A Time When You Couldn't Use Your Phone

Part 3 follow-up questions

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

1. 1. What places in your country are people not allowed to use phones?

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

   Band 6.5

   Sticks to short, plain sentences like "Exam halls are the strictest place" and states the reason directly without much elaboration.

   Not many places really, and people don't always obey the rules. Exam halls are the strictest place. If a teacher finds your phone, your exam is finished, so nobody takes the risk. Petrol stations have signs that say no phones, but most people ignore them. There is a temple in Hue with a picture of a phone crossed out, and people are quiet there. Hospitals and cinemas also ask people not to use phones, but not everyone listens. I think the rule only really works when there is a punishment, like in the exam hall.

   Why this band

   • FC“Exam halls are the strictest place” — A short, direct topic sentence that a 6.5 answer leans on to move forward. The 7.0 version softens this with a hedge like "probably", and the 7.5 version opens with a compact evaluative frame instead, showing a gradual rise in how ideas are introduced rather than just stated.
   • LR“the rule only really works when there is a punishment” — Simple, common vocabulary ("only really works") does the job at 6.5 but stays generic. The 7.0 band swaps in the slightly more natural "only really bites", and 7.5 goes further with the idiom "rules with teeth", which a 6.5 writer would not reach for.
   • GRA“If a teacher finds your phone, your exam is finished, so nobody takes the risk.” — Two short clauses joined with "so" — safe and correct, but grammatically basic. The 7.0 band combines a reason and a result into one longer sentence with "because... so", and 7.5 balances two clauses across a comma with no conjunction at all, showing more flexible control.

   Band 7.0

   The hedge "Honestly, there aren't as many strict places as there should be" opens with reflection rather than a flat fact.

   Honestly, there aren't as many strict places as there should be. Exam halls are probably the most serious example, because a phone found on you can end the exam on the spot, so nobody risks it. Petrol stations put up signs banning phones too, but to be fair, almost everyone ignores them. The one that stuck with me was a small temple in Hue, which had a picture of a phone with a line through it, and people actually respected that. Hospitals and cinemas make the same request, though it's often ignored, and of course phones go off at take-off on planes. I'd say the rule only really bites once there's a punishment attached to it.

   Why this band

   • FC“Honestly, there aren't as many strict places as there should be” — Opens with a spoken hedge and a personal judgement rather than a bare statement, more conversational than the 6.5 opener. The 7.5 band pushes this further into a genuinely evaluative closing line, so the reflective habit deepens across bands rather than appearing only once.
   • LR“the rule only really bites once there's a punishment attached to it” — "Bites" is a small figurative upgrade on the plain "works" used at 6.5, showing a little more control of natural collocation. It is still less compact than the 7.5 phrase "rules with any real teeth", which packs the same idea into fewer, sharper words.
   • GRA“Exam halls are probably the most serious example, because a phone found on you can end the exam on the spot, so nobody risks it.” — One long sentence chains a reason clause and a result clause together, more ambitious than the two short sentences at 6.5. It still leans on "because... so", whereas the 7.5 version varies its connectors and uses a dash to link ideas without a conjunction.

   Band 7.5

   The closing line "the only rules with any real teeth" gives the answer an idiomatic, evaluative finish that the plainer bands don't reach for.

   Fewer than there should be, and the rules are obeyed unevenly. Exam halls are the strictest by far — phones are collected at the door, and a phone found on you ends your exam then and there. Petrol stations post signs banning them that everyone cheerfully ignores. Some temples, like one in Hue with a phone crossed out on the gate, ask for silence and mostly get it. Hospitals restrict phones in certain wards, cinemas ask and are ignored, and planes insist on it at take-off, if only briefly. Beyond that it's left to individuals, with the odd restaurant or wedding trying a basket for phones. What's striking is that the only rules with any real teeth are the ones with a punishment attached.

   Why this band

   • FC“the rules are obeyed unevenly” — A compact evaluative frame in the opening line sets up the whole argument in a handful of words, something the 6.5 and 7.0 versions only arrive at gradually through separate sentences. This upfront framing lets the rest of the answer read as one argument rather than a list.
   • LR“the only rules with any real teeth are the ones with a punishment attached” — "Rules with teeth" is a genuinely idiomatic collocation, a step beyond the 7.0 band's "bites" and well beyond the plain "the rule only really works" at 6.5. It shows the kind of natural, low-frequency phrasing examiners associate with the higher band.
   • GRA“phones are collected at the door, and a phone found on you ends your exam then and there” — Two clauses are balanced across a comma with no subordinating conjunction, more flexible than the "because... so" pattern at 7.0 or the two flat sentences at 6.5. The dash used earlier in the answer performs a similar linking job, showing control over punctuation as a grammatical tool.

2. 2. Is it important to have rules about using phones?

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

   Band 6.5

   Uses a simple opener, "Yes, I think it's important", and builds the answer around one personal story told in plain, connected steps.

   Yes, I think it's important. That wedding I went to changed my mind about rules. At first I thought rules were just restrictions, but the basket for phones at the gate actually gave everyone a nice evening together. If there are no rules, people find it hard to control themselves because phones are made to keep our attention. Rules also protect other people, like when a driver uses a phone and puts others in danger. I think rules should be simple and have a clear reason. Without any rules, phones would win every time.

   Why this band

   • FC“I think it's important” — A direct, unhedged position statement typical of 6.5 — clear but flat. The 7.0 version replaces this with "Yes, definitely", adding a little more conviction and a personal reflection straight after, and 7.5 opens on the story itself before stating the position, a more developed structure.
   • LR“phones are made to keep our attention” — Plain, functional vocabulary that gets the meaning across without much precision. The 7.0 band upgrades this to "a device that's designed to grab your attention", and 7.5 sharpens it further to "a device engineered to defeat it", a more vivid and deliberate phrase.
   • GRA“If there are no rules, people find it hard to control themselves because phones are made to keep our attention.” — A conditional clause followed by a because-clause — correct but a fairly standard pattern. The 7.0 band links two ideas with "so" across a longer sentence, and 7.5 uses a colon construction and a list of three parallel settings joined by dashes, showing more range.

   Band 7.0

   The hedge "honestly that wedding changed how I see this" signals reflection, and the sentence built with "because" shows a bit more complexity than 6.5.

   Yes, definitely, and honestly that wedding changed how I see this. I used to think of phone rules as restrictions, but the basket at the gate turned out to be more like a gift, because it took the choice away from two hundred people at once and gave them the same evening. Willpower alone doesn't really work against a device that's designed to grab your attention, so shared rules, whether in classrooms or at dinner tables, do something a personal promise can't. They also protect other people, since someone driving on the phone puts me at risk too, not just themselves. I'd say if a society leaves phone use entirely up to individuals, it has basically let the phone win.

   Why this band

   • FC“honestly that wedding changed how I see this” — The hedge "honestly" and the reflective framing mark this as more personal and spoken than the flat 6.5 opener. The 7.5 band goes a step further, describing the wedding as having "quietly rewired" the writer's thinking, a more original way of expressing the same reflection.
   • LR“a device that's designed to grab your attention” — A reasonably natural collocation, better than the plain "phones are made to keep our attention" at 6.5. The 7.5 band's "engineered to defeat it" is more precise and slightly more idiomatic, implying an active battle rather than simple design.
   • GRA“Willpower alone doesn't really work against a device that's designed to grab your attention, so shared rules, whether in classrooms or at dinner tables, do something a personal promise can't.” — A long sentence linking cause and result with "so", plus an embedded "whether... or" clause — more ambitious than 6.5's short conditional. The 7.5 version achieves a similar length but varies the punctuation, using a semicolon and a colon instead of repeating "so", which reads as more controlled.

   Band 7.5

   The colon in "a driver glued to their phone endangers me, not just themselves" lets two ideas sit together without a linking word, a compact structure the lower bands avoid.

   Yes, and that one wedding quietly rewired how I think about rules altogether. I used to see phone rules as restrictions; the basket at the gate turned out to be a gift instead, because it removed the choice from two hundred people at once and handed them back the same evening. Individual willpower is no match for a device engineered to defeat it, so shared rules — in classrooms, at dinner tables, behind the wheel — do what no personal resolution ever quite manages. They also protect other people: a driver glued to their phone endangers me, not just themselves. The best rules are few, clear, and come with an obvious reason attached. But a society that leaves phone use entirely to individual choice has, in effect, decided the phone wins.

   Why this band

   • FC“quietly rewired how I think about rules altogether” — An original, evaluative way to open the answer, more developed than the reflective hedge at 7.0 or the flat statement at 6.5. It signals from the first line that this is an argument built from a changed mind, which gives the whole answer a clear throughline.
   • LR“a device engineered to defeat it” — Precise, slightly idiomatic phrasing that frames willpower and technology as opponents. This is a step up from the 7.0 band's "designed to grab your attention" and well beyond the plain "made to keep our attention" at 6.5.
   • GRA“a driver glued to their phone endangers me, not just themselves” — The colon-free juxtaposition and the compact "not just themselves" tag show flexible sentence-final structure. Compare the 6.5 version's separate "because" clause for the same idea, which spells out the logic rather than compressing it.

3. 3. At what age should parents allow children to have a phone?

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

   Band 6.5

   Builds around the simple, repeated frame "my sister's plan" and lists the steps in short, separate sentences.

   I think my sister's plan is a good one. She gives her daughter a basic phone at eleven, when she starts going to school alone, so she can call home if needed. Then at fourteen she can have a smartphone, but with some rules about it. My sister also says no social media until later. I think children need a phone when they start going out without an adult. The real problem isn't the phone itself, it's the internet inside it, so a young child shouldn't have full access to everything. It's better to wait a bit longer for a smartphone.

   Why this band

   • FC“I think my sister's plan is a good one.” — A short, plain claim that opens the answer directly, typical of 6.5 pacing. The 7.0 band adds a hedge ("Honestly... probably"), and 7.5 drops the framing sentence altogether and states the plan itself with a colon, a more economical opening move.
   • LR“The real problem isn't the phone itself, it's the internet inside it” — Clear and correct, but the phrasing is functional rather than crafted. The 7.5 band's "the internet packed inside it" adds a more vivid, almost physical image to the same idea, while staying just as natural.
   • GRA“so a young child shouldn't have full access to everything” — A simple result clause with "so", one idea per clause. The 7.5 version instead uses a semicolon to contrast two linked facts, showing more sentence-level flexibility than the repeated "so" pattern here.

   Band 7.0

   The hedge "Honestly... probably the most sensible one" softens the opinion, and reasons are linked with "because" for a bit more complexity.

   Honestly, my sister's plan is probably the most sensible one I've come across. She gives her daughter a basic phone at eleven, right when she starts travelling to school alone, just so she can call if something goes wrong, and then a smartphone at fourteen with some agreed rules attached. I'd say the need for a phone really comes with independence, because the moment a child is out in the city alone, having a way to reach them starts to matter. To be fair, the problem is never really the phone itself, it's the internet inside it, and a nine-year-old with unlimited access to everything is something no previous generation had to deal with. I think later is generally better for the smartphone part.

   Why this band

   • FC“Honestly, my sister's plan is probably the most sensible one I've come across.” — The double hedge "Honestly... probably" makes the opinion feel considered rather than declared outright, more natural than the flat 6.5 opener. The 7.5 band removes the hedge but keeps the reflective tone through word choice alone, showing that hedging isn't the only route to a considered voice.
   • LR“the need for a phone really comes with independence” — A reasonably natural abstraction linking two ideas. The 7.5 band tightens this to "tracks independence", a more compact and slightly more sophisticated verb choice for the same relationship.
   • GRA“the moment a child is out in the city alone, having a way to reach them starts to matter” — A fronted time clause followed by a gerund subject — a reasonably complex structure for 7.0. The 7.5 band achieves a similar effect but folds it into a dash-linked aside instead, varying the punctuation used to introduce the same idea.

   Band 7.5

   The semicolon-linked list "a basic phone at eleven... a smartphone at fourteen... and no social media" packs three parallel ideas into one flexible sentence.

   My sister's plan is the most sensible one I've come across: a basic phone at eleven, when her daughter starts travelling to school alone, so she can call; a smartphone at fourteen, with agreed rules; and no social media until much later. The need for a phone tracks independence — the moment a child is out in the city without an adult, a way to reach them suddenly matters. The real problem is never the phone itself; it's the internet packed inside it, and a nine-year-old with unlimited access to everything is not something any previous generation had to manage. Later is generally better for the smartphone, and honestly the exact age matters less than whether the parent stays involved after handing it over.

   Why this band

   • GRA“a basic phone at eleven, when her daughter starts travelling to school alone, so she can call; a smartphone at fourteen, with agreed rules; and no social media until much later” — A single sentence carries three parallel items linked by semicolons, each with its own embedded clause — noticeably more architecturally ambitious than the separate short sentences at 6.5 or the "and then" pattern at 7.0. This is the kind of flexible, list-within-a-sentence structure that distinguishes 7.5 grammar.
   • LR“the internet packed inside it” — A more vivid, image-driven phrase than the plain "the internet inside it" at 6.5. "Packed" suggests density and risk in a way that a purely functional description doesn't.
   • FC“the exact age matters less than whether the parent stays involved after handing it over” — A genuinely evaluative closing line that reframes the whole question, something neither the 6.5 nor 7.0 versions attempt — both simply restate the preference for waiting. This kind of closing pivot is what gives the 7.5 answer a sense of arriving somewhere rather than just listing facts.

4. 4. How important is it to have general rules about polite behaviour?

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

   Band 6.5

   Opens with a plain judgement, "I think it's very important", and lists the reasons for politeness one at a time in separate sentences.

   I think it's very important, even if we don't notice it. At a village wedding I went to, two hundred people were organised for a whole day without any written rules, because everyone knew who sits first and who pours the tea. These polite rules let strangers work together without arguing about everything. They also protect people, especially older or shy people. Politeness also stops fights, because most fights start when someone feels disrespected. Sometimes the rules can be too strict, and that's worth thinking about. But without any manners at all, life would just be more tiring for everyone.

   Why this band

   • FC“I think it's very important, even if we don't notice it.” — A direct opinion statement followed by a simple qualifier, functional but plain. The 7.5 band compresses the same idea into "Very, and mostly invisibly", a much tighter, more confident opening that trusts the listener to follow without full sentences.
   • LR“These polite rules let strangers work together without arguing about everything.” — Clear, everyday vocabulary that states the function of politeness plainly. The 7.5 band's "let strangers cooperate without negotiating everything" swaps in more precise, slightly formal verbs that read as more deliberate word choices.
   • GRA“Politeness also stops fights, because most fights start when someone feels disrespected.” — A short cause-effect sentence with "because", repeating "fights" for clarity but at the cost of variety. The 7.5 band uses a colon instead, avoiding repetition and linking ideas more efficiently.

   Band 7.0

   The phrase "works almost like an early warning system" is a small figurative touch layered onto the same reasoning used at 6.5.

   Very important, I'd say, and mostly in ways we don't even notice. At that village wedding I mentioned, two hundred people got through a whole day with no written instructions at all, because everyone simply knew who sits first, who pours the tea, and who speaks when. Shared conventions like these let strangers cooperate without negotiating every little thing, and to be fair, they protect people's dignity too, especially the elderly and the shy. They also cut down on conflict, since most arguments start with someone feeling disrespected, so politeness works almost like an early warning system. Some of these rules can go too far, which is worth questioning. But a society without shared manners isn't really freer, it's just more exhausting.

   Why this band

   • FC“Very important, I'd say, and mostly in ways we don't even notice.” — The inserted hedge "I'd say" and the extended qualifier make this feel more spoken and considered than the flatter 6.5 opener. The 7.5 band strips this down even further to two words plus a qualifier, showing that confidence can also come from brevity rather than hedging.
   • LR“politeness works almost like an early warning system” — A small original comparison that goes beyond plain description, a step up from the functional language at 6.5. It's a genuine attempt at figurative language, though less integrated into the sentence than the dash-led image the 7.5 band builds around the wedding scene itself.
   • GRA“two hundred people got through a whole day with no written instructions at all, because everyone simply knew who sits first, who pours the tea, and who speaks when” — A long sentence with an embedded list of three parallel clauses after "knew", more ambitious than the shorter 6.5 sentences. The 7.5 version achieves the same list but follows it with a dash and a summarising clause, adding a further layer of structure this sentence doesn't attempt.

   Band 7.5

   The dash before "the rules of politeness did the organising" lets the story deliver its own conclusion without a separate linking sentence.

   Very, and mostly invisibly. That village wedding ran two hundred people through a whole day without a single written instruction, because everyone simply knew who sits first, who pours the tea, who speaks and when — the rules of politeness did the organising. Shared conventions let strangers cooperate without negotiating everything, and they protect people's dignity, especially the old and the shy. They also reduce conflict: most disputes start with someone feeling disrespected, and politeness is essentially the system for showing respect in advance. Some of these rules can be excessive, existing only to keep people in their place, which is worth questioning. But a society without shared manners isn't freer; it's just more exhausting.

   Why this band

   • FC“Very, and mostly invisibly.” — An extremely compact opening that answers the question in three words before the explanation even begins, well beyond the fuller sentences used at 6.5 and 7.0. This kind of confident brevity is characteristic of higher-band fluency, where less can carry more.
   • LR“politeness is essentially the system for showing respect in advance” — A precise, almost technical way of framing an abstract idea, more polished than "works almost like an early warning system" at 7.0 and well beyond the plain "politeness also stops fights" at 6.5. "In advance" adds a subtle temporal precision the other bands don't include.
   • GRA“who sits first, who pours the tea, who speaks and when — the rules of politeness did the organising” — A list of parallel clauses followed by a dash-linked summary sentence with no conjunction — a genuinely flexible structure. Compare the 7.0 band's similar list, which is still closed off with "because", showing less willingness to let punctuation alone carry the logical link.

5. 5. Do you agree or disagree that social rules were more strict in the past than they are today?

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

   Band 6.5

   Signals the position clearly with "I half agree" up front, then supports it with two short, parallel examples.

   I half agree. My grandmother told me she couldn't speak at family meals until an adult spoke to her first, but my nephew talks the whole time at dinner and nobody minds. So on things like manners, clothes and family position, the old rules were much stricter. But some new rules have replaced the old ones. Today, what you say about other people, how you treat people at work, and what you post online are watched very carefully, and the punishment can be public. So I'd say the past had stricter rules about behaviour, and today has stricter rules about speech.

   Why this band

   • FC“I half agree.” — A blunt, two-word position statement placed right at the start, functional but abrupt. The 7.5 band delays this exact phrase until partway through the answer, after the evidence has already built the case, which makes the agreement feel earned rather than declared.
   • LR“the punishment can be public” — Accurate but minimal vocabulary. The 7.5 band adds a second, more precise adjective — "public and permanent" — which sharpens the claim with barely any extra length, a hallmark of more deliberate word choice.
   • GRA“So on things like manners, clothes and family position, the old rules were much stricter.” — A single clause with a fronted list, straightforward and correct. The 7.5 band achieves the same content but splits it with a semicolon between two contrasting mini-scenes first, building the comparison structurally rather than just stating the conclusion.

   Band 7.0

   The hedge "I'd say... honestly" softens the same half-agreement, and the sentence uses "while" instead of a plain "but" for contrast.

   I'd say I half agree, honestly. My grandmother wasn't allowed to speak at family meals until an adult addressed her, while my nephew narrates the whole dinner and nobody bats an eye, so on manners, dress and family hierarchy, the old rules were clearly tighter. That said, new rules seem to have replaced some of the old ones. What you can say about other groups, how you treat people at work, what's acceptable to post online, all of that is policed more strictly today than anything my grandmother ever faced, and the punishment can end up being public and permanent. So I'd say the past had stricter rules about behaviour, while the present has stricter rules about speech.

   Why this band

   • FC“I'd say I half agree, honestly.” — The double hedge ("I'd say", "honestly") softens the position and makes it sound more considered than the flat 6.5 statement. The 7.5 band removes the explicit hedge and instead opens with an aphorism-like phrase, "Stricter in form, though not always in substance", which does similar work through compression rather than hedging.
   • LR“all of that is policed more strictly today than anything my grandmother ever faced” — "Policed" is a nicely chosen verb, a step up from plain description. The 7.5 band uses the same verb, showing this choice already sits near the top of the range, though 7.5 tightens the surrounding sentence further by cutting "ever".
   • GRA“What you can say about other groups, how you treat people at work, what's acceptable to post online, all of that is policed more strictly today than anything my grandmother ever faced, and the punishment can end up being public and permanent.” — A long sentence stacks three parallel noun clauses before the main verb, an ambitious structure for 7.0. The 7.5 band uses an almost identical list but drops "online" and tightens the ending, showing a slightly more economical version of the same grammar.

   Band 7.5

   The closing observation "Each generation thinks it's freer, and is only free in different directions" adds a reflective twist absent from the other two bands.

   Stricter in form, though not always in substance. My grandmother didn't speak at family meals until an adult addressed her; my nephew narrates the entire dinner and nobody minds — on manners, dress, hierarchy and what women could do, the old rules were far tighter. But new rules have quietly replaced some of the old ones. What you can say about other groups, how you treat people at work, what's acceptable to post, all of it is policed today more strictly than anything my grandmother faced, and the punishment can be public and permanent. So I'd half agree: the past had stricter rules about behaviour, and the present has stricter rules about speech. Each generation thinks it's freer, and is only free in different directions.

   Why this band

   • FC“Stricter in form, though not always in substance.” — An elliptical, aphorism-like opening with no main verb in the first clause — a confident, compact move that neither the 6.5 nor 7.0 bands attempt. It immediately signals nuance rather than a flat yes/no position.
   • LR“Each generation thinks it's freer, and is only free in different directions.” — A genuinely idiomatic, aphoristic closing line that neither other band reaches for; both simply restate the half-agreement instead. This kind of turn of phrase, precise and slightly witty, is exactly the "evaluative closing touch" that separates 7.5 from the bands below it.
   • GRA“My grandmother didn't speak at family meals until an adult addressed her; my nephew narrates the entire dinner and nobody minds” — Two independent clauses balanced across a semicolon with no conjunction, letting the contrast speak for itself. The 7.0 band expresses the same contrast with "while", a correct but more conventional connector, and 6.5 uses "but" plus "so" across two separate sentences.

6. 6. How do younger and older people view the importance of social rules?

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

   Band 6.5

   Frames the contrast plainly with "I think older people see... but younger people see", then supports it with one clear anecdote.

   I think older people see rules as important, but younger people see them more as habits they can choose to follow or not. At a wedding, an older relative explained the seating order to me like it was something sacred, but his grandson, sitting in the right seat, just said "it's just what we do." So it's the same behaviour, but a different attitude. Older people have seen what happens when rules are broken, so they take them seriously. Younger people ask why a rule exists, and if there's no clear reason, they ignore it. I think both views have some truth in them.

   Why this band

   • FC“I think older people see rules as important, but younger people see them more as habits” — A straightforward contrast stated with "but", clear but conventional. The 7.5 band opens with the same contrast compressed into a single semicolon-linked sentence with no framing verb at all, a more economical and confident move.
   • LR“just said "it's just what we do."” — Functional reporting verb "said" carries the quote without adding colour. The 7.0 band upgrades this to "just shrugged and called it", adding a physical gesture that shows rather than tells the grandson's attitude, and 7.5 keeps a leaner version of the same idea.
   • GRA“Older people have seen what happens when rules are broken, so they take them seriously.” — A single cause-effect sentence with "so", clear but simple. The 7.5 band expands this into a version that coordinates two verb phrases under one subject before the same "so" clause, a slightly denser structure.

   Band 7.0

   The dash before "same behaviour, completely different weight behind it" lets the story summarise itself, a small step up from the plain "so" pattern.

   I'd say older people tend to see rules as meaningful, whereas younger people treat them more like optional habits. At a wedding I went to, an older relative explained the seating order to me as something close to sacred, while his grandson, sitting in exactly the right place, just shrugged and called it "what we do" — same behaviour, completely different weight behind it. Older people have generally seen what the rules protect, and sometimes paid a price for breaking them, so they take them seriously. Younger people, on the other hand, question rules they can't see a reason for, partly because they've grown up watching rules change so quickly that none of them feel permanent. Honestly, I think both groups are partly right.

   Why this band

   • FC“I'd say older people tend to see rules as meaningful, whereas younger people treat them more like optional habits.” — The hedge "I'd say" plus the more formal connector "whereas" gives this a slightly more considered feel than the plain "but" at 6.5. The 7.5 band removes the hedge entirely and states the same contrast as a bare fact, trusting the semicolon to do the contrasting work instead.
   • LR“just shrugged and called it "what we do"” — "Shrugged" adds physical detail and implied attitude beyond the plain "just said" at 6.5. The 7.5 band trims this back to "described it as", showing that at the top band, economy can matter as much as added colour.
   • GRA“same behaviour, completely different weight behind it” — A fragment used deliberately for effect after a dash, rather than a full grammatical sentence, showing some stylistic confidence. The 7.5 band uses an almost identical fragment but trims "completely" and "behind it", a tighter version of the same device.

   Band 7.5

   Two semicolon-linked pairs close the answer, one contrasting the generations and one contrasting what each generation is good at.

   Older people tend to see the rules as meaningful; younger people see them as optional habits. At a wedding, a relative explained the seating order to me as something close to sacred, and his grandson, sitting in it correctly, described it as 'just what we do' — same behaviour, different weight. Older people have seen what the rules protect and often paid for breaking them, so they take them seriously. Younger people question rules they can't see a reason for, and they've grown up watching rules change quickly, so none feel permanent. Both are partly right. The young are good at spotting rules that have become pointless; the old are good at remembering why the others exist.

   Why this band

   • FC“Older people tend to see the rules as meaningful; younger people see them as optional habits.” — Two balanced clauses across a semicolon with no connector at all, more compact than the "but" of 6.5 or the hedged "whereas" of 7.0. This kind of paired, symmetrical opening is a recognisable 7.5-level move for stating a contrast.
   • LR“The young are good at spotting rules that have become pointless; the old are good at remembering why the others exist.” — A neatly balanced closing pair with precise, contrasting verbs ("spotting" vs "remembering"). Neither the 6.5 nor 7.0 versions attempt a symmetrical closing line like this; both simply state that "both views have some truth" without the same crafted parallelism.
   • GRA“they've grown up watching rules change quickly, so none feel permanent” — A participle clause ("watching rules change quickly") feeding into a result clause, compact and efficient. The 7.0 band expresses a similar idea with a longer "partly because" clause, which is correct but less tightly built than this version.

7. 7. How important is it to understand the social conventions of other countries?

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

   Band 6.5

   Opens with a plain causal claim, "more important than people expect, because small mistakes can cause big problems", spelled out in full.

   I think it's more important than people expect, because small mistakes can cause big problems. Once I gave a business card to a Japanese client with one hand, and I felt the mood in the room change for the rest of the meeting. The work itself was fine, but it took weeks to build trust again. Conventions show respect, and breaking them, even by accident, can look rude before you get a chance to explain. Knowing the basics, like greetings and what's polite at a meal, really matters when you travel or do business abroad.

   Why this band

   • FC“I think it's more important than people expect, because small mistakes can cause big problems.” — A complete framing sentence with subject, verb and reason spelled out in full, clear but a little effortful. The 7.5 band cuts the framing sentence entirely and opens on a bare comparative fragment instead, a more confident and economical move.
   • LR“The work itself was fine, but it took weeks to build trust again.” — Plain, workmanlike vocabulary that states the outcome without much colour. The 7.5 band compresses the same idea into "the work was fine, but the trust took weeks", a tighter phrase that lets "trust" itself take weeks, a subtly more idiomatic personification.
   • GRA“Conventions show respect, and breaking them, even by accident, can look rude before you get a chance to explain.” — A single sentence with one embedded aside ("even by accident"), correct and reasonably fluent. The 7.5 version achieves a similar structure but tightens "before you get a chance to explain" to "before anyone can explain", a small but real efficiency gain.

   Band 7.0

   The phrase "more or less the price of being taken seriously" hedges the same claim with a natural spoken qualifier.

   Honestly, it's more important than the size of the mistake usually suggests. I once handed a business card to a Japanese client with one hand, pretty casually, and felt the atmosphere in the room cool for the rest of the meeting. I'd say conventions are basically how people signal respect, so breaking them, even completely innocently, reads as disrespect before anyone gets the chance to explain. For business, travel and friendship across borders, knowing the basics, greetings, gifts, what's rude, what's expected at a meal, is more or less the price of being taken seriously. Understanding them turns you from someone who offends into a guest who's clearly trying.

   Why this band

   • FC“Honestly, it's more important than the size of the mistake usually suggests.” — The hedge "Honestly" softens the claim and the comparative phrasing is more developed than the flat 6.5 opener. The 7.5 band drops the hedge and the verb altogether, turning the same comparative idea into a punchy fragment that opens the whole answer.
   • LR“more or less the price of being taken seriously” — "The price of being taken seriously" is a nicely idiomatic phrase, softened here with the hedge "more or less". The 7.5 band keeps the same core phrase but removes the hedge, letting the metaphor stand on its own with more confidence.
   • GRA“knowing the basics, greetings, gifts, what's rude, what's expected at a meal, is more or less the price of being taken seriously” — A subject followed by an appositive list of four items before the verb, a reasonably complex structure for 7.0. The 7.5 band achieves the same list but sets it off with dashes instead of commas, which reads as slightly cleaner given how comma-heavy this sentence already is.

   Band 7.5

   The fragment opener with no main verb, "More important than the small size of the mistakes suggests", launches straight into the argument without a framing sentence.

   More important than the small size of the mistakes suggests. I once handed a business card to a Japanese client with one hand, casually, and felt the temperature in the room drop for the rest of the meeting; the work was fine, but the trust took weeks. Conventions are how people signal respect, and breaking them, even innocently, reads as disrespect before anyone can explain. For business, travel and friendship across borders, knowing the basics — greetings, gifts, what's rude, what's expected at a meal — is the price of being taken seriously. You don't have to adopt them all. But understanding them turns you from an outsider who offends into a guest who tries, and people forgive a guest almost anything.

   Why this band

   • FC“More important than the small size of the mistakes suggests.” — A verbless comparative fragment used as the entire opening line, more confident and compact than the full sentences at 6.5 and 7.0. Starting an answer this way signals fluency because it trusts the listener to fill in the implied "it is".
   • LR“an outsider who offends into a guest who tries, and people forgive a guest almost anything” — A neat, almost proverbial closing pair ("outsider who offends" vs "guest who tries") followed by an aphoristic tag. Neither lower band reaches for this kind of crafted, symmetrical phrasing; both end on a flatter, more literal note about understanding customs.
   • GRA“felt the temperature in the room drop for the rest of the meeting; the work was fine, but the trust took weeks” — A semicolon links two contrasting facts without a conjunction, more flexible than the "but" used to join equivalent ideas at 6.5 and 7.0. The dash-set list later in the same answer performs a similar economy, showing consistent control of punctuation as grammar.

8. 8. What impact has the internet had on social conventions?

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

   Band 6.5

   Sequences the effects with plain connectors — "also", "And" — each introducing a new, separately stated point.

   I think it has created new rules faster than it removed the old ones. In one year, my workplace developed its own rules for the group chat, like how fast you should reply and what a thumbs-up means, and nobody ever wrote these rules down. The internet also made some old conventions weaker, like formal greetings, because messages feel more relaxed than talking in person. Meeting people from other cultures online has also made local rules about dress and relationships less strict. And private things don't stay private as easily anymore. Overall, there are more rules now, but people agree on them less, and many people are unsure if they've been rude.

   Why this band

   • FC“I think it has created new rules faster than it removed the old ones.” — A clear topic sentence stated as a plain personal opinion, functional and easy to follow. The 7.5 band drops "I think" entirely and states the same claim as a bare fact, a small but telling shift toward more confident, assertive fluency.
   • LR“nobody ever wrote these rules down” — Plain, literal phrasing for an unwritten social code. The 7.5 band reframes the same idea with the simile "the internet generates manners the way villages once did", a much more original and evaluative piece of lexis.
   • GRA“The internet also made some old conventions weaker, like formal greetings, because messages feel more relaxed than talking in person.” — A single sentence with one embedded reason clause, correct but linear. The 7.5 band restructures the same content with a colon introducing a three-item list ("titles, formal greetings and the distance between generations"), a more compact way of packing the same information.

   Band 7.0

   The hedge "Honestly, I'd say" opens the answer, and the closing summary uses the softened "a lot of people quietly unsure".

   Honestly, I'd say it's created new conventions faster than it's destroyed the old ones. Within a single year, my studio developed a full, unwritten etiquette for its group chat, how fast a reply is expected, what a thumbs-up actually means, when a call is considered rude, and nobody ever sat down to write any of it out. It's also flattened some older conventions — titles and formal greetings feel thinner in a message than in a room. Exposure to other cultures online has loosened local rules around dress too, and it's weakened the old convention that private things stay private. I'd say the net result is more rules, less agreement about them, and a lot of people quietly unsure whether they've just been rude.

   Why this band

   • FC“Honestly, I'd say it's created new conventions faster than it's destroyed the old ones.” — Two hedges ("Honestly", "I'd say") open the answer, giving it a considered, spoken feel that the flatter 6.5 opener lacks. The 7.5 band removes both hedges, stating the claim outright, which reads as more confident though slightly less conversational.
   • LR“a lot of people quietly unsure whether they've just been rude” — "Quietly unsure" is a nice, understated pairing that adds emotional nuance. The 7.5 band uses the plainer "a lot of people unsure" without "quietly", trading a touch of nuance for a tighter closing sentence overall.
   • GRA“my studio developed a full, unwritten etiquette for its group chat, how fast a reply is expected, what a thumbs-up actually means, when a call is considered rude, and nobody ever sat down to write any of it out” — A very long sentence stacks a three-item list after a colon-like comma and then adds a further clause, ambitious but a little comma-heavy. The 7.5 band achieves the same list using dashes to set it off cleanly, then closes the sentence with a semicolon and a separate simile, a more controlled version of the same structure.

   Band 7.5

   The simile "the internet generates manners the way villages once did" gives the argument a compact historical comparison the other bands don't attempt.

   It has created new conventions faster than it destroyed old ones. In a single year my studio developed a full etiquette for its group chat — how fast a reply is expected, what a thumbs-up means, when a call is rude — without anyone writing a rule; the internet generates manners the way villages once did. It has also flattened some old conventions: titles, formal greetings and the distance between generations feel thinner in a message than in a room. Exposure to other cultures has loosened local rules about dress and relationships. And it has weakened the convention that private things stay private. The net result is more rules, less agreement about them, and a lot of people unsure whether they've just been rude.

   Why this band

   • LR“the internet generates manners the way villages once did” — A genuinely original simile that reframes the whole answer's argument in one line, well beyond the literal "nobody ever wrote these rules down" at 6.5 or "nobody ever sat down to write any of it out" at 7.0. This is exactly the kind of idiomatic, evaluative phrasing that marks the top band.
   • GRA“titles, formal greetings and the distance between generations feel thinner in a message than in a room” — A colon introduces a three-item subject list before a single shared verb phrase, a compact structure that avoids the repeated "also... and" pattern used at 6.5. The parallel dash-set list earlier in the same answer shows the same instinct for packing information efficiently.
   • FC“without anyone writing a rule; the internet generates manners the way villages once did” — A semicolon lets the concluding simile follow directly from the observation with no linking word, giving the sentence real momentum. Both lower bands instead close their equivalent points with a full stop and a fresh sentence, a more segmented, less fluid rhythm.

9. 9. What do you think of the idea that the world would be a better place if everyone behaved in the same way?

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

   Band 6.5

   States the position plainly, "I don't really agree with that idea", then walks through the reasoning in separate, connected sentences.

   I don't really agree with that idea. At that wedding, my great-uncle and my German client have almost opposite manners, one slow and indirect, the other direct and fast, but each style fits perfectly with the life it comes from. If we forced either one onto the other place, both would probably become worse, not better. Some basics should be shared everywhere, like honesty and not harming others. But apart from that, differences between cultures are how people learn new ideas from each other, and if everyone behaved the same, that would stop. It would also raise the question of whose behaviour everyone copies, usually the most powerful country's.

   Why this band

   • FC“I don't really agree with that idea.” — A plain, direct disagreement stated as the very first sentence, clear but ordinary. The 7.5 band replaces this with the metaphor "a mistake dressed as harmony", which states the same disagreement while also characterising the idea, doing two jobs in one line.
   • LR“one slow and indirect, the other direct and fast” — A simple, functional contrast using basic adjectives. The 7.5 band expands this into "one indirect, slow and ceremonial, the other blunt and efficient", adding more precise and slightly more vivid descriptors for the same contrast.
   • GRA“If we forced either one onto the other place, both would probably become worse, not better.” — A conditional sentence with a clear if-clause, correct and easy to follow. The 7.5 band folds the same idea into a longer sentence using a semicolon ("imposing either on the other would make both places worse"), avoiding the conditional "if" altogether for a more compact structure.

   Band 7.0

   The hedge "a nice-sounding idea that doesn't really hold up" reframes the same disagreement in a more spoken, evaluative way.

   Honestly, I think it's a nice-sounding idea that doesn't really hold up. My great-uncle from that wedding and my German client have almost opposite manners, one indirect, slow and quite ceremonial, the other blunt and efficient, yet each style is perfectly suited to the life it comes from, so imposing either one on the other place would probably make both worse, not better. I'd agree a few shared basics would genuinely help — honesty, not harming others, a bit of patience with strangers. Beyond that, though, difference is really where cultures learn from each other, and uniformity would put an end to that. It also raises the question of whose behaviour everyone adopts, and the honest answer is usually whichever country is strongest.

   Why this band

   • FC“Honestly, I think it's a nice-sounding idea that doesn't really hold up.” — The hedge "Honestly" plus the evaluative phrase "nice-sounding idea that doesn't really hold up" gives more personality than the flat 6.5 disagreement. The 7.5 band compresses a similar judgement into the single metaphor "a mistake dressed as harmony", a more economical version of the same move.
   • LR“one indirect, slow and quite ceremonial, the other blunt and efficient” — A precise three-adjective description paired with a two-adjective contrast, more developed than the plain "slow and indirect... direct and fast" at 6.5. The 7.5 band uses almost the same phrase, showing this level of lexical precision already sits near the ceiling of the range.
   • GRA“yet each style is perfectly suited to the life it comes from, so imposing either one on the other place would probably make both worse, not better” — A long sentence chains "yet" and "so" to link contrast, reason and result in one breath, ambitious for 7.0. The 7.5 band achieves a similarly long sentence but swaps the conjunctions for a semicolon, a subtler way of signalling the same logical relationship.

   Band 7.5

   The metaphor "a mistake dressed as harmony" opens the answer with a compact image that carries the whole argument in one line.

   I think it's a mistake dressed as harmony. The great-uncle at that wedding and my German client have almost opposite manners — one indirect, slow and ceremonial, the other blunt and efficient — and each set is perfectly suited to the life it comes from; imposing either on the other would make both places worse. Some shared basics would help: honesty, not harming others, a little patience with strangers. Beyond that, difference is where cultures learn from each other, and uniformity would end that. It would also raise the question of whose behaviour everyone adopts, and the answer is always the strongest country's. A better world is one where people understand each other's ways, not one where there's only one way to understand.

   Why this band

   • FC“a mistake dressed as harmony” — A compact metaphor that opens the whole answer and states the position and its flavour in four words. Neither the 6.5 nor 7.0 bands attempt anything this condensed; both need a full sentence to do the same job.
   • LR“A better world is one where people understand each other's ways, not one where there's only one way to understand.” — A crafted closing line built on the wordplay between "way" and "understand", genuinely idiomatic and memorable. The lower bands close on more literal, functional statements about power and the strongest country, without this kind of deliberate verbal patterning.
   • GRA“one indirect, slow and ceremonial, the other blunt and efficient — and each set is perfectly suited to the life it comes from; imposing either on the other would make both places worse” — A single sentence uses a dash and a semicolon together to stack contrast, explanation and consequence without a single subordinating conjunction. This is more structurally daring than the 7.0 version's "yet... so" chain, which relies on conjunctions to do the same linking work.