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 Time When Something in Your Home Broke and You Tried to Repair It", 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 Time When Something in Your Home Broke and You Tried to Repair It

Most recently asked in May–Aug 2026

The cue card

Describe a time when something in your home broke and you tried to repair it

You should say:

what thing broke
why this thing broke
what you did to try to repair it
and explain how successful you were at trying to repair this thing

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 relies on plain, safe vocabulary ('a bit mixed', 'a bit disappointed') and simple chained sentences joined with 'but' and 'and', giving a clear but unremarkable account typical of Band 6.5.

The thing that broke in my home was the kitchen tap. It happened about three months ago, one evening when I came home from work.

It broke because it was quite old, and I think the small rubber part inside had worn out after years of use. When I turned the tap on, water started leaking from underneath, not from the top, and it wouldn't stop, even when I turned it off completely.

What I did first was try to fix it myself. I turned off the water under the sink, then used a small wrench to open the tap and see what was inside. I found the old rubber part I mentioned and tried to replace it with a new one I bought nearby. I had watched a short video online to help me understand what to do.

How successful I was is a bit mixed. I managed to stop the leaking for that night, but the next morning it started dripping again, just a little. In the end, I called a plumber, who fixed it properly in about twenty minutes. I felt a bit disappointed that I couldn't finish the job myself, but at least I understood the problem before he arrived, and I saved a little time and money.

212 words · about 2 minutes

Why this band

LR“the small rubber part inside had worn out” — 'Worn out' and 'small rubber part' are both plain, high-frequency phrases used descriptively rather than technically — a 7.0 or 7.5 answer discussing the same tap might name the part more specifically or use a more precise verb for degradation. Here the vagueness is functional rather than a weakness: it conveys exactly enough mechanical understanding to make the story plausible without requiring specialist vocabulary the speaker likely wouldn't naturally have, matching the 6.5 lexical target. The past-perfect 'had worn out' correctly marks the cause as prior to the leak, showing basic grammatical accuracy even within plain vocabulary.
FC“How successful I was is a bit mixed.” — The sentence functions as a minimal topic sentence, flagging that a mixed outcome is coming before the details are given, which is a basic but genuine coherence device — it helps the listener follow the shift from 'what I did' to 'how well it worked'. It's plainer than the equivalent 7.0 line from a similar home-repair story ('How successful I was, honestly, was only partly'), lacking the mid-sentence spoken connector that would add rhythm and nuance; here the phrasing is flat and functional rather than natural-sounding hesitation.
GRA“I felt a bit disappointed that I couldn't finish the job myself, but at least I understood the problem before he arrived, and I saved a little time and money.” — Three ideas — disappointment, a partial consolation, and a practical benefit — are strung together using only the coordinators 'but' and 'and', with a single subordinate clause providing the sentence's only layer of embedding. This coordinate-chain pattern is accurate and easy to follow but avoids the kind of varied subordination a 7.0 answer would likely use to link the same three ideas more tightly. It fits the 6.5 grammar target precisely: mostly simple sentences plus a few basic complex ones, prioritising clarity and correctness over structural range.

Band 7.0

The answer develops the repair with one concrete visual detail ('almost like a layer of grey fur') and comfortably strings together complex clauses in sentences like the cleaning description, giving fluent, natural development that goes beyond 6.5's short, plain statements without yet reaching 7.5's more polished imagery.

The thing that broke in my home was the ceiling fan in my bedroom, and it happened about five months ago, right in the middle of a really hot week.

It broke, I think, because the motor hadn't been cleaned in years and dust had built up inside it, which made it work harder than it should. One night it started making a strange grinding sound, and by the next morning it had stopped spinning completely, even though the light on it still worked fine.

What I did was take it apart myself, mainly because I didn't want to wait days for a repairman during such hot weather. I switched off the power at the wall first, then unscrewed the cover and found the blades were thick with dust, almost like a layer of grey fur. I cleaned everything with a cloth and a bit of oil I found online was supposed to help the motor turn more smoothly, then put it back together, which took a lot longer than I expected because I'd forgotten which screw went where.

How successful I was, honestly, was only partly. The fan turned again once I switched it back on, and the grinding noise was gone, but it wobbled slightly and was clearly not spinning quite as fast as before. I lived with that for a couple of weeks, but eventually I called an electrician, who told me the motor itself needed replacing, not just cleaning. He fixed it properly within half an hour. I was a little disappointed I couldn't solve it completely on my own, but at least the noise part was down to me, and I definitely learned more about how a fan actually works.

285 words · about 2 minutes

Why this band

LR“almost like a layer of grey fur” — The simile compares built-up dust to 'a layer of grey fur', giving a visual, almost tactile image rather than the plain description ('very dusty') a 6.5 answer would use, while staying light-touch — a single comparison rather than an extended or elaborated image. It's dropped naturally into the middle of a practical, step-by-step repair narrative, showing the figurative language genuinely helps the listener picture the fan blades rather than performing for its own sake. This matches the 7.0 lexical scale — noticeably more vivid than plain vocabulary, but a single touch rather than the denser imagery a 7.5 answer might build.
FC“How successful I was, honestly, was only partly.” — Placing 'honestly' between the topic ('How successful I was') and the verdict ('was only partly') rather than at the start or end of the sentence breaks up the rhythm the way real spoken hesitation does, making the admission of partial failure sound considered rather than pre-scripted. This mid-sentence insertion is a small but genuine spoken-fluency device that a 6.5 answer, which tends to place connectors at clause boundaries, would be less likely to attempt. The honest, qualified self-assessment it introduces also keeps the whole answer credible rather than presenting an implausibly complete DIY success.
GRA“I cleaned everything with a cloth and a bit of oil I found online was supposed to help the motor turn more smoothly, then put it back together, which took a lot longer than I expected because I'd forgotten which screw went where.” — The sentence chains an embedded relative clause ('oil... was supposed to help'), a second main-verb clause, a further relative clause ('which took a lot longer'), and a reason clause ('because I'd forgotten') — four clauses stacked in sequence while still tracking the same subject through each step of the repair. A 6.5 answer would more likely break this into two or three shorter sentences; here the length is functional, mirroring the drawn-out, fiddly nature of the repair itself. It stays within familiar connector patterns rather than the more marked constructions that would push it toward 7.5.

Band 7.5

The rhetorical question 'How successful was I? Completely, in the end.' and the vivid simile 'a quantity of lint that looked like a small animal' show the flexible, idiomatic control and narrative flair characteristic of Band 7.5.

The thing that broke was my washing machine, about eight months ago, on a Sunday night with a full load of wet clothes inside it. It stopped halfway through the cycle, showed an error code I'd never seen, and refused to drain, so the drum was sitting full of grey water and my entire week's clothes.

Why it broke, I found out later, was entirely my fault. Somewhere in a pocket I'd left a ten-thousand-đồng coin and, apparently, a hair clip that wasn't mine. They'd worked their way through the drum and jammed the drain pump.

What I did first was look up the error code, which led me to a video by a man in a garage who'd clearly repaired a thousand machines and had no patience for people like me. He showed that there's a small round filter cover at the bottom front of the machine, behind a panel, and that if you unscrew it, whatever's blocking the pump usually falls out. He also said, quite clearly, to put a tray underneath and drain the machine first. I skipped that part.

So at ten at night I unscrewed the filter and roughly thirty litres of grey water came out across my bathroom floor, under the door and into the hallway. I spent an hour with every towel I owned. Then I reached into the filter and found the coin, the hair clip, and a quantity of lint that looked like a small animal.

How successful was I? Completely, in the end. I screwed the cover back on, restarted the cycle, and by midnight the machine was draining like new; it's worked perfectly since. I'd also learned two things — that most household machines are simpler inside than their panels suggest, and that repair videos are right about the tray. My downstairs neighbour, who had water coming through her ceiling light, learned something about me as well.

318 words · about 2 minutes

Why this band

LR“a quantity of lint that looked like a small animal” — Rather than a flat, functional description ("a lot of lint"), this simile compares the retrieved lint to a small animal, a vivid and mildly comic image that a Band 6.5 or 7.0 answer would be unlikely to attempt, more likely settling for a plain quantifier. The formal-sounding noun "quantity" juxtaposed against the casual, almost absurd comparison also creates a small comic contrast in register, a genuinely idiomatic, controlled use of humour rather than functional description. It lands as the punchline of the whole repair anecdote, following the coin and the mysterious hair clip that wasn't the speaker's.
FC“How successful was I? Completely, in the end.” — Posing a rhetorical question and then answering it immediately is a deliberate coherence device that creates emphasis and a small dramatic pause before revealing the outcome, rather than simply stating the result directly ("In the end, I fixed it completely"), which is what a Band 6.5 or 7.0 answer would more likely do. The clipped two-word answer "Completely, in the end" also mimics natural spoken rhythm, delivering the resolution with confidence after building tension through the flood and the late-night repair. This device mirrors the earlier rhetorical question in the same story ("Did I fix it?"), showing the speaker using the same technique twice with control rather than by accident.
GRA“I'd also learned two things — that most household machines are simpler inside than their panels suggest, and that repair videos are right about the tray.” — A dash introduces a parallel two-part structure, with two "that"-clauses functioning as the objects of "learned," each stating a distinct lesson from the story -- this kind of coordinated, embedded clause structure shows flexible, well-controlled complex grammar beyond what a Band 6.5 or 7.0 speaker would typically manage in a single sentence. The second lesson also has a self-deprecating edge, referring back to an earlier admission ("I skipped that part") about ignoring the video's advice to use a tray, so the grammar is tied to a specific narrative payoff rather than existing as an abstract list. "Panels suggest" is itself a slightly more precise phrase than a plainer alternative like "machines look complicated".

How this card was asked, by exam period

Describe a time when something in your home broke and you tried to repair itMay–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. Do you agree with the view that some companies design their products to last only a short time?
May–Aug 2026
Compare Band 6.5 / 7.0 / 7.5 for this question
Band 6.5
States the closing charge plainly, without the more pointed final clause about company intent the higher bands add.
I agree, and I've paid for it myself. My old phone's battery faded after two years, and the shop said it was glued under the screen, which had to be broken to reach it — the quote was half the price of a new phone. That's not an accident; it's a decision. Sealed cases, parts you can't buy, and updates that slow old phones all point the same way. Not every company does this, and some is customers choosing cheap over durable. A lot of what's in my home is designed to be replaced, not repaired.
Why this band
FC“I agree, and I've paid for it myself.” — This opening states agreement and personal stake in one short sentence, fitting 6.5's plain style. 7.0 drops 'myself' and adds 'Honestly', and 7.5 extends to 'more than once', both giving the same opening slightly more weight or nuance.
LR“That's not an accident; it's a decision.” — This is a clear, punchy contrast already at 6.5. 7.0 and 7.5 both extend the same phrase to 'not an accident of engineering, it's a decision', a more precise, technical qualifier for the identical claim.
GRA“Sealed cases, parts you can't buy, and updates that slow old phones all point the same way.” — A three-item list joined by commas and 'and', correct and clear. 7.5 extends this to a four-item list adding 'fashion cycles that make a working product feel embarrassing', showing a longer, more developed sentence for the same point.
Band 7.0
Adds 'Honestly' up front and extends the punchy contrast with 'of engineering', giving the opening a more considered edge.
Honestly, I agree, and I've paid for it. When my previous phone's battery faded after two years, the repair shop explained the battery was glued under the screen, which had to be broken just to reach it, and quoted half the price of a new phone — that's not an accident of engineering, it's a decision. Sealed cases, parts that can't be bought, and updates that slow old devices all point the same way. Not every company does it, admittedly, and some of the short life is customers choosing cheap over durable. But a lot of what's in my home is designed to be replaced rather than repaired.
Why this band
FC“Honestly, I agree, and I've paid for it.” — The hedge 'Honestly' gives this opening a more personal, spoken quality than 6.5's flatter version. 7.5 drops the hedge but extends 'paid for it' with 'more than once', achieving a similarly personal effect through added detail instead.
LR“quoted half the price of a new phone” — This is a clear, functional detail. 7.5 keeps this exact phrase, showing that at the top two bands a precise detail can recur while the surrounding sentence grows more elaborate.
GRA“Sealed cases, parts that can't be bought, and updates that slow old devices all point the same way.” — This three-item list is correct and fluent. 7.5 extends the same list to four items, adding the phrase about fashion cycles, and inserts the adverb 'quietly' before 'slow', showing marginally denser description within a similar structure.
Band 7.5
Closes by quoting the earlier phrase back as a verdict and naming the companies' intent, giving the ending more rhetorical force.
I agree, and I've paid for it more than once. When my previous phone's battery faded after two years, the repair shop explained that the battery was glued under a screen that had to be broken to reach it, and quoted half the price of a new phone — that's not an accident of engineering, it's a decision. Sealed cases, parts that simply can't be bought, updates that quietly slow old devices, and fashion cycles that make a working product feel embarrassing all point the same way. Not every company does it, and some of the short life is customers choosing cheap over durable. But 'designed to be replaced rather than repaired' describes a lot of what's sitting in my home, and the companies know exactly what they're doing.
Why this band
FC“But 'designed to be replaced rather than repaired' describes a lot of what's sitting in my home, and the companies know exactly what they're doing.” — This closing quotes the very phrase used earlier in the argument as if it were a verdict, then adds a pointed final clause about the companies' intent, giving the ending more rhetorical force than the plainer closings at 6.5 and 7.0.
LR“fashion cycles that make a working product feel embarrassing” — This is a precise, evaluative phrase capturing a specific mechanism, well beyond the plainer list items at 6.5 and 7.0. It shows the kind of exact, topic-appropriate vocabulary expected at 7.5.
GRA“Sealed cases, parts that simply can't be bought, updates that quietly slow old devices, and fashion cycles that make a working product feel embarrassing all point the same way.” — This sentence manages a four-item list, each with its own modifying clause, within one unit — considerably more loaded than the three-item lists at 6.5 and 7.0. That capacity to sustain a long, evenly balanced list without losing clarity is a hallmark of 7.5 grammar.
2. Do you agree or disagree that society values computing skills more than other practical skills?
May–Aug 2026
Compare Band 6.5 / 7.0 / 7.5 for this question
Band 6.5
Places the hedge 'honestly' mid-sentence rather than at the very start or end, as the higher bands do.
It does, and I'm honestly on the wrong side of that comparison. The plumber who fixed my neighbour's ceiling is a skilled man, and he earns less than I do for moving rectangles on a screen. I can't really argue that my work is harder or more necessary. Salaries, schools, and parents' hopes point children toward computers and away from trades, so we end up with a shortage of people who can fix things and too many people who can make slides. But we've decided sitting-down skills are worth more, and that's a mistake.
Why this band
FC“It does, and I'm honestly on the wrong side of that comparison.” — This opening states agreement and self-implication together in one plain sentence, suiting 6.5's style. Both higher bands move the hedge 'honestly'/'if I'm honest' to a different position, giving the same opening a slightly more natural, spoken rhythm.
LR“I can't really argue that my work is harder or more necessary.” — This is a plain, direct concession. Both higher bands extend it with 'honestly' inside the clause and 7.5 adds 'than his' at the end, a more precise, comparative completion of the same idea.
GRA“so we end up with a shortage of people who can fix things and too many people who can make slides.” — This uses 'so' plus a simple parallel structure, correct and clear. Both higher bands replace this with 'and the result is a shortage of... and a surplus of...', a more formal, precisely balanced parallel structure.
Band 7.0
Moves the hedge 'Honestly' to the very front of the answer, a more spoken, emphatic framing than 6.5's mid-sentence placement.
Honestly, it does, and I'm on the wrong side of the comparison myself. The plumber who fixed my neighbour's ceiling is a skilled man who earns less than I do for moving rectangles around a screen, and I can't argue that my work is harder or more necessary. Salaries, school priorities and parents' hopes point children toward computers and away from trades, resulting in a shortage of people who can fix things and a surplus of people who can make slides. There's some correction coming, admittedly — good electricians are now hard to find and their rates show it. But we've decided sitting-down skills are worth more, and that's a mistake.
Why this band
FC“Honestly, it does, and I'm on the wrong side of the comparison myself.” — The hedge 'Honestly' at the front gives this a more personal, spoken quality than 6.5's version, which places 'honestly' mid-sentence. 7.5 moves a similar hedge to the very end of the sentence, a subtly different but equally natural placement.
LR“a shortage of people who can fix things and a surplus of people who can make slides” — 'Surplus' is a precise, formal counterpart to 'shortage', reused identically at 7.5. It shows that at the top two bands a well-chosen technical pairing can recur while the surrounding sentence grows more demanding.
GRA“There's some correction coming, admittedly — good electricians are now hard to find and their rates show it.” — This sentence uses a dash to add supporting evidence after a concessive opener, a fairly advanced structure. 7.5 keeps an almost identical structure but adds 'under way' and 'plainly', small intensifiers that sharpen the same closing evidence.
Band 7.5
Closes with the added adverbs 'quietly' and 'simply', giving the final claim more pointed, confident rhetorical bite.
It does, and I'm sitting on the wrong side of the comparison myself, if I'm honest. The plumber who fixed my neighbour's ceiling is a genuinely skilled man who earns less per hour than I do for moving rectangles around a screen, and I can't honestly argue that my work is harder or more necessary than his. Salaries, school priorities and parents' hopes all steer children toward computers and away from trades, and the result is a shortage of people who can actually fix things and a surplus of people who can make slides. There's some correction under way, admittedly — good electricians are now hard to find and their rates show it plainly. But as a society, we've quietly decided a skill is worth more if it's done sitting down, and that's simply a mistake.
Why this band
FC“But as a society, we've quietly decided a skill is worth more if it's done sitting down, and that's simply a mistake.” — The added adverbs 'quietly' and 'simply' give this closing claim more rhetorical bite than the plainer versions at 6.5 and 7.0, framing the societal decision as both unconscious and clearly wrong. It reads as a more pointed, confident final judgement.
LR“steer children toward computers and away from trades” — 'Steer' is a more precise, directional verb than the plain 'point' used at 6.5 and 7.0 for the same idea, suggesting active guidance rather than passive influence. It shows the kind of exact word choice expected at 7.5.
GRA“There's some correction under way, admittedly — good electricians are now hard to find and their rates show it plainly.” — This sentence extends the 7.0 structure with 'under way' replacing 'coming' and the added adverb 'plainly' at the end, packing more precision into an already complex shared frame. This kind of incremental refinement is characteristic of the top band's control.
3. Why is it sometimes not a good idea to pay for a repair?
May–Aug 2026
Compare Band 6.5 / 7.0 / 7.5 for this question
Band 6.5
States the sentiment-versus-sense contrast in plain everyday words, unlike the higher bands' more compressed, alliterative phrasing.
When the repair costs more than the thing is worth, or when it won't be the last one. My mother has paid to repair a fifteen-year-old fan four times, and the total is now more than a new, more efficient fan — some repairs are about feeling, not sense. Old products also fail one part at a time, so fixing one just reveals the next weak one. Safety matters, since gas or wiring repairs can be risky. My rule is: repair if it's well made and the fault is simple; replace if it's cheap and tired.
Why this band
FC“some repairs are about feeling, not sense.” — This states the contrast plainly with everyday vocabulary, suiting 6.5's style. Both higher bands compress it to 'sentiment, not sense', a more precise, alliterative pairing that reads as more deliberately crafted.
LR“Old products also fail one part at a time, so fixing one just reveals the next weak one.” — 'Fail one part at a time' is a functional, plain description. Both higher bands replace it with 'tend to fail in sequence', a slightly more formal and precise phrase for the same process.
GRA“My rule is: repair if it's well made and the fault is simple; replace if it's cheap and tired.” — This closing uses a colon and a semicolon to structure a compact rule, an already strong technique at 6.5. Both higher bands keep this exact structure, showing a good punctuation choice can recur while small word-level refinements accumulate around it.
Band 7.0
Compresses the plain contrast into 'sentiment, not sense', a tighter, more alliterative version of 6.5's fuller phrase.
When the repair costs more than the thing is worth, or when it won't be the last repair. My mother has paid to repair a fifteen-year-old fan four times, purely out of loyalty, and the total is now well past the price of a new, more efficient fan — some repairs are sentiment, not sense. Old products also tend to fail in sequence; fixing one part just reveals the next weak one. Safety matters, since gas or wiring repairs can be risky. The rule I use is: repair if it's well made and the fault is simple; replace if it's cheap and tired.
Why this band
FC“some repairs are sentiment, not sense.” — This compressed, alliterative phrase reads as more deliberately crafted than 6.5's plainer 'about feeling, not sense'. 7.5 keeps this exact phrase, showing that a well-chosen formulation can recur across the top two bands unchanged.
LR“purely out of loyalty” — 'Purely' is a precise intensifier for the motive being described. 7.5 keeps this exact phrase, showing that at the top two bands a well-chosen intensifier can recur while the surrounding sentence grows more demanding.
GRA“Old products also tend to fail in sequence; fixing one part just reveals the next weak one.” — This sentence uses a semicolon to join two closely related clauses, more advanced than 6.5's looser 'so' link. 7.5 keeps this identical semicolon structure but extends the final clause with 'waiting behind it', a small addition that deepens the same image.
Band 7.5
Adds the word 'this' before the colon and 'already' before 'tired', giving the closing rule slightly more deliberate framing.
When the repair costs more than the thing is worth, or when it won't be the last one needed. My mother has paid to repair a fifteen-year-old fan four times, purely out of loyalty, and the total is now well past the price of a new fan that would use half the electricity — some repairs are sentiment, not sense. Old products also tend to fail in sequence; fixing one part simply reveals the next weak one waiting behind it. Safety matters too, since a repaired gas appliance or worn wiring can be a risk that's simply not worth saving money on. The rule I use is this: repair if it's well made and the fault is simple; replace if it's cheap and already tired.
Why this band
FC“The rule I use is this: repair if it's well made and the fault is simple; replace if it's cheap and already tired.” — The added word 'this' before the colon and 'already' before 'tired' give this closing rule slightly more deliberate framing than the identical structure at 6.5 and 7.0. It reads as a more consciously stated, personal principle.
LR“the next weak one waiting behind it” — 'Waiting behind it' is a vivid, almost personifying image for a mechanical fault, well beyond the plain 'the next weak one' used at 6.5 and 7.0. It shows the kind of natural, figurative vocabulary that marks 7.5.
GRA“Old products also tend to fail in sequence; fixing one part simply reveals the next weak one waiting behind it.” — This sentence keeps the semicolon structure from 7.0 but extends the final clause with an additional participial phrase, adding a further layer of description within an already complex shared frame. That incremental extension is characteristic of the top band's grammatical range.
4. When is it better to ask an expert to repair something?
May–Aug 2026
Compare Band 6.5 / 7.0 / 7.5 for this question
Band 6.5
Joins the final two instructions with a semicolon in one sentence, unlike the higher bands' punchier two-sentence version.
When getting it wrong could hurt someone, or when a failed attempt would be expensive. The bathroom light started to flicker, and I called an electrician rather than a video, because electricity and water together aren't a learning opportunity. Gas, electrics, anything structural, brakes belong to people with training and insurance. Experts make sense for anything expensive to damage, since an amateur camera-lens repair can turn a cheap fault into a write-off. If it's under warranty, opening it yourself voids it. For a jammed pump, a video is fine; for anything that can catch fire, pay.
Why this band
FC“When getting it wrong could hurt someone, or when a failed attempt would be expensive.” — This opening states two conditions in a plain parallel sentence, suiting 6.5's style. Both higher bands intensify the first clause with 'actually'/'genuinely', and 7.5 upgrades 'expensive' to 'steep', giving the same conditions slightly more emphasis.
LR“electricity and water together aren't a learning opportunity” — This is a clear, dry understatement. Both higher bands add 'exactly', sharpening the same ironic tone into a slightly more idiomatic, confident phrasing.
GRA“For a jammed pump, a video is fine; for anything that can catch fire, pay.” — This closing uses a semicolon to balance two short, parallel instructions, an already effective structure at 6.5. Both higher bands split this into two separate short sentences instead, a punchier, more deliberate rhythm for the same final contrast.
Band 7.0
Splits the closing contrast into two short, separate sentences, a punchier rhythm than 6.5's semicolon-joined version.
When getting it wrong could actually hurt someone, or when the cost of a failed attempt is high. The bathroom light began to flicker after my flood, and I called an electrician rather than another video, since electricity and water together aren't exactly a learning opportunity. Gas, electrics, anything structural, brakes on a vehicle — those belong to people with training and insurance. Experts also make sense for anything expensive to damage further; an amateur camera-lens repair can turn a cheap fault into a write-off. And when the item's under warranty, opening it yourself usually voids it. For a jammed pump, a video is fine. For anything that can catch fire, pay.
Why this band
FC“When getting it wrong could actually hurt someone, or when the cost of a failed attempt is high.” — The intensifier 'actually' gives the first clause more emphasis than 6.5's plain version. 7.5 replaces 'actually' with 'genuinely' and 'high' with 'steep', small but deliberate upgrades to the same two-part opening.
LR“electricity and water together aren't exactly a learning opportunity” — 'Not exactly' is a precise, understated idiom for firm disagreement, reused almost identically at 7.5. It shows that at the top two bands a well-chosen ironic phrase can recur while the surrounding sentence structure grows more demanding.
GRA“For a jammed pump, a video is fine. For anything that can catch fire, pay.” — This splits the closing contrast into two short, parallel sentences instead of one semicolon-joined sentence, a punchier rhythm than 6.5's version. 7.5 keeps this identical two-sentence structure but adds 'someone' to the final sentence, a small but deliberate completion.
Band 7.5
Adds the object 'someone' to the final instruction, making the closing advice more concrete and complete than the elliptical versions below.
When getting it wrong could genuinely hurt someone, or when the cost of a failed attempt is steep. After my flood, the bathroom light began to flicker, and this time I called an electrician rather than trusting another video, since electricity and water together are not exactly a learning opportunity. Gas, electrics, anything structural, brakes on a vehicle — those belong to people with proper training and insurance. Experts also make sense for anything expensive to damage further; an amateur repair on a camera lens can turn a cheap fault into a write-off in seconds. And when the item's under warranty, opening it yourself usually voids it anyway, whether you fix it or not. For a jammed pump, a video is fine. For anything that can catch fire, pay someone.
Why this band
FC“For anything that can catch fire, pay someone.” — Adding the object 'someone' to this final instruction makes the advice concrete and complete, a small but deliberate refinement beyond the elliptical 'pay' used at 6.5 and 7.0. It gives the closing instruction more finality and clarity.
LR“can turn a cheap fault into a write-off in seconds” — The added phrase 'in seconds' intensifies the speed and severity of the risk, a more vivid completion than the plainer version at 6.5 and 7.0. It shows the kind of precise, emphatic vocabulary expected at 7.5.
GRA“And when the item's under warranty, opening it yourself usually voids it anyway, whether you fix it or not.” — This sentence adds a concessive trailing clause onto an already complete sentence, extending the reasoning further than either lower band. That capacity to keep building a sentence with additional, precisely judged qualification is a hallmark of 7.5 grammar.
5. What impact would it have on society if people lost all practical skills?
May–Aug 2026
Compare Band 6.5 / 7.0 / 7.5 for this question
Band 6.5
Uses the plain adverb 'just' in the central claim, where the higher bands both reach for the more formal 'simply'.
We'd be helpless in exactly the moments that matter most. During a power cut at Tết, my father got the neighbour's generator running with a screwdriver, and none of the younger relatives would have known where to begin. A society without practical skills is fine until something breaks, and then it just waits. Everything would depend on a shrinking group of professionals, who could charge whatever they liked. Waste would rise, since anything faulty would be thrown away. And something in people's confidence would go, because fixing things is part of feeling capable in the world.
Why this band
FC“We'd be helpless in exactly the moments that matter most.” — This opening states the core claim in one plain sentence, suiting 6.5's style. 7.0 adds 'Honestly' before a slightly less emphatic version, while 7.5 keeps 'most' but adds 'if I'm honest' at the end, both giving the same claim a more personal framing.
LR“A society without practical skills is fine until something breaks, and then it just waits.” — This sentence states the consequence plainly with the everyday adverb 'just'. Both higher bands replace 'just' with 'simply', a marginally more formal and precise intensifier for the same idea.
GRA“Everything would depend on a shrinking group of professionals, who could charge whatever they liked.” — This sentence uses a relative clause to add a consequence, correct and reasonably developed. Both higher bands extend 'whatever they liked' to 'more or less whatever they liked', a more nuanced, hedged version of the same claim, and 7.5 further adds 'come to' before 'depend', showing a gradual process rather than a fixed state.
Band 7.0
Adds 'Honestly' up front and hedges the professionals' power with 'more or less', giving the claim a more nuanced edge.
Honestly, we'd be helpless in exactly the moments that matter. During a power cut at Tết, my father got the neighbour's generator running with a screwdriver, and not one of the younger relatives would have known where to begin — a society without practical skills is fine until something breaks, and then it simply waits. Everything would depend on a shrinking class of professionals, who could charge more or less whatever they liked. Waste would rise, since anything faulty would be thrown away. Ordinary costs of living would climb, too. And something in people's confidence would go — fixing things is part of feeling capable in the world.
Why this band
FC“Honestly, we'd be helpless in exactly the moments that matter.” — The hedge 'Honestly' gives this opening a more personal, spoken quality than 6.5's flatter version. 7.5 achieves a similarly personal effect by moving a nearly identical hedge to the end of the sentence, a subtly more natural placement.
LR“Ordinary costs of living would climb, too.” — This is a clear, functional addition to the list of consequences. 7.5 keeps a very similar sentence but reorders it to 'would rise with it', tying the consequence more explicitly to the previous point about waste.
GRA“Everything would depend on a shrinking class of professionals, who could charge more or less whatever they liked.” — This sentence hedges the claim with 'more or less', a more nuanced structure than 6.5's flatter 'whatever they liked'. 7.5 keeps this identical hedge but changes 'would depend on' to 'would come to depend on', adding a sense of gradual process to the same claim.
Band 7.5
Closes with the added adverbs 'quietly' and 'genuinely', giving the final observation about confidence a more reflective quality.
We'd be helpless in exactly the moments that matter most, if I'm honest. During a power cut at Tết, my father got the neighbour's old generator running with a screwdriver and a rag, and not one of the younger relatives, myself included, would have known where to begin — a society without practical skills is fine until something breaks, and then it simply waits. Everything would come to depend on a shrinking class of professionals, who could charge more or less whatever they liked. Waste would climb too, since anything remotely faulty would simply be thrown away rather than fixed. Ordinary costs of living would rise with it. And something in people's confidence would quietly go, since the ability to fix a thing is part of feeling genuinely capable in the world.
Why this band
FC“And something in people's confidence would quietly go, since the ability to fix a thing is part of feeling genuinely capable in the world.” — The added adverbs 'quietly' and 'genuinely' give this closing claim a more reflective, considered quality than the plainer versions at 6.5 and 7.0. It reads as a more carefully weighed final observation about an intangible loss.
LR“anything remotely faulty would simply be thrown away rather than fixed” — The added phrase 'remotely faulty' and the trailing 'rather than fixed' make this claim more precise and complete than the plainer versions at the lower bands. It shows the kind of exact, fully-specified vocabulary expected at 7.5.
GRA“Everything would come to depend on a shrinking class of professionals, who could charge more or less whatever they liked.” — This sentence changes 'would depend on' to 'would come to depend on', adding a sense of gradual process to an otherwise identical structure shared with 7.0. That fine-tuned variation within a shared frame is characteristic of the top band's grammatical control.
6. Do you think robots have better practical skills than humans?
May–Aug 2026
Compare Band 6.5 / 7.0 / 7.5 for this question
Band 6.5
Opens with a compact semicolon pair that both higher bands keep, adding only small intensifiers around it.
At narrow tasks, yes; at practical skill in the human sense, not yet. My parents' robot vacuum cleans a floor more evenly than any person, and loses daily to a sock — it can do one thing perfectly and can't cope with a world that hasn't been arranged for it. Factory robots weld and assemble with unmatched precision. Practical skill is mostly the unexpected — a rusted screw, a misplaced pipe. Humans improvise; robots, so far, follow. Give it a plumber's job and it'll handle routine parts, calling a human for the rest.
Why this band
FC“At narrow tasks, yes; at practical skill in the human sense, not yet.” — This opening uses a semicolon to give a compact, two-part answer right away, a strong structure already at 6.5. Both higher bands keep this exact structure but add 'definitely' and 'fuller', giving the same balanced opening slightly more precision and confidence.
LR“it can do one thing perfectly and can't cope with a world that hasn't been arranged for it” — This is a clear, functional contrast. 7.5 upgrades 'perfectly' to 'flawlessly' and adds 'in advance' at the end, a more precise and complete version of the identical idea.
GRA“Humans improvise; robots, so far, follow.” — This closing uses a semicolon to balance two short, parallel clauses, an already effective structure at 6.5. Both higher bands keep this exact structure but add 'mostly'/'dutifully' before the final verb, a small but deliberate adverbial refinement within the same frame.
Band 7.0
Adds 'definitely' and 'fuller' to the compact opening pair, giving it more precision and confidence than 6.5's plainer version.
At narrow tasks, definitely yes; at practical skill in the fuller human sense, not yet. Our robot vacuum cleans floors more evenly than any person and is defeated daily by a sock — it can do one thing perfectly and cannot cope with an unstructured world. Factory robots weld and assemble with unmatched precision. Practical skill is mostly about the unexpected: the screw that's rusted, the pipe that isn't where the drawing says, the customer who describes the fault wrongly. Humans improvise; robots mostly follow. Give a plumber's job to a robot and it'll excel at the routine parts and call a human for the rest, which is roughly where things stand.
Why this band
FC“At narrow tasks, definitely yes; at practical skill in the fuller human sense, not yet.” — Adding 'definitely' and 'fuller' to the already compact semicolon opening gives it more precision and confidence than 6.5's plainer version. 7.5 keeps this exact phrasing, showing that a refined opening can recur unchanged across the top two bands.
LR“the screw that's rusted, the pipe that isn't where the drawing says, the customer who describes the fault wrongly” — This three-part list of unexpected problems is vivid and specific. 7.5 keeps the same three examples but intensifies each one slightly, showing a wider range of precise modification for identical content.
GRA“Give a plumber's job to a robot and it'll excel at the routine parts and call a human for the rest, which is roughly where things stand.” — This sentence uses a relative clause to add a reflective final comment, a fairly advanced structure. 7.5 keeps this identical structure but inserts 'quietly' before 'call', a small but deliberate adverbial addition within the same frame.
Band 7.5
Adds the adverb 'quietly' before 'call a human', giving the closing image a subtle, almost humble quality.
At narrow tasks, definitely yes; at practical skill in the fuller human sense, not yet. My parents' robot vacuum cleans a floor more evenly than any person alive and is defeated, daily, by a sock — it can do one thing flawlessly and simply cannot cope with a world that hasn't been arranged for it in advance. Factory robots weld and assemble with a precision no human hand can match. But practical skill is mostly about the unexpected: the screw that's rusted solid, the pipe that isn't where the drawing insists it is, the customer who describes the fault entirely wrongly. Humans improvise; robots, so far, dutifully follow. Give a plumber's job to a robot and it will excel at the routine parts and quietly call a human for the rest, which is roughly where things stand.
Why this band
FC“Give a plumber's job to a robot and it will excel at the routine parts and quietly call a human for the rest, which is roughly where things stand.” — The added adverb 'quietly' before 'call a human' gives this closing image a subtle, almost humble quality — the robot handing off what it cannot do — that neither lower band captures as precisely. It reads as a more carefully observed final image.
LR“cannot cope with a world that hasn't been arranged for it in advance” — The added phrase 'in advance' completes and sharpens the idea of a world not pre-arranged for the robot, more precise than the plainer versions at 6.5 and 7.0. It shows the kind of exact, fully-specified vocabulary expected at 7.5.
GRA“But practical skill is mostly about the unexpected: the screw that's rusted solid, the pipe that isn't where the drawing insists it is, the customer who describes the fault entirely wrongly.” — This sentence keeps the colon-introduced three-part list from 7.0 but intensifies each item with an added modifier, packing more precision into an already complex shared structure. This kind of consistent, fine-grained intensification across a shared frame is characteristic of the top band's control.
7. What kinds of things can people easily repair by themselves?
May–Aug 2026
Compare Band 6.5 / 7.0 / 7.5 for this question
Band 6.5
Ends the closing contrast without the extra relative clause about repair videos that both higher bands add.
More than most people try, honestly. Since fixing my washing machine, I've kept a list: a bicycle puncture, a loose door handle, a blocked sink, a torn seam, a dripping tap washer, and any appliance whose fault is 'something is stuck in it'. Common features: the part is reachable, the tools are ordinary, and a mistake won't be dangerous or expensive. Furniture, clothes, bikes, and simple mechanical things qualify. Electronics generally don't, and anything with gas or mains wiring never does. The real barrier is rarely skill; it's the belief that you need someone else.
Why this band
FC“More than most people try, honestly.” — This short opening states the claim plainly with the hedge placed at the end, fitting 6.5's direct style. Both higher bands add 'ever' before 'try', a small intensifier that sharpens the same claim without changing its basic shape.
LR“a torn seam” — This is a plain, functional list item. Both higher bands add a further item to the list, 'a phone screen protector', showing a slightly wider range of concrete examples for the same category of easy repairs.
GRA“The real barrier is rarely skill; it's the belief that you need someone else.” — This closing uses a semicolon to contrast two ideas in a compact final line, an already effective structure at 6.5. Both higher bands drop 'real' and extend the sentence with a relative clause about repair videos, adding a further layer to the same closing contrast.
Band 7.0
Adds 'ever' to the opening claim and extends the closing with a relative clause about repair videos, beyond 6.5's shorter ending.
More than most people ever try, honestly. Since the washing-machine night, I've kept a list, and it's grown steadily: a bicycle puncture, a loose door handle, a blocked sink, a torn seam, a dripping tap washer, a phone screen protector, and any appliance whose fault is 'something is stuck in it'. The common features: the part is reachable, the tools are ordinary, and a mistake won't be dangerous or expensive. Furniture, clothes, bikes and simple mechanical things qualify. Electronics generally don't, and anything involving gas or mains wiring never does. The barrier is rarely skill; it's the belief that you need someone else, which one good repair video usually cures.
Why this band
FC“More than most people ever try, honestly.” — This is nearly identical to 6.5's opening, showing that a strong opening structure can recur across bands. 7.5 keeps the same structure but moves the hedge to the end as 'if I'm honest', a subtly more natural variant of the same phrase.
LR“it's grown steadily” — 'Steadily' is a precise adverb describing gradual accumulation, reused identically at 7.5. It shows that at the top two bands a well-chosen adverb can recur while the surrounding list and closing sentence grow more developed.
GRA“The barrier is rarely skill; it's the belief that you need someone else, which one good repair video usually cures.” — This sentence extends the semicolon contrast with a further relative clause, a fairly advanced structure. 7.5 keeps this identical structure but changes 'good' to 'decent' and adds 'for good' at the very end, a small but deliberate pair of refinements.
Band 7.5
Adds 'for good' to the closing line, giving the final judgement a note of finality beyond the identical structure below.
More than most people ever try, if I'm honest. Since the washing-machine night I keep a rough list, and it's grown steadily: a bicycle puncture, a loose door handle, a blocked sink, a torn seam, a dripping tap washer, a phone screen protector, and any appliance whose fault is essentially 'something is stuck in it'. The common threads are that the part is reachable, the tools are ordinary, and a mistake won't be dangerous or expensive. Furniture, clothes, bikes and simple mechanical things all fall into that category. Electronics generally don't, and anything involving gas or mains wiring never does. The barrier is rarely skill; it's the belief that you need someone else, which one decent repair video usually cures for good.
Why this band
FC“The barrier is rarely skill; it's the belief that you need someone else, which one decent repair video usually cures for good.” — The added phrase 'for good' at the very end gives this closing claim a note of finality and confidence beyond the identical structure used at 6.5 and 7.0. It reads as a more assured, rounded-off final judgement.
LR“The common threads are that the part is reachable” — 'Threads' is a more precise, slightly figurative word for shared features than the plain 'features' used at 6.5 and 7.0 for the same idea. It shows the kind of exact, natural vocabulary expected at 7.5.
GRA“any appliance whose fault is essentially 'something is stuck in it'” — The inserted adverb 'essentially' softens and qualifies the quoted phrase that follows, a small but deliberate piece of hedging within an otherwise identical structure shared with the lower bands. That precise, controlled insertion is characteristic of 7.5 grammar.
8. Are luxury brands always better quality than cheaper brands?
May–Aug 2026
Compare Band 6.5 / 7.0 / 7.5 for this question
Band 6.5
Describes the same-factory point plainly, without the vivid industrial imagery the higher bands use for the identical claim.
Not always, and I've tested it by accident. A pair of expensive designer headphones I bought cracked at the hinge within a year; the plain pair from a local electronics shop that replaced them are still working five years later. Luxury prices buy materials, finishing, design and a name — often most of the price. The quality is better, especially leather goods or watches, where craft matters most. But luxury products often share factories with mid-range ones, just relabelled. Price is a weak signal; the honest test is how something looks after three years of use.
Why this band
FC“Not always, and I've tested it by accident.” — This opening states the position and its accidental evidence in one plain sentence, suiting 6.5's style. Both higher bands add 'actually'/'entirely' before 'by accident', a small intensifier that gives the same claim slightly more emphasis.
LR“still working five years later” — This is plain, functional vocabulary for durability. Both higher bands upgrade this to 'still going strong five years later/on', a more vivid, idiomatic phrase for the same idea of ongoing reliability.
GRA“Price is a weak signal; the honest test is how something looks after three years of use.” — This closing uses a semicolon to balance two short, related claims, an already effective structure at 6.5. Both higher bands keep this exact structure but add 'actual' before 'use', a small but deliberate intensifier within the same frame.
Band 7.0
Adds 'actually' to the opening claim, a small intensifier beyond 6.5's plainer version.
Not always, and I've actually tested it by accident. A pair of expensive designer headphones I bought cracked at the hinge within a year; the plain pair that replaced them are still strong five years later. Luxury prices buy materials, finishing, design and, above all, the name — often most of the price. Often the quality genuinely is better, especially in things like leather goods or watches, where craft really is the whole point. But plenty of luxury products are made in the very same factories as the mid-range ones, just with a different label. Price is a weak signal; the real test is how it looks after three years of use.
Why this band
FC“Not always, and I've actually tested it by accident.” — The intensifier 'actually' gives this opening slightly more emphasis than 6.5's plainer version. 7.5 replaces 'actually' with 'entirely', a marginally stronger and more precise adverb for the same claim.
LR“But plenty of luxury products are made in the very same factories as the mid-range ones, just with a different label.” — This is a clear, functional observation. 7.5 rephrases the equivalent idea with the more vivid, industrial metaphor 'roll off the very same production lines as their mid-range cousins, just with a different label stitched on', a noticeably more figurative version of the same claim.
GRA“Often the quality genuinely is better, especially in things like leather goods or watches, where craft really is the whole point.” — This sentence uses two intensifiers within one structure, correct and fluent. 7.5 keeps this identical sentence unchanged, showing that a well-built sentence can recur across the top two bands while other sentences carry the further development.
Band 7.5
Replaces the plainer observation about factories with a vivid industrial metaphor, and corrects the verb agreement to the singular 'is'.
Not always, and I've tested it entirely by accident. A pair of expensive designer headphones I bought myself as a treat cracked at the hinge within a year; the plain pair from a local electronics shop that replaced them is still going strong five years on. Luxury prices buy materials, finishing, design and, above all, the name — and the name can be most of the price. Often the quality genuinely is better, especially in things like leather goods or watches, where craft really is the whole point. But plenty of luxury products roll off the very same production lines as their mid-range cousins, just with a different label stitched on. Price is a weak signal; the honest test is how a thing looks after three years of actual use.
Why this band
FC“But plenty of luxury products roll off the very same production lines as their mid-range cousins, just with a different label stitched on.” — This closing uses two vivid, industrial metaphors, giving the observation far more concrete, visual detail than the plainer, more abstract version at 6.5 and 7.0. It reads as a more memorable, precisely observed final point.
LR“their mid-range cousins” — 'Cousins' is a vivid, figurative way of describing related products from the same manufacturer, well beyond the plain 'the mid-range ones' used at 6.5 and 7.0. It shows the kind of natural, image-based vocabulary that marks 7.5.
GRA“the plain pair from a local electronics shop that replaced them is still going strong five years on” — This sentence corrects the number agreement to the singular 'is' rather than the plural 'are' used at 6.5 and 7.0, and replaces 'later' with the more idiomatic 'on'. This kind of precise grammatical control over agreement and register is characteristic of 7.5.
9. Do you agree or disagree that products were better quality in the past?
May–Aug 2026
Compare Band 6.5 / 7.0 / 7.5 for this question
Band 6.5
Ends on the plain claim about durability, without the reflective final reframing the higher band adds.
I partly agree, though I know my own evidence is biased. My grandmother's sewing machine has run for fifty years, and my blender died at three, seemingly proof — but we only see survivors, and the many that broke decades ago were thrown away and forgotten. Some products were built to last, because they were expensive and repairable, and meant to last a lifetime. Today's things are cheaper, more capable and disposable by design. So quality has split: the average product is worse-made and better-featured, and durability is now a luxury rather than the default.
Why this band
FC“I partly agree, though I know my own evidence is biased.” — This opening acknowledges the argument's weakness plainly and directly, suiting 6.5's style. Both higher bands replace 'know' with 'aware', a slightly more formal and precise verb for the same self-aware admission.
LR“the many that broke decades ago were thrown away and forgotten” — This is a plain, functional description. Both higher bands add 'quietly' before 'forgotten', a small but evocative addition that gives the same idea a touch more atmosphere.
GRA“So quality has split: the average product is worse-made and better-featured, and durability is now a luxury rather than the default.” — This closing sentence uses a colon to introduce the claim's two halves, correct and effective. Both higher bands extend 'split' to 'split in two', a slightly more emphatic and complete version of the same closing image.
Band 7.0
Replaces 'know' with the more formal 'aware' in the opening admission, a step toward the higher band's fuller intensifier.
I'd partly agree, though I'm aware my own evidence is biased. My grandmother's sewing machine has run for fifty years and my blender died at three, which looks like proof — except that we only ever see the old things that survived, while the many that broke decades ago were thrown away and quietly forgotten. Some products genuinely were built to last, because they were expensive and repairable, and people expected to own one for life. Today's things are cheaper, more capable, and often disposable by design. So quality has essentially split in two: the average product is worse-made and better-featured, and durability is now a luxury rather than a default.
Why this band
FC“I'd partly agree, though I'm aware my own evidence is biased.” — This is nearly identical to 6.5's opening, showing that a clear, self-aware opening can recur across bands. 7.5 keeps the same structure but intensifies 'aware' to 'well aware', a small but deliberate upgrade to the same admission.
LR“the average product is worse-made and better-featured” — This is a precise, compact contrast using compound adjectives. 7.5 keeps this exact phrase, showing that at the top two bands a well-built compact phrase can recur while the surrounding argument grows more developed.
GRA“we only ever see the old things that survived, while the many that broke decades ago were thrown away and quietly forgotten” — This sentence uses 'while' to balance two groups of objects across time, a fluent and developed structure. 7.5 keeps this identical structure but adds 'happened to' before 'survive', a small but precise addition suggesting chance rather than inherent quality.
Band 7.5
Adds a final reflective sentence reframing the whole answer's conclusion, which neither lower band reaches for.
I'd partly agree, though I'm well aware my own evidence is biased. My grandmother's sewing machine has run for fifty years and my blender died at three, which looks like proof — except that we only ever see the old things that happened to survive, while the many that broke decades ago were thrown away and quietly forgotten. Some products genuinely were built to last, because they were expensive and repairable, and meant to last a lifetime. Today's things are cheaper, more capable and disposable by design, almost as a feature rather than a flaw. So quality has essentially split in two: the average product is worse-made and better-featured, and durability is now a luxury rather than a default. What we've lost is not the ability to make things well, but the habit of paying for it.
Why this band
FC“What we've lost is not the ability to make things well, but the habit of paying for it.” — This final sentence reframes the whole answer's conclusion with a 'not... but' contrast that lands on a genuinely reflective, slightly unexpected point, giving the answer a strong sense of closure. Neither 6.5 nor 7.0 reaches this final reframing; both end on the more literal claim about durability being a luxury.
LR“almost as a feature rather than a flaw” — This is a precise, ironic phrase suggesting disposability might be intentional rather than accidental, well beyond the plain 'by design' used at 6.5 and 7.0 alone. It shows the kind of evaluative, natural vocabulary that marks 7.5.
GRA“we only ever see the old things that happened to survive, while the many that broke decades ago were thrown away and quietly forgotten” — This sentence adds 'happened to' before 'survive', a small addition that shifts the meaning to emphasise chance over inherent quality, refining the identical structure shared with 7.0. That precise, deliberate refinement within a shared frame is characteristic of the top band's control.

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 Time When Something in Your Home Broke and You Tried to Repair It", 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.