IELTS Speaking Part 2

A Person You Know Who Learned Something New Without a Teacher

Most recently asked in May–Aug 2026

The cue card

Describe a person you know who learned something new without a teacher

You should say:

  • How you know this person
  • What this person learned
  • How easy it was for this person to learn without a teacher

Sample answers: Band 6.5, 7.0 & 7.5

Three versions of the same answer, each written to sit genuinely at that band — compare them to see exactly what separates the scores.

Band 6.5

A simple listed sequence of actions and a plain closing reason ('because I don't have that kind of patience myself') keep the narrative clear but grammatically basic, Band 6.5 level.

The person I want to talk about is my younger sister, Thảo, who lives in Ho Chi Minh City. Of course I know her very well, since she's my only sibling and we talk on Zalo almost every day.

What she learned, without any teacher, was how to bake cakes and bread. About two years ago, she started watching baking videos online during her free time, just for fun at first. She learned things like how to make simple sponge cakes, cookies, and later more difficult things like croissants.

She taught herself completely from videos and online recipes. She would watch a video several times, write down the steps in a small notebook, and then try it in her kitchen. Many times the cake didn't rise, or it was burnt, but she just tried again the next weekend.

How easy it was for her, I would say, was not easy at all in the beginning. She had no special equipment, and her first oven was quite old and cooked unevenly. But because she really enjoyed it, she didn't give up. After about a year, her cakes became really good, and now she even sells small cakes to her friends and coworkers. I think that's impressive, because I don't have that kind of patience myself.

214 words · about 2 minutes

Why this band

  • GRA“She would watch a video several times, write down the steps in a small notebook, and then try it in her kitchen.” — Three actions are joined in a simple list using commas and 'and', all sharing the same subject and modal 'would' (marking habitual past action), with no subordination or variation in how each item is introduced. This is a correct and clear way to narrate a repeated routine, but it treats all three steps as grammatically equal rather than showing how one step led causally into the next — the kind of connective reasoning a 7.0 answer might add. It matches the 6.5 grammar descriptor's expectation of simple sentences that stay accurate rather than reaching for structural variety.
  • FC“I think that's impressive, because I don't have that kind of patience myself.” — The closing sentence states an opinion ('impressive') and attaches exactly one supporting reason (lack of personal patience) via a single 'because' clause, ending the answer there rather than extending into a broader reflection on what the sister's persistence might mean more generally. It's a complete, on-topic close that directly answers the implicit prompt, but the self-comparison stays at face value rather than being developed into insight, which is the ceiling the 6.5 Fluency & Coherence descriptor sets — one clear reason is enough.
  • LR“Many times the cake didn't rise, or it was burnt” — 'Didn't rise' and 'was burnt' are the two most basic, literal ways to describe baking failure, chosen over more specific or varied alternatives (collapsed, over-baked, dense) a higher-band answer discussing the same topic might use. The fronted adverbial 'Many times' at the start is itself a simple, common way to signal repetition rather than a more elaborate frequency expression. Together these keep the description of the sister's early failures completely clear and easy to follow, which is exactly what the 6.5 lexical target rewards.
Band 7.0

The result-plus-relative-clause sentence about bad habits that 'crept in' and the fronted because-clause linking enjoyment to persistence show comfortable, accurate Band 7.0 development.

The person I'd like to talk about is my older cousin, Minh, who taught himself to play the guitar without ever taking a single lesson.

I know him quite well since we grew up in the same neighbourhood and spent a lot of time together as kids. About three years ago, he decided he wanted to learn guitar, mostly because he'd always liked a particular singer whose songs he wanted to be able to play himself.

What he learned was basically everything from scratch — how to hold the guitar properly, how to read chord charts, and eventually how to play full songs. He did it entirely through video tutorials online, watching the same clips over and over, sometimes slowing them down so he could copy the finger positions more easily. He also joined a couple of online groups where other self-taught players shared tips and gave each other feedback on recordings.

As for how easy it was, I wouldn't say it was easy at all, especially at the beginning. He told me his fingers hurt constantly for the first few weeks, and it took him ages just to change between chords smoothly. There was nobody correcting his technique in person, so a few bad habits crept in that he only fixed much later, after watching more advanced tutorials that pointed them out.

That said, because he genuinely enjoyed it and wasn't under any pressure from a teacher or a class schedule, he kept practising consistently, usually for half an hour most evenings after work. These days he's honestly quite good, good enough that he plays at small gatherings with friends, and I find it pretty impressive that he built that skill entirely on his own.

286 words · about 2 minutes

Why this band

  • GRA“There was nobody correcting his technique in person, so a few bad habits crept in that he only fixed much later” — This sentence combines a result clause, "so a few bad habits crept in," with a relative clause, "that he only fixed much later," describing the bad habits further, handling two levels of subordination accurately in one sentence. It's the comfortable complex-sentence mix the 7.0 descriptor targets, going beyond a single simple cause-effect statement without reaching the density of a 7.5 sentence with multiple contrastive layers. It also captures a genuinely specific downside of self-teaching, adding realism to what could otherwise be an uncomplicated success story.
  • LR“a few bad habits crept in” — "Crept in" is a natural collocation implying something gradual and almost unnoticed, more precise than a plainer verb like "started" or "happened," used here about developing bad guitar habits without a teacher to correct them. This is the flexible, slightly less-common phrase the 7.0 lexical descriptor targets, chosen instead of the obvious high-frequency alternative. It also subtly reinforces the theme of learning without supervision, since habits sneak in exactly because nobody was watching.
  • FC“because he genuinely enjoyed it and wasn't under any pressure from a teacher or a class schedule, he kept practising consistently” — This links motivation, enjoyment and no external pressure, directly to outcome, consistent practice, in one cause-and-effect sentence, developing the answer with reasoning rather than just stating that the cousin practised a lot. That's the kind of development the 7.0 fluency descriptor asks for beyond simple description; a 6.5 answer would likely just state "he practised often" without explaining why. It also ties back to the earlier point about learning without a teacher, showing the trade-off of bad habits came with a genuine upside of sustained motivation.
Band 7.5

The self-interrupting aside '— he crashed it into a tree —' and the colon-led list 'a real reason and no deadline' show the confident, less-common structures of Band 7.5.

The person I'd choose is my father, who at sixty decided to learn to fly a drone, and did it entirely from videos on his phone.

I know him rather well, obviously, and I can tell you that until two years ago the most technical thing he'd used was a rice cooker. What happened was that my uncle, who farms in Quảng Trị, mentioned that a neighbour had filmed his fields from the air and it had helped him spot where the water wasn't draining. My father, who is retired and slightly bored, took this as a personal challenge. He bought a mid-range drone with money he'd been saving for a new motorbike, which my mother still brings up.

What he learned was two things at once: how to fly it without crashing into a tree — he crashed it into a tree — and how to edit the footage on a laptop so that it was actually useful, with the field boundaries marked and the wet patches highlighted. All of it came from tutorial videos, mostly by people half his age, which he watched at a quarter speed with a notebook. When something didn't work, he'd search the error and try again, for hours.

How easy was it? Honestly, not easy at all, and that's what impressed me. He doesn't read English, so every menu had to be translated. The first month was almost entirely failure — footage of the sky, footage of his own feet. But he had two advantages a classroom never gives you: a real reason and no deadline. By the end of that summer he'd mapped my uncle's fields, and he now films weddings for the neighbours at no charge, badly at first and rather well now. I design software for a living, and I've never once learned a new tool with the patience he showed a machine he didn't understand.

316 words · about 2 minutes

Why this band

  • FC“without crashing into a tree — he crashed it into a tree — and how to edit the footage” — The dashes interrupt the sentence mid-flow to insert a small correction — 'he crashed it into a tree' — undercutting the phrase that came just before it, which mimics exactly how a speaker might catch themselves and add a truthful aside in real, unscripted conversation. That kind of self-interrupting, slightly comic correction is a confident spoken technique rather than something a 6.5 or 7.0 answer would typically attempt, since it requires enough control of the sentence to break it and resume cleanly. It also adds a moment of self-deprecating humour about the father's early failures, humanising the story before it describes his eventual success.
  • GRA“he had two advantages a classroom never gives you: a real reason and no deadline” — The colon sets up a claim ('two advantages') and then delivers exactly two items in parallel noun phrases — 'a real reason' and 'no deadline' — a controlled, economical way of listing points rather than spelling them out across separate sentences. Using a colon this way, with the embedded relative clause 'a classroom never gives you' modifying 'advantages,' is a less-common but accurately handled structure that fits the Band 7.5 grammar target's call for varied complex sentences. The parallel two-item list is also conceptually tight, distilling the whole argument of the anecdote into a single memorable line.
  • LR“badly at first and rather well now” — The phrase compresses an entire arc of improvement into four words, contrasting 'badly' against 'rather well' with only 'at first' and 'now' to mark the passage of time, rather than describing the progression across a full sentence. That kind of compact, precisely balanced contrast is the economical lexical resource the Band 7.5 target rewards, since it shows control over concise phrasing rather than relying on a longer, plainer description like 'he wasn't very good in the beginning but has improved a lot.' Coming right before the final reflective sentence about the speaker's own patience, it gives the story a tidy, satisfying close.

How this card was asked, by exam period

  • Describe a person you know who learned something new without a teacherMay–Aug 2026

Part 3 follow-up questions

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

  1. 1. What subjects do children often enjoy studying at school?

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

    Repeats the flat frame 'I think... it's more about', a safe but noticeably plain way of stating the central claim.

    I think children usually enjoy subjects where they can do something instead of just sitting and listening. At my school in Hue, art and PE were the two lessons everyone enjoyed most because we were always moving or making things, and the results felt like our own. Science was fun with experiments but boring with just diagrams to copy. I think it isn't really about the subject itself. It's more about whether children can be active in class and whether the teacher seems to enjoy teaching it too.

    Why this band

    • FC“Science was fun with experiments but boring with just diagrams to copy.” — The 6.5 answer states this contrast in one short, listy sentence joined by 'but'. The 7.0 answer expands it into two linked clauses, and 7.5 turns it into a small parallel structure built around a colon, 'it came alive with experiments and fell flat the moment...', each showing more deliberate shaping.
    • LR“boring” — 'Boring' is a common, general adjective. The 7.5 answer's 'fell flat' is a more idiomatic, less predictable way of expressing the same disappointment.
    • GRA“It's more about whether children can be active in class and whether the teacher seems to enjoy teaching it too.” — This sentence uses two parallel 'whether' clauses joined by 'and', clear but fairly standard. The 7.5 answer extends a similar idea into a much longer sentence with an added evaluative clause about bored versus good teachers, showing greater range.
    Band 7.0

    The aside 'I guess' softens the closing claim, giving it a more conversational, considered tone than the flatter 'I think' framing at 6.5.

    Honestly, I'd say children tend to enjoy subjects where they get to do something rather than just sit and absorb information. At my school in Hue, art and physical education were the two lessons where nobody really watched the clock, because we were moving, making things, and the results felt genuinely our own. Science worked well when there were experiments, but felt dull when it was just diagrams to copy from the board. I guess what children enjoy has less to do with the subject itself than with whether they're allowed to act on it, and whether the teacher visibly enjoys teaching it.

    Why this band

    • FC“I guess what children enjoy has less to do with the subject itself” — This hedge introduces the answer's central claim more naturally than the 6.5 version's repeated 'I think'. The 7.5 answer achieves a similarly reflective tone without a hedge at all, through the aside 'I'd argue', showing slightly more confident phrasing.
    • LR“felt genuinely our own” — This is a more natural, slightly emphatic phrase than the plain 'felt like our own' at 6.5. It's close to the 7.5 answer's 'immediately, tangibly our own', which adds an extra layer of precision with two adverbs.
    • GRA“art and physical education were the two lessons where nobody really watched the clock, because we were moving, making things, and the results felt genuinely our own” — This sentence chains a relative clause, a because-clause, and a three-part list together, more ambitious than the short separate sentences at 6.5. It approaches the density of the 7.5 answer, though 7.5 adds a dash-marked aside for extra compression.
    Band 7.5

    The closing contrast 'a bored teacher can make even art dull, and a good one can turn grammar into a game' gives the answer a neat, memorable finish absent from the lower bands.

    Children tend to gravitate toward subjects that let them do something rather than sit and receive it passively. At my school in Hue, art and PE were the two lessons where nobody so much as glanced at the clock — we were moving, making, and the results were immediately, tangibly our own. Science worked the same way: it came alive with experiments and fell flat the moment it turned into diagrams to copy. What children enjoy, I'd argue, has less to do with the subject on the timetable than with whether they're allowed to act on it, and whether the teacher visibly likes it too — a bored teacher can make even art dull, and a good one can turn grammar into a game.

    Why this band

    • FC“it came alive with experiments and fell flat the moment it turned into diagrams to copy” — This clause uses a colon to set up a vivid two-part contrast, a more integrated move than the 6.5 answer's plain 'but' clause or even the 7.0 answer's 'but felt dull when'. It shows tighter control over how ideas are sequenced for effect.
    • LR“gravitate toward” — This idiomatic, almost academic verb choice is more precise than the plain 'enjoy' used at 6.5 and 7.0, exemplifying the wider lexical range expected at the top band.
    • GRA“a bored teacher can make even art dull, and a good one can turn grammar into a game” — This closing sentence balances two parallel clauses around a contrast in teacher quality, a more elaborate rhetorical structure than the simpler 'whether' clauses used at 6.5 and 7.0. It adds a memorable close that neither lower band attempts.

  2. 2. Do you agree or disagree that children have to study too many subjects at school?

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

    Opens and closes with the plain frame 'I think', giving the answer a repetitive shape typical of 6.5 responses.

    I partly agree that children study too many subjects. My cousin Nam has thirteen subjects at sixteen, and when I asked him about two of them, he couldn't remember anything he had learned. I think it's good to study many subjects when children are young, because they don't know yet what they like. But by the late teens, a lot of it just becomes memorising for exams and then forgetting everything. I think fewer subjects studied properly would be better than too many studied quickly.

    Why this band

    • FC“But by the late teens, a lot of it just becomes memorising for exams and then forgetting everything.” — The 6.5 answer marks its turn with the plain connector 'But' at the sentence start. The 7.0 answer instead uses 'The problem, though, is that', and 7.5 uses 'The trouble is', both folding the pivot more smoothly into the argument rather than isolating it.
    • LR“couldn't remember anything he had learned” — This is plain, direct phrasing. The 7.5 answer's 'couldn't name a single thing he'd learned from either one' is more specific and emphatic, and 'they're being covered rather than taught' adds a sharper evaluative edge absent at 6.5.
    • GRA“I think fewer subjects studied properly would be better than too many studied quickly.” — This is a simple comparative sentence, accurate but structurally modest. The 7.5 answer expresses a similar comparison through a longer sentence ending in a compact semicolon-linked contrast, 'too many subjects isn't really the problem; too little time for any of them is', showing far more grammatical control.
    Band 7.0

    The dash-marked aside 'they're being covered rather than actually taught' adds an evaluative layer beyond the flatter factual statement at 6.5.

    I'd say I only partly agree. My cousin Nam has thirteen subjects on his timetable at sixteen, and when I asked him about two of them, he honestly couldn't name a single thing he'd learned — they're being covered rather than actually taught. Studying many subjects makes sense when children are young and haven't yet discovered what they enjoy, so breadth is useful at that stage. The problem, though, is that we keep this breadth going into the late teens, when a lot of it turns into memorising for exams and forgetting soon after. I'd rather see fewer subjects studied properly from around fifteen.

    Why this band

    • FC“The problem, though, is that we keep this breadth going into the late teens” — This phrase frames the counterpoint as a reasoned 'problem' rather than a simple 'but' clause, more argumentatively developed than the 6.5 answer. The 7.5 answer achieves a similar effect with 'The trouble is', a slightly more economical version of the same move.
    • LR“they're being covered rather than actually taught” — This is a precise, evaluative distinction between two similar-sounding verbs, well beyond the plain 'couldn't remember anything' at 6.5. The 7.5 answer keeps this same phrase almost exactly, showing the two upper bands share sophisticated lexis here.
    • GRA“Studying many subjects makes sense when children are young and haven't yet discovered what they enjoy, so breadth is useful at that stage.” — This sentence links a 'when' clause to a resulting 'so' clause, more developed than the short separate sentences at 6.5. The 7.5 answer achieves comparable complexity but adds a further evaluative tag, 'a reasonable argument for casting a wide net', extending the sentence further.
    Band 7.5

    The closing semicolon sentence, 'too many subjects isn't really the problem; too little time for any of them is', gives the argument a crisp, quotable finish.

    I only partly agree. My cousin Nam has thirteen subjects on his timetable at sixteen, and when I asked him about two of them he couldn't name a single thing he'd learned from either one — they're being covered rather than taught. Breadth genuinely matters while children are young and haven't yet worked out what they'll love, so that's a reasonable argument for casting a wide net. The trouble is we keep the breadth going well into the late teens, by which point much of it has curdled into memorising for exams and forgetting soon after. I'd rather children studied fewer subjects properly from around fifteen, with real time to go deep — too many subjects isn't really the problem; too little time for any of them is.

    Why this band

    • FC“The trouble is we keep the breadth going well into the late teens” — This economical transition states the counterargument as a direct consequence, slightly more compact than the 7.0 answer's 'The problem, though, is that'. Both are far more integrated than the 6.5 answer's blunt 'But by the late teens'.
    • LR“curdled into memorising for exams” — 'Curdled' is a vivid, unusual metaphorical verb, well beyond the plain 'becomes' at 6.5 and 'turns into' at 7.0, exemplifying the more creative lexical choices expected at the top band.
    • GRA“too many subjects isn't really the problem; too little time for any of them is” — This closing sentence uses a semicolon to balance two mirrored clauses for rhetorical effect, a more sophisticated structure than the plain comparative sentence at 6.5 or the straightforward statement at 7.0. It gives the argument a polished, deliberate close.

  3. 3. Do the best teachers make learning fun for children?

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

    Uses two short, separate 'I think' sentences to build the argument, a plain but slightly disjointed structure.

    Not really, and I don't like the word fun for this. My best teacher was a strict maths teacher in Hue, and her lessons were never entertaining. But she was clear, fair, and a bit demanding, and she's the reason I can think logically now. I think the best teachers make learning feel possible, not just fun. You leave the class able to do something new, and that feels better than just having fun. Fun can help younger children pay attention, but sometimes it becomes just a show with nothing really learned.

    Why this band

    • FC“But she was clear, fair, and a bit demanding, and she's the reason I can think logically now.” — The 6.5 answer opens its concession with the plain connector 'But'. The 7.0 answer instead uses 'but what she did make it was', and 7.5 uses a semicolon, 'entertaining; what she made it was', both integrating the contrast more tightly into a single flowing sentence.
    • LR“think logically” — This is plain, functional phrasing for the outcome. The 7.5 answer's 'reason at all' is more compact and idiomatic, letting the verb 'reason' do double duty as both ability and action.
    • GRA“I think the best teachers make learning feel possible, not just fun.” — This is a short, direct claim using a simple negative contrast. The 7.5 answer expands the same claim into a longer sentence with an added result clause and a comparative ending, 'a satisfaction deeper than fun', showing considerably more grammatical development.
    Band 7.0

    The dash-marked aside 'which is a deeper satisfaction than fun' adds a reflective evaluation beyond the flatter comparison at 6.5.

    Honestly, not necessarily, and I'd push back a little on the word fun. My best teacher was a strict maths teacher in Hue who never once made a lesson entertaining, but what she did make it was clear, fair, and slightly demanding, and she's honestly the reason I can reason at all now. I'd say what the best teachers really do is make learning feel possible and worth the effort, so you leave able to do something you couldn't before — which is a deeper satisfaction than fun. Fun helps younger children and grabs attention, but it can also turn into a performance where nothing much gets learned.

    Why this band

    • FC“I'd say what the best teachers really do is” — This cleft-like structure builds toward the claim rather than stating it flatly, a more developed move than the 6.5 answer's direct 'I think the best teachers make'. The 7.5 answer achieves a similar effect even more concisely with 'What the best teachers actually do is'.
    • LR“push back a little on the word fun” — This is a natural, idiomatic way of signalling mild disagreement, stronger than the plain 'don't like the word fun' at 6.5. The 7.5 answer's 'resist the word fun altogether' is even more assertive and economical.
    • GRA“so you leave able to do something you couldn't before — which is a deeper satisfaction than fun” — This sentence links a result clause to a dash-marked evaluative aside, more layered than the two short sentences at 6.5. It closely matches the structure of the 7.5 answer, though 7.5 folds the same idea into one continuous clause without the dash pause.
    Band 7.5

    The closing sentence, 'Interest is the real target; fun is one route there, not the only one', gives the answer a crisp, aphoristic finish.

    Not necessarily, and I'd resist the word fun altogether. My best teacher was a strict maths teacher in Hue who never made a single lesson entertaining; what she made it was clear, fair, and slightly demanding, and she's the reason I can reason at all. What the best teachers actually do is make learning feel possible and worth it — you leave the lesson able to do something you couldn't before, and that's a satisfaction deeper than fun. Fun helps for younger children, and it certainly grabs attention, but it can quietly curdle into a performance the teacher gives while nothing is actually learnt. Interest is the real target; fun is one route there, not the only one.

    Why this band

    • FC“What the best teachers actually do is make learning feel possible and worth it” — This fronted structure states the central claim with more rhetorical weight than the 6.5 answer's plain 'I think the best teachers make' or even the 7.0 answer's hedged 'I'd say what the best teachers really do is'. It reads as a settled conclusion rather than an opinion.
    • LR“curdle into a performance” — 'Curdle' is a vivid, unusual metaphorical verb for something going wrong, well beyond the plain 'becomes just a show' at 6.5 and 'turn into a performance' at 7.0, exemplifying top-band lexical creativity.
    • GRA“Interest is the real target; fun is one route there, not the only one.” — This closing sentence uses a semicolon to balance two short, mirrored statements, a more sophisticated rhetorical structure than the plain final sentences at 6.5 and 7.0. It gives the argument a polished, quotable close.

  4. 4. What are the benefits for adults of returning to studying after leaving full-time education?

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

    Uses short, separate sentences for each benefit rather than linking them, a clear but list-like structure typical of 6.5.

    I think the main benefit is confidence, more than just a better job. My mother took a bookkeeping course at fifty-two, almost as a hobby. Within a year, every relative was asking her to help with their taxes, and she felt useful in a new way. Adults also study with a clear purpose, so they often learn faster than they did as teenagers. Studying brings new people into your life too. The main problem is time, because adults usually don't have much spare time.

    Why this band

    • FC“she felt useful in a new way” — This closes the anecdote plainly, as a separate observation. The 7.0 and 7.5 answers instead fold this into the same sentence as the example with a dash, adding the vivid detail 'she even walks differently now' or 'she genuinely walks differently now', giving the consequence more punch within the flow.
    • LR“felt useful in a new way” — This is plain, general phrasing. The 7.0 and 7.5 answers add the more vivid, idiomatic image 'walks differently now' to convey the same change in confidence more memorably.
    • GRA“Adults also study with a clear purpose, so they often learn faster than they did as teenagers.” — This is a simple cause-result sentence with 'so', accurate but basic. The 7.5 answer extends a similar idea into a longer sentence with two paired noun phrases before the 'so' clause, 'a purpose and a working sense of how the world operates', showing wider structural range.
    Band 7.0

    The aside 'I swear she even walks differently now' adds a spoken, emphatic touch that the flatter 6.5 statement lacks.

    The obvious benefit is a better job, but honestly the ones I've noticed matter more are about confidence. My mother took a bookkeeping course at fifty-two, almost as a hobby, and within a year every relative was asking her to help with their taxes — she'd become useful in a completely new way, and I swear she even walks differently now. Adults also study with a real purpose and a better sense of how the world works, so they often learn faster than they did at eighteen. Study also brings new people into your life and keeps the brain active. The main cost, though, is time, which adults rarely have spare.

    Why this band

    • FC“I swear she even walks differently now” — This exclamatory aside injects a personal, conversational tone into the anecdote, more animated than the plain statement at 6.5. The 7.5 answer keeps a similar image but drops 'I swear', relying on 'genuinely' instead for a slightly steadier, more controlled effect.
    • LR“she'd become useful in a completely new way” — This is a fuller, more emphatic version of the 6.5 answer's 'felt useful in a new way', adding 'completely' for intensity. The 7.5 answer matches this closely, showing the two upper bands share similar lexical choices here.
    • GRA“Adults also study with a real purpose and a better sense of how the world works, so they often learn faster than they did at eighteen.” — This sentence pairs two noun phrases before a resulting 'so' clause, more developed than the plain sentence at 6.5. The 7.5 answer achieves a nearly identical structure, showing that grammatical range plateaus somewhat between 7.0 and 7.5 while lexical and rhetorical polish continues to improve.
    Band 7.5

    The closing clause 'which is exactly why so few take the leap' turns a simple fact about time into a small argumentative conclusion.

    The obvious benefit is a better job, but the ones I've actually watched matter more are about confidence. My mother took a bookkeeping course at fifty-two, almost as a hobby, and within a year every relative was asking her to help with their taxes — she'd become useful in a new way, and she genuinely walks differently now. Adults also learn with a purpose and a working sense of how the world operates, so they often pick things up faster than they did at eighteen. Study puts new people in your life, keeps the brain elastic, and for some it's about finally finishing something they were once forced to abandon. The main cost is time, and adults rarely have any spare, which is exactly why so few take the leap.

    Why this band

    • FC“which is exactly why so few take the leap” — This closing clause draws an explicit conclusion from the preceding fact, a more developed move than the 7.0 answer's plain statement 'which adults rarely have spare' or the 6.5 answer's separate sentence about time. It shows the answer building toward a considered final point.
    • LR“keeps the brain elastic” — 'Elastic' is a vivid, slightly unusual metaphor for mental flexibility, more distinctive than the plain 'keeps the brain active' used at 7.0 and absent at 6.5, exemplifying finer lexical choice.
    • GRA“for some it's about finally finishing something they were once forced to abandon” — This clause adds a further embedded idea using a passive relative clause, 'were once forced to abandon', extending the sentence beyond what either lower band attempts. It reflects the kind of layered, flexible grammar expected at the top band.

  5. 5. What do you think of the view that all companies should provide regular training courses or programmes for their employees?

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

    Opens with a short, formulaic agree/disagree statement, 'I agree with the idea, but not always with the word', a safe but plain framing.

    I agree with the idea, but not always with the word 'course'. Regular training makes sense, because skills become outdated, and companies that don't update them let their staff fall behind. But the best training I've had was my studio's monthly show-and-tell, where someone spends half an hour explaining something they just learned. It costs nothing and I've learned a lot from it. Small companies can't always afford proper courses, so I think every company should at least protect a few hours a month for learning.

    Why this band

    • FC“But the best training I've had was my studio's monthly show-and-tell” — The 6.5 answer marks its counterpoint with the plain connector 'But' at the sentence start. The 7.0 answer instead uses 'whereas' inside a longer sentence, and 7.5 does the same, both integrating the contrast more smoothly than starting a fresh sentence.
    • LR“It costs nothing and I've learned a lot from it.” — This is plain, direct phrasing describing the value of the show-and-tell. The 7.5 answer's 'it costs nothing, and I've learned more there than from any paid programme' adds a sharper, comparative edge to the same idea.
    • GRA“Small companies can't always afford proper courses, so I think every company should at least protect a few hours a month for learning.” — This sentence links a reason to a recommendation with 'so', clear but fairly standard. The 7.5 answer expresses a similar idea across two separate sentences with more internal complexity, including a colon-based final clause, showing wider structural variety.
    Band 7.0

    The phrase 'I'd say I agree with the goal, just not always with the format' reframes the opening claim more precisely than the plainer 6.5 version.

    I'd say I agree with the goal, just not always with the format. Regular training makes sense, since skills expire, and a company that doesn't renew them is quietly letting its people fall behind. But the word 'course' suggests classrooms and certificates, whereas the best training I've had was actually my studio's monthly show-and-tell, where someone spends half an hour demonstrating what they've just learned — it costs nothing, and I've picked up more there than from any paid programme. To be fair, small companies genuinely can't afford formal training, so 'all companies' feels unrealistic as a rule. What every company can manage, though, is protecting a few hours a month for learning.

    Why this band

    • FC“whereas the best training I've had was actually my studio's monthly show-and-tell” — Using 'whereas' to link the contrast within one sentence is smoother than the 6.5 answer's separate 'But' sentence. The 7.5 answer achieves an almost identical structure, showing the two upper bands converge closely on this particular cohesive device.
    • LR“suggests classrooms and certificates” — This is a precise, image-based way of unpacking what the word 'course' implies, more specific than the plain 'word course' reference at 6.5. The 7.5 answer's 'conjures up classrooms and certificates' is nearly identical, showing shared lexical sophistication between the two upper bands.
    • GRA“someone spends half an hour demonstrating what they've just learned — it costs nothing, and I've picked up more there than from any paid programme” — This sentence links a relative clause to a dash-marked result and comparison, more developed than the short separate sentences at 6.5. It closely matches the density of the 7.5 answer, differing mainly in small lexical choices.
    Band 7.5

    The closing clause 'whether that counts as a course is beside the point' gives the argument a crisp, dismissive final twist beyond the flatter endings of the lower bands.

    I agree with the goal, not necessarily the format. Regular training makes sense — skills expire, and a company that doesn't renew them is quietly letting its people fall behind. But 'courses' conjures up classrooms and certificates, and the best training I've ever had was my studio's monthly show-and-tell, where someone spends half an hour demonstrating whatever they've just picked up; it costs nothing, and I've learned more there than from any paid programme. Small companies genuinely can't afford formal training, so treating 'all companies' as a rule feels unrealistic. What every company can manage, though, is protecting a few hours a month for learning and making sure knowledge actually moves between people — whether that counts as a 'course' is beside the point.

    Why this band

    • FC“whether that counts as a 'course' is beside the point” — This closing clause dismisses the earlier semantic debate in a single confident stroke, a more assured rhetorical move than the 6.5 answer's plain recommendation or the 7.0 answer's similar but less pointed 'What every company can manage, though, is'.
    • LR“conjures up classrooms and certificates” — This is a vivid, image-based collocation for what a word implies, matching the sophistication of the 7.0 answer's 'suggests classrooms and certificates' but with a slightly more idiomatic verb, 'conjures up'.
    • GRA“someone spends half an hour demonstrating whatever they've just picked up; it costs nothing, and I've learned more there than from any paid programme” — This sentence uses a semicolon to link two closely related ideas into one flowing unit, a slightly tighter construction than the dash used in the equivalent 7.0 sentence. It shows flexible control over punctuation as a grammatical tool.

  6. 6. Might it ever be a good idea for retired people to go back to full-time education?

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

    Closes with two short, separate sentences, 'Of course... But I don't think', instead of linking the concession and conclusion together.

    Yes, I think it can be a good idea, and I've seen it work. A retired neighbour of my parents in Hue started a history degree at sixty-four. His lecturers say he works harder than students in their twenties, because he's there just out of curiosity and has plenty of time. Full-time study gives retired people structure and a reason to leave the house, which is good for their health. Of course, it isn't for everyone, since some people just want to rest. But I don't think education should end at twenty-two.

    Why this band

    • FC“But I don't think education should end at twenty-two.” — The 6.5 answer signals its final point with the plain connector 'But' at the start of a new sentence. The 7.0 answer instead links a similar idea with 'but' inside one continuous sentence, and 7.5 sets the same contrast off with dashes, both showing tighter integration.
    • LR“His lecturers say he works harder than students in their twenties” — This is plain reported speech. The 7.0 and 7.5 answers both use the more precise, idiomatic verb 'outworks', a single word doing the job of the whole 6.5 phrase.
    • GRA“Full-time study gives retired people structure and a reason to leave the house, which is good for their health.” — This sentence uses one relative clause, 'which is good for their health', a fairly standard structure. The 7.5 answer expands a similar idea with a three-item list, 'structure, company, and a reason to leave the house', adding an extra layer of detail within the same sentence type.
    Band 7.0

    The closing comparison 'feels more like a habit than a rule' gives the conclusion a slightly more reflective shape than the blunt final sentence at 6.5.

    For some people, absolutely, and I've genuinely watched it work. A retired neighbour of my parents in Hue enrolled in a history degree at sixty-four, and according to his lecturers he outworks every twenty-year-old in the class, simply because he's there purely out of curiosity and has time nobody else really has. Full-time study gives retired people structure, company, and a reason to leave the house, which matters a lot for their health. It also brings something back to the classroom, since younger students get to meet someone who actually lived through the history they're reading about. It's not for everyone, admittedly, but the idea that education ends at twenty-two feels more like a habit than a rule.

    Why this band

    • FC“It's not for everyone, admittedly, but the idea that education ends at twenty-two feels more like a habit than a rule.” — This single sentence links a concession to the main conclusion with 'but', more integrated than the 6.5 answer's two separate sentences. The 7.5 answer achieves an even tighter version of the same idea using dashes to set off the concession mid-sentence.
    • LR“outworks every twenty-year-old in the class” — This vivid, precise verb choice is shared with the 7.5 answer, both clearly ahead of the plain reported claim at 6.5, 'works harder than students in their twenties'.
    • GRA“It also brings something back to the classroom, since younger students get to meet someone who actually lived through the history they're reading about.” — This sentence links a reason clause with 'since' to a relative clause, moderately complex. The 7.5 answer achieves similar complexity but opens the idea with a colon instead of 'since', showing a slightly different but comparable cohesive device.
    Band 7.5

    The closing aphorism 'a habit, not a law' gives the answer a polished, quotable finish beyond the plainer endings of the lower bands.

    For some, absolutely, and I've watched it work first-hand. A retired neighbour of my parents in Hue enrolled in a history degree at sixty-four, and according to his lecturers he outworks every twenty-year-old in the class, simply because he's there purely out of curiosity and has time nobody else has. Full-time study gives retired people structure, company, and a reason to leave the house, which matters enormously for their health. It also brings something to the classroom itself: younger students get to meet someone who actually lived through the history they're reading about in a textbook. It's not for everyone — some want rest, and some can't afford it — but the notion that education ends at twenty-two is a habit, not a law.

    Why this band

    • FC“It's not for everyone — some want rest, and some can't afford it — but the notion that education ends at twenty-two is a habit, not a law.” — This sentence uses two dashes to insert a concession mid-flow before delivering the final claim, a more sophisticated cohesive structure than the 7.0 answer's simple 'but' link or the 6.5 answer's separate sentences. It keeps the whole argument inside one controlled unit.
    • LR“a habit, not a law” — This compact, aphoristic contrast is more idiomatic and memorable than the 7.0 answer's 'more like a habit than a rule', which expresses a similar idea with slightly more words and less punch.
    • GRA“It also brings something to the classroom itself: younger students get to meet someone who actually lived through the history they're reading about in a textbook.” — This sentence uses a colon to introduce an explanatory clause, a slightly more formal cohesive device than the 'since' clause used in the equivalent 7.0 sentence. It reflects the flexible punctuation choices available at the top band.

  7. 7. Do you agree or disagree that the importance of the job that teachers do is not fully appreciated by society nowadays?

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

    Uses 'Still,' to introduce the final balancing point as a separate sentence, a plain and slightly abrupt way to close.

    I agree, and the gap between words and money proves it. Every November, on Teachers' Day, the whole country sends flowers and gives speeches, but the rest of the year, teachers are paid so little that my own father left teaching for a desk job to support us. I think appreciation that doesn't change salary or working conditions isn't real appreciation. Parents have also become more demanding, and they often treat teachers like service providers. Still, there is real cultural respect for teachers in Vietnam, more than in a lot of other countries.

    Why this band

    • FC“Still, there is real cultural respect for teachers in Vietnam, more than in a lot of other countries.” — The 6.5 answer closes on this fairly flat balancing statement. The 7.0 answer adds a further detail, 'most people can name a teacher who changed their life', and the 7.5 answer goes further still with an extended closing image, both extending the thought rather than simply stating it.
    • LR“treat teachers like service providers” — This is clear but plain phrasing. The 7.5 answer's 'service providers rather than professionals to be trusted' adds an explicit contrast that sharpens the same criticism.
    • GRA“Parents have also become more demanding, and they often treat teachers like service providers.” — This is a simple sentence joined by 'and', accurate but basic. The 7.5 answer expresses a similar idea using a participial phrase, 'treating teachers as service providers rather than professionals to be trusted', showing a more compact, flexible grammatical structure.
    Band 7.0

    The phrase 'To be fair' introduces the concession about cultural respect more naturally than the abrupt 'Still,' used at 6.5.

    I'd say I agree, and honestly the gap between words and money is the clearest evidence. Every November, on Teachers' Day, the whole country sends flowers and speeches, and for the rest of the year teachers are paid so little that my own father left the profession for a desk job just to support us. Appreciation that doesn't actually affect salary, conditions, or everyday respect isn't really appreciation at all. Parents have also grown more demanding and less trusting, treating teachers more like service providers than professionals. To be fair, there is still genuine cultural respect for teachers in Vietnam, and most people can name a teacher who changed their life.

    Why this band

    • FC“To be fair, there is still genuine cultural respect for teachers in Vietnam” — This hedge frames the concession as a fair, considered point rather than a blunt pivot, an improvement on the 6.5 answer's 'Still,'. The 7.5 answer uses the identical hedge but extends the sentence further with an added comparative clause, 'more than in many countries'.
    • LR“isn't really appreciation at all” — This is an emphatic, natural closing phrase for the claim, stronger than the plain 'isn't real appreciation' at 6.5. The 7.5 answer pushes the same idea even further with the sharper 'isn't really appreciation — it's theatre'.
    • GRA“Appreciation that doesn't actually affect salary, conditions, or everyday respect isn't really appreciation at all.” — This sentence uses a three-item list inside a relative clause before the main verb, more developed than the plain equivalent at 6.5. The 7.5 answer achieves similar complexity but adds a dash-marked final twist, 'it's theatre', extending the sentence rhetorically.
    Band 7.5

    The closing simile 'the way it values good weather — gratefully, and without doing anything about it' gives the argument a vivid, memorable final image.

    I agree, and the gap between words and money is the clearest evidence there is. Every November, on Teachers' Day, the whole country sends flowers and speeches, and for the rest of the year teachers are paid so little that my own father left the profession for a desk job to support us. Appreciation that doesn't touch salary, conditions, or the small daily decisions isn't really appreciation — it's theatre. Parents have also grown more demanding and less trusting, treating teachers as service providers rather than professionals to be trusted. To be fair, there's still genuine cultural respect for teachers in Vietnam, more than in many countries, and most people can name a teacher who changed their life. But society values them the way it values good weather — gratefully, and without doing anything about it.

    Why this band

    • FC“isn't really appreciation — it's theatre” — This dash-marked final twist delivers a sharp, judgemental label for the earlier claim, a more assertive rhetorical move than the 7.0 answer's plainer 'isn't really appreciation at all' or the 6.5 answer's simple negative statement.
    • LR“the way it values good weather” — This simile is a vivid, original image for describing empty appreciation, well beyond anything attempted at 6.5 or 7.0, exemplifying the creative, idiomatic lexis expected at the top band.
    • GRA“society values them the way it values good weather — gratefully, and without doing anything about it” — This closing sentence uses a simile followed by two parallel adverbial phrases set off by a dash, a considerably more elaborate structure than the plain closing sentences at 6.5 and 7.0. It demonstrates the flexible, extended sentence control expected at 7.5.

  8. 8. What role might a good education play in making citizens happy and successful?

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

    Uses the plain marker 'Still,' before the closing claim, a safe but repetitive way of pivoting after already using 'though' earlier.

    I think education plays a big role, especially in success, though happiness is harder to connect to it directly. Among my cousins in the countryside, the ones who finished secondary school now have steady jobs, while the ones who left early do harder, less secure work. Education gives people more income and more choices, like being able to leave a bad job or understand a contract. For happiness, though, it's less clear, because educated people aren't always happier. Still, I think education gives people the ability to understand and improve their lives, which is close to happiness.

    Why this band

    • FC“For happiness, though, it's less clear, because educated people aren't always happier.” — The 6.5 answer marks this pivot with 'though' inserted into a short sentence. The 7.0 answer instead opens with 'For happiness it's less direct, since', and 7.5 uses a colon, 'For happiness it's murkier:', each showing a slightly more compact way of introducing the same qualification.
    • LR“more income and more choices” — This is a plain, listed description. The 7.5 answer's 'hands people options' uses a more active, idiomatic verb in place of the flat 'gives', adding a touch of vividness.
    • GRA“Education gives people more income and more choices, like being able to leave a bad job or understand a contract.” — This sentence uses a 'like' clause to introduce examples, a fairly simple structure. The 7.5 answer expresses similar examples as a dash-marked list of parallel infinitive phrases, showing a more compact and varied grammatical pattern.
    Band 7.0

    The aside 'I think' at the very end of the final sentence, rather than the start, shows a more integrated way of hedging than the 6.5 answer's opening 'I think'.

    I'd say education plays a large role, though 'successful' is honestly easier to trace than 'happy'. Among my cousins in the countryside, the ones who finished secondary school ended up with steady jobs, while the ones who left early are stuck in physically hard, insecure work, and that gap really started around age fifteen. Education raises income, obviously, but it also gives people options — the chance to leave a bad job, understand a contract, or help their own children later on. For happiness it's less direct, since educated people aren't automatically happier, and some are actually more anxious. What a good education really gives, I think, is the ability to make sense of your life and change it.

    Why this band

    • FC“What a good education really gives, I think, is the ability to make sense of your life and change it.” — Placing the hedge 'I think' mid-sentence, set off by commas, is a more integrated move than the 6.5 answer's sentence-initial 'I think'. The 7.5 answer goes further, placing a similar hedge, 'I'd argue', even later in the sentence, after the main claim has already been made.
    • LR“the chance to leave a bad job, understand a contract, or help their own children later on” — This three-part list uses full clauses joined by commas and 'or', clear but standard. The 7.5 answer trims this into three parallel infinitive phrases without a final conjunction, 'the ability to walk away from a bad job, make sense of a contract, help their own children with homework', a slightly more compressed, stylistically confident structure.
    • GRA“Education raises income, obviously, but it also gives people options — the chance to leave a bad job, understand a contract, or help their own children later on.” — This sentence combines a short main clause with a dash-marked list, moderately complex. The 7.5 answer achieves a very similar structure, showing that sentence-level ambition is already close to its ceiling by 7.0, with further gains coming mainly from lexical precision.
    Band 7.5

    The closing clause, 'that capacity, I'd argue, sits closer to happiness than money ever does', ends on a confident, original comparison rather than a flatter restatement.

    A large one, though 'successful' is far easier to trace than 'happy'. Among my cousins in the countryside, the ones who finished secondary school have steady jobs, while the ones who left early are stuck in physically hard, insecure work, and the gap between them started around fifteen. Education raises income, obviously, but it also hands people options — the ability to walk away from a bad job, make sense of a contract, help their own children with homework. For happiness it's murkier: educated people aren't automatically happier, and some are visibly more anxious. What a good education gives, though, is the capacity to make sense of your own life and reshape it, and that capacity, I'd argue, sits closer to happiness than money ever does.

    Why this band

    • FC“For happiness it's murkier:” — This compact colon-based transition replaces a full clause with a single vivid adjective, 'murkier', a more economical move than the 7.0 answer's 'For happiness it's less direct, since' or the 6.5 answer's 'For happiness, though, it's less clear, because'.
    • LR“murkier” — This single adjective captures ambiguity more vividly and economically than the plain 'less clear' at 6.5 or 'less direct' at 7.0, showing the kind of precise, compact word choice expected at the top band.
    • GRA“that capacity, I'd argue, sits closer to happiness than money ever does” — This closing clause inserts a hedge mid-sentence and ends on a comparative structure with 'than... ever does', a more flexible and emphatic construction than the plainer final sentences of the lower bands.

  9. 9. Should ensuring that all citizens are well educated be the top priority for societies?

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

    States the flooding fact and its meaning in two separate short sentences, 'but every October... This shows', a plain, step-by-step structure.

    I think it should be one of the top priorities, but maybe not the single top one. Da Nang has good schools, but every October, half the city still floods badly. This shows an educated population can still live with problems like bad drainage. I think health, safety, and basic infrastructure need to come together with education, because a hungry or sick child can't learn well. Education is important because it helps fix other problems over time, but a country shouldn't only focus on one thing.

    Why this band

    • FC“This shows an educated population can still live with problems like bad drainage.” — The 6.5 answer draws out the implication of the flooding example in a new, separate sentence starting with 'This shows'. The 7.0 and 7.5 answers instead compress the same implication into a dash-marked phrase directly after the flooding fact, 'an educated population still living with unfixed drainage', folding interpretation into description.
    • LR“problems like bad drainage” — This is vague, general phrasing. The 7.5 answer's 'drainage nobody's fixed' is more specific and pointed, turning a general noun phrase into a small implicit criticism.
    • GRA“Da Nang has good schools, but every October, half the city still floods badly.” — This is a simple sentence joined by 'but', accurate but basic. The 7.5 answer expresses a similar contrast using 'and yet', followed by a dash-marked elaboration, showing a more varied and layered way of linking the same two facts.
    Band 7.0

    The closing sentence lists three parallel adjectives, 'clever, unwell, and precariously housed', giving the ending more rhetorical shape than the flatter final sentence at 6.5.

    I'd put it among the top priorities, but I'd hesitate to call it the single top one. Da Nang has excellent schools, and yet every October half the city still shuts down because of flooding — an educated population still living with unfixed drainage. Health, safety, and basic infrastructure really need to come alongside education, because a hungry or sick child can't learn, and a flooded school teaches nothing at all. Education is the investment that pays for the others over time, which is a strong case for ranking it very high. But societies that chase one priority at the expense of everything else tend to end up clever, unwell, and precariously housed.

    Why this band

    • FC“an educated population still living with unfixed drainage” — This dash-marked phrase integrates the interpretation directly into the description, more fluid than the 6.5 answer's separate sentence 'This shows...'. The 7.5 answer keeps an almost identical structure, showing the two upper bands converge on this cohesive strategy.
    • LR“shuts down because of flooding” — This is clear, workable phrasing. The 7.5 answer keeps this phrase nearly identical, showing that at this point in the response the main gains between 7.0 and 7.5 come from elsewhere in the answer, such as the sharper closing line, rather than from this particular description.
    • GRA“societies that chase one priority at the expense of everything else tend to end up clever, unwell, and precariously housed” — This sentence uses a relative clause plus a three-item adjective list, a well-developed structure. The 7.5 answer achieves a very similar pattern, differing mainly in the verb 'pursue... to the exclusion of' versus 'chase... at the expense of', both idiomatic but drawn from slightly different registers.
    Band 7.5

    The final two-word sentence, 'Top priority, plural.', breaks from the longer sentences around it for deliberate emphasis, a stylistic risk the lower bands don't take.

    One of the top few, but I'd hesitate to call it the single top priority. Da Nang has excellent schools, and yet every October half the city still shuts down because of flooding — an educated population quietly living with drainage nobody's fixed. Health, safety, and basic infrastructure have to come alongside education, because a hungry or sick child can't learn, and a flooded school teaches nothing. Education is arguably the investment that pays for all the others over time, which is a strong case for putting it very high indeed. But societies that pursue a single priority to the exclusion of the rest tend to produce people who are clever, unwell, and precariously housed. Top priority, plural, would be my honest answer.

    Why this band

    • FC“Top priority, plural, would be my honest answer.” — This short, punchy closing sentence breaks the rhythm of the longer sentences before it, a bolder stylistic choice than the smoothly integrated but less abrupt endings of the 6.5 and 7.0 answers. It signals confident, deliberate control over pacing.
    • LR“drainage nobody's fixed” — This compact, slightly colloquial phrase is more pointed than the neutral 'unfixed drainage' at 7.0 and the vague 'problems like bad drainage' at 6.5, showing the kind of natural, economical phrasing valued at the top band.
    • GRA“societies that pursue a single priority to the exclusion of the rest tend to produce people who are clever, unwell, and precariously housed” — This sentence adds an extra relative clause, 'who are', before the three-item list, making it slightly more layered than the equivalent 7.0 sentence. Combined with the short final sentence that follows, it shows flexible control over both long and short structures within the same answer.

Frequently asked questions

How long should my answer to this Part 2 cue card be?
Speak for 1 to 2 minutes. The examiner will stop you at 2 minutes, so aim for roughly 220-300 words that cover every bullet on the card and end with how you feel about it.
What Part 3 questions follow this cue card?
After "A Person You Know Who Learned Something New Without a Teacher", examiners have asked 9 follow-up discussion questions, listed above. They move from your personal story to general opinions on the same theme.
Is this cue card still being used?
It was most recently reported by test-takers in May–Aug 2026. Cue cards rotate every four months, and many topics return in later seasons with slightly different wording.