A Well-Known Person in Your Country Who Is Very Popular

Part 3 follow-up questions

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

1. 1. Do popular figures have an extra responsibility to be good role models?

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

   Band 6.5

   Keeps each claim in a short plain sentence and signals the turn with a bare 'But', which is clear but doesn't vary its connectors much.

   I think yes, whether they like it or not. For example, my niece copied a singer's polite manners and a footballer's angry tantrum in the same week, without even thinking about it. Popular people are watched by young people who are still learning how to behave, so this creates a responsibility. But I don't think they need to be perfect in private, only decent in public. The best famous people accept this role calmly and admit their mistakes honestly. Saying 'I'm just a singer' ignores the real effect they have on others.

   Why this band

   • FC“For example, my niece copied a singer's polite manners” — The example opens with the stock connector 'For example'. The 7.5 answer drops this signpost entirely and states the fact directly, which reads as more integrated into the argument rather than tacked on.
   • LR“a singer's polite manners and a footballer's angry tantrum” — 'Polite' and 'angry' are plain, general adjectives. The 7.0 and 7.5 answers upgrade this to the more specific 'gracious stage manners', which names a particular kind of behaviour rather than just describing it as good or bad.
   • GRA“But I don't think they need to be perfect in private, only decent in public.” — A short contrastive sentence with 'But'. The 7.5 answer expresses a similar contrast inside one longer sentence introduced by a colon ('I'd draw a line, though:'), packing more reasoning into a single grammatical unit.

   Band 7.0

   Uses 'To be fair' to introduce a qualifying limit on the main claim, and closes with a near-idiom ('right about the job and wrong about the effect') echoed almost exactly at 7.5.

   Honestly, I'd say yes, whether they want the role or not. My niece, for instance, copied a singer's gracious stage manners and a footballer's tantrum in the very same week, and neither of them had actually asked to be copied. To be fair, I think there's a limit — famous people owe the public decent behaviour in public, not perfection in private, and demanding otherwise usually just makes them fake or miserable. The best ones, I'd say, accept the role lightly, behave well where it's seen, and are honest when they slip up. Claiming 'I'm just a singer' is right about the job and wrong about the effect.

   Why this band

   • FC“To be fair, I think there's a limit” — The hedge 'To be fair' signals a qualification to the main argument, a move the 6.5 answer's flat 'But I don't think...' doesn't quite manage with the same nuance. The 7.5 answer achieves a similar pivot even more compactly with 'I'd draw a line, though:'.
   • LR“neither of them had actually asked to be copied” — This is a natural, slightly wry aside that adds personality to the anecdote. The 6.5 answer states the same fact more flatly as 'without even thinking about it', missing this small ironic touch.
   • GRA“My niece, for instance, copied a singer's gracious stage manners and a footballer's tantrum in the very same week, and neither of them had actually asked to be copied.” — This sentence coordinates two clauses with 'and' after already packing in an appositive ('for instance'), giving it more internal structure than the 6.5 answer's shorter, simpler version of the same anecdote.

   Band 7.5

   Opens with a dash that fuses the answer and its evidence into a single sentence, and closes on the balanced, quotable line 'right about their job and wrong about their effect'.

   Whether they want it or not, I'd say yes — my niece copied a singer's gracious stage manners and a footballer's tantrum in the very same week, and neither of them had asked to be copied. Popularity means being watched by people who are still deciding who to be, and that creates a responsibility that fame doesn't simply cancel out. I'd draw a line, though: famous people owe the public decent behaviour in public, not sainthood in private, and demanding perfection just makes them fake or miserable. The best ones accept the role lightly, behave well where it's seen, and stay honest about their mistakes. Those who insist 'I'm just a singer' are right about their job and wrong about their effect.

   Why this band

   • FC“I'd draw a line, though: famous people owe the public decent behaviour in public, not sainthood in private” — The colon after 'though' promises a distinction and delivers it immediately, a tighter cohesive device than the 7.0 answer's dash or the 6.5 answer's separate 'But' sentence.
   • LR“sainthood in private” — 'Sainthood' is a vivid, figurative noun standing in for 'being perfect'. Both lower bands use the much plainer adjective phrase 'be perfect' or 'perfection' for the same idea.
   • GRA“The best ones accept the role lightly, behave well where it's seen, and stay honest about their mistakes.” — Three parallel verb phrases are stacked in a single tricolon, a more controlled rhetorical structure than the 6.5 answer's two separate short sentences covering similar ground.

2. 2. What is the difference between having influence and having real power?

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

   Band 6.5

   Contrasts each idea in its own 'while' or 'but' sentence, repeating a very similar pattern across the whole answer.

   I think influence and power are quite different things. For example, a singer can fill a beach with thousands of fans but can't change a single bus route, while a district official can change the route but couldn't fill a small room. Influence is about changing what people want, while power is about changing what actually happens. Influence comes from attention and admiration, and it disappears when people stop caring. Power comes from law and money, and it stays even if nobody admires it. The people who have both are rare and worth watching closely.

   Why this band

   • FC“For example, a singer can fill a beach with thousands of fans” — The plain connector 'For example' introduces the contrast. The 7.5 answer removes it and states both halves of the comparison as one flowing sentence, which reads as more naturally connected.
   • LR“Influence is about changing what people want, while power is about changing what actually happens.” — 'Is about' is a serviceable but generic way to define something. The 7.5 answer sharpens this into 'is the ability to change what people want', a more precise, formal definition-style phrase.
   • GRA“Influence comes from attention and admiration, and it disappears when people stop caring.” — A simple compound sentence with 'and'. The 7.5 answer fuses a parallel idea about power into the same sentence with 'while', producing one balanced comparison instead of two separate statements.

   Band 7.0

   Uses 'whereas' to hold the whole beach-versus-bus-route contrast inside one sentence, and adds a case where the two categories overlap, which neither the plainer nor the most compressed version bothers to include.

   Honestly, I think the two work quite differently. A singer can fill a beach with fifty thousand people and still can't change a single bus route, whereas the district official who actually can change that route couldn't fill a room. To be fair, influence is really the ability to change what people want, while power is the ability to change what happens — influence works through attention and evaporates when it fades, but power works through law, money and institutions and stays regardless. The two do meet sometimes, like when a celebrity's campaign pushes a real policy. I'd say influence is broader and shallower, while power is narrower and much harder to get.

   Why this band

   • FC“The two do meet sometimes, like when a celebrity's campaign pushes a real policy.” — Adding a case where influence and power overlap is a cohesive move the 6.5 answer skips entirely, staying with a pure contrast. It shows a slightly more developed argument, considering an exception before returning to the main point.
   • LR“evaporates when it fades” — 'Evaporates' is a vivid, figurative verb for something disappearing. The 6.5 answer uses the much plainer 'disappears' for the same idea.
   • GRA“A singer can fill a beach with fifty thousand people and still can't change a single bus route, whereas the district official who actually can change that route couldn't fill a room.” — The subordinator 'whereas' plus an embedded relative clause ('who actually can change that route') make this a genuinely complex sentence, well beyond the 6.5 answer's simpler 'while' contrast.

   Band 7.5

   Builds two semicolon-balanced definitions back to back ('Influence... power...'), a compact structure the lower bands need full separate sentences to achieve.

   A singer can fill a beach with fifty thousand people and can't change a single bus route; the district official who can change the route couldn't fill a room. Influence, I'd say, is the ability to change what people want; power is the ability to change what actually happens. Influence works through attention and admiration and evaporates the moment they do, while power works through law, money and institutions and stays whether anyone admires it or not. The two meet when influence gets aimed at power — a celebrity's campaign that pushes a policy — and when power buys influence, which governments try constantly. Influence is broader and shallower; power is narrower and harder to come by. The people with both are rare, and worth watching carefully.

   Why this band

   • FC“The two meet when influence gets aimed at power — a celebrity's campaign that pushes a policy — and when power buys influence, which governments try constantly.” — The dash-set-off example inside a longer sentence about where the two categories overlap is more tightly woven than the 7.0 answer's separate, simpler sentence making the same point.
   • LR“evaporates the moment they do” — This idiomatic phrase captures both the verb 'evaporates' and a precise, economical time clause. The 7.0 answer's 'evaporates when it fades' is close but slightly less compact, and the 6.5 answer only manages 'disappears when people stop caring'.
   • GRA“Influence, I'd say, is the ability to change what people want; power is the ability to change what actually happens.” — The semicolon joins two parallel definition clauses without a connector, a more economical structure than the 6.5 answer's 'while' sentence or the 7.0 answer's dash-interrupted version.

3. 3. Why are some children more popular than others at school?

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

   Band 6.5

   Sticks to plain 'while' and 'also' connectors and states the closing judgement directly, without much variation in sentence shape.

   I think there are different reasons, and people mix them up. In my class in Hue, one girl was popular because she was kind and remembered things about everyone, while one boy was popular simply because people were a bit afraid of him. Children usually like classmates who are funny, confident, and good at popular games. They also gather around whoever seems to have status, like the best football player. I'd say popular kids who stay liked are usually the kind ones, while the feared ones lose it once people stop being afraid.

   Why this band

   • FC“They also gather around whoever seems to have status, like the best football player.” — 'Also' is a simple, repeated way of adding a new point. The 7.5 answer instead uses a dash to attach a second, more specific example ('the child with the newest thing') straight onto the same clause.
   • LR“people were a bit afraid of him” — This is a plain, literal description. The 7.0 and 7.5 answers use the more precise phrase 'people were slightly afraid of him', which reads as a touch more deliberate and controlled.
   • GRA“I'd say popular kids who stay liked are usually the kind ones, while the feared ones lose it once people stop being afraid.” — A single 'while' clause carries the whole final contrast. The 7.5 answer instead splits this into two semicolon-joined clauses with parallel structure, a tighter and more balanced way to state the same conclusion.

   Band 7.0

   Adds the honest aside 'a lot of it is just chance' with a dash-led pair of examples, a small confession the 6.5 answer's tidier list doesn't include.

   Honestly, I think it's for different reasons that get confused. In my class in Hue, one girl was popular because she was kind to everyone and remembered small things about them, while one boy was popular mainly because people were slightly afraid of him. To be fair, children generally like classmates who are funny, confident, and good at that year's games, and gather around whoever has status. Appearance plays a role earlier than adults tend to admit, and honestly, a lot of it is just chance — who arrived first, who lives nearby. I'd say the popular ones who stay liked are usually the kind ones, while the feared ones lose it the moment the fear does.

   Why this band

   • FC“Appearance plays a role earlier than adults tend to admit, and honestly, a lot of it is just chance” — The self-correcting hedge 'honestly' mid-sentence adds a spoken, reflective quality. The 6.5 answer states its points as settled facts without this kind of live qualification.
   • LR“who arrived first, who lives nearby” — This dash-appended pair of causes is a natural, economical way to gesture at 'chance' without spelling out a full explanation. The 6.5 answer doesn't include this idea of chance at all.
   • GRA“one girl was popular because she was kind to everyone and remembered small things about them, while one boy was popular mainly because people were slightly afraid of him.” — Two 'because' clauses are balanced by a single 'while', creating one long comparative sentence. This is more layered than the 6.5 answer's shorter version of the same comparison.

   Band 7.5

   Opens with a fronted fragment ('For different reasons that get confused') instead of a full sentence, and closes with a semicolon-balanced pair of contrasted judgements.

   For different reasons that get confused, I'd say. In my class in Hue, one girl was popular because she was kind to everyone and remembered things about them; one boy was popular because everyone was slightly afraid of him. Children like classmates who are funny, confident, good at whatever games matter that year, and generous with their attention. They also gather around whoever has status — the best football player, the child with the newest thing — and appearance plays a role earlier than adults like to admit. A lot of it, too, is simple chance: who arrived first, who lives near whom. The popular children who stay liked tend to be the kind ones; the feared ones lose it the moment the fear does.

   Why this band

   • FC“A lot of it, too, is simple chance: who arrived first, who lives near whom.” — The colon here promises examples of 'chance' and delivers them immediately, a tighter move than the 7.0 answer's dash or the 6.5 answer's omission of this point altogether.
   • LR“generous with their attention” — This is a precise, slightly abstract way of describing a social quality. The 6.5 answer doesn't attempt this kind of quality at all, sticking to more concrete traits like 'funny' and 'confident'.
   • GRA“The popular children who stay liked tend to be the kind ones; the feared ones lose it the moment the fear does.” — The semicolon balances two mirrored clauses of similar shape and length, a tighter parallel structure than the 6.5 answer's single 'while' clause covering the same contrast.

4. 4. Does a good boss have to be popular with his or her employees?

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

   Band 6.5

   Repeats the pattern 'X matters more than Y' at the end and links the two studio anecdotes with a plain 'but', keeping the contrast easy to follow.

   No, and the best boss I've had wasn't popular at all. Our old studio director wasn't charming and didn't really try to be liked, but everyone trusted her completely. The manager who replaced her was popular and warm, but couldn't say no to anyone, and the studio drifted for a year. A good boss needs to be respected, fair and clear; being liked is nice but not necessary. Still, a boss who is actively disliked will lose people. I think respect matters more than being liked, and being fair matters more than being fun.

   Why this band

   • FC“Still, a boss who is actively disliked will lose people.” — 'Still' is used as a simple way to add a small qualification before the conclusion. The 7.0 answer manages a similar move with 'That said', a slightly more natural spoken hedge.
   • LR“wasn't charming and didn't really try to be liked” — This is plain, literal phrasing. The 7.5 answer replaces it with the more vivid 'nobody's idea of charming — brief, exacting, uninterested in being liked', which paints a much sharper picture with more specific adjectives.
   • GRA“I think respect matters more than being liked, and being fair matters more than being fun.” — Two short parallel clauses joined by 'and'. The 7.5 answer condenses a similar idea into a single sentence with just one comparison — 'employees will forgive a boss who isn't fun far more readily than one who isn't fair' — using subtler grammar to say almost the same thing.

   Band 7.0

   Uses 'whereas' to hold both studio anecdotes inside one long sentence, and 'That said' to concede a limit before the final judgement.

   Honestly, no — the most respected boss I've had wasn't popular at all. Our old studio director was nobody's idea of charming — brief, exacting, not really interested in being liked — and yet everyone trusted her completely, whereas the manager who replaced her was popular and warm but couldn't say no to anyone, and the studio drifted for a year. To be fair, a good boss needs to be respected, fair and clear; being liked is pleasant but optional. That said, a boss who's actively disliked does lose people eventually. I'd say employees forgive a boss who isn't much fun far more easily than one who isn't fair.

   Why this band

   • FC“That said, a boss who's actively disliked does lose people eventually.” — 'That said' marks a considered concession before the closing point, a more natural pivot than the 6.5 answer's bare 'Still'. The 7.5 answer achieves a similar concession even more economically without needing a separate connector at all.
   • LR“nobody's idea of charming — brief, exacting, not really interested in being liked” — This dash-led list of precise adjectives is far more specific than the 6.5 answer's plain 'wasn't charming and didn't really try to be liked', painting a sharper character portrait.
   • GRA“Our old studio director was nobody's idea of charming — brief, exacting, not really interested in being liked — and yet everyone trusted her completely, whereas the manager who replaced her was popular and warm but couldn't say no to anyone, and the studio drifted for a year.” — This single sentence chains a dash-set-off list, a coordinated clause with 'and yet', and a 'whereas' contrast — a considerably more complex structure than the 6.5 answer's three separate shorter sentences telling the same story.

   Band 7.5

   Answers in two words ('No, and...') before the evidence even starts, and closes with a compact, aphoristic comparison rather than a longer explanatory sentence.

   No, and the most respected boss I've had wasn't. Our old studio director was nobody's idea of charming — brief, exacting, uninterested in being liked — and everyone trusted her completely; the manager who replaced her was popular, warm, and unable to say no to anyone, and the studio drifted for a year. A good boss needs to be respected, fair and clear; being liked is pleasant but optional, and chasing it leads to avoiding hard decisions. That said, a boss who's actively disliked loses people, and cold competence has its limits too. The best combination is respect first and warmth second. Employees will forgive a boss who isn't fun far more readily than one who isn't fair.

   Why this band

   • FC“The best combination is respect first and warmth second.” — This short, declarative sentence works as a mid-answer thesis statement, summarising the argument in six words — a rhetorical compression neither lower band attempts, since they build toward their conclusion more gradually.
   • LR“cold competence has its limits too” — 'Cold competence' is a compact, evaluative noun phrase for the studio director's style. Neither lower band reaches for an image this condensed, relying instead on longer, more literal descriptions.
   • GRA“Our old studio director was nobody's idea of charming — brief, exacting, uninterested in being liked — and everyone trusted her completely; the manager who replaced her was popular, warm, and unable to say no to anyone, and the studio drifted for a year.” — A dash-set-off list followed by a semicolon joining two full contrasted clauses makes this one continuous, tightly controlled sentence — more economical than the 7.0 answer's similar content, which still needs the extra subordinator 'whereas' to hold together.

5. 5. How can celebrities use their popularity to influence others?

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

   Band 6.5

   Uses plain connectors ('For example', 'Of course') to move between points, and states the final judgement as a simple 'I think' sentence.

   I think they can point attention at things that need it. For example, after the floods a few years ago, a famous singer's appeal raised in one day what the provincial appeal had raised in a whole month, even though the money itself came from the same public. Celebrities can make a cause visible and reach people who usually ignore officials or the news. Of course, they also sell products, which is the most common but least interesting use. I think it works best when it matches who they are, like a kind singer raising money for flood victims.

   Why this band

   • FC“Of course, they also sell products, which is the most common but least interesting use.” — 'Of course' flags an obvious counterpoint plainly. The 7.5 answer makes the identical point with a more casual 'obviously', tucked mid-sentence rather than announced at the start.
   • LR“point attention at things that need it” — This is a workable but fairly generic verb phrase. The 7.0 and 7.5 answers use the identical structure too, showing that even at 6.5 the core phrase can be reused — the real gap shows up elsewhere, in the flatter 'a famous singer's appeal' versus the named, specific 'Mỹ Tâm's appeal' at the higher bands.
   • GRA“I think it works best when it matches who they are, like a kind singer raising money for flood victims.” — A single 'when' clause with one trailing example. The 7.5 answer builds a fuller parallel contrast in one sentence — 'a singer known for kindness... is believed, while the same singer lecturing on economics simply isn't' — with two balanced halves instead of one.

   Band 7.0

   Names the singer specifically ('Mỹ Tâm's appeal') rather than a generic description, and inserts the aside 'though it's honestly the least interesting one' as a spoken-style qualifier.

   Honestly, I think it's mainly by pointing attention at something that needs it. After the floods a few years ago, for instance, Mỹ Tâm's appeal raised in a single day what the provincial appeal had raised in a whole month — the money came from the same public, but the trust and reach were completely different. To be fair, celebrities can also make a cause visible, model good behaviour like vaccination or recycling, and reach people who ignore officials and newspapers entirely. Selling products is obviously the most common use, though it's honestly the least interesting one. I'd say the influence works best when it fits who the celebrity actually is.

   Why this band

   • FC“To be fair, celebrities can also make a cause visible, model good behaviour like vaccination or recycling” — 'To be fair' introduces a broader list of uses after the specific anecdote, a transitional move the 6.5 answer's flatter 'Celebrities can...' sentence doesn't attempt.
   • LR“Mỹ Tâm's appeal” — Naming the specific singer is more precise and grounded than the 6.5 answer's generic 'a famous singer's appeal', giving the example more credibility and specificity.
   • GRA“After the floods a few years ago, for instance, Mỹ Tâm's appeal raised in a single day what the provincial appeal had raised in a whole month — the money came from the same public, but the trust and reach were completely different.” — A dash introduces a contrastive clause with 'but' after the main comparison, adding a second layer of contrast within one sentence — more elaborate than the 6.5 answer's single 'even though' clause.

   Band 7.5

   Closes with a two-part semicolon sentence that mirrors the same singer in two believable and unbelievable roles, a contrast device neither lower band builds this fully.

   By pointing attention at something that needs it, mostly. After the floods a few years ago, Mỹ Tâm's appeal raised in a day what the provincial appeal had raised in a month — the money was the same, but the trust and the reach were entirely different. Celebrities can make a cause visible, model behaviour like vaccination or recycling, and reach people who ignore officials and newspapers altogether. They sell products too, obviously, which is the most common use and the least interesting one. The influence is strongest when it fits who they genuinely are; a singer known for kindness raising money for flood victims is believed, while the same singer lecturing on economics simply isn't. The best of them know the limits of their credibility and stay inside them.

   Why this band

   • FC“They sell products too, obviously, which is the most common use and the least interesting one.” — 'Obviously' is dropped in casually mid-sentence rather than used to open a new sentence, a more fluent, less signposted way of conceding the same obvious point than the 6.5 answer's 'Of course,' opener.
   • LR“stay inside them” — This compact phrasal ending ('the limits of their credibility and stay inside them') is a more idiomatic way of saying someone knows their boundaries than either lower band's more literal phrasing.
   • GRA“The influence is strongest when it fits who they genuinely are; a singer known for kindness raising money for flood victims is believed, while the same singer lecturing on economics simply isn't.” — A semicolon introduces a fully worked parallel example with its own internal 'while' contrast, a two-layer structure considerably more complex than the 6.5 answer's single short 'when' clause.

6. 6. Are people often promoted more for their popularity than for their ability?

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

   Band 6.5

   Explains the cause-and-effect with a plain 'so' clause and closes with a direct 'But' contrast, keeping the reasoning in clearly separated steps.

   Yes, often, and I've seen it cost a company real money. At a former studio, a charming account manager was promoted over a quieter colleague who had actually kept the clients, and within a year those clients followed the quiet one elsewhere. I think promotion decisions are made by people who favour those they enjoy being around, so visibility gets mistaken for value. It isn't completely wrong, since a manager does need to be able to lead a room. But being likeable and doing good work are different skills, and companies that confuse them promote the wrong people.

   Why this band

   • FC“It isn't completely wrong, since a manager does need to be able to lead a room.” — This concession is introduced plainly with 'since'. The 7.5 answer makes an almost identical concession but sets it off with a dash instead — 'a manager does need to be able to carry a room' — inside a longer, more fluidly connected sentence.
   • LR“does need to be able to lead a room” — 'Lead a room' is a decent but slightly generic collocation. The 7.0 and 7.5 answers use the more idiomatic 'carry a room', a subtly more natural phrase for commanding attention in a group.
   • GRA“But being likeable and doing good work are different skills, and companies that confuse them promote the wrong people.” — A compound sentence joined with 'and'. The 7.5 answer instead uses a dash to attach the same consequence onto a longer sentence, avoiding the need for a separate 'But' opener.

   Band 7.0

   Sets the concession 'a manager does need to be able to carry a room' off between dashes mid-sentence, a more compressed way of qualifying the argument than a separate sentence.

   Honestly, yes, quite often, and I've watched it cost a company. A charming account manager at a former studio was promoted over a quieter colleague who had actually kept the clients, and within a year those clients had followed the quiet one elsewhere. To be fair, promotion decisions are made by people who favour those they enjoy being around, so visibility gets mistaken for value. It isn't entirely wrong — a manager does need to be able to carry a room — but the skill of being liked and the skill of doing the work are genuinely different. Organisations that can't tell them apart end up filling their upper floors with pleasant people who can't really deliver.

   Why this band

   • FC“It isn't entirely wrong — a manager does need to be able to carry a room — but the skill of being liked and the skill of doing the work are genuinely different.” — The dash-set-off concession lets the sentence pivot back to the main point with 'but' inside the same breath, a more fluid move than the 6.5 answer's separate 'since' sentence.
   • LR“filling their upper floors with pleasant people who can't really deliver” — 'Upper floors' is a figurative way of referring to senior management, and 'deliver' is used as a precise, slightly informal verb for producing results — more vivid than the 6.5 answer's plain 'promoting the wrong people'.
   • GRA“Organisations that can't tell them apart end up filling their upper floors with pleasant people who can't really deliver.” — A relative clause ('that can't tell them apart') plus another relative clause ('who can't really deliver') stack inside one sentence, a denser structure than the 6.5 answer's simpler compound sentence with 'and'.

   Band 7.5

   Closes with a compact final judgement — 'measuring results... harder than simply noticing charm' — that names the fix in a single evaluative sentence rather than just restating the problem.

   Often, yes, and I've watched it cost a company. A charming account manager at a former studio was promoted over a quiet colleague who had actually kept the clients, and within a year several of those clients had followed the quiet one elsewhere. Promotion decisions are made by people, and people favour those they enjoy being around; visibility gets mistaken for value. It isn't entirely wrong — a manager does need to be able to carry a room — but the skill of being liked and the skill of doing the work are different, and organisations that can't tell them apart fill their upper floors with pleasant people who can't deliver. The correction is measuring results, which is a good deal harder than simply noticing charm.

   Why this band

   • FC“The correction is measuring results, which is a good deal harder than simply noticing charm.” — Ending on the proposed fix, rather than stopping at the diagnosis, is a cohesive move neither lower band makes — both stop after describing the problem and its cause.
   • LR“a good deal harder than simply noticing charm” — 'A good deal harder' is a more idiomatic intensifier than a plain 'much harder', and pairing it with 'noticing charm' creates a neat, economical final image.
   • GRA“Promotion decisions are made by people, and people favour those they enjoy being around; visibility gets mistaken for value.” — A comma-joined compound clause is immediately followed by a semicolon-joined independent clause, fusing what would be two separate sentences at 6.5 into one continuous chain of reasoning.

7. 7. What are the advantages and disadvantages of being popular at school?

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

   Band 6.5

   Balances the two lists (advantages, then disadvantages) with a plain 'But', and states the final judgement as a straightforward comparison.

   I think the advantages and disadvantages are actually connected. The most popular girl in my class never once ate lunch alone, but she told me years later she also never had a private thought at school. Popular children get confidence, protection from bullying, and practice handling people. But they also live under constant attention, spend energy keeping their position, and sometimes lose the chance to be strange, which is often where talent comes from. I'd say popularity is a good thing to have, but a bad thing to need too much.

   Why this band

   • FC“But they also live under constant attention, spend energy keeping their position” — The plain 'But' marks the pivot from advantages to disadvantages directly. The 7.5 answer doesn't need this connector at all — it states the costs as the next sentence in a continuous list.
   • LR“she also never had a private thought at school” — This phrase is already fairly natural, but the 6.5 answer surrounds it with more ordinary connective language ('but she told me years later'). The 7.0 and 7.5 answers use the closer echo 'and, she told me years later,' — a lighter, more parenthetical insertion showing more control over where to place an aside.
   • GRA“I'd say popularity is a good thing to have, but a bad thing to need too much.” — A simple 'but' contrast between two short parallel phrases. The 7.5 answer extends the identical structure with an added clause — 'and school is where children find out which they've got' — turning a two-part contrast into a three-part sentence.

   Band 7.0

   Inserts the aside 'she told me years later' between commas mid-sentence rather than as a separate clause, and reframes the whole answer around the idea that the two lists are 'the same thing seen from two sides'.

   Honestly, I think the advantages and the costs are really the same thing seen from two different sides. The girl who was everyone's friend in my class never once ate lunch alone, and, she told me years later, never once had a private thought at school either. To be fair, popular children gain confidence, protection from bullying, invitations, and practice handling people, all of which serves them well for life. But they also live under constant observation, spend energy maintaining their position, and can lose the chance to be strange, which is where a lot of talent comes from. I'd say popularity is a good thing to have and a fairly bad thing to need.

   Why this band

   • FC“Honestly, I think the advantages and the costs are really the same thing seen from two different sides.” — Framing the whole answer around a single governing idea up front is a more sophisticated opening move than the 6.5 answer's flatter 'I think the advantages and disadvantages are actually connected', though both say something similar.
   • LR“all of which serves them well for life” — This relative-clause summary tag is a more compact, formal way of wrapping up a list than the 6.5 answer's separate clause 'which helps them for life' attached to only the last item.
   • GRA“The girl who was everyone's friend in my class never once ate lunch alone, and, she told me years later, never once had a private thought at school either.” — The aside 'she told me years later' is dropped into the middle of the sentence between commas, a more advanced placement than the 6.5 answer's simpler 'but she told me years later' at the clause boundary.

   Band 7.5

   Opens with the anecdote itself and only names the governing idea afterwards, after a dash, reversing the usual claim-then-evidence order the lower bands use.

   The girl who was everyone's friend in my class never once ate lunch alone, and, she told me years later, never once had a private thought at school either — the advantages and the costs are the same thing seen from two sides. Popular children get confidence, protection from bullying, invitations and practice at handling people, which serves them for life. They also live under constant observation, spend energy maintaining a position, and can lose the chance to be strange, which is where a lot of talent comes from. Some become dependent on approval and are lost when it fades. Popularity is a good thing to have and a bad thing to need, and school is where children find out which they've got.

   Why this band

   • FC“the advantages and the costs are the same thing seen from two sides” — Placing the governing claim after the evidence, following a dash, reverses the more conventional claim-first order both lower bands use, creating a more sophisticated, essay-like cohesion.
   • LR“lose the chance to be strange” — 'Strange' used this way, as something valuable to have the chance to be, is an unexpected, precise word choice. Neither lower band reaches for anything this understated — the 6.5 answer settles for the blander 'a bit strange'.
   • GRA“Popularity is a good thing to have and a bad thing to need, and school is where children find out which they've got.” — A three-part sentence stacks two parallel contrasts and then a final independent clause joined by 'and', a longer chain than the 6.5 answer's single two-part contrast.

8. 8. Are students who are popular at school also popular as adults?

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

   Band 6.5

   States the reunion story and each rule plainly, using 'while' and 'but' just once each to keep the structure simple and easy to track.

   Not always, and my class reunion proved it. At our ten-year gathering, the quiet boy who used to sit at the back was the person everyone wanted to talk to, while two of the old school stars sat together looking a bit left out. I think school popularity rewards things that stop mattering later, like sport, looks or being funny at fifteen. Adult popularity instead rewards warmth, reliability and genuine interest in other people. Some skills do carry over, since a confident child often becomes a confident adult, but the whole ranking mostly resets once school ends.

   Why this band

   • FC“Not always, and my class reunion proved it.” — This short opening sentence states the answer and points to the evidence in one plain move. The 7.5 answer opens even more compactly with just 'Not reliably, and the reunion proved it', trimming a word without losing the meaning.
   • LR“looking a bit left out” — This is a plain, general description. The 7.0 and 7.5 answers use the more specific and evocative 'looking slightly stranded', which paints a sharper picture of the two former stars' discomfort.
   • GRA“Some skills do carry over, since a confident child often becomes a confident adult, but the whole ranking mostly resets once school ends.” — A 'since... but' sentence chains a reason and a contrast together. The 7.5 answer achieves something similar but ends on a further clause about who stays liked, extending the sentence chain one step further.

   Band 7.0

   Lists the outdated school-popularity qualities between dashes ('sport, looks, boldness, being funny at fifteen') rather than after 'like', giving the sentence a more spoken rhythm.

   Honestly, not reliably, and the reunion really proved it. At my class's ten-year gathering, the quiet boy who'd sat at the back the whole time was the person everyone wanted to talk to, and two of the stars of our schooldays sat together looking slightly stranded. To be fair, school popularity rewards things that stop mattering — sport, looks, boldness, being funny at fifteen — while adult popularity rewards warmth, reliability and genuine interest in other people. Some skills do transfer, since a socially confident child usually becomes a confident adult. But the hierarchy resets once the classroom disappears, and the children who were liked for kindness tend to stay liked.

   Why this band

   • FC“To be fair, school popularity rewards things that stop mattering” — 'To be fair' introduces the rule as a considered claim rather than a flat statement, a cohesive move the 6.5 answer's plain 'I think school popularity rewards...' doesn't use.
   • LR“looking slightly stranded” — 'Stranded' is a vivid, figurative word for feeling out of place among people who no longer share your context. The 6.5 answer only manages the flatter 'looking a bit left out'.
   • GRA“school popularity rewards things that stop mattering — sport, looks, boldness, being funny at fifteen — while adult popularity rewards warmth, reliability and genuine interest in other people.” — Two dashes set off a four-item list in the middle of a 'while' contrast sentence, a more elaborate structure than the 6.5 answer's shorter 'like sport, looks or being funny' phrasing.

   Band 7.5

   Closes with a semicolon-balanced pair of fates for the two kinds of popular children, ending on the fresh image of a 'different scoreboard' rather than simply restating the point.

   Not reliably, and the reunion proved it. At my class's ten-year gathering, the quiet boy who'd sat at the back was the person everyone wanted to talk to, and two of the stars of our schooldays sat together looking slightly stranded. School popularity rewards things that stop mattering — sport, looks, boldness, being funny at fifteen — while adult popularity rewards warmth, reliability and interest in other people. Some skills transfer: the socially confident child usually becomes a confident adult. But the hierarchy resets when the classroom disappears. The children who were liked for kindness stay liked; the ones liked for status have to earn it all over again in a world with a different scoreboard.

   Why this band

   • FC“Some skills transfer: the socially confident child usually becomes a confident adult.” — The colon here introduces a single clarifying example directly, without needing 'since' or 'because' — a more economical cohesive device than the 7.0 answer's 'since' clause for the same idea.
   • LR“a different scoreboard” — 'Scoreboard' is a fresh, concrete metaphor for social status that neither lower band reaches for — both stick to the more literal 'hierarchy' or 'ranking'.
   • GRA“The children who were liked for kindness stay liked; the ones liked for status have to earn it all over again in a world with a different scoreboard.” — The semicolon balances two mirrored clauses about two different kinds of children, a tighter parallel structure than the 6.5 answer's single sentence about 'confident children' with no matching second half.

9. 9. How important is it to be popular with colleagues at work?

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

   Band 6.5

   Frames the opening claim with a plain 'but' contrast and closes with another 'and' sentence, keeping the same simple connector pattern through the whole answer.

   I think it matters more than ambitious people admit, but less than anxious people fear. There's a designer everyone likes, and when her project hits trouble at midnight, three people show up to help without even being asked. There's also a more brilliant colleague nobody wants to sit beside, and he solves everything alone, slowly. Being liked at work brings help, information and forgiveness for small mistakes. But it doesn't mean being everyone's friend or never disagreeing. I think respect matters more than popularity, and a fair, competent colleague will be liked enough.

   Why this band

   • FC“I think it matters more than ambitious people admit, but less than anxious people fear.” — This opening balances two groups with a plain 'but'. The 7.0 and 7.5 answers drop 'I think' and state the same balance more directly as 'More than ambitious people admit, and less than anxious people fear', which reads as more confidently spoken.
   • LR“three people show up to help without even being asked” — 'Show up' is a reasonably natural phrasal verb, but the phrasing overall is fairly plain. The 7.0 and 7.5 answers use 'appear without being asked', a slightly more economical and polished way to say the same thing.
   • GRA“But it doesn't mean being everyone's friend or never disagreeing.” — A short sentence with 'or' linking two things being ruled out. The 7.5 answer expresses a similar idea inside a longer sentence beginning 'What it doesn't require is...', a more formal, essay-style construction.

   Band 7.0

   Drops the subject and verb from the opening ('More than ambitious people admit...') for a punchier start, and uses a semicolon to place the two contrasting colleagues side by side in one sentence.

   Honestly, more than ambitious people admit, and less than anxious people fear. There's a designer in our studio everyone likes, and when her project hits trouble at midnight, three people appear without being asked; there's a more brilliant one nobody really wants to sit beside, and he solves everything alone, slowly. To be fair, being liked at work brings help, information and forgiveness for mistakes, since most work is genuinely done through other people. What it doesn't require, though, is being everyone's friend or never disagreeing. I'd say respect matters more than popularity — a colleague who's fair and competent ends up liked enough regardless.

   Why this band

   • FC“What it doesn't require, though, is being everyone's friend or never disagreeing.” — The fronted 'What it doesn't require' construction, with 'though' inserted mid-clause, is a more deliberate cohesive move than the 6.5 answer's plain 'But it doesn't mean...' opener.
   • LR“three people appear without being asked” — 'Appear' is a slightly more economical and polished verb choice than the 6.5 answer's 'show up to help', trimming the phrase without losing meaning.
   • GRA“There's a designer in our studio everyone likes, and when her project hits trouble at midnight, three people appear without being asked; there's a more brilliant one nobody really wants to sit beside, and he solves everything alone, slowly.” — A semicolon joins two parallel anecdotes about contrasting colleagues into a single sentence, a more unified structure than the 6.5 answer's two separate sentences telling the same two stories.

   Band 7.5

   Ends on a two-part closing sentence naming the people who actually suffer, a further layer of analysis neither lower band adds after making the main point.

   More than ambitious people admit, and less than anxious people fear. There's a designer in our studio everyone likes, and when her project hits trouble at midnight, three people appear without being asked; there's a more brilliant one nobody wants to sit beside, and he solves everything alone, slowly. Being liked at work brings help, information and forgiveness for mistakes, and most work is done through other people. What it doesn't require is being everyone's friend or never disagreeing. Respect matters more than popularity; a colleague who's fair and competent will be liked enough. The people who suffer are those who are neither trusted nor liked, and the ones who chase popularity at the cost of honesty end up with neither.

   Why this band

   • FC“The people who suffer are those who are neither trusted nor liked, and the ones who chase popularity at the cost of honesty end up with neither.” — This closing sentence adds a further category of analysis — who actually loses out — after the main argument is already complete, a cohesive extension neither lower band attempts.
   • LR“at the cost of honesty” — This is a precise, slightly formal collocation for sacrificing one thing to get another. Neither lower band reaches for phrasing this economical, relying on plainer verbs like 'chase' alone.
   • GRA“Respect matters more than popularity; a colleague who's fair and competent will be liked enough.” — The semicolon joins a short general claim to its supporting reason without a connector, a more compact structure than the 6.5 answer's separate 'I think... and...' sentence making the same point.