — This hedge softens the opening judgement, a more natural spoken device than the flat 6.5 opener 'Good at making people notice, but not so good'. The 7.5 version drops the hedge for a more confident, unhedged opening.
   • LR“rewards the dramatic over the important” — This is a precise, slightly abstract collocation for a media bias, well beyond the plain 6.5 phrase 'likes dramatic stories more than important ones'.
   • GRA“a rare disease with a moving video beats a common one without” — This sentence uses ellipsis, dropping the repeated words after 'one' ('a moving video'), a more economical structure than spelling everything out. The 6.5 answer doesn't attempt this kind of comparison at all.

   Band 7.5

   Uses the more literary connector 'The catch is' and the compact closing pair 'a good spotlight, but a spotlight isn't a solution'.

   Good at highlighting, considerably less good at anything after that. A post about a stinking canal in Da Nang went viral last year, and the canal was cleaned within a fortnight — no petition or committee could have pulled that off. Social media is genuinely brilliant at making one problem visible to a million people overnight. The catch is that attention moves on just as fast, so issues that need years of steady work get a week of outrage and then silence. It also rewards the dramatic over the merely important; a rare disease with a moving video beats a common one without. So it's a good spotlight, but a spotlight isn't a solution, and people sometimes mistake sharing for doing.

   Why this band

   • FC“The catch is that attention moves on just as fast” — This phrase frames the weakness more elegantly than the plain 6.5 opener 'The problem is' and slightly more so than 7.0's 'The weakness is'.
   • LR“pulled that off” — This idiomatic phrasal verb is more natural and conversational than the plain 6.5 verb 'done' and marginally more colloquial than 7.0's 'managed'.
   • GRA“a good spotlight, but a spotlight isn't a solution, and people sometimes mistake sharing for doing” — The repetition of 'spotlight' across the clause boundary is a deliberate rhetorical device that neither lower band attempts, adding emphasis through structure rather than just vocabulary.

3. 3. Why does social media play such a major role in today's world?

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

   Band 6.5

   Lists three separate examples with plain commas and 'and', without a linking colon to introduce the reasoning.

   Because it has quietly become the base for almost everything else in life. My studio finds clients through it, my landlord collects rent through it, and my grandmother's church group organises through it, all on the same app. It's free, it's already on the phone in your hand, and it puts news, entertainment, shopping and friendship all in one place, which no earlier kind of media did. There's also a psychological reason: it feeds an old human need to know what others are doing and to be seen doing things ourselves. Once enough people joined, everyone else had to follow too.

   Why this band

   • FC“There's also a psychological reason:” — This is signalled with the plain connector 'also', which adds the point clearly but simply. The 7.0/7.5 versions use 'too' after the noun instead, folding the addition into the sentence more smoothly.
   • LR“the base for almost everything else in life” — This is a workable but slightly loose paraphrase of 'infrastructure'. The 7.0/7.5 versions use the more precise, technical noun 'infrastructure' directly, which is a stronger lexical choice for this context.
   • GRA“My studio finds clients through it, my landlord collects rent through it, and my grandmother's church group organises through it, all on the same app.” — Three parallel clauses are joined with commas and 'and', ending in a trailing phrase 'all on the same app'. Higher bands replace the trailing phrase with a dash-led aside instead, which is a slightly more integrated way of adding the same detail.

   Band 7.0

   Uses the hedge 'I'd say' after the opening reason and 'Honestly' before the closing statement.

   Because it has quietly become the infrastructure for pretty much everything else, I'd say. My studio finds clients through it, my landlord collects rent through it, and even my grandmother's church group organises through it — the same app, in every case. It's free, it's already on the phone that never leaves your hand, and it combines news, entertainment, shopping and friendship in one place, which no earlier medium managed. There's a psychological reason too: it feeds a very old human need to know what others are doing and to be seen doing things ourselves. Honestly, once enough people were there, everyone else had to follow.

   Why this band

   • FC“I'd say” — This hedge softens the opening claim, a more natural spoken device than the flat 6.5 statement 'Because it has quietly become the base for almost everything else in life.' The 7.5 version drops the hedge for a more direct, confident opening.
   • LR“infrastructure for pretty much everything else” — This is a more precise, technical noun than the vague 6.5 phrase 'the base for almost everything else in life'. The 7.5 answer reuses the core word 'infrastructure', confirming it fits the higher bands.
   • GRA“the same app, in every case” — This dash-led aside adds a summarising detail directly onto the list of examples, more compact than the 6.5 version's trailing phrase 'all on the same app' tacked onto a long comma-joined sentence.

   Band 7.5

   Closes with a result clause introduced by 'and by now', extending the final sentence rather than stopping short.

   Because it has quietly become the infrastructure for everything else. My studio finds clients through it, my landlord collects rent through it, and my grandmother's church group organises through it — the same app, in each case. It's free, it's already on the phone that's never out of your hand, and it combines news, entertainment, shopping and friendship in one place, which no earlier medium ever did. There's a deeper psychological reason too: it feeds a very old human need to know what others are doing and to be seen doing things ourselves. Once enough people were there, everyone else had to follow, and by now leaving would mean leaving the conversation entirely.

   Why this band

   • FC“and by now leaving would mean leaving the conversation entirely” — This final clause extends the closing sentence with a consequence, going further than the simpler final sentence at 6.5 ('Once enough people joined, everyone else had to follow too.') and slightly further than 7.0's similar but shorter ending.
   • LR“a very old human need” — This phrase captures a psychological universal precisely; it is close to 7.0's identical wording but slightly more developed than 6.5's plainer 'an old human need', since 7.5 also adds 'deeper' just before it.
   • GRA“the same app, in each case” — This dash-led aside is grammatically identical in function to the one at 7.0 but is followed by a further coordinated result clause at the end of the answer, making the overall sentence structure of the answer more layered than either 6.5 or 7.0.

4. 4. How effective is advertising products on social media?

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

   Band 6.5

   Explains the weakness with a plain 'Where they work less well is trust, because...' construction.

   Very effective, and I have mixed feelings about that because I've helped make it happen. My studio built a campaign for a client on Shopee that worked mainly because the ads looked like recommendations from friends instead of adverts — that mixing is the whole trick. Social media ads reach exactly the people who are likely to buy, at the moment they're bored and scrolling, and they can be changed within hours. Where they work less well is trust, because people now know the enthusiastic reviewer was probably paid. Cheap, quick-decision products sell brilliantly this way; things that need real trust, less so.

   Why this band

   • FC“Where they work less well is trust, because people now know the enthusiastic reviewer was probably paid.” — The reasoning is spelled out fully with 'because', which is clear but leaves little room for compression. The 7.0/7.5 versions replace the second half with a colon, which is a more economical way to attach the explanation.
   • LR“that mixing is the whole trick” — This is an adequate but slightly informal way to describe the technique. The 7.0/7.5 versions use the more precise, almost technical noun 'blurring', which better captures the deliberate confusion between ads and recommendations.
   • GRA“Cheap, quick-decision products sell brilliantly this way; things that need real trust, less so.” — This sentence uses ellipsis in the second clause ('less so' standing in for a full verb phrase), which is already fairly advanced. It closely matches the structure used at 7.0/7.5, showing this particular device is available across bands while other parts of the sentence develop further.

   Band 7.0

   Uses the mid-sentence hedge 'I'd say' and 'honestly' to soften two separate claims.

   Very effective, I'd say, and I admit that with mixed feelings, because I've helped make it so. My studio built a campaign for a client on Shopee that worked mainly because the ads looked like recommendations from friends rather than advertising — that blurring is really the whole trick. Social media ads reach exactly the people likely to buy, at the moment they're bored and scrolling, and they can be tested and changed within hours. Where they're less effective, honestly, is trust: people increasingly know the enthusiastic reviewer was paid, and the reaction is cynicism about everything. Cheap, impulsive products sell brilliantly this way; anything that needs real trust, rather less so.

   Why this band

   • FC“honestly, is trust:” — The hedge 'honestly' is inserted mid-sentence before the colon, softening a fairly blunt claim in a natural spoken way. The 6.5 version states the same idea with a flat 'is trust, because...' and no hedge at all.
   • LR“that blurring is really the whole trick” — This upgrades the plain 6.5 noun 'mixing' to the more precise 'blurring', with 'really' adding conversational emphasis. The 7.5 version keeps 'blurring' but drops 'really' for a slightly more measured tone.
   • GRA“Where they're less effective, honestly, is trust: people increasingly know the enthusiastic reviewer was paid, and the reaction is cynicism about everything.” — The colon attaches the explanation directly to the claim, more economical than the 6.5 version's 'because' clause. It's very close to the 7.5 structure, though 7.5 adds the extra modifier 'creeping' before 'cynicism' for more precision.

   Band 7.5

   Uses a colon to attach the explanation of the trust problem and the more specific modifier 'creeping' before 'cynicism'.

   Very effective, and I say that with mixed feelings, because I've helped make it so. My studio built a campaign for a client on Shopee that worked mainly because the ads looked like recommendations from friends rather than advertising — that blurring is the whole trick. Social media ads reach exactly the people likely to buy, at the moment they're bored and scrolling, and they can be tested and reshaped within hours. Where they're less effective is trust: people increasingly know the enthusiastic reviewer was paid, and the reaction is a creeping cynicism about everything. Products that are cheap and impulsive sell brilliantly this way; anything that needs real trust, considerably less so.

   Why this band

   • FC“Where they're less effective is trust:” — This colon-led structure states the weakness directly and economically, without the hedge 'honestly' used at 7.0 or the fuller 'because' clause used at 6.5.
   • LR“a creeping cynicism about everything” — The modifier 'creeping' adds a precise, almost literary sense of gradual spread that neither lower band attempts; 7.0 has the plainer 'cynicism about everything' with no modifier.
   • GRA“Products that are cheap and impulsive sell brilliantly this way; anything that needs real trust, considerably less so.” — The relative clause 'that are cheap and impulsive' modifies the subject directly, a slightly more formal structure than the compound adjective used at 6.5 ('Cheap, quick-decision products') and 7.0 ('Cheap, impulsive products').

5. 5. What are the main reasons people use social media?

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

   Band 6.5

   Joins the final two reasons with the plain connector 'And', starting a fresh sentence for each.

   If I'm honest about my own habits, about ten minutes a day is real contact with people I care about, and the rest is avoiding whatever I should be doing. Connection is the reason people usually give, and it's true — it's how families in different cities stay close. But under that, people also use it for entertainment, for news, for shopping, and for the small good feeling when something they posted gets noticed. For many people it's also work, like sellers or freelancers whose income depends on being seen online. And boredom might be the biggest reason of all.

   Why this band

   • FC“And boredom might be the biggest reason of all.” — The final point is added as its own short sentence starting with 'And', which is clear but a little list-like. The 7.0/7.5 versions attach a further explanation to the same sentence with a dash, making the closing point feel more developed.
   • LR“the small good feeling” — This is a workable but slightly vague description of a specific psychological reward. The 7.0/7.5 versions use the more precise, idiomatic phrase 'the small hit', which is a sharper, more natural collocation.
   • GRA“For many people it's also work, like sellers or freelancers whose income depends on being seen online.” — This uses a 'like' clause to give examples within one sentence. The 7.0/7.5 versions replace this with a colon followed by a short list, which is a slightly more economical way of presenting the same examples.

   Band 7.0

   Uses 'I'd say' to soften the claim about connection and a colon before the list of example jobs.

   If I'm honest about my own habits, only about ten minutes a day is genuine contact with people I care about, and the rest is avoiding whatever I'm supposed to be doing. Connection is the reason people usually give, and I'd say it's real — it's how families scattered across cities stay close. But underneath that, people also use it for entertainment, for news, for shopping, and for the small hit of being noticed when something they posted gets a reaction. For many it's work too: sellers, freelancers, anyone whose income depends on being visible. And boredom, honestly, might be the biggest reason of all — most people open the app without a purpose, and the app supplies one.

   Why this band

   • FC“I'd say” — This hedge softens the claim that connection is a real reason, a more natural spoken device than the flat 6.5 statement 'it's true'. The 7.5 version replaces this with the phrase 'it's real enough', a slightly different but equally natural hedge.
   • LR“the small hit of being noticed” — This idiomatic phrase is more precise and natural than the vague 6.5 wording 'the small good feeling'. The 7.5 answer reuses this exact phrase, confirming it already suits the higher band.
   • GRA“sellers, freelancers, anyone whose income depends on being visible” — This is a colon-introduced list of appositive noun phrases, more economical than the 'like' clause used at 6.5. It's almost identical to the 7.5 structure, though 7.5 upgrades 'income' to 'livelihood' for slightly more precision.

   Band 7.5

   Uses a semicolon to attach the closing generalisation about boredom directly to the previous clause.

   If I'm honest about my own habits, roughly ten minutes a day is genuine contact with people I actually care about, and the rest is avoidance dressed up as productivity. Connection is the reason people usually give, and it's real enough — it's how families scattered across cities stay close. Underneath that, though, people use it for entertainment, for news, for shopping, and for the small hit of being noticed when something they posted gets a reaction. For many it's also work: sellers, freelancers, anyone whose livelihood depends on being visible. And boredom, I suspect, is the biggest reason of all; most people open the app without a purpose, and the app happily supplies one.

   Why this band

   • FC“And boredom, I suspect, is the biggest reason of all; most people open the app without a purpose, and the app happily supplies one.” — The semicolon links the claim about boredom directly to its explanation in one flowing sentence, more compact than the 6.5 version's separate short sentence and the 7.0 version's dash-led aside for the same content.
   • LR“avoidance dressed up as productivity” — This is a vivid, idiomatic image for procrastination that goes well beyond the plain 6.5 phrase 'avoiding whatever I should be doing' and the very similar but less figurative 7.0 wording.
   • GRA“anyone whose livelihood depends on being visible” — The relative clause 'whose livelihood depends on...' is used here with the more formal noun 'livelihood', a small but deliberate upgrade from 7.0's 'income' that fits the slightly more polished register of the top band.

6. 6. What different types of media are popular in your country, such as radio, TV, or social media?

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

   Band 6.5

   States the main claim plainly with a dash-led statistic and lists examples in short, separate sentences.

   Social media is the most popular, especially Facebook, Zalo and TikTok — Vietnam uses them a huge amount. Television is still big for older people and for national events like football, when the whole country watches the same match. Radio survives in taxis and among old people, and in my parents' area there's still a public loudspeaker announcing local news at six in the morning, which people complain about but would probably miss. Printed newspapers have shrunk a lot but haven't fully disappeared from cafés. What's special here is how fast the country jumped from loudspeakers straight to smartphones.

   Why this band

   • FC“haven't fully disappeared from cafés” — This closing phrase is plain and functional. The 7.0/7.5 versions vary this to 'haven't disappeared from cafés entirely' and 'haven't vanished from cafés altogether', showing more natural placement of the qualifying adverb.
   • LR“Vietnam uses them a huge amount” — This is a vague, slightly awkward way of describing heavy usage. The 7.0/7.5 versions replace it with the more precise, idiomatic phrase 'one of the heaviest-using countries in the world' / 'one of the heaviest users in the world'.
   • GRA“which people complain about but would probably miss” — This relative clause uses the simple contrastive 'but'. It's structurally close to the versions at 7.0/7.5, which use 'and' instead of 'but' before an intensified verb ('would honestly/genuinely miss'), showing a subtly more controlled contrast.

   Band 7.0

   Uses 'I'd say' to hedge the opening claim and 'honestly' before the closing verb.

   Social media dominates, I'd say, especially Facebook, Zalo and TikTok — Vietnam is one of the heaviest-using countries in the world. Television is still huge for older people and for national events like football, when the whole country watches the same match. Radio survives mainly in taxis and among the elderly, and in my parents' neighbourhood there's still a public loudspeaker announcing local news at six in the morning, which people complain about and would honestly miss. Printed newspapers have shrunk badly but haven't disappeared from cafés entirely. What's distinctive here is how quickly the country skipped straight from loudspeakers to smartphones, almost without a generation of desktop internet in between.

   Why this band

   • FC“I'd say,” — This hedge softens the flat opening claim used at 6.5 ('Social media is the most popular'). The 7.5 version drops the hedge for a more confident, direct opening statement.
   • LR“one of the heaviest-using countries in the world” — This compound adjective is a precise, natural way to describe heavy usage, well beyond the vague 6.5 phrase 'uses them a huge amount'. The 7.5 answer uses a very similar but slightly more idiomatic version, 'one of the heaviest users in the world'.
   • GRA“almost without a generation of desktop internet in between” — This reduced clause ('almost without...') compresses an idea that could otherwise need a full sentence, a more economical structure than anything attempted at 6.5. It's close to the 7.5 version but slightly less vivid than 7.5's fuller 'there was barely a generation... squeezed in between'.

   Band 7.5

   Uses a dash-led clause at the end to add a fuller final observation instead of a short reduced clause.

   Social media dominates, especially Facebook, Zalo and TikTok — Vietnam is one of the heaviest users in the world. Television is still huge for older people and for national events like football, when the whole country watches the same match. Radio survives in taxis and among the elderly, and in my parents' neighbourhood there's still a public loudspeaker announcing local news at six in the morning, which people complain about and would genuinely miss. Printed newspapers have shrunk badly but haven't vanished from cafés altogether. What's distinctive here is how quickly the country skipped straight from loudspeakers to smartphones — there was barely a generation of desktop internet squeezed in between.

   Why this band

   • FC“there was barely a generation of desktop internet squeezed in between” — This dash-led clause develops the closing observation more fully than 7.0's shorter reduced clause 'almost without a generation of desktop internet in between', and far more than 6.5's version, which stops the sentence without this detail at all.
   • LR“skipped straight from loudspeakers to smartphones” — This vivid verb phrase 'skipped straight from... to...' captures a leapfrogging technological shift precisely; it's shared with 7.0 but the surrounding sentence at 7.5 develops the image further with the closing dash clause.
   • GRA“which people complain about and would genuinely miss” — The relative clause uses 'and' to link two closely related reactions in one smooth flow, and the intensifier 'genuinely' is more understated and natural than 7.0's 'honestly', which sits slightly more awkwardly mid-clause.

7. 7. Do you agree or disagree that people will continue to read printed newspapers and magazines in the future?

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

   Band 6.5

   Closes with a plain 'So... but' structure to summarise the two-part opinion.

   Some will, but only as a small habit, not a common one. A café near my office still keeps two newspapers every morning because its older regulars insist on it, and I think in twenty years the same café will keep them just as decoration. Printed news can't compete on speed or price, and every generation reads less of it than the one before. Magazines might do a little better, because a nicely printed object about a hobby feels like an experience, not just information — people pay for that the same way they pay for vinyl records. So I disagree that printed news will continue in any real way, but I half agree about magazines.

   Why this band

   • FC“Some will, but only as a small habit, not a common one.” — This opening uses the simple contrastive 'but' to state a qualified opinion. The 7.0/7.5 versions replace 'a small habit, not a common one' with the more precise contrast 'a niche rather than a habit', which is tighter and more idiomatic.
   • LR“keep them just as decoration” — This is a workable but plain closing image. The 7.0/7.5 versions use 'stock them purely/as a kind of decoration', which sounds more natural with the verb 'stock' matching the earlier mention of newspapers being stocked.
   • GRA“So I disagree that printed news will continue in any real way, but I half agree about magazines.” — The two-part conclusion is joined with a simple 'but'. The 7.0/7.5 versions extend the sentence with an additional clause, 'for a small, willing audience', giving a more precise final qualification within the same sentence.

   Band 7.0

   Adds 'I'd say' to the opening opinion and softens the conclusion with 'I'd disagree... though I'd half agree'.

   Some will, I'd say, but as a niche rather than a habit. A café near my office still stocks two newspapers every morning because its older regulars insist, and I suspect in twenty years the same café will stock them purely as decoration. Printed news simply can't compete on speed or cost, and each generation reads less of it than the last. Magazines might do slightly better, because a nicely printed object about a hobby is an experience rather than just information — people pay for that the way they pay for vinyl records. So I'd disagree that printed news continues in any meaningful sense, though I'd half agree about magazines, for a small, willing audience.

   Why this band

   • FC“I'd say,” — This hedge softens the opening opinion, a more natural spoken device than the flat 6.5 opener 'Some will, but only as a small habit'. The 7.5 version drops the hedge here for a slightly more direct, confident tone.
   • LR“a niche rather than a habit” — This is a precise, slightly abstract contrast that is more sophisticated than the plain 6.5 phrase 'a small habit, not a common one'. The 7.5 answer reuses this exact phrase, confirming it fits the higher bands.
   • GRA“though I'd half agree about magazines, for a small, willing audience” — The concessive 'though' clause attaches the qualification smoothly to the main conclusion. It's very close to the 7.5 structure, which uses 'and' instead of 'though', showing a slightly different but equally controlled way of linking the same two ideas.

   Band 7.5

   Uses 'and' rather than a hedge to link the two halves of the final judgement into one confident sentence.

   Some will, but as a niche rather than a habit. A café near my office still stocks two newspapers every morning because its older regulars insist, and I suspect in twenty years the same café will stock them as a kind of decoration. Printed news can't compete on speed or cost, and each generation reads less of it than the last. Magazines might do slightly better, because a beautifully printed object about a hobby is an experience, not just information — people pay for that the way they pay for vinyl records. So I disagree that printed news will continue in any meaningful sense, and half agree about magazines, for a small, willing audience.

   Why this band

   • FC“So I disagree that printed news will continue in any meaningful sense, and half agree about magazines, for a small, willing audience.” — This closing sentence states the two-part conclusion directly and confidently, without the softening hedge 'I'd say' used at 7.0 or the simpler 'but' structure at 6.5, yet still ends on the same precise qualification.
   • LR“a beautifully printed object about a hobby” — The adjective 'beautifully' adds a vivid, evaluative touch that neither lower band uses; 7.0 has the plainer 'a nicely printed object' and 6.5 the even plainer 'a nicely printed object' as well.
   • GRA“a kind of decoration” — This slightly hedged noun phrase is a more careful, precise way of describing the future role of newspapers than 7.0's more absolute 'purely as decoration', showing a subtly different grammatical choice for a similar idea.

8. 8. Do you agree or disagree that it is difficult to really get to know someone through social media?

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

   Band 6.5

   Introduces the counterpoint with the plain phrase 'That said' and uses 'because' to explain it.

   I agree, though it's not impossible. I once met a designer I had messaged for a year, and she was nothing like her posts — funnier, more nervous, much less certain of herself. Social media shows what people choose to show, edited and delayed, and you never see how someone behaves when they're tired or wrong or interrupted, which is where real character shows. That said, long private chats online can reveal a lot, because people sometimes write things they would never say out loud. So you can get to know someone's mind through a screen, but not their presence.

   Why this band

   • FC“That said, long private chats online can reveal a lot, because people sometimes write things they would never say out loud.” — This concession is explained fully with 'because', which is clear but explicit. The 7.0/7.5 versions replace 'because' with 'since' or a semicolon, giving the same idea a slightly more varied or compact connection.
   • LR“real character shows” — This is a plain, functional way of describing where personality becomes visible. The 7.0/7.5 versions use the more idiomatic, evaluative phrase 'character lives', which personifies the idea more vividly.
   • GRA“which is where real character shows” — This relative clause is simple and direct. The 7.0/7.5 versions add an intensifier before the same clause — 'honestly' and 'precisely' — showing a small but deliberate move toward more nuanced, evaluative phrasing.

   Band 7.0

   Uses 'since' instead of 'because' for variety and adds the evaluative closing clause 'I'd say you only really know a person'.

   I agree, though it's not entirely impossible. I once met a designer I'd exchanged messages with for a year, and she turned out to be nothing like her posts — funnier, more nervous, far less certain of herself. Social media shows what people choose to show, edited and delayed, and you never see how someone behaves when they're tired, or wrong, or interrupted, which is honestly where character lives. That said, long private conversations online can reveal a surprising amount, since people sometimes write things they'd never say aloud. So you can get to know someone's mind through a screen, but not their presence, and I'd say you only really know a person once you've seen both.

   Why this band

   • FC“I'd say” — This hedge is inserted just before the final judgement, softening the claim in a natural spoken way that the flatter 6.5 conclusion lacks. The 7.5 version drops this hedge, stating the same conclusion with more direct confidence.
   • LR“character lives” — This idiomatic, personifying phrase is more vivid than the plain 6.5 wording 'real character shows'. It's reused identically at 7.5, confirming it already fits the higher band.
   • GRA“since people sometimes write things they'd never say aloud” — The subordinator 'since' is a slightly more varied causal link than the repeated 'because' pattern at 6.5. The 7.5 version replaces this connector with a semicolon instead, showing an alternative, more compact way to achieve the same link.

   Band 7.5

   Uses a semicolon rather than a causal connector to attach the explanation of the counterpoint.

   I agree, though it's not impossible. I once met a designer I'd exchanged messages with for a year, and she was nothing like her posts — funnier, more nervous, far less certain of herself. Social media shows what people choose to show, edited and delayed, and you never see how someone behaves when they're tired or wrong or interrupted, which is precisely where character lives. That said, long private conversations online can reveal a surprising amount; people sometimes write things they'd never say aloud. So you can get to know someone's mind through a screen, but not their presence, and you only really know a person once you've seen both.

   Why this band

   • FC“That said, long private conversations online can reveal a surprising amount; people sometimes write things they'd never say aloud.” — The semicolon joins the claim and its explanation directly, a more compact device than the 'because' clause at 6.5 or the 'since' clause at 7.0 for the same content.
   • LR“which is precisely where character lives” — The intensifier 'precisely' sharpens the claim more than 7.0's 'honestly' or 6.5's unmodified version, giving the observation a more confident, exact edge.
   • GRA“and you only really know a person once you've seen both” — This final clause is attached directly with 'and' rather than through the more hedged phrase 'and I'd say you only really know a person' used at 7.0, giving the closing judgement more direct authority.

9. 9. Has social media made the world more caring or less caring?

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

   Band 6.5

   States the paradox plainly at the start with 'which is the strange part' and closes with a semicolon linking two related claims.

   Both at the same time, which is the strange part. During the central Vietnam floods, donations poured in overnight through the same app where, on a normal day, strangers argue nastily with each other in the comments. Social media has made it easy to care about people far away, like a child in another country or a disaster on another coast, and hard to be kind to the person disagreeing with you on screen. It makes bigger whatever you point it at. My honest view is that it hasn't really changed how caring people are; it's changed how visible both the caring and the cruelty are.

   Why this band

   • FC“It makes bigger whatever you point it at.” — This is a simple, slightly awkward paraphrase of the idea of amplification. The 7.0/7.5 versions replace it with the more precise, natural verb 'amplifies', which expresses the same idea in one accurate word.
   • LR“argue nastily” — This is a plain, workable verb phrase for online conflict. The 7.0/7.5 versions replace it with the more vivid idiom 'tear each other apart', a stronger and more natural collocation for describing hostile comment sections.
   • GRA“My honest view is that it hasn't really changed how caring people are; it's changed how visible both the caring and the cruelty are.” — This semicolon-linked sentence is already reasonably controlled. The 7.5 version extends the same sentence further with an additional clause ('and cruelty is louder') and a following sentence of reflection, showing a more developed overall structure around the same core idea.

   Band 7.0

   Adds 'honestly' to the opening and extends the closing sentence with the additional clause 'and cruelty tends to be louder'.

   Both at once, honestly, which is the strange thing. During the central Vietnam floods, donations poured in overnight through the same app where, on an ordinary day, strangers tear each other apart in the comment sections. Social media has made it easy to care about people far away — a child in another country, a disaster on another coast — and hard to be decent to the person disagreeing with you on screen. It amplifies whatever you point it at. My honest view is that it hasn't changed how caring people fundamentally are; it's changed how visible both the caring and the cruelty have become, and cruelty tends to be louder.

   Why this band

   • FC“honestly,” — This hedge is inserted right after the opening phrase, adding a natural spoken register that the flatter 6.5 opening lacks. The 7.5 version removes this hedge, stating the paradox with slightly more direct confidence.
   • LR“amplifies whatever you point it at” — This precise verb is a clear upgrade from the vague 6.5 phrase 'makes bigger whatever you point it at'. The 7.5 answer reuses the identical phrase, confirming it already suits the top band.
   • GRA“it's changed how visible both the caring and the cruelty have become, and cruelty tends to be louder” — This sentence extends further than the 6.5 version by adding a coordinated final clause after the semicolon. It's close to the 7.5 structure but 7.5 goes one step further still, adding a whole extra reflective sentence after this point.

   Band 7.5

   Adds a final short reflective sentence, 'Whether that adds up to more or less depends on where you're standing', beyond what the other bands include.

   Both at once, which is the strange thing. During the central Vietnam floods, donations poured in overnight through the same app where, on a normal day, strangers tear each other apart in comment sections. Social media has made it easy to care about people far away — a child in another country, a disaster on another coast — and hard to be decent to the person disagreeing with you on screen. It amplifies whatever you point it at. My honest view is that it hasn't changed how caring people are; it's changed how visible both the caring and the cruelty are, and cruelty is louder. Whether that adds up to more or less depends on where you're standing.

   Why this band

   • FC“Whether that adds up to more or less depends on where you're standing.” — This closing sentence adds a further layer of reflection beyond the semicolon-linked conclusion, a device neither the 6.5 nor the 7.0 answer includes, rounding the answer off with a genuinely open, evaluative final thought.
   • LR“cruelty is louder” — This short, punchy closing observation is more compact and confident than 7.0's slightly softer 'cruelty tends to be louder', dropping the hedging verb 'tends to' for a sharper final claim.
   • GRA“it's changed how visible both the caring and the cruelty are, and cruelty is louder. Whether that adds up to more or less depends on where you're standing.” — Two sentences work together here: a coordinated clause followed by a separate reflective sentence, creating a more layered closing structure than the single extended sentence used at 6.5 and 7.0.