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 Program or App That You Like Using on Your Computer or Phone", 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.

IELTS Speaking Part 2

A Program or App That You Like Using on Your Computer or Phone

Most recently asked in May–Aug 2026

The cue card

Describe a program or app that you like using on your computer or phone

You should say:

What this program or app does
When you use the program or app
How you found out about the program or app
And explain why you like using this program or app

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

The answer states one clear reason ('makes it feel more like a small game') using plain, everyday vocabulary, correct and clear but linguistically modest, Band 6.5.

The app I want to talk about is a running app on my phone. It's called a fitness tracker, and it records how far I run, how fast, and how many calories I burn, using GPS.

I use it every Saturday and Sunday morning, when I run along My Khe Beach. I put my phone in an armband, start the app, and just run. It also plays music while I run, which I like.

I found out about it from my colleague Phương at the studio. One day she was talking about her weekend run, and she showed me the map on her phone with her running route and her time. I thought it looked interesting, so I downloaded the same app that evening.

The reason I like this app is simple. First, it's very easy to use — I just press start and stop, nothing complicated. Second, it shows my progress every week, so I can see if I'm getting faster or slower, and that makes me want to keep running. Third, it sometimes gives me small badges when I finish a certain distance, which feels a little silly but actually makes me happy. Running alone can be boring, but this app makes it feel more like a small game, and that's why I still use it almost every weekend.

221 words · about 2 minutes

Why this band

LR“it's very easy to use — I just press start and stop, nothing complicated” — The description relies on concrete, simple action verbs — 'press start and stop' — reinforced by the speaker's own label, 'nothing complicated', which openly signals the simplicity rather than demonstrating it through varied vocabulary. This plain, self-aware phrasing is what the Band 6.5 lexical target asks for: everyday words used clearly, with no idiom or clever phrasing attempted.
GRA“it shows my progress every week, so I can see if I'm getting faster or slower” — 'It shows my progress every week, so I can see if I'm getting faster or slower' uses a basic result clause with 'so', the kind of simple cause-and-effect subordination the Band 6.5 grammar target describes. The embedded 'if I'm getting faster or slower' stays at the level of a reported question rather than developing into a genuine conditional, which is consistent with keeping the sentence accurate but grammatically modest.
FC“makes it feel more like a small game, and that's why I still use it almost every weekend” — The answer gives a single causal payoff — the game-like feeling leads directly to continued use — joined with 'and', and then stops rather than adding a second supporting reason. That is exactly the Band 6.5 fluency target of 'one clear reason or example is enough'; a Band 7.0 answer on the same topic would likely follow this with a further concrete detail, such as naming a specific badge earned.

Band 7.0

The relative clause 'speaking practice where I repeat sentences into the microphone and it checks my pronunciation' and the concrete example about feeling less nervous on English calls show comfortable Band 7.0 development.

The app I'd like to talk about is a language-learning app that I use to practise my English, particularly speaking and listening.

I use it most mornings, usually for about twenty minutes while I'm having breakfast or on the bus to work. It gives me short daily lessons — sometimes listening exercises, sometimes speaking practice where I repeat sentences into the microphone and it checks my pronunciation.

I actually found out about it through a coworker who was using it during our lunch break one day. I noticed she was talking to her phone quite intently, which looked a little odd at first, and when I asked what she was doing, she explained it was for practising English before a work trip abroad. I downloaded it that same evening out of curiosity.

The reason I like using it is mainly the convenience — I can fit a short lesson into almost any spare moment, which suits my schedule a lot better than a formal class would. I also like that it tracks my progress and shows me a kind of streak for how many days in a row I've practised, which genuinely motivates me to keep going even on days when I don't really feel like it. Beyond that, I think it's actually improved my confidence when speaking English at work, since our studio sometimes deals with international clients, and I no longer feel as nervous switching into English during a call. It's a small habit, but over the past year it's made a noticeable difference to how comfortable I feel using the language day to day.

267 words · about 2 minutes

Why this band

GRA“sometimes speaking practice where I repeat sentences into the microphone and it checks my pronunciation” — The relative clause, "where I repeat sentences...," is combined with a coordinated second action, "and it checks my pronunciation," inside it, handling two layers of structure in one smooth sentence without error. This is the comfortable mix of complex forms the 7.0 descriptor describes, though it stops short of anything like a conditional or cleft sentence that would push it toward 7.5. It also efficiently packs in a lot of concrete detail about how the app actually works, which supports the fluency of the description.
LR“which genuinely motivates me to keep going even on days when I don't really feel like it” — "Genuinely motivates me" is a natural, slightly more expressive verb-adverb pairing than the plainer "makes me want to," and "even on days when I don't really feel like it" adds a conversational, idiomatic-leaning qualifier rather than a formal one. This combination goes a step beyond plain vocabulary while staying entirely natural-sounding, which is the 7.0 target; a 6.5 answer would likely just say "it makes me want to keep practising." It reinforces the specific claim about the streak feature actually working as a motivator.
FC“I no longer feel as nervous switching into English during a call” — This gives a specific, work-related consequence of the app — reduced nervousness on international calls — rather than a vague claim like "it's improved my English," developing the point with a concrete example as the 7.0 descriptor asks. A 6.5 answer would likely stop at the general claim of improvement without this situational detail. It also connects back to the studio's international clients mentioned earlier, tying the personal benefit to the wider context already established.

Band 7.5

The figurative 'a wall of water that arrives in seconds and turns the road into a river' and the hyperbolic closing 'close to a superpower' reflect confident, idiomatic Band 7.5 language.

The app I'd like to talk about is a rain-radar app — a weather app, but a specific kind. Instead of telling you 'sixty percent chance of rain', it shows a live map of the actual rain clouds moving across the coast, updated every few minutes, so you can see that a storm is sitting over the Sơn Trà peninsula and will reach my street in about twelve minutes.

What it does, in practice, is decide when I leave the house. Da Nang's rainy season runs from September to December, and rain here isn't a drizzle — it's a wall of water that arrives in seconds and turns the road into a river. On a motorbike, twelve minutes of warning is the difference between arriving at work dry and arriving looking like I swam there. So I check it every morning at half past seven, again before leaving the office, and I've become the person in the studio who announces 'go now, you have eight minutes' to the whole room.

I found it through a surfer friend, which makes sense: surfers watch weather the way traders watch prices. He showed it to me on the beach two years ago, mostly to explain why he was suddenly leaving, and I downloaded it that evening.

Why I like it comes down to honesty. Most apps on my phone want something from me — attention, a subscription, a notification I never asked for. This one just shows me the sky, accurately, and then leaves me alone. As a designer I admire that; it does one thing, does it well, and has never once tried to become a social network. It also gives me a small daily feeling of control in a season that is otherwise chaos. I've stayed dry through three rainy seasons now, which in this city is close to a superpower.

310 words · about 2 minutes

Why this band

LR“a wall of water that arrives in seconds and turns the road into a river” — Two figurative images are stacked here -- rain as "a wall of water" and a flooded road as "a river" -- used to convey the sheer intensity of tropical rain far more vividly than a literal statement like "it rains very heavily and suddenly" that a Band 6.5 or 7.0 answer would offer instead. The urgency conveyed by "arrives in seconds" also sets up the practical stakes of the whole answer -- why twelve minutes of warning from the app genuinely matters. This is language used to make an argument (the app is necessary), not decoration for its own sake, which is what keeps it feeling natural rather than showy.
GRA“I've become the person in the studio who announces 'go now, you have eight minutes' to the whole room.” — A relative clause ("who announces...") has a full piece of direct quoted speech embedded inside it, rather than a simple description of the habit -- a flexible, less-common combination of structures handled accurately, which is what the 7.5 grammar descriptor calls for beyond the simpler complex sentences typical of 6.5 or 7.0. A lower-band answer would more likely just state the fact plainly ("I always tell my colleagues when it's about to rain"). The quoted announcement also makes the habit vivid and specific rather than abstract, showing exactly how the app has changed the speaker's role in the office.
FC“which in this city is close to a superpower” — This closing line takes the modest, practical achievement of staying dry and reframes it with deliberate hyperbole as something almost heroic, a reflective, evaluative way of closing the answer rather than a flat summary like "the app has been very useful" that a Band 6.5 or 7.0 answer would likely settle for. The joke also depends on shared local knowledge established earlier in the answer -- that Da Nang's rainy season is genuinely disruptive -- so the humour is grounded in the story rather than a generic flourish. It leaves the listener with a specific, memorable final image instead of trailing off on a plain fact.

How this card was asked, by exam period

Describe a program or app that you like using on your computer or phoneMay–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. Which programs or apps are most popular in your country?
May–Aug 2026
Compare Band 6.5 / 7.0 / 7.5 for this question
Band 6.5
The plain closing sentence 'Games are huge among teenagers too' adds a final point with no elaboration, typical of the direct 6.5 style.
If you looked at my mother's phone, you would see the whole country's app world in three icons: Zalo for messaging, a banking app, and a karaoke app. Facebook is still huge here too — it works as news, marketplace, and neighbourhood noticeboard — and TikTok has taken over people under thirty completely. Shopee for shopping, Grab for rides and food, and MoMo for payments are also very common, and almost everyone under fifty now pays with a QR code. Games are huge among teenagers too.
Why this band
LR“the whole country's app world in three icons” — Plain, generic vocabulary. The 7.0 and 7.5 versions use the more precise, almost technical phrase 'app economy', which sounds like a more considered observation about a system rather than just a list.
GRA“TikTok has taken over people under thirty completely” — A simple verb phrase. The 7.5 version intensifies this with 'captured the under-thirties completely', a more vivid, almost dramatic verb choice.
FC“Games are huge among teenagers too” — A short, flat closing sentence with no further development. The 7.5 version extends the whole answer with a final generalisation about how little of daily life sits outside these apps, giving the ending far more weight.
Band 7.0
The phrase 'app economy' reframes a simple list of icons as evidence of a whole economic system, a more analytical opening than a flat description.
If you looked at my mother's phone you'd see the whole country's app economy in three icons: Zalo for messaging, a banking app, and a karaoke app. Beyond that, Facebook is still enormous here — it works as news, marketplace and neighbourhood noticeboard — and TikTok has taken the under-thirties completely. Shopee for shopping, Grab for rides and food, MoMo for payments, and nearly everyone under fifty now pays by QR code. Games are huge among teenagers too, to be fair. What's interesting is how much of daily life runs through just three or four of these apps.
Why this band
LR“the whole country's app economy in three icons” — 'App economy' is a more precise, analytical term than 6.5's plainer 'app world', suggesting a considered observation rather than just a description.
FC“What's interesting is how much of daily life runs through just three or four of these apps” — This closing generalisation draws a broader conclusion from the earlier list, more developed than 6.5's flat final sentence about games.
GRA“nearly everyone under fifty now pays by QR code” — The passive-style construction 'pays by QR code' is slightly more compact than 6.5's fuller 'pays with a QR code', though the difference is subtle.
Band 7.5
The closing clause 'a Vietnamese person could lose every other one and barely notice the gap' turns an abstract observation into a vivid, testable claim.
If you looked at my mother's phone you'd see the whole country's app economy compressed into three icons: Zalo for messaging, a banking app, and a karaoke app. Beyond that, Facebook is still enormous here — it doubles as news, marketplace and neighbourhood noticeboard all at once — and TikTok has captured the under-thirties completely. Shopee for shopping, Grab for rides and food, MoMo for payments, and nearly everyone under fifty now pays by scanning a QR code without a second thought. Games are genuinely huge among teenagers too. What's genuinely interesting is just how much of daily life runs through only three or four of these apps; a Vietnamese person could lose every other one and barely notice the gap.
Why this band
FC“a Vietnamese person could lose every other one and barely notice the gap” — This closing hypothetical gives the earlier generalisation a concrete, testable shape, a more developed ending than 6.5's plain final sentence and 7.0's shorter, more abstract version.
LR“it doubles as news, marketplace and neighbourhood noticeboard all at once” — The added phrase 'all at once' emphasises simultaneity, sharper than 6.5's and 7.0's plainer 'works as news, marketplace and neighbourhood noticeboard'.
GRA“pays by scanning a QR code without a second thought” — The participial phrase 'without a second thought' adds flexible, idiomatic texture beyond 7.0's plainer 'pays by QR code'.
2. How do the types of programs and apps that young people use compare with those that older people use?
May–Aug 2026
Compare Band 6.5 / 7.0 / 7.5 for this question
Band 6.5
The plain final sentence 'Family group chats are where both groups actually meet' states the observation directly with basic vocabulary.
The two groups barely overlap. My father's most-used app, after messaging, is a lunar calendar he checks before booking anything important — a very old habit running on new technology. Older people usually use apps for communication, news, banking, and health, things that serve routines they already have. Younger people live in entertainment apps — short video, games, music, and dating. Young people try new apps constantly and drop them quickly, while older people adopt slowly but stay loyal for years. Family group chats are where both groups actually meet.
Why this band
GRA“Younger people live in entertainment apps — short video, games, music, and dating” — A four-item dash-led list. The 7.0 and 7.5 versions extend this to five items, adding 'messaging that's more about presence than information', a more precise and developed category.
LR“a very old habit running on new technology” — Plain, functional phrasing. The 7.5 version intensifies this with 'religiously' and 'very new technology', 'consults religiously... running on very new technology', sharpening the contrast.
FC“Family group chats are where both groups actually meet” — A short, flat closing sentence. The 7.5 version extends this with 'probably the one place a seventy-year-old and a seventeen-year-old use the same app for the same reason', giving the conclusion far more specificity.
Band 7.0
The verb 'consults' rather than 'checks' gives the description of the father's habit a slightly more formal, deliberate quality.
The categories barely overlap, honestly. My father's most-used app, after messaging, is a lunar calendar he consults before booking anything important — a very old habit running on very new technology. Older people cluster around communication, news, banking, health tracking and things that serve existing routines. Younger people live in entertainment and identity: short video, games, music, dating, and messaging that's more about presence than information. The young try new apps constantly and abandon them; the old adopt slowly and then stay for years, to be fair. Where they meet is family group chats, probably the one shared app.
Why this band
GRA“short video, games, music, dating, and messaging that's more about presence than information” — A five-item list with the final item developed into its own clause, more sophisticated than 6.5's simpler four-item version.
FC“The young try new apps constantly and abandon them; the old adopt slowly and then stay for years” — The semicolon joins two balanced, contrasting clauses, more fluent than 6.5's version joined with 'while'.
LR“consults before booking anything important” — 'Consults' is a more formal, precise verb than 6.5's plainer 'checks', suggesting a more deliberate ritual.
Band 7.5
The closing image of 'a seventy-year-old and a seventeen-year-old' using the same app gives an abstract claim about overlap a vivid, concrete shape.
The categories barely overlap at all. My father's most-used app, after messaging, is a lunar calendar he consults religiously before booking anything important — a genuinely old habit running on very new technology. Older people cluster around communication, news, banking, health tracking and things that serve routines they've already built for themselves. Younger people, by contrast, live in entertainment and identity: short video, games, music, dating, and messaging that's more about presence than actual information. The young try new apps constantly and abandon them just as fast; the old adopt slowly and then stay loyal for years once they've committed. Where the two generations genuinely meet is family group chats, probably the one place a seventy-year-old and a seventeen-year-old use the same app for the same reason.
Why this band
FC“probably the one place a seventy-year-old and a seventeen-year-old use the same app for the same reason” — This closing concrete image gives the abstract claim about overlap a memorable, specific shape, well beyond 6.5's plain closing sentence and 7.0's more general 'probably the one shared app'.
LR“consults religiously before booking anything important” — The adverb 'religiously' is a vivid, almost ironic intensifier, sharper than 7.0's plainer 'consults before booking'.
GRA“the old adopt slowly and then stay loyal for years once they've committed” — The added clause 'once they've committed' extends 7.0's simpler semicolon-joined pair with a further nuance about the process of adoption.
3. Why do some people not use programs or apps?
May–Aug 2026
Compare Band 6.5 / 7.0 / 7.5 for this question
Band 6.5
The plain closing sentence 'And some simply do not need one' finishes the list with basic vocabulary and no further comment.
My grandmother will not touch a banking app because she is sure one wrong tap will send her savings to a stranger, and honestly the interface does not help much. Fear of making an irreversible mistake stops many older people, more than any lack of intelligence. Poor eyesight and small text stop others. In rural areas, weak signal and the cost of data also matter. Some people avoid apps on purpose because they are tired of being managed by their phone. And some simply do not need one.
Why this band
GRA“Fear of making an irreversible mistake stops many older people, more than any lack of intelligence” — A plain comparative sentence. The 7.0 and 7.5 versions tighten this into 'fear of irreversible mistakes is a bigger barrier than any lack of intelligence', a more compact noun-based structure.
FC“Some people avoid apps on purpose because they are tired of being managed by their phone” — Plain phrasing. The 7.0 and 7.5 versions add a specific example, 'a colleague of mine deleted everything but maps and messages', turning the general claim into a concrete illustration.
LR“And some simply do not need one” — A short, unelaborated closer. The 7.5 version develops this with a specific example, 'a farmer who sells to the same trader every week isn't missing much', proving the point rather than just stating it.
Band 7.0
The dash-led clause '— fear of irreversible mistakes is a bigger barrier than any lack of intelligence' turns a personal anecdote into a small generalising claim within the same sentence.
My grandmother won't touch a banking app because she's convinced one wrong tap will send her savings to a stranger, and honestly the interfaces do little to reassure her — fear of irreversible mistakes is a bigger barrier than any lack of intelligence. Eyesight and small text stop many older people too. In rural areas, weak signal and the cost of data still matter, to be fair. Some people avoid apps deliberately: a colleague of mine deleted everything but maps and messages because she was tired of being managed by her phone. And some simply have no real need for one.
Why this band
GRA“fear of irreversible mistakes is a bigger barrier than any lack of intelligence” — This compact noun-phrase construction is more economical than 6.5's fuller verb-based sentence expressing the same comparison.
FC“Some people avoid apps deliberately: a colleague of mine deleted everything but maps and messages” — The colon introduces a specific, named example directly within the sentence, more developed than 6.5's separate, more general statement.
LR“she's convinced one wrong tap will send her savings to a stranger” — 'Convinced' is a more precise, formal verb than 6.5's plainer 'is sure', suggesting a firmly held, almost irrational belief.
Band 7.5
The closing example 'a farmer who sells to the same trader every week isn't missing much' proves the final claim with a concrete case rather than leaving it abstract.
My grandmother won't touch a banking app because she's utterly convinced one wrong tap will send her savings straight to a stranger, and honestly the interfaces do little to reassure her — fear of irreversible mistakes is a far bigger barrier than any lack of intelligence. Poor eyesight and small text stop plenty of older people too. In rural areas, weak signal and the cost of data still matter considerably. Some people avoid apps quite deliberately: a colleague of mine deleted everything but maps and messages because she was tired of being managed by her own phone, and I understand her completely. And some simply have no need at all; a farmer who sells to the same trader every week isn't missing much.
Why this band
FC“a farmer who sells to the same trader every week isn't missing much” — This closing concrete example proves the final claim rather than just stating it, a more developed ending than 6.5's bare assertion and 7.0's version without any such proof.
LR“she's utterly convinced one wrong tap will send her savings straight to a stranger” — The intensifiers 'utterly' and 'straight' sharpen the claim beyond 7.0's plainer 'convinced one wrong tap will send her savings to a stranger'.
GRA“and I understand her completely” — This added personal reaction, set off by a comma, shows more flexible sentence-building than 7.0's version, which stops at reporting the colleague's behaviour without commenting on it.
4. Should parents limit the time children spend on apps or computer programs?
May–Aug 2026
Compare Band 6.5 / 7.0 / 7.5 for this question
Band 6.5
The plain contrast 'Yes, but how matters more than how much' states the whole position in six words before any explanation follows.
Yes, but how matters more than how much. My sister's rule for her son is simple: no screen until homework is finished and he has been outside on his bicycle, then a set amount of time. But she says the real work is choosing what he watches, because an hour of a building game and an hour of random videos leave him in very different moods. Young children need limits, because apps are made to be hard to leave. With teenagers, strict limits usually just create secrecy.
Why this band
LR“an hour of a building game and an hour of random videos leave him in very different moods” — Plain, generic vocabulary. The 7.0 and 7.5 versions specify 'random short videos', a more precise, contemporary term than the vaguer 'random videos'.
GRA“Young children need limits, because apps are made to be hard to leave” — A simple cause-and-effect sentence. The 7.0 and 7.5 versions use the more precise verb 'engineered', 'the apps are engineered to be hard to leave', a stronger, more deliberate-sounding claim.
FC“With teenagers, strict limits usually just create secrecy” — A short, flat closing sentence. The 7.0 and 7.5 versions extend this with 'agreements and shared activities work better', offering a solution rather than just naming the problem.
Band 7.0
The verb 'engineered' rather than 'made' gives the claim about app design a more precise, almost accusatory technical edge.
Yes, though the how matters more than the how much, honestly. My sister's rule for her son is simple: no screen until homework is done and he's been outside on his bicycle, and then a set amount of time — but she says the real work is choosing what he watches, because an hour of a building game and an hour of random short videos leave him in completely different moods. Young children need limits because the apps are engineered to be hard to leave, and a seven-year-old can't fight that alone. With teenagers, rigid limits mostly produce secrecy; shared activities work better, to be fair.
Why this band
LR“the apps are engineered to be hard to leave” — 'Engineered' is a more precise, technical verb than 6.5's plainer 'made', implying deliberate design rather than a vague fact.
FC“With teenagers, rigid limits mostly produce secrecy; shared activities work better, to be fair” — The semicolon links the problem to its solution within one sentence, more fluent than 6.5's separate, less connected final sentence.
GRA“a seven-year-old can't fight that alone” — This added consequence clause extends the reasoning further than 6.5's shorter version, which stops at stating the need for limits.
Band 7.5
The closing observation about 'the parent's own phone habits' turns the whole discussion back on the adult, a sharp final twist.
Yes, though the how matters considerably more than the how much. My sister's rule for her son is simple: no screen until homework is done and he's been outside on his bicycle, and then a fixed amount of time — but she insists the real work is choosing what he actually watches, since an hour of a building game and an hour of random short videos leave him in wildly different moods. Young children genuinely need limits, because the apps are deliberately engineered to be hard to leave, and a seven-year-old can't fight that battle alone. With teenagers, rigid limits mostly just produce secrecy; agreements and shared activities work considerably better. The parent's own phone habits remain the strongest rule of all, whether they admit it or not.
Why this band
FC“The parent's own phone habits remain the strongest rule of all, whether they admit it or not” — This closing twist redirects the whole discussion back onto the parent, a considerably more developed ending than 6.5's flat final sentence and 7.0's version without this reversal.
LR“leave him in wildly different moods” — 'Wildly' is a more vivid, forceful intensifier than 6.5's and 7.0's plainer 'very' or 'completely different moods'.
GRA“the apps are deliberately engineered to be hard to leave” — The added adverb 'deliberately' sharpens 7.0's already precise 'engineered', making the accusation of intent even more explicit.
5. What is the value of using apps for educational purposes?
May–Aug 2026
Compare Band 6.5 / 7.0 / 7.5 for this question
Band 6.5
The short closing sentence 'The main limit, though, is motivation' names the key weakness in five plain words with no elaboration.
The main value is quick feedback and endless practice. A colleague of mine learned to read sheet music in three months using an app that plays each note back the moment you tap it — something no book or teacher could ever repeat a thousand times a day. Apps make repetition cheap, which is how skills actually form, and they adjust to the learner's own level rather than the class average. They also reach people who would never sit in a classroom. The main limit, though, is motivation.
Why this band
FC“The main limit, though, is motivation” — A short, unexplained closer. The 7.5 version extends this into a fuller, almost aphoristic sentence, 'An app can teach you almost anything you're already determined to learn, and almost nothing you're not', unpacking exactly what the limit means.
GRA“something no book or teacher could ever repeat a thousand times a day” — Plain, functional phrasing. The 7.0 and 7.5 versions restructure this as 'no book can do and no teacher can repeat', a more balanced parallel comparing two separate limitations rather than combining them.
LR“quick feedback and endless practice” — Plain, generic vocabulary. The 7.0 and 7.5 versions use the more precise 'immediate feedback', a slightly more formal and specific term for the same idea.
Band 7.0
The colon before 'adults with jobs, people in villages without a tutor' gives concrete faces to what would otherwise be an abstract claim about reach.
The main value, honestly, is immediate feedback and endless practice. A colleague of mine learned to read sheet music in three months with an app that plays each note back the instant you tap it — something no book can do and no teacher can repeat a thousand times a day. Apps make repetition cheap, which is how skills form, and they adapt to the learner's level rather than the class average. They also reach people who'd never sit in a classroom: adults with jobs, people in villages without a tutor. The limit is motivation, to be fair — an app teaches you what you're already determined to learn.
Why this band
FC“who'd never sit in a classroom: adults with jobs, people in villages without a tutor” — The colon introduces specific examples directly, more developed than 6.5's vaguer, unillustrated 'reach people who would never sit in a classroom'.
LR“immediate feedback and endless practice” — 'Immediate' is a slightly more precise, formal word than 6.5's plainer 'quick', matching the more considered register of the rest of the answer.
GRA“no book can do and no teacher can repeat a thousand times a day” — The parallel structure 'no book can do and no teacher can repeat' balances two separate limitations, more grammatically developed than 6.5's single combined clause.
Band 7.5
The closing aphorism 'almost anything you're already determined to learn, and almost nothing you're not' compresses the whole discussion of motivation into one balanced, memorable line.
The main value, honestly, is immediate feedback paired with genuinely endless practice. A colleague of mine learned to read sheet music in three months with an app that plays each note straight back the instant you tap it — something no book can manage and no teacher could repeat a thousand times a day even if they wanted to. Apps make repetition cheap, which is precisely how skills form, and they adapt fluidly to the learner's own level rather than the class average. They also reach people who'd never otherwise sit in a classroom: adults with jobs, people in villages without access to a tutor. The real limit is motivation. An app can teach you almost anything you're already determined to learn, and almost nothing you're not, so it works best sitting beside a human who keeps you going.
Why this band
FC“An app can teach you almost anything you're already determined to learn, and almost nothing you're not” — This closing aphorism unpacks the bare word 'motivation' into a fully developed, balanced claim, well beyond 6.5's unexplained final sentence and 7.0's version that names the limit but doesn't elaborate.
LR“immediate feedback paired with genuinely endless practice” — The verb 'paired with' is a more precise, deliberate construction than 7.0's simpler 'and', suggesting the two elements work together rather than just being listed.
GRA“no book can manage and no teacher could repeat a thousand times a day even if they wanted to” — The added concessive clause 'even if they wanted to' extends 7.0's already parallel structure with a further layer of nuance about human limitation.
6. Do you agree or disagree that young people depend too much on their apps or computer programs?
May–Aug 2026
Compare Band 6.5 / 7.0 / 7.5 for this question
Band 6.5
The plain opener 'Partly, I agree' answers the question in two words before any explanation, in the direct style typical of 6.5.
Partly, I agree. Friends of mine who have lived in Da Nang for five years still cannot reach a restaurant across town without a map app, and it is hard to call that anything but dependence. Navigation, spelling, even remembering last week's plans — all outsourced now. But every generation has depended on its tools, and my parents cannot do the long division their parents could, and nobody misses it. The real question is whether the dependence removes something we actually need. Losing navigation seems small, but losing focus seems bigger.
Why this band
GRA“Navigation, spelling, even remembering last week's plans — all outsourced now” — A three-item dash-led list. The 7.0 and 7.5 versions extend this to a four-item list including 'arithmetic', giving a fuller, more complete picture of what's been offloaded.
LR“Losing navigation seems small, but losing focus seems bigger” — Plain, vague closing vocabulary. The 7.0 and 7.5 versions sharpen this considerably to 'the ability to sit alone with a thought, which I notice in myself', naming the actual skill rather than the vague word 'focus'.
FC“But every generation has depended on its tools, and my parents cannot do the long division their parents could, and nobody misses it” — A single long sentence joined twice with 'and'. The 7.0 version restructures this with a semicolon, 'my parents can't do the long division their parents could, and nobody mourns it', a slightly tighter link.
Band 7.0
The verb 'mourns' rather than 'misses' gives the closing observation about lost skills a slightly more formal, reflective register.
Partly, honestly. Friends of mine who've lived in Da Nang for five years still can't reach a restaurant across town without a map app, and it's hard to call that anything but dependence. Navigation, arithmetic, spelling, even remembering what happened last week — all outsourced. But every generation has depended on its tools, to be fair; my parents can't do the long division their parents could, and nobody mourns it. The real question is whether the dependence removes something we need. Losing the ability to navigate is trivial; losing the ability to sit alone with a thought, which I notice in myself, is not.
Why this band
GRA“Navigation, arithmetic, spelling, even remembering what happened last week — all outsourced” — A four-item list, one more than 6.5's version, adding 'arithmetic' for a fuller sense of what's been offloaded to devices.
LR“losing the ability to sit alone with a thought, which I notice in myself, is not” — This precise, self-aware closing clause replaces 6.5's vague 'losing focus seems bigger' with a specific, named skill and a personal admission.
FC“and nobody mourns it” — 'Mourns' is a more formal, reflective verb than 6.5's plainer 'misses', matching the answer's slightly more considered tone.
Band 7.5
The closing summary 'agree about attention specifically and disagree about most of the rest' gives the whole answer a precise, split final verdict.
Partly, honestly. Friends of mine who've lived in Da Nang for five years still can't reach a restaurant across town without a map app open in front of them, and it's hard to call that anything but genuine dependence. Navigation, arithmetic, spelling, even remembering what happened last week — all quietly outsourced. But every generation has depended on its tools; my parents can't do the long division their own parents could manage, and nobody mourns it particularly. The real question, I think, is whether the dependence removes something we actually need. Losing the ability to navigate is trivial; losing the ability to sit alone with a single thought, which I notice creeping up in myself, is not. So I'd agree about attention specifically and disagree about most of the rest.
Why this band
FC“So I'd agree about attention specifically and disagree about most of the rest” — This closing split verdict resolves the whole discussion with genuine precision, a considerably more developed ending than 6.5's vaguer comparison and 7.0's version without any final summary at all.
LR“which I notice creeping up in myself” — The verb 'creeping up' is a vivid, almost unsettling image for a gradually forming habit, more figurative than 7.0's plainer 'which I notice in myself'.
GRA“a map app open in front of them” — The added participial phrase 'open in front of them' gives a more vivid, specific image than 7.0's plainer 'without a map app'.
7. What impact does information technology have on people's daily lives?
May–Aug 2026
Compare Band 6.5 / 7.0 / 7.5 for this question
Band 6.5
The plain phrase 'a hundred small frictions removed' summarises a large, abstract effect in a short, concrete image with basic vocabulary.
It has quietly changed ordinary life completely. The woman who sells noodles on my street has a QR code taped to her cart and three phones for delivery orders, and she has not changed her recipe in twenty years, but everything else about her business has changed in five. For most people, the impact is a hundred small frictions removed, like paying, booking, and finding things. But it also adds constant reachability and comparison with everyone else's life. Families spread across countries can stay close now in a way that was impossible before.
Why this band
GRA“For most people, the impact is a hundred small frictions removed, like paying, booking, and finding things” — A three-item list joined with 'like'. The 7.0 and 7.5 versions extend this to four items with a dash, 'paying, booking, finding, asking', a more complete and rhythmic list.
LR“But it also adds constant reachability and comparison with everyone else's life” — A plain two-item list. The 7.0 and 7.5 versions extend this to three items, adding 'the sense that any idle minute should be filled', a more precise and unsettling third example.
FC“Families spread across countries can stay close now in a way that was impossible before” — A flat closing sentence. The 7.5 version extends the whole answer with a further concluding image, 'The impact is so total it's become invisible, rather like electricity', giving the ending far more weight.
Band 7.0
The metaphor 'rewired' treats daily life as a piece of electrical machinery, setting up the closing comparison to electricity in the 7.5 version.
It has quietly rewired ordinary life, honestly. The woman who sells noodles on my street has a QR code taped to her cart and three phones for delivery orders; she hasn't changed her recipe in twenty years but everything else about her business has changed in five. For most people the impact is in a hundred small frictions removed — paying, booking, finding, asking — and in a few large ones added: constant reachability, comparison with everyone else's life, and the sense that any idle minute should be filled. Families spread across countries stay close in a way that was impossible a generation ago, to be fair.
Why this band
LR“It has quietly rewired ordinary life” — 'Rewired' is a precise technical metaphor, more figurative than 6.5's plainer 'has quietly changed ordinary life completely'.
GRA“a hundred small frictions removed — paying, booking, finding, asking — and in a few large ones added” — The balanced structure 'removed... and... added' contrasts two categories within one sentence, more developed than 6.5's simpler single-direction list.
FC“the sense that any idle minute should be filled” — This precise, unsettling third example extends 6.5's simpler two-item list with a more specific psychological observation.
Band 7.5
The closing simile 'become invisible, rather like electricity' gives an abstract argument about total impact a vivid, familiar comparison.
It has quietly rewired the entire texture of ordinary life. The woman who sells noodles on my street has a QR code taped to her cart and juggles three phones for delivery orders; she hasn't changed her recipe in twenty years, yet everything else about her business has transformed within five. For most people the impact lies in a hundred small frictions removed — paying, booking, finding, asking — and in a few large ones quietly added: constant reachability, endless comparison with everyone else's life, and the nagging sense that any idle minute should be filled with something. Families scattered across countries now stay close in a way that was flatly impossible a generation ago. The impact is so total it's become invisible, rather like electricity.
Why this band
FC“The impact is so total it's become invisible, rather like electricity” — This closing simile compares the technology's impact to something universally familiar, a far more developed and memorable ending than 6.5's plain closing sentence and 7.0's version without any such comparison.
LR“juggles three phones for delivery orders” — 'Juggles' is a vivid, active verb suggesting real effort, more figurative than 6.5's and 7.0's plainer 'has... three phones'.
GRA“she hasn't changed her recipe in twenty years, yet everything else about her business has transformed within five” — The conjunction 'yet' plus the more precise verb 'transformed' shows more controlled contrast than 7.0's simpler 'but... has changed'.
8. How are people affected by constant new developments in information technology?
May–Aug 2026
Compare Band 6.5 / 7.0 / 7.5 for this question
Band 6.5
The plain opener 'Mostly with tiredness' answers the question in two words before the examples that follow.
Mostly with tiredness. My father calls roughly once a month to ask why his phone looks different again, because an update moved a button, and that small confusion is what constant change feels like for a lot of people. For those of us who work in technology, it means skills expire faster than we can replace them, and I have learned and dropped four design tools in ten years. Constant novelty also makes people cautious, so they stop exploring new features because they will just change again anyway.
Why this band
LR“Mostly with tiredness” — Plain, everyday vocabulary. The 7.0 and 7.5 versions use the more precise noun 'fatigue', a slightly more formal, considered word for the same feeling.
GRA“I have learned and dropped four design tools in ten years” — A simple past-tense clause. The 7.0 version uses the present perfect instead, 'I've learned and abandoned four design tools in ten years', a more grammatically precise choice for an ongoing personal history.
FC“Constant novelty also makes people cautious, so they stop exploring new features because they will just change again anyway” — A single long sentence with 'so' and 'because'. The 7.0 and 7.5 versions add a further, contrasting point afterward about people who 'love it', giving the answer a more balanced final structure.
Band 7.0
The added counterpoint 'Some people love it... and treat each release as a small holiday' balances the earlier complaint with an opposite reaction.
Mostly with fatigue, honestly. My father calls roughly once a month to ask why his phone 'looks different again', because an update has moved a button, and that small helplessness is what constant change feels like to a lot of people. For those of us who work in technology, it means skills expiring faster than we can replace them; I've learned and abandoned four design tools in ten years. Constant novelty also makes people cautious — they stop exploring features because they'll change anyway. Some people love it, to be fair, and treat each release as a small holiday.
Why this band
FC“Some people love it, to be fair, and treat each release as a small holiday” — This added counterpoint balances the earlier complaint about fatigue, a more developed, fair-minded structure than 6.5's one-sided ending.
LR“that small helplessness is what constant change feels like to a lot of people” — 'Helplessness' is a more precise, emotionally specific noun than 6.5's vaguer 'confusion', capturing the feeling more exactly.
GRA“skills expiring faster than we can replace them” — The present participle 'expiring' is a more vivid, active construction than 6.5's flatter 'skills expire faster than we can replace them' stated as a simple fact.
Band 7.5
The closing metaphor 'a fairly sensible response to a flood' frames the whole discussion of constant change as something almost natural to weather.
Mostly with a quiet, ongoing fatigue. My father calls roughly once a month to ask why his phone 'looks different again', because some update has moved a button, and that small helplessness is exactly what constant change feels like to a great many people. For those of us who actually work in technology, it means skills expiring faster than we can replace them; I've personally learned and abandoned four design tools in ten years alone. Constant novelty also makes people cautious — they stop exploring new features because they'll just change again regardless. Some people genuinely love it, of course, and treat each release like a small holiday to look forward to. But the general effect is that most people adopt selectively and quietly ignore the rest, which is a fairly sensible response to a flood.
Why this band
FC“which is a fairly sensible response to a flood” — This closing metaphor reframes the whole answer's argument as a rational response to an overwhelming natural force, a considerably more developed ending than 6.5's plain final sentence and 7.0's version without this closing image.
LR“a quiet, ongoing fatigue” — The compound description 'quiet, ongoing' is more precise and evocative than 6.5's bare 'tiredness' and 7.0's slightly plainer 'fatigue'.
GRA“most people adopt selectively and quietly ignore the rest” — The paired verbs 'adopt selectively and quietly ignore' show more controlled, parallel construction than 7.0's simpler single-clause version of the same idea.
9. Do you agree or disagree that information technology gives people more information but not greater wisdom?
May–Aug 2026
Compare Band 6.5 / 7.0 / 7.5 for this question
Band 6.5
The plain opener 'I agree, and I feel sympathy for the technology itself' states the position and a slightly unusual attitude toward it directly.
I agree, and I feel sympathy for the technology itself. My uncle forwards a new piece of online health advice every week, often contradicting last week's, and follows all of them. My grandmother has one simple rule — eat less, walk more — and is the healthiest person in the family. That is the gap in one household: information arrives instantly, but judgement about what to do with it takes years to build, and no app can speed that up. Technology mostly rewards speed, and wisdom is really the ability to pause.
Why this band
LR“My uncle forwards a new piece of online health advice every week, often contradicting last week's, and follows all of them” — Plain past-tense verb 'follows'. The 7.5 version intensifies this with 'acts on every single one', a more emphatic phrase for the same behaviour.
GRA“judgement about what to do with it takes years to build, and no app can speed that up” — A simple two-clause sentence joined with 'and'. The 7.0 and 7.5 versions expand this to 'built slowly, through experience and mistakes', adding a specific mechanism for how judgement actually forms.
FC“Technology mostly rewards speed, and wisdom is really the ability to pause” — A short, flat closing sentence. The 7.0 and 7.5 versions add a concession beforehand, that technology 'can support wisdom' sometimes, giving the conclusion more balance before the final claim.
Band 7.0
The concession 'Technology can support wisdom sometimes, to be fair' before the final claim shows a more balanced, considered argument than a one-sided conclusion.
I agree, honestly, with real sympathy for the technology. My uncle forwards a new piece of online health advice every week, often contradicting last week's, and acts on all of them; my grandmother has one rule — eat less, walk more — and is the healthiest person in the family. That's the gap in a single household: information arrives instantly, but judgement about what to do with it is built slowly, through experience and mistakes, and no app speeds that up. Technology can support wisdom sometimes, to be fair, by exposing people to views they'd never otherwise meet. But it rewards speed, and wisdom is mostly the ability to pause.
Why this band
FC“Technology can support wisdom sometimes, to be fair, by exposing people to views they'd never otherwise meet” — This added concession balances the argument before the final claim, more developed than 6.5's version, which moves straight to the closing judgement without any counterpoint.
LR“judgement about what to do with it is built slowly, through experience and mistakes” — The added phrase 'through experience and mistakes' specifies the mechanism, more precise than 6.5's vaguer 'takes years to build'.
GRA“my grandmother has one rule — eat less, walk more — and is the healthiest person in the family” — The semicolon links this sentence directly to the previous clause about the uncle, creating a single flowing comparison rather than 6.5's two separate sentences.
Band 7.5
The closing formula 'On balance: more knowing, not more understanding' compresses the whole answer's argument into a tight, almost aphoristic final line.
I agree, with genuine sympathy for the technology itself. My uncle forwards a new piece of online health advice every week, often flatly contradicting last week's, and acts on every single one; my grandmother has one steady rule — eat less, walk more — and remains the healthiest person in the family by some distance. That's the gap laid bare in a single household: information arrives instantly, but judgement about what to actually do with it is built slowly, through experience and accumulated mistakes, and no app speeds that process up. Technology can support wisdom, and occasionally does, by exposing people to views they'd never otherwise encounter. But it rewards speed and reaction above all else, and wisdom is mostly the ability to pause before reacting. On balance: more knowing, not more understanding.
Why this band
FC“On balance: more knowing, not more understanding” — This closing formula distils the entire argument into four words on either side of a colon, a considerably more developed and memorable ending than 6.5's plain final sentence and 7.0's fuller but less compact version.
LR“remains the healthiest person in the family by some distance” — The added phrase 'by some distance' intensifies the claim, more vivid than 6.5's and 7.0's plainer 'is the healthiest person in the family'.
GRA“wisdom is mostly the ability to pause before reacting” — The added infinitive clause 'before reacting' gives this closing definition more grammatical precision than 7.0's simpler 'the ability to pause'.

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 Program or App That You Like Using on Your Computer or Phone", 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.