A Situation When You Had to Spend a Long Time in a Traffic Jam

Part 3 follow-up questions

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

1. 1. How can public transport reduce traffic congestion?

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

   Band 6.5

   States the main idea with a vivid one-sentence example and gives the reasoning in short, separate sentences with 'if' and 'or'.

   By fitting more people into less road. I once counted forty motorbikes waiting at one junction near my office, each with one person on it, and the bus that passed them could have taken all forty with seats left over. Public transport only reduces congestion if it is frequent, reliable, and goes where people need to go — a bus every half hour that stops two kilometres from the office will not persuade anyone. Where it works, people leave their vehicles at home and the road empties. Cities also need to make driving slightly less convenient, or the space just fills up again.

   Why this band

   • FC“By fitting more people into less road.” — This short opening states the core mechanism plainly. The higher bands keep almost the same wording, showing that at this level the compact opening is already close to the ceiling — what changes is how the surrounding sentences build on it.
   • LR“will not persuade anyone” — This is plain, direct phrasing for a bus service failing to attract riders. The higher bands upgrade this to 'persuades nobody', a marginally more formal and economical negative.
   • GRA“Cities also need to make driving slightly less convenient, or the space just fills up again.” — This closing sentence joins two ideas with 'or', accurate but plain. The 7.5 version instead lists specific measures — 'fewer parking spaces, congestion charges' — inside a dash-marked aside within a longer sentence, showing more developed detail.

   Band 7.0

   Adds 'basically' and 'honestly' as natural spoken hedges and uses a semicolon to link the two conditions for public transport working.

   By fitting more people into less road, basically. I once counted forty motorbikes waiting at a single junction near my office, each carrying just one person, and the bus that then passed them could have taken all forty with seats to spare — that's honestly the whole argument in one traffic light. Public transport only reduces congestion if it's frequent, reliable and goes where people actually need to go; a bus every half hour that stops two kilometres from the office persuades nobody. Where it works, as in Hanoi's new metro or Singapore, people leave their vehicles at home and the road empties. Cities also have to make driving a little worse, or the freed-up space just fills again.

   Why this band

   • FC“that's honestly the whole argument in one traffic light” — The hedge 'honestly' and the compact image 'in one traffic light' make this closing tag more natural and vivid than the plainer '6.5' version, 'That is really the whole argument'. It's close to the 7.5 phrasing, which drops 'honestly' for an even more confident statement.
   • LR“persuades nobody” — This is a more economical, formal negative than the plainer 'will not persuade anyone' at 6.5. It is shared exactly with the 7.5 version, showing convergence in phrasing between the two higher bands.
   • GRA“Public transport only reduces congestion if it's frequent, reliable and goes where people actually need to go; a bus every half hour that stops two kilometres from the office persuades nobody.” — This sentence uses a semicolon to join the general condition and the specific counter-example into one continuous structure, more integrated than the two separate sentences at 6.5. It matches the 7.5 structure closely, differing only in small word choices.

   Band 7.5

   Opens with a dash-linked evaluative tag ('that's the whole argument, really') and lists specific measures — 'fewer parking spaces, congestion charges' — inside the closing sentence.

   By fitting more people into less road — that's the whole argument, really. I once counted forty motorbikes waiting at a single junction near my office, each carrying one person, and the bus that then passed them could have taken all forty with seats to spare; that's the entire case in one traffic light. Public transport reduces congestion only if it's frequent, reliable and goes where people actually need to go — a bus every half hour that stops two kilometres from the office persuades nobody. Where it works, as in Hanoi's new metro or Singapore, people leave their vehicles at home and the road empties. Cities also have to make driving slightly worse — fewer parking spaces, congestion charges — or the space freed up just fills again.

   Why this band

   • FC“that's the whole argument, really” — Attaching this evaluative tag directly onto the opening clause with a dash, rather than as a separate sentence, creates a more fluent, continuous opening than the structures at 6.5 and 7.0. It signals the answer's central claim before any example is even given.
   • LR“that's the entire case in one traffic light” — 'The entire case' is a more precise, almost legal metaphor than the plainer 'the whole argument' used at 6.5 and 7.0. It reinforces the sense of a single piece of evidence proving a whole point.
   • GRA“Cities also have to make driving slightly worse — fewer parking spaces, congestion charges — or the space freed up just fills again.” — This sentence uses a dash-marked list to name two specific measures within the main clause, more detailed and compact than the vague 'make driving a little worse' used at 6.5 and 7.0. The embedded list adds concrete evidence without breaking the sentence's flow.

2. 2. What impact does traffic have on the environment?

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

   Band 6.5

   Opens with the plain claim 'More impact than most of us realise' and lists the effects of traffic in short, separate clauses joined by 'and'.

   More impact than most of us realise. For a year I thought the grey film on my balcony railing was sand from the beach; it is actually exhaust from the road below, and I breathe the rest of it. Traffic is a major source of carbon emissions, and in cities it is the main source of the small particles that damage lungs and hearts. It also brings noise that raises stress and ruins sleep, heat from engines and roads, and roads that cut through farmland and habitats. Congestion makes it worse, since a car sitting for an hour pollutes far more than one moving for ten minutes.

   Why this band

   • FC“More impact than most of us realise.” — This short opening states the claim plainly. The higher bands keep the same idea but with 'most of us see' rather than 'realise', a marginally more visual and precise verb choice repeated across both higher bands.
   • LR“the small particles that damage lungs and hearts” — This is plain, functional phrasing. The higher bands upgrade 'small' to 'fine', a more precise, technical adjective for describing air pollution, matching how the issue is usually described in English.
   • GRA“It also brings noise that raises stress and ruins sleep, heat from engines and roads, and roads that cut through farmland and habitats.” — This sentence lists three consequences joined loosely with commas and 'and', accurate but additive. The 7.5 version restructures this list with more precise noun phrases and drops the repeated word 'roads', tightening the structure.

   Band 7.0

   Adds the hedge 'I'd say' to the opening and upgrades 'small particles' to 'fine particles', a more precise technical term.

   More than most of us see, I'd say. For a year I assumed the grey film on my balcony railing each morning was sand from the beach; it's actually exhaust from the road below, and I breathe the rest of it. Traffic is a major source of carbon emissions, and in cities it's the main source of the fine particles that damage lungs and hearts. It brings noise that raises stress and ruins sleep, heat from engines and tarmac, and roads that cut through farmland and habitats. Congestion makes it all worse too, because a car crawling for an hour pollutes far more than one moving for ten minutes.

   Why this band

   • FC“More than most of us see, I'd say.” — The hedge 'I'd say' softens the claim into a personal judgement, more natural than the flat statement at 6.5. It's a smaller move than the 7.5 opening, which drops the hedge and folds the claim directly into the main clause instead.
   • LR“the fine particles that damage lungs and hearts” — 'Fine particles' is the standard, more precise technical term for this kind of pollution, replacing the vaguer 'small particles' used at 6.5. It is shared exactly with the 7.5 version.
   • GRA“It brings noise that raises stress and ruins sleep, heat from engines and tarmac, and roads that cut through farmland and habitats.” — This sentence lists the same three consequences as the 6.5 version but replaces 'roads' with 'tarmac' for the second item, avoiding repetition of the word 'roads'. It's close to the 7.5 structure, which restructures the list further using dashes instead of commas.

   Band 7.5

   Drops the hedge entirely for a flatter, more confident opening and closes with the extra observation that electric vehicles 'fix the exhaust but not the roads, the noise, or the space.'

   More than most of us see. For a year I assumed the grey film on my balcony railing each morning was sand from the beach; it's exhaust from the road below, and I breathe the rest of it along with everyone else. Traffic is a major source of carbon emissions, and in cities it's the main source of the fine particles that damage lungs and hearts. It brings noise that raises stress and ruins sleep — heat from engines and tarmac, and roads that slice through farmland and habitats. Congestion makes it all worse, because a car crawling for an hour pollutes far more than one moving for ten minutes; electric vehicles fix the exhaust but not the roads, the noise, or the space.

   Why this band

   • FC“I breathe the rest of it along with everyone else” — Adding 'along with everyone else' extends the personal observation into a shared, collective one, more layered than the plainer versions at 6.5 and 7.0 which stop at 'I breathe the rest of it'. It widens the point from individual to social without adding a new sentence.
   • LR“roads that slice through farmland and habitats” — 'Slice through' is a more vivid, almost violent verb than the plainer 'cut through' used at 6.5 and 7.0. This kind of small figurative upgrade intensifies the environmental critique.
   • GRA“electric vehicles fix the exhaust but not the roads, the noise, or the space” — This closing clause adds a further, more analytical point that neither lower band reaches; both end after the congestion comparison. The three-item 'not the roads, the noise, or the space' list gives the ending a precise, considered final qualification.

3. 3. Should there be higher taxes on large cars?

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

   Band 6.5

   States agreement plainly and gives the personal reason in one sentence with 'and I say that as someone whose...'.

   Yes, I think so, and I say that as someone whose evening is often blocked by one SUV parked across our narrow alley, where a normal car would leave room to pass. Large cars use more fuel, take up more road and parking space, and part of their popularity is just fashion, not real need. Taxing them more makes the buyer pay for those costs instead of everyone else. The exceptions should be real needs, like farmers or large families, and the money should go into public transport. What I would avoid is a tax on all cars equally.

   Why this band

   • FC“Yes, I think so, and I say that as someone whose evening is often blocked by one SUV parked across our narrow alley” — This opening states agreement and the personal stake in one plain sentence. The higher bands both replace 'I think so' with 'and I say that as someone whose evening is regularly blocked', a slightly more precise adverb of frequency this band lacks.
   • LR“part of their popularity is just fashion, not real need” — This is plain, direct phrasing. The higher bands upgrade this to 'their popularity is partly fashion rather than need', a more compact and formal way of expressing the same contrast.
   • GRA“What I would avoid is a tax on all cars equally.” — This is a short, simple closing sentence. The 7.5 version instead extends this into a longer sentence with a relative clause — 'which punishes the family with one small vehicle as much as the person with a tank' — adding a vivid contrast this band doesn't attempt.

   Band 7.0

   Adds 'regularly' to the personal example and lists the taxing criteria with 'whether by size, weight or engine'.

   Yes, and I say that as someone whose evening is regularly blocked by a single SUV parked across our narrow alley, where an ordinary car would leave room to pass. Large cars use more fuel, take up more road and parking space, cause more damage in accidents, and their popularity is partly fashion rather than need. Taxing them more, whether by size, weight or engine, makes the buyer pay for those costs instead of everyone else. The exceptions should be real needs — farmers, large families, people carrying equipment — and the money should go into public transport. What I'd resist is a blanket tax on all cars, which treats a small family car the same as a large one.

   Why this band

   • FC“regularly blocked by a single SUV” — 'Regularly' is a more precise adverb of frequency than the vaguer 'often' used at 6.5. It matches the 7.5 phrasing exactly, showing the two higher bands converge on this specific word.
   • LR“their popularity is partly fashion rather than need” — 'Partly fashion rather than need' is a more compact, formal phrasing than the fuller '6.5' version, 'part of their popularity is just fashion, not real need'. The same idea is expressed in fewer, more precise words.
   • GRA“The exceptions should be real needs — farmers, large families, people carrying equipment — and the money should go into public transport.” — This sentence uses a dash-marked list to name three specific exceptions, more developed than the two-item list at 6.5. It's close to the 7.5 structure, which uses the identical list but frames the closing tax criticism slightly differently.

   Band 7.5

   Keeps the same evidence-based structure as 7.0 but closes with the vivid contrast 'as much as the person with a tank.'

   Yes, and I say that as someone whose evening is regularly blocked by a single SUV parked across our narrow alley, where an ordinary car would leave room to pass. Large cars use more fuel, take more road and parking space, cause more damage in accidents, and their popularity is partly fashion rather than need. Taxing them more, by size, weight or engine, makes the buyer pay for those costs instead of everyone else. The exceptions should be real needs — farmers, large families, people carrying equipment — and the money should go into public transport. What I'd resist is a blanket tax on all cars, which punishes the family with one small vehicle as much as the person with a tank.

   Why this band

   • FC“where an ordinary car would leave room to pass” — This relative clause, attached directly onto the opening sentence, gives a concrete image of the problem before any general argument begins. It's shared closely with the 7.0 version, showing this particular construction is already near the ceiling of what's needed here.
   • LR“as much as the person with a tank” — 'A tank' is a vivid, exaggerated metaphor for an oversized vehicle that neither lower band uses; 6.5 and 7.0 both settle for the plainer 'all cars equally' or 'a large one'. This kind of deliberate hyperbole is typical of the top band's closing flourishes.
   • GRA“What I'd resist is a blanket tax on all cars, which punishes the family with one small vehicle as much as the person with a tank.” — This closing sentence adds a relative clause onto the main claim, more layered than the plain declarative ending at 6.5. The clause itself contrasts two concrete images — 'a small vehicle' and 'a tank' — within a single controlled structure.

4. 4. Will people have to travel less in order to reduce global warming?

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

   Band 6.5

   States the position plainly ('Some people will, and some already do') and separates the two types of travel — flying and daily — into short sentences.

   Some people will, and some already do. Our German client cut their visits to us from four times a year to once, and used video calls for the rest — the work did not suffer, which is roughly the future of business travel. Flying is hardest to make clean, so fewer, longer trips seem likely. Daily travel is different — people can move just as much by train, bicycle or electric bus without any harm. So the answer is not simply less travel, but different travel, and less of the kind that cannot be cleaned.

   Why this band

   • FC“Some people will, and some already do.” — This short opening states the balanced position plainly with a simple 'and'. The higher bands both keep this exact wording, showing that at this point the opening itself is already close to optimal.
   • LR“cut their visits to us from four times a year to once” — This is plain, literal phrasing for the change in frequency. The higher bands upgrade this to 'quarterly to once a year', more precise and formal vocabulary for describing recurring schedules.
   • GRA“So the answer is not simply less travel, but different travel, and less of the kind that cannot be cleaned.” — This closing sentence chains three ideas with 'not... but... and', accurate but slightly loose. The 7.5 version restructures this into two shorter, punchier sentences separated by a semicolon, giving the conclusion more rhythm.

   Band 7.0

   Upgrades 'four times a year' to 'quarterly' and uses a colon to introduce the claim about daily travel.

   Some people will, and some already do. Our German client cut their visits to us from quarterly to once a year and replaced the rest with video calls, and honestly, the work didn't suffer — that's roughly what the future looks like for business travel. Flying is the hardest kind of travel to make clean, so fewer, longer trips seem likely, probably at higher prices. Daily travel is different: people can move just as much on trains, bicycles and electric buses without any real harm. So the answer isn't simply less travel; it's different travel, and less of the kind that can't be cleaned up.

   Why this band

   • FC“cut their visits to us from quarterly to once a year” — 'Quarterly' is a more precise, formal term than the plainer 'four times a year' used at 6.5. It matches the 7.5 phrasing exactly, showing convergence between the two higher bands on this specific vocabulary.
   • LR“Daily travel is different: people can move just as much on trains, bicycles and electric buses without any real harm.” — The colon here introduces the supporting list directly, a more compact device than the dash used for a similar purpose at 6.5. It's close to the 7.5 version, which drops the colon in favour of a period and a fresh sentence, showing a slightly different but equally valid choice.
   • GRA“So the answer isn't simply less travel; it's different travel, and less of the kind that can't be cleaned up.” — This closing sentence uses a semicolon to split the 'not X but Y' contrast into two balanced clauses, more compact than the single 'not... but... and' chain at 6.5. It's close to the 7.5 structure, which reaches a similar effect with a full stop instead of a semicolon.

   Band 7.5

   Splits the claim about daily travel into its own short sentence for emphasis and closes with the balanced final pair, 'won't give up seeing their families; they'll simply change how they get there.'

   Some people will, and some already do. Our German client cut their visits to us from quarterly to once a year and replaced the rest with better video calls — the work didn't suffer, and that's roughly what the future looks like for business travel. Flying is the hardest kind of travel to make clean, so fewer, longer trips seem inevitable, and probably higher prices along with them. Daily travel is different. People can move just as much on trains, bicycles and electric buses without any harm at all. So the answer isn't simply less travel; it's different travel, and less of the kind that can't be cleaned. Most people won't give up seeing their families; they'll simply change how they get there.

   Why this band

   • FC“Daily travel is different.” — Making this a short, standalone sentence rather than folding it into a colon-led explanation, as at 7.0, gives it more rhetorical weight and a deliberate pause before the supporting detail. This kind of controlled short sentence amid longer ones is a mark of confident pacing.
   • LR“fewer, longer trips seem inevitable” — 'Inevitable' is a stronger, more precise word than the plainer 'likely' used at 6.5 and 7.0, conveying a firmer sense of certainty about the trend. It fits the more confident tone of the top band overall.
   • GRA“Most people won't give up seeing their families; they'll simply change how they get there.” — This closing sentence uses a semicolon to balance two short, parallel clauses, a more compact and rhythmic ending than anything the lower bands attempt in their final lines. The parallelism itself is what gives the conclusion its polish.

5. 5. Can traffic problems only be solved by government action?

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

   Band 6.5

   States the main distinction plainly ('the biggest part, but not the only part') and lists what companies, cities and individuals can each do in one sentence joined by commas.

   Government does the biggest part, but not the only part. Our studio spread out its start times between seven and ten after the staff suggested it over lunch, and our part of the morning rush simply disappeared — no policy, no cost. Companies can allow remote days, cities can be designed around people instead of cars, and individuals can walk, cycle or share rides. What only government can do is build the metro, price the roads and change the rules of the whole system, because no individual can build a bus network. So traffic needs government for the structure and everyone else for the behaviour.

   Why this band

   • FC“Government does the biggest part, but not the only part.” — This opening states the balanced position plainly with a simple 'but'. The higher bands add small connecting phrases like 'not the only one', very close in meaning, showing this particular opening is already efficient at 6.5.
   • LR“our part of the morning rush simply disappeared” — This is plain, direct phrasing for the outcome. The higher bands upgrade this to 'our corner of the morning rush simply disappeared', a slightly more vivid and specific noun than 'part'.
   • GRA“Companies can allow remote days, cities can be designed around people instead of cars, and individuals can walk, cycle or share rides.” — This sentence lists three parallel subjects and actions joined with commas and 'and', accurate and already reasonably balanced. The 7.5 version keeps a very similar structure, showing this particular pattern is already close to the ceiling at 6.5.

   Band 7.0

   Adds 'honestly' to the opening contrast and upgrades 'spread out' to 'staggered', a more precise verb for adjusting start times.

   Government does the biggest part, but honestly not the only part. Our studio staggered its start times between seven and ten after the staff suggested it over lunch, and our corner of the morning rush simply disappeared — no policy, no cost involved. Companies can allow remote days, cities can be designed around people rather than cars, and individuals can walk, cycle or share rides. What only government can really do is build the metro, price the roads and change the rules of the whole system, because no individual can build a bus network on their own. So traffic needs government for the structure and everyone else for the behaviour.

   Why this band

   • FC“Government does the biggest part, but honestly not the only part.” — Adding 'honestly' gives this opening a slightly more natural, spoken rhythm than the plain version at 6.5. It's a small step toward the 7.5 opening, which restructures the sentence further with 'not the only part of it'.
   • LR“Our studio staggered its start times” — 'Staggered' is a more precise, professional verb than the plainer 'spread out' used at 6.5, exactly naming the scheduling technique described. It is shared closely with the 7.5 version.
   • GRA“and our corner of the morning rush simply disappeared — no policy, no cost involved” — Adding 'involved' after 'no cost' gives this dash-marked aside a slightly fuller, more deliberate rhythm than the terser version at 6.5. It's close to the 7.5 structure, which drops 'involved' again for an even more compact final beat.

   Band 7.5

   Extends the opening with 'of it' for a tighter rhythm and closes with the idiomatic final clause, 'an excuse most of us reach for.'

   Government does the biggest part, but not the only part of it. Our studio staggered its start times between seven and ten after the staff suggested it over lunch, and our corner of the morning rush simply disappeared — no policy, no cost. Companies can allow remote days, cities can be designed around people rather than cars, and individuals can walk, cycle or share rides. What only government can do is build the metro, price the roads and change the rules of the whole system, since no individual can single-handedly build a bus network. So traffic needs government for the structure and everyone else for the behaviour — waiting for the state alone is an excuse most of us reach for.

   Why this band

   • FC“but not the only part of it” — Adding 'of it' at the very end creates a slightly more rhythmic, spoken-sounding close to the opening clause than the plainer version at 6.5 or the 'honestly' insertion at 7.0. It's a subtle but genuine stylistic touch.
   • LR“since no individual can single-handedly build a bus network” — 'Single-handedly' is a more vivid, idiomatic adverb than the plainer phrasing 'no individual can build a bus network' used at 6.5 and 'on their own' at 7.0. It packs the same meaning into a single, more natural word.
   • GRA“waiting for the state alone is an excuse most of us reach for” — This closing dash-linked clause adds a further, more critical observation that neither lower band attempts; both stop after the plain statement about structure and behaviour. The idiom 'reach for' gives the ending a memorable, slightly wry final note.

6. 6. Do motorways or highways make traffic flow more smoothly?

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

   Band 6.5

   States the two-stage answer plainly ('For a while, and then usually not') and describes the widened road story in one sentence joined by commas.

   For a while, and then usually not. When the coastal road out of Da Nang was widened, it flowed beautifully for about a year, and then the new lanes filled with trips people had not made before because of the traffic — the smoother road invited more driving. Motorways move traffic more efficiently than city streets, and for long journeys they are clearly better. The problem is what happens at each end, where the motorway empties into ordinary roads that cannot cope. So they smooth the middle of a journey and jam the ends. Building more road is a fix that creates its own problem.

   Why this band

   • FC“For a while, and then usually not.” — This short opening states the two-stage pattern plainly. Both higher bands keep this exact phrase, showing that this particular compact opening is already close to optimal at 6.5.
   • LR“Building more road is a fix that creates its own problem.” — This is plain, direct phrasing for the closing observation. The higher bands upgrade this to 'a treatment that creates its own disease', a more vivid medical metaphor for the same idea.
   • GRA“The problem is what happens at each end, where the motorway empties into ordinary roads that cannot cope.” — This is a single sentence with a relative clause. The 7.5 version restructures this into two shorter, punchier sentences — 'So they smooth the middle of journeys and jam the ends' — separated for rhythmic effect rather than joined by 'so'.

   Band 7.0

   Upgrades the closing metaphor to 'a treatment that creates its own disease' and adds the qualifying clause 'unless something else discourages driving.'

   For a while, and then usually not. When the coastal road out of Da Nang was widened, it flowed beautifully for about a year, and then the new lanes filled with the trips people hadn't made before because of the traffic — the smoother road invited more driving. Motorways do move traffic more efficiently than city streets, and for long-distance freight and travel they're clearly better than anything else. The problem is what happens at each end, where the motorway empties into ordinary roads that can't cope. So they smooth the middle of journeys and jam the ends. Building more road is a treatment that creates its own disease, unless something else discourages driving.

   Why this band

   • FC“for long-distance freight and travel they're clearly better than anything else” — 'Long-distance' is a more precise qualifier than the plainer 'long journeys' at 6.5, and the addition of 'clearly' sharpens the comparison. It's close to the 7.5 structure, which uses identical wording here.
   • LR“a treatment that creates its own disease” — This medical metaphor is more vivid and precise than the plainer 'a fix that creates its own problem' used at 6.5. It is shared exactly with the 7.5 version, showing the two higher bands converge on this specific figurative choice.
   • GRA“Building more road is a treatment that creates its own disease, unless something else discourages driving.” — This closing sentence adds a concessive 'unless' clause onto the metaphor, more layered than the plain declarative ending at 6.5. It's identical to the 7.5 closing sentence, showing this particular construction is shared across the top two bands.

   Band 7.5

   Adds the reflective tag 'in my experience' to the opening and uses a semicolon to fold the induced-demand point directly into the road story.

   For a while, and then usually not, in my experience. When the coastal road out of Da Nang was widened, it flowed beautifully for about a year — and then the new lanes filled with the trips people hadn't made before, simply because of the traffic; the smoother road invited more driving. Motorways do move traffic more efficiently than city streets, and for long-distance freight and travel they're clearly better than anything else. The problem is what happens at each end, where the motorway empties into ordinary roads that can't cope. So they smooth the middle of journeys and jam the ends. Building more road is a treatment that creates its own disease, unless something else genuinely discourages driving.

   Why this band

   • FC“the smoother road invited more driving” — This personifying phrase, treating the road as if it actively 'invites' behaviour, is a slightly more vivid way of stating induced demand than a plainer causal sentence would be. It's shared closely with the lower bands, showing this particular phrase was already strong at 6.5 and simply carried through.
   • LR“The problem is what happens at each end, where the motorway empties into ordinary roads that can't cope.” — The contraction 'can't' gives this a slightly more natural spoken rhythm than the fuller 'cannot' used at 6.5, a small but genuine register choice typical of the top band's spoken style.
   • GRA“So they smooth the middle of journeys and jam the ends.” — This short, punchy sentence balances two parallel verb phrases — 'smooth the middle' and 'jam the ends' — against each other, a more compact and rhythmic conclusion than the longer relative-clause sentence used earlier at 6.5 for similar content.

7. 7. What is the difference between being stuck in a traffic jam in a car and being stuck in a traffic jam in a bus?

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

   Band 6.5

   States the main distinction as a single word ('Mostly responsibility') and describes the bus and car experiences in separate short sentences.

   Mostly responsibility. Stuck on a bus, I have slept, read, and once watched a whole film, because nothing was mine to manage. Stuck in a car at Tết, I had to think about fuel, the engine, and whether to move forward. A driver cannot switch off, and the frustration feels sharper because you feel you should help. A bus passenger is also part of a small group — strangers complain together, share snacks, joke — while a car is a private box of annoyance. The car is more comfortable and the bus is more restful, which are not the same thing.

   Why this band

   • FC“Mostly responsibility.” — This one-word opening is direct and economical. Both higher bands keep the same word but add a small qualifying phrase after it, showing this particular compact opening was already close to optimal.
   • LR“a car is a private box of annoyance” — This is a fairly plain metaphor. The higher bands upgrade 'annoyance' to 'irritation', a slightly more precise and formal word for the same feeling.
   • GRA“A bus passenger is also part of a small group — strangers complain together, share snacks, joke — while a car is a private box of annoyance.” — This sentence uses a dash-marked list inside a 'while' contrast, already a reasonably ambitious structure. The higher bands keep a very similar pattern, showing this particular construction was already close to the ceiling at 6.5.

   Band 7.0

   Adds 'I'd say' and uses a semicolon to join the bus and car experiences into one continuous sentence.

   Mostly responsibility, I'd say. Stuck on a bus, I've slept, read and once watched a whole film on the way to Hue, because nothing was mine to manage; stuck in that same kind of jam in a car at Tết, I had to think about fuel, the engine, and whether to inch forward each time the queue moved a metre. A driver can't really switch off, and the frustration feels sharper because you feel you should help. A bus passenger is also part of a small society — strangers complain together, share snacks, joke — while a car is a private box of irritation. The car is more comfortable and the bus is more restful, which honestly aren't the same thing.

   Why this band

   • FC“Mostly responsibility, I'd say.” — Adding 'I'd say' softens the blunt one-word claim at 6.5 into a more considered personal judgement. It's a smaller move than the 7.5 opening, which drops the hedge entirely in favour of a plain, confident statement.
   • LR“a car is a private box of irritation” — 'Irritation' is a slightly more precise, formal word than the plainer 'annoyance' used at 6.5. It is shared exactly with the 7.5 version, showing the two higher bands converge on this specific vocabulary.
   • GRA“because nothing was mine to manage; stuck in that same kind of jam in a car at Tết, I had to think about fuel, the engine, and whether to inch forward each time the queue moved a metre” — This sentence uses a semicolon to join the bus and car experiences into one long, continuous structure, more ambitious than the two separate sentences at 6.5. It's close to the 7.5 version, which achieves the same join with slightly more compact wording.

   Band 7.5

   Inverts the opening to 'Responsibility, mostly' for a more compact rhythm and adds the vivid detail 'the orange tree' to the Tết car story.

   Responsibility, mostly. Stuck on a bus, I've slept, read and once watched a whole film on the way to Hue, because nothing was mine to manage; stuck in that car at Tết, I had to think about fuel, the engine, the orange tree, and whether to inch forward each time the queue moved a metre. A driver can't switch off, and the frustration is sharper because you feel you should be able to do something. A bus passenger is also part of a small society — strangers complain together, share snacks, joke — while a car is a private box of irritation. The car is more comfortable and the bus is more restful, which are not the same thing.

   Why this band

   • FC“Responsibility, mostly.” — Inverting the word order to put the noun first is a slightly more compact, confident opening than the fuller 'Mostly responsibility' used at 6.5 and 7.0. It reads as a settled, almost aphoristic judgement.
   • LR“the orange tree” — This small, unexpected concrete detail — a Tết orange tree being transported by car — adds a vivid, culturally specific image that neither lower band includes. It grounds the abstract point about responsibility in a genuinely memorable particular.
   • GRA“stuck in that car at Tết, I had to think about fuel, the engine, the orange tree, and whether to inch forward each time the queue moved a metre” — This sentence lists four items instead of the three used at 6.5 and 7.0, adding 'the orange tree' into the same semicolon-joined structure. The extra item, without disrupting the sentence's balance, shows confident control of a longer list.

8. 8. What times of day is traffic heaviest in most cities?

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

   Band 6.5

   Uses a colon to introduce the two main peaks and lists the extra factors — Friday evenings, Tết, rain — in one long sentence joined by commas.

   The two obvious peaks: roughly seven to nine in the morning, when work and school start together, and five to seven in the evening when they end. In Da Nang there is a third, smaller peak at around eleven, when parents collect children from morning school and the roads near every primary school get jammed for twenty minutes. Friday evenings are the worst, holidays like Tết cause jams that last for days, and rain makes everything worse. Cities with long lunch breaks also get a midday surge. Remote work has flattened the morning peak a little, though not the evening one.

   Why this band

   • FC“The two obvious peaks: roughly seven to nine in the morning” — The colon here introduces the list directly and plainly. Both higher bands keep this exact structure, showing that this particular colon-led opening was already efficient at 6.5.
   • LR“the roads near every primary school get jammed for twenty minutes” — This is plain, direct phrasing. The higher bands upgrade this to 'clog for twenty minutes', a more vivid, physical verb than the plainer 'get jammed'.
   • GRA“Friday evenings are the worst, holidays like Tết cause jams that last for days, and rain makes everything worse.” — This sentence lists three separate facts joined loosely with commas and 'and', accurate but additive. The 7.5 version restructures this list with tighter, more parallel phrasing and adds a further clause about the rain app, extending the sentence's scope.

   Band 7.0

   Upgrades 'get jammed' to 'clog' and uses the verb 'multiplies' rather than the plainer 'makes worse' for describing rain's effect.

   The two obvious peaks: roughly seven to nine in the morning, when work and school begin together, and five to seven in the evening when they end. In Da Nang there's a third, smaller one at around eleven, when parents collect children from morning school and the roads near every primary school clog for twenty minutes. Friday evenings are worst, holidays like Tết produce jams that can last days, and rain multiplies everything. Cities with long lunch breaks, like some in Vietnam, get a midday surge too. What's changing is that remote work has flattened the morning peak slightly, though not the evening one.

   Why this band

   • FC“the roads near every primary school clog for twenty minutes” — 'Clog' is a more vivid, physical verb than the plainer 'get jammed' used at 6.5. It is shared exactly with the 7.5 version, showing the two higher bands converge on this specific choice.
   • LR“rain multiplies everything” — 'Multiplies' is a more precise, almost mathematical verb than the plainer 'makes everything worse' used at 6.5. It suggests a compounding effect rather than a simple additive one.
   • GRA“Friday evenings are worst, holidays like Tết produce jams that can last days, and rain multiplies everything.” — This sentence tightens the list at 6.5 by dropping the article 'the' before 'worst' and adding 'can' before 'last days', small but genuine refinements. It's close to the 7.5 version, which restructures the phrase further into 'jams that last days' without 'can'.

   Band 7.5

   Adds the wry aside 'my rain app can warn me about storms but not about that' after the school-pickup detail.

   The two obvious peaks: roughly seven to nine in the morning, when work and school begin together, and five to seven in the evening when they end. In Da Nang there's a third, smaller one at around eleven, when parents collect children from morning school and the roads near every primary school clog for twenty minutes — my rain app can warn me about storms but not about that. Friday evenings are worst, holidays like Tết produce jams that last days, and rain multiplies everything. Cities with long lunch breaks, like some in Vietnam, get a midday surge too. What's changing is that remote work has flattened the morning peak slightly, though not the evening one.

   Why this band

   • FC“my rain app can warn me about storms but not about that” — This dry, self-deprecating aside adds a small joke that neither lower band attempts, immediately following the school-pickup detail with a dash. It gives the answer a distinctive personal voice beyond simply listing facts.
   • LR“jams that last days” — Dropping 'can' before 'last days', unlike the 7.0 version's 'jams that can last days', makes the claim more direct and confident rather than merely possible. This small trimming for assertiveness is typical of the top band.
   • GRA“the roads near every primary school clog for twenty minutes — my rain app can warn me about storms but not about that” — The dash here attaches a witty aside directly onto the main descriptive clause, more ambitious than the plain full stop used at 6.5 and 7.0 after the same detail. The interruption itself shows confident control of sentence rhythm.

9. 9. Will traffic in cities get worse in the future?

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

   Band 6.5

   States the two-stage prediction plainly ('worse first, then maybe better') and lists the opposing trends in one sentence joined by commas.

   In cities like mine, worse first, then maybe better. Da Nang is swapping motorbikes for cars as people get richer, and one car takes up the road space of about five bikes, so the same number of people now creates far more traffic. On the other side, remote work, delivery instead of shopping, and better public transport all pull the other way, and some rich cities have seen traffic fall. Whether it gets worse depends on choices made now — build metros or build ring roads. My honest guess is a rough decade for growing Asian cities, then slow improvement for the ones that plan ahead.

   Why this band

   • FC“In cities like mine, worse first, then maybe better.” — This short opening states the prediction plainly. Both higher bands upgrade 'maybe better' to 'perhaps better', a slightly more formal hedge for the same idea.
   • LR“the same number of people now creates far more traffic” — This is plain, direct phrasing. The higher bands upgrade this to 'the same number of people now makes far more traffic', a subtle but real shift toward the more idiomatic collocation 'makes traffic' over 'creates traffic'.
   • GRA“Whether it gets worse depends on choices made now — build metros or build ring roads.” — This sentence uses a dash to attach a short, parallel two-item list. The 7.5 version instead restructures the same list as 'build metros or build ring roads', with a colon-like function through the dash, showing this construction is already close to the ceiling at 6.5.

   Band 7.0

   Upgrades 'maybe' to 'perhaps' and uses a colon rather than a dash to introduce the metro-versus-ring-roads choice.

   In cities like mine, worse first, then perhaps better. Da Nang is swapping motorbikes for cars as people get richer, and one car takes the road space of five bikes, so the same number of people now makes far more traffic than before. On the other side, remote work, delivery replacing shopping trips, and better public transport in the big cities all pull the other way, and some rich cities have actually seen traffic fall. Whether it gets worse depends on choices made now: build metros or build ring roads. My honest guess is a rough decade for growing Asian cities, and a slow improvement afterwards for the ones that plan for it.

   Why this band

   • FC“In cities like mine, worse first, then perhaps better.” — 'Perhaps' is a slightly more formal, considered hedge than the plainer 'maybe' used at 6.5. It matches the 7.5 phrasing exactly, showing the two higher bands converge on this word.
   • LR“one car takes the road space of five bikes” — This is a more precise, compact way of stating the ratio than the fuller '6.5' version, 'one car takes up the road space of about five bikes'. Dropping 'up' and 'about' tightens the sentence without losing accuracy.
   • GRA“Whether it gets worse depends on choices made now: build metros or build ring roads.” — The colon here introduces the two-item choice directly, a slightly more formal device than the dash used at 6.5. It's close to the 7.5 structure, which restructures the whole sentence to foreground the flood-of-cars image before this same choice appears.

   Band 7.5

   Adds the dash-marked aside 'that trend has years left to run' to intensify the warning about cars replacing motorbikes.

   In cities like mine, worse first, then perhaps better. Da Nang is swapping motorbikes for cars as people get richer, and one car takes the road space of five bikes, so the same number of people now makes far more traffic — that trend has years left to run. On the other side, remote work, delivery replacing shopping trips, and better public transport in the big cities all pull the other way, and some rich cities have actually seen traffic fall. Whether it gets worse depends on choices made now: build metros or build ring roads. My honest guess is a rough decade for growing Asian cities, and a slow improvement afterwards for the ones that plan for it.

   Why this band

   • FC“that trend has years left to run” — This dash-marked aside adds a forward-looking warning that neither lower band attempts, immediately following the statistic about cars and bikes. It signals the speaker's own judgement about the trend's momentum, not just a report of the fact.
   • LR“swapping motorbikes for cars as people get richer” — 'Swapping' is a slightly more vivid, economical verb than a plainer paraphrase would give, capturing a one-for-one substitution rather than a general increase. It's shared with the lower bands, showing this particular phrase was already strong and simply carried through unchanged.
   • GRA“one car takes the road space of five bikes, so the same number of people now makes far more traffic — that trend has years left to run” — This sentence adds a dash-marked consequence clause onto the structure already used at 7.0, extending it with a further evaluative aside. The added clause gives the statistic its own forward-looking conclusion within the same continuous sentence.