How long should my answer to this Part 2 cue card be?

Speak for 1 to 2 minutes. The examiner will stop you at 2 minutes, so aim for roughly 220-300 words that cover every bullet on the card and end with how you feel about it.

What Part 3 questions follow this cue card?

After "An Important River, Lake, or Area of Water in Your Country", examiners have asked 8 follow-up discussion questions, listed above. They move from your personal story to general opinions on the same theme.

Is this cue card still being used?

It was most recently reported by test-takers in May–Aug 2026. Cue cards rotate every four months, and many topics return in later seasons with slightly different wording.

IELTS Speaking Part 2

An Important River, Lake, or Area of Water in Your Country

Most recently asked in May–Aug 2026

The cue card

Describe an important river, lake or area of water in your country

You should say:

where in your country it is
how big it is
what it looks like
and explain why this river, lake or area of water is important for your country

Sample answers: Band 6.5, 7.0 & 7.5

Three versions of the same answer, each written to sit genuinely at that band — compare them to see exactly what separates the scores.

Band 6.5

The answer describes the river with plain, everyday adjectives ('calm', 'blue-green') and closes with a simple personal fact ('the first thing I see when I leave my apartment'), a clear but modest structure typical of Band 6.5.

The river I want to talk about is the Han River, which flows right through the middle of Da Nang, the city where I live now.

It is in the centre of the city, between the old part of town and the newer area where I live. It flows down from the mountains and goes out to the sea. I am not exactly sure how long it is, but it is quite wide near the bridges, and it takes a while to walk from one side to the other.

The river looks calm most of the time, with blue-green water in the day and colourful lights at night. Several bridges cross it, and the most famous one is Dragon Bridge, which breathes fire and water on weekend nights. Boats go up and down the river, and people sit along the banks in the evening to relax and eat street food.

I think this river is important for the country because it makes Da Nang a popular place for tourists, and a lot of people come here just to see the bridges and take photos. It is also important for local people like me, because I walk along it almost every day after work, and it makes the city feel more relaxed. For me personally, it is the first thing I see when I leave my apartment.

226 words · about 2 minutes

Why this band

LR“blue-green water in the day and colourful lights at night” — The description uses plain, high-frequency colour words rather than any more precise or figurative alternative, characteristic of Band 6.5 vocabulary.
FC“I think this river is important for the country because it makes Da Nang a popular place for tourists” — The speaker states an opinion and immediately attaches a single "because" clause to justify it, directly answering the "why is it important" prompt with exactly one supporting reason rather than weighing multiple factors against each other. This is efficient and on-topic, matching the "one clear reason or example is enough" standard for Band 6.5 fluency, though the reasoning stops at tourism without connecting it to any broader consequence (like economic benefit) that a higher band might draw out. The second reason (importance to local people) is introduced separately afterward rather than being integrated into this same sentence.
GRA“I am not exactly sure how long it is, but it is quite wide near the bridges” — The sentence admits uncertainty about one fact (the river's length) and then pivots with "but" to a fact the speaker is more confident about (its width), a natural way to manage a gap in knowledge during a spoken test but one that relies on the simplest possible connector to do so. There's no subordination here — just two independent clauses joined by a coordinator — representative of the mostly-simple-sentence grammar Band 6.5 targets. The hedge "not exactly sure" is a useful, natural piece of spoken language, but it doesn't add grammatical complexity to the sentence itself.

Band 7.0

The answer develops its description with one vivid personal detail — the pencil line marking the 1999 flood on the kitchen wall — and closes with a natural personal comparison, giving more texture than the 6.5 answer while staying less elaborate than the 7.5 version's imagery.

The stretch of water I'd talk about is the Perfume River — Sông Hương — which flows through Hue, my hometown, in central Vietnam.

It begins in hills to the west of the city and travels east, eventually reaching a lagoon and then the sea, covering about thirty kilometres in total. Hue itself straddles both banks, with the old citadel sitting on the northern side and the more modern part of the city on the southern side, the two connected by a handful of bridges.

Size-wise, it's nothing remarkable — a few hundred metres across in the city, gentle enough that you'd struggle to call it fast-moving. What makes it matter has never really been about scale.

Its appearance is honestly the thing I miss most when I'm away. The water carries a soft green tint from the surrounding trees and hills, and on a calm day it barely seems to move at all. Boats with carved dragon heads ferry tourists up and down, and after dark, wooden boats with singers perform traditional Hue music by lantern light. The Trường Tiền bridge cycles through colours once night falls, and during festivals the surface fills with thousands of floating paper lanterns. My parents still have a faint pencil line on their kitchen wall marking how high the water rose during the 1999 flood.

As for why it matters nationally, Hue served as the imperial capital for over a century, and nearly everything from that period — palaces, tombs, temples — was built along its banks, which is why the whole stretch is now a world heritage site. It's the main draw for visitors, and generations of poets and musicians have written about it. My own reason is simpler: my mother taught me to swim in that river, and every other body of water I've seen since gets compared to it in my head, usually unfavourably.

314 words · about 2 minutes

Why this band

FC“What makes it matter has never really been about scale.” — This short sentence works as a bridge, taking the previous point about the river's modest size and pivoting the answer toward what actually matters instead, rather than just moving to the next topic with a flat transition like 'now I'll talk about what it looks like.' That kind of natural, linking sentence — connecting one idea to the next through contrast rather than a mechanical connector — is the 'natural spoken connectors' the Band 7.0 fluency target asks for, positioned between the plainer topic-jumps of a 6.5 answer and the fuller reflective payoff a 7.5 answer would add. It also plants a claim the rest of the answer goes on to justify, giving the response forward momentum rather than a simple list of facts.
LR“a faint pencil line on their kitchen wall marking how high the water rose during the 1999 flood” — Instead of a generic claim like 'the river sometimes floods,' the speaker offers one precise, visual, and slightly surprising piece of evidence — a specific mark on a specific wall from a specific year — which is exactly the kind of 'topic-specific' precision the Band 7.0 lexical target calls for beyond common vocabulary, without reaching for the figurative language a 7.5 answer might add. The detail also works because it's unexpected in a paragraph otherwise about the river's beauty, briefly shifting the tone to something more personal before the answer moves on. That specificity is what keeps the description from feeling like a rehearsed list of scenic features.
GRA“every other body of water I've seen since gets compared to it in my head, usually unfavourably” — The passive construction combined with the adverbial aside 'usually unfavourably' shows the comfortable, slightly varied grammar expected at Band 7.0.

Band 7.5

The image of the river as 'its spine' running through the heritage site, alongside the closing claim that the writer still 'measures every other river against it', shows the figurative precision and reflective close typical of Band 7.5.

The area of water I'd describe is the Perfume River, the Sông Hương, which runs through Hue, my hometown, in the centre of Vietnam.

Where it is: it rises in the hills to the west of the city and flows east through Hue to a lagoon and then the sea, about thirty kilometres in all. The city sits on both banks, with the old citadel on the north side and the newer town on the south, joined by a handful of bridges.

How big it is: not very, by the standards of Vietnam's great rivers — a few hundred metres across in the city, slow and shallow. Its importance has never been its size.

What it looks like is the thing I miss most about home. It's green — a soft, deep green from the trees along the banks and the hills behind — and it moves so slowly that on a still morning it's a mirror. There are boats with painted dragon heads carrying tourists, and long, low wooden boats where singers perform old Hue songs at night by lantern light. The Trường Tiền bridge lights up in changing colours after dark. On festival nights, thousands of paper lanterns float downstream. And on my parents' kitchen wall there's a pencil line from the 1999 flood, when the same river came into the house.

Why it's important for the country: Hue was the capital for a century and a half, and the river was its centre, so the tombs, temples and palaces of the old dynasty are arranged along it — the whole area is a world heritage site, and the river is its spine. It's the reason tourists come, and the reason poets and songwriters have written about the city for centuries. For me it's simpler. My mother taught me to swim in it, I learned to be bored on its banks as a teenager, and I still measure every other river against it.

325 words · about 2 minutes

Why this band

LR“the river is its spine” — 'Spine' is a bodily metaphor applied to a geographic and historical claim — that the river is the organising axis around which Hue's palaces, tombs, and temples are arranged — which is a much more vivid and precise way of expressing centrality than a literal phrase like 'the river runs through the middle of the historic area.' Reaching for this kind of figurative language naturally, at exactly the moment the answer is making its strongest factual claim, is the 'figurative or idiomatic touch if it fits the moment' the Band 7.5 lexical target calls for. It also reinforces the answer's structure, since the image of a spine supporting a body echoes how the paragraph goes on to list the historical sites 'arranged along it.'
GRA“it moves so slowly that on a still morning it's a mirror” — The 'so...that' construction links the cause (extreme slowness) to a striking visual consequence (becoming a mirror) inside a single flowing sentence, rather than presenting the two ideas as separate statements like 'It moves slowly. On a still morning it looks like a mirror.' Building the image this way, with the result clause doing the descriptive work rather than a separate adjective, is the varied complex grammar the Band 7.5 target rewards, going beyond the simpler descriptive sentences a 7.0 answer would produce. The image of a 'mirror' also picks up the earlier claim about the water's green colour, adding a second concrete visual detail.
FC“I still measure every other river against it” — Rather than restating that the river is important or beautiful, the closing sentence converts that claim into a personal, ongoing habit — measuring every subsequent river against this one — which frames the whole answer's factual and historical content as ultimately in service of a private, emotional attachment. That kind of personal, evaluative closing statement, moving from the general (the river's national importance) to the intimate (a personal comparison standard), is the reflective coherence the Band 7.5 target rewards over a flatter ending like 'I love this river very much.' It also mirrors the closing line of the companion Part 2 answer about the same river.

How this card was asked, by exam period

Describe an important river, lake or area of water in your countryMay–Aug 2026

Part 3 follow-up questions

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

1. How important are rivers for tourism?
May–Aug 2026
Compare Band 6.5 / 7.0 / 7.5 for this question
Band 6.5
The plain closing observation about lakes lacks the fourth example 7.5 adds before reaching the same point.
I think rivers are almost essential for tourism where I live. Nearly every big attraction near me sits on water: the boats on the Perfume River, the lanterns in Hoi An, and the floating markets of the Mekong. Rivers give a place its shape, so the oldest, prettiest parts of a city usually sit beside them. They offer activities like cruises and evening walks, and they give the views tourists photograph. A river also cools a hot city and gives people somewhere to gather at night.
Why this band
FC“Rivers give a place its shape, so the oldest, prettiest parts of a city usually sit beside them.” — A simple "so" clause. Compare 7.5's semicolon-joined version elaborating the same idea with the added phrase "and its story."
LR“give a place its shape” — A simple phrase. Contrast 7.5's "give a place its shape and its story," adding a second noun for richer meaning.
GRA“the boats on the Perfume River, the lanterns in Hoi An, and the floating markets of the Mekong” — A three-item colon-introduced list; simpler and shorter than 7.5's four-item dash-introduced list.
Band 7.0
The double hedge "Honestly... I'd say" gives a natural spoken opening, more fluent than 6.5's plainer opening statement.
Honestly, close to essential, I'd say, in my part of the world. Nearly every big tourist draw near me sits on water — the dragon boats on the Perfume River, the lantern-lit river in Hoi An, the floating markets of the Mekong. Rivers give a place its shape and its story, since cities usually began beside them, so the oldest and prettiest districts sit right there. They provide the activities tourists want, like cruises and evening walks, and the views that fill photographs. A river also cools a hot city and gives it somewhere to gather at night. Cities without one tend to build a lake instead.
Why this band
FC“Honestly, close to essential, I'd say, in my part of the world.” — A double hedge gives a natural spoken opening, more fluent than 6.5's plainer opening statement.
LR“Rivers give a place its shape and its story” — A paired-noun phrase, more developed than 6.5's single-noun "shape."
GRA“the dragon boats on the Perfume River, the lantern-lit river in Hoi An, the floating markets of the Mekong” — A dash-introduced list of three, more compact than 6.5's colon-based version, though shorter than 7.5's four-item list.
Band 7.5
The four-item list building to Phong Nha's caves is richer than the three-item lists used at the lower bands.
In my part of the world, close to essential, honestly. Nearly every big tourist draw nearby sits on water — the dragon boats on the Perfume River, the lantern-lit river in Hoi An, the floating markets of the Mekong, the caves you enter by boat in Phong Nha. Rivers give a place its shape and its story; they're where cities began, so the oldest and prettiest districts are usually beside them. They provide the activities tourists actually want — cruises, kayaking, evening walks — and the views that fill every photograph. A river also cools a hot city and gives it somewhere to gather after dark. Cities without one tend to build a lake instead.
Why this band
FC“the dragon boats on the Perfume River, the lantern-lit river in Hoi An, the floating markets of the Mekong, the caves you enter by boat in Phong Nha” — A four-item list building toward a striking final example, richer than the three-item lists at 6.5 and 7.0.
LR“cruises, kayaking, evening walks” — A precise three-item list, more textured than 7.0's plain "cruises and evening walks."
GRA“Rivers give a place its shape and its story; they're where cities began, so the oldest and prettiest districts are usually beside them.” — A semicolon joining two related independent clauses, more controlled than 7.0's single coordinated sentence.
2. What are the advantages and disadvantages of using rivers to transport people in cities?
May–Aug 2026
Compare Band 6.5 / 7.0 / 7.5 for this question
Band 6.5
The plain phrase "an extra option, not as the main system" is functional, unlike 7.5's sharper single-word contrast "a supplement... its backbone."
The main advantage is that a river is a road with no traffic, already built. The old ferry across the Hàn river never once got stuck in a jam. River transport is also pleasant, fairly clean, and can carry many people at once. But there are real problems. Saigon's modern river bus is lovely, yet it stops at piers two kilometres from where people actually want to go, because cities grew away from their rivers once roads took over. Boats are also slow and stop in bad weather. So rivers work as an extra option, not as the main system.
Why this band
FC“So rivers work as an extra option, not as the main system.” — A plain closing summary. Compare 7.5's near-identical idea phrased with the more formal noun "backbone," a sharper single-word contrast.
LR“an extra option” — Plain, functional phrasing. Contrast 7.5's "a supplement... its backbone," a more precise pairing of contrasting nouns.
GRA“But there are real problems.” — A very short, simple sentence used as a transition, less integrated than 7.5's version, which folds the same idea into "though" at the end of a longer sentence.
Band 7.0
The trailing "though" gives a natural spoken pivot, more fluent than 6.5's flat "But there are real problems."
The old ferry across the Hàn river never once sat in a jam, honestly, which is the main advantage — a river is a road with no cars, already built, and often running right through a city's centre. River transport is pleasant, relatively clean, and can carry a lot of people at once. The disadvantages, though, are practical. Saigon's modern river bus is lovely and arrives at piers two kilometres from anywhere people actually want to be, since cities grew away from their rivers once roads took over. Boats are slow, weather-dependent, and floods or low water stop them altogether. So it works as a supplement, and rarely as a backbone.
Why this band
FC“The disadvantages, though, are practical.” — The trailing "though" gives a natural spoken pivot, more fluent than 6.5's flat "But there are real problems."
LR“arrives at piers two kilometres from anywhere people actually want to be” — Precise, concrete phrasing, similar to 7.5 but without the added clause about why cities grew away from their rivers.
GRA“a river is a road with no cars, already built, and often running right through a city's centre” — A colon-free appositive structure, less punctuated than 7.5's colon-based version of the same idea.
Band 7.5
The contrasting nouns "supplement" and "backbone" give the closing judgement more analytical weight than the plainer phrasing at the lower bands.
The old ferry across the Hàn river never once sat in a traffic jam, which is the main advantage: a river is a road with no cars on it, already built, and often running exactly where a city's centre is. River transport is pleasant, relatively clean, and can carry a lot of people at once. The disadvantages are practical, though. Saigon's modern river bus is lovely and arrives at piers two kilometres from anywhere people actually want to be, because cities grew away from their rivers once roads took over. Boats are slow, weather-dependent, and floods or low water stop them without warning. It works as a supplement to a transport system, and rarely as its backbone.
Why this band
FC“It works as a supplement to a transport system, and rarely as its backbone.” — The precise contrasting nouns "supplement" and "backbone" give the closing judgement more analytical weight than the plainer phrasing at 6.5 and 7.0.
LR“floods or low water stop them without warning” — A more vivid, specific closing image than 7.0's plainer "stop them altogether."
GRA“The old ferry across the Hàn river never once sat in a traffic jam, which is the main advantage: a river is a road with no cars on it, already built, and often running exactly where a city's centre is.” — A colon-linked sentence unpacking the claim in stages, more controlled than 7.0's simpler appositive version.
3. What impact does pollution have on the world's oceans?
May–Aug 2026
Compare Band 6.5 / 7.0 / 7.5 for this question
Band 6.5
The hedge "I think" tacked onto a short sentence is plain, unlike 7.5's trailing "though," which achieves the same contrast more economically.
The visible part washes onto my local beach after every storm, like plastic bags, bottles, and fishing nets tangled in the seaweed. The invisible part is worse, I think. Fishermen at Thọ Quang market go further out to sea every year, because there are fewer fish near the coast now, from pollution, warming, and too much fishing together. Plastic breaks into small pieces that end up in fish, and then in us. Chemicals from farms also run into the sea and create dead areas with no life. Warming seas are also killing coral reefs, which are important for ocean life.
Why this band
FC“The invisible part is worse, I think.” — A plain hedge tacked onto a short sentence. Compare 7.5's trailing "though," which achieves the same contrast more economically.
LR“there are fewer fish near the coast now” — Plain phrasing. Contrast 7.5's "the near waters hold fewer fish," a slightly more precise collocation.
GRA“Chemicals from farms also run into the sea and create dead areas with no life.” — A simple coordinated sentence with an explanatory tail, less compact than 7.5's technical term "dead zones."
Band 7.0
The trailing "though" achieves the same contrast as 6.5's "I think" hedge, but more economically.
The visible part washes onto my local beach after every storm, honestly — plastic bags, bottles, fishing nets, all tangled in the seaweed for the cleanup crews. The invisible part is worse, though. Fishermen at Thọ Quang market go further out every year, because the near waters hold fewer fish now, which is the combined effect of pollution, warming and overfishing. Plastic breaks into fragments that end up in fish and then in us. Chemicals and fertiliser run off the land and create dead zones. Warming and acidification are also killing coral reefs, which act as nurseries for much of ocean life, so damaging them damages everything else too.
Why this band
FC“The invisible part is worse, though.” — The trailing "though" achieves the contrast more economically than 6.5's "I think" hedge.
LR“dead zones” — The precise technical term, beyond 6.5's descriptive but vaguer "dead areas with no life."
GRA“Warming and acidification are also killing coral reefs, which act as nurseries for much of ocean life, so damaging them damages everything else too.” — One long sentence chaining cause and consequence, slightly less tight than 7.5's dash-extended version reaching a wider conclusion about the whole planet.
Band 7.5
The added final clause about the whole planet's climate widens the argument's scope beyond 7.0's conclusion about ocean life alone.
The visible part washes onto my local beach after every storm — plastic bags, bottles, fishing nets, tangled in the seaweed for the cleanup crews. The invisible part is worse, though. Fishermen at Thọ Quang market go further out to sea every year, because the near waters hold fewer fish, and that's the combined effect of pollution, warming and overfishing on a sea that once seemed endless. Plastic breaks into fragments that end up in fish and then in us. Chemicals and fertiliser run off the land and create dead zones. Warming and acidification from carbon dioxide are killing coral reefs, which are nurseries for much of ocean life — and oceans regulate the whole planet's climate, so damaging them damages everything, including places nowhere near a coast.
Why this band
FC“oceans regulate the whole planet's climate, so damaging them damages everything, including places nowhere near a coast” — An added final clause that widens the argument's scope beyond the coast itself, going further than 7.0's conclusion about ocean life alone.
LR“on a sea that once seemed endless” — A vivid, almost elegiac closing image, beyond 7.0's plainer causal explanation.
GRA“Warming and acidification from carbon dioxide are killing coral reefs, which are nurseries for much of ocean life — and oceans regulate the whole planet's climate, so damaging them damages everything, including places nowhere near a coast.” — A long sentence built from two dash-joined clauses, more ambitious than the single chained sentence at 7.0.
4. Will there need to be greater commercial use of the oceans in the future?
May–Aug 2026
Compare Band 6.5 / 7.0 / 7.5 for this question
Band 6.5
The plain opening judgement is functional, unlike 7.5's hedge-free version which achieves the same idea more economically.
Probably yes, I think, and the question is what kind of use. Wind turbines are being planned off the central coast, and fish farms already fill the lagoon where the Perfume River meets the sea. The ocean is being asked to give us energy and food that the land cannot provide anymore. With more people and less farmland, I think we will see more of this, like fish farming and renewable energy, and maybe minerals from the seabed too. Some of this is necessary, but some is dangerous, especially deep-sea mining, which could destroy ecosystems we do not understand yet.
Why this band
FC“Probably yes, I think, and the question is what kind of use.” — A plain opening judgement. Compare 7.5's tighter, hedge-free version, "Probably, and the real question is what kind," which achieves the same idea more economically.
LR“The ocean is being asked to give us energy and food” — Plain phrasing. Contrast 7.5's "quietly being asked to supply," a more precise, slightly personifying verb choice.
GRA“Some of this is necessary, but some is dangerous, especially deep-sea mining, which could destroy ecosystems we do not understand yet.” — A single coordinated sentence, less punctuated than 7.5's semicolon version of the same idea.
Band 7.0
The inserted "honestly" gives natural spoken texture, more fluent than 6.5's fuller but flatter opening.
Probably, honestly, and the real question is what kind. Wind turbines are being proposed off the central coast, and fish farms already line the lagoon where the Perfume River meets the sea — the ocean is being asked to supply energy and food that the land can no longer stretch to provide. With more people and less farmland, I'd expect more of this: aquaculture, offshore renewables, perhaps minerals from the seabed, and shipping will only keep growing. Some of it is necessary and some is genuinely dangerous — deep-sea mining, in particular, could destroy ecosystems we haven't even studied yet.
Why this band
FC“Probably, honestly, and the real question is what kind.” — The inserted "honestly" gives a natural spoken texture, more fluent than 6.5's fuller but flatter opening.
LR“the ocean is being asked to supply energy and food” — A more precise verb ("supply") than 6.5's plain "give us."
GRA“Some of it is necessary and some is genuinely dangerous — deep-sea mining, in particular, could destroy ecosystems we haven't even studied yet.” — A dash-extended sentence, similar to 7.5 but without the closing sentence that widens the argument further.
Band 7.5
The added closing sentence built on a contrastive "whether... or" structure goes beyond the single observation that ends the lower-band answers.
Probably, and the real question is what kind. Wind turbines are being proposed off the central coast, and fish farms already line the lagoon where the Perfume River meets the sea — the ocean is quietly being asked to supply energy and food that the land can no longer stretch to. With more people and less farmland, more will surely come: aquaculture, offshore renewables, perhaps minerals from the seabed, and shipping that will only keep growing. Some of this is necessary and some is genuinely dangerous; deep-sea mining, in particular, could destroy ecosystems we haven't even begun to study. Greater use seems inevitable at this point. Whether it's done with rules, science and limits, or the way we treated the land last century, will decide whether the oceans survive it.
Why this band
FC“Whether it's done with rules, science and limits, or the way we treated the land last century, will decide whether the oceans survive it.” — An added closing sentence built on a contrastive "whether... or" structure, going beyond the single observation that ends the 7.0 and 6.5 answers.
LR“quietly being asked to supply energy and food that the land can no longer stretch to” — A more precise, slightly personifying phrase than 7.0's plainer version of the same idea.
GRA“Some of this is necessary and some is genuinely dangerous; deep-sea mining, in particular, could destroy ecosystems we haven't even begun to study.” — A semicolon-joined sentence with a fronted qualifier ("in particular"), more controlled than 7.0's dash version.
5. Why do people enjoy spending time near water?
May–Aug 2026
Compare Band 6.5 / 7.0 / 7.5 for this question
Band 6.5
The hedge-heavy "I think part of the reason is the senses" is plain, unlike 7.5's more compact, confident version of the same claim.
Every evening, the riverbank in Hue fills with people who are just looking at the water, exactly like I did when I was fifteen. I think part of the reason is the senses: moving water is never exactly the same, so it holds your attention without asking for it, and the sound covers the noise of the city. Part of it is temperature too, because water cools the air. Humans have lived near water for survival for a long time, so maybe something in us still feels safe near it. Water is also where people do things together, like swim, fish, and talk.
Why this band
FC“I think part of the reason is the senses” — A plain, hedge-heavy explanation. Compare 7.5's more compact version, "Part of it is sensory," which drops the filler for a tighter, more confident claim.
LR“still feels safe near it” — Vague, generic phrasing. Contrast 7.5's "still reads it as safety and plenty," a more precise verb ("reads") paired with a second noun.
GRA“Humans have lived near water for survival for a long time, so maybe something in us still feels safe near it.” — A plain "so" clause, less layered than 7.5's semicolon version with the added "and."
Band 7.0
The understated admission "I've never quite been able to explain why" is more natural than 6.5's version, though less wide-reaching than 7.5's claim about other people too.
Every evening, honestly, the riverbank in Hue fills with people doing nothing except looking at the water, exactly as I did at fifteen, and I've never quite been able to explain why. Part of it is sensory: moving water is never the same twice, so it holds attention without demanding it, and the sound covers the noise of the city. Part is temperature — water cools the air. And part, I'd guess, is deep in us; humans settled near water for survival, and something in the mind still seems to read it as safety. Water is also where people do things together, so it offers both activity and stillness.
Why this band
FC“I've never quite been able to explain why” — A natural, understated spoken admission, slightly less vivid than 7.5's "I've never met anyone who could fully explain why," which widens the claim to other people too.
LR“something in the mind still seems to read it as safety” — The hedge "seems to" softens the claim; contrast 7.5's more confident, unhedged "still reads it as safety and plenty."
GRA“Part is temperature — water cools the air. And part, I'd guess, is deep in us; humans settled near water for survival” — A sequence of short dash- and semicolon-linked clauses, more varied than 6.5's plain coordinated sentences.
Band 7.5
Widening the claim to "I've never met anyone who could fully explain why" gives the reflection more weight than 7.0's more limited personal admission.
Every evening the riverbank in Hue fills with people doing nothing except looking at the water, exactly as I did at fifteen, and I've never met anyone who could fully explain why. Part of it is sensory: moving water is never the same twice, so it holds attention without demanding it, and the sound covers the noise of the city. Part is temperature — water cools the air. Part, I'd guess, is deep in us; humans settled near water for survival, and something in the mind still reads it as safety and plenty. Open water also gives a long view, which is rare in a city and strangely calming. And water is where people do things together — swim, fish, sit, talk — offering both activity and stillness at once.
Why this band
FC“I've never met anyone who could fully explain why” — Widening the claim to other people, not just the speaker, gives the reflection more weight than 7.0's more limited personal admission.
LR“still reads it as safety and plenty” — A precise verb ("reads") paired with a second noun ("plenty"), richer than 7.0's hedged, single-noun version.
GRA“Open water also gives a long view, which is rare in a city and strangely calming. And water is where people do things together — swim, fish, sit, talk — offering both activity and stillness at once.” — An added sentence plus a dash-framed four-item list closing the whole answer, a structural layer absent from the shorter 6.5 and 7.0 versions.
6. Why are the oceans the least explored area of the planet?
May–Aug 2026
Compare Band 6.5 / 7.0 / 7.5 for this question
Band 6.5
The because-clause about space is plain, unlike 7.5's version which uses a single precise adjective instead.
I think it is because the ocean is hostile in almost every way. A fisherman at Thọ Quang once told me that nobody has ever seen the seabed under where he fishes, and that is probably true, since there is a kilometre of water, total darkness, and pressure that would crush most machines. Space is easier, because we can at least look at it, but the deep ocean has to be visited slowly, in expensive vessels, and you can only see a few metres at a time. Radio does not travel through water, so mapping is slow. There has also been less money, because governments funded rockets for prestige, not the seabed.
Why this band
FC“Space is easier, because we can at least look at it” — A plain comparative statement. Compare 7.5's version, "Space is at least transparent," which uses a single precise adjective rather than a because-clause.
LR“we can at least look at it” — Plain phrasing. Contrast 7.5's more evocative "we can look at it from here on Earth," which adds a grounding detail.
GRA“There has also been less money, because governments funded rockets for prestige, not the seabed.” — A single because-clause, less layered than 7.5's added closing image about the flag.
Band 7.0
The semicolon-joined pair "Space, at least, is transparent; we can look at it from here" compresses the comparison more fluently than 6.5's because-clause.
Because it's hostile in pretty much every way that matters, honestly. A fisherman at Thọ Quang once told me that nobody had ever seen the seabed under where he fishes, and he's probably right — a kilometre of water, total darkness, and pressure that would crush most machines sit between us and it. Space, at least, is transparent; we can look at it from here. The deep ocean has to be visited, slowly, in expensive vessels, and you can only see a few metres at a time. Radio doesn't travel through water either, so mapping and communication are painfully slow. And there's been less money in it, since nations funded rockets for prestige and military reasons, not the seabed.
Why this band
FC“Space, at least, is transparent; we can look at it from here.” — The semicolon-joined pair compresses the comparison, more fluent than 6.5's because-clause version.
LR“painfully slow” — A vivid intensifying adjective beyond 6.5's plain "slow."
GRA“a kilometre of water, total darkness, and pressure that would crush most machines sit between us and it” — A triple-noun subject governing a single verb, more ambitious than 6.5's looser listing.
Band 7.5
The image "the seabed had no flag to plant" makes the funding argument concrete, going beyond 7.0's abstract version of the same point.
Because they're hostile in every way that matters. A fisherman at Thọ Quang once told me that nobody had ever seen the seabed under where he fishes, and he's right; a kilometre of water, total darkness, and pressure that would crush most machines sit between us and it. Space is at least transparent — we can look at it from here on Earth. The deep ocean has to be visited, slowly, in expensive vessels, and you can see only a few metres at a time. Radio doesn't travel through water, so mapping and communication are slow. There's also been far less money, since nations funded rockets for prestige and military reasons, and the seabed had no flag to plant. We have better maps of Mars than of the floor of our own planet, which is both absurd and understandable.
Why this band
FC“the seabed had no flag to plant” — A vivid, concrete image capturing the political-funding argument, more developed than 7.0's abstract "not the seabed."
LR“We have better maps of Mars than of the floor of our own planet, which is both absurd and understandable.” — A striking closing paradox, beyond 7.0's plainer explanatory ending.
GRA“There's also been far less money, since nations funded rockets for prestige and military reasons, and the seabed had no flag to plant.” — A sentence stacking two reasons with a final concrete image, more layered than 7.0's single-reason version.
7. Should all children have swimming lessons at school?
May–Aug 2026
Compare Band 6.5 / 7.0 / 7.5 for this question
Band 6.5
The plain concluding contrast about cost lacks the concrete workaround 7.5 adds before reaching the same conclusion.
Yes, and in my country it is really about survival, not sport. Every summer, the news in Hue reports children who drowned in rivers or canals, and my mother taught me to swim in the Perfume River because the school never did. Swimming here is a survival skill, in a country with so much water, and if we leave it to families, children whose parents cannot swim never learn either. School lessons can reach everyone, including children whose families have no time or money. Swimming is also great exercise, and one of the few sports people can do into old age. The problem is that pools and teachers cost money, but it is cheaper than the alternative.
Why this band
FC“The problem is that pools and teachers cost money, but it is cheaper than the alternative.” — A plain concluding contrast. Compare 7.5's version, which adds the concrete solution "some schools make do with rivers and lakes under supervision instead" before reaching the same conclusion.
LR“a survival skill, in a country with so much water” — Plain phrasing. Contrast 7.5's more compact and evocative "a survival skill in a land of water."
GRA“The problem is that pools and teachers cost money, but it is cheaper than the alternative.” — A single "but" clause, less layered than 7.5's semicolon-joined addition about rivers and lakes.
Band 7.0
The dash-framed aside about cost gives natural spoken emphasis, more fluent than 6.5's flatter "The problem is that."
Yes, and in my country it's really a matter of survival rather than sport, honestly. Every summer the news in Hue carries stories of children drowned in rivers and canals, and my mother taught me to swim in the Perfume River because the school never would — swimming here is a survival skill in a land of water, and leaving it to families means the children of parents who can't swim never learn either. School lessons reach everyone, including those whose families have no time or money. Swimming is also excellent exercise and one of the few sports people keep doing into old age. The obstacle is cost — pools and teachers are expensive — but it's cheaper than the alternative.
Why this band
FC“The obstacle is cost — pools and teachers are expensive — but it's cheaper than the alternative.” — The dash-framed aside gives a natural spoken emphasis, more fluent than 6.5's flatter "The problem is that."
LR“a survival skill in a land of water” — A more compact, evocative phrase than 6.5's looser "a survival skill, in a country with so much water."
GRA“leaving it to families means the children of parents who can't swim never learn either” — A compact embedded clause, simpler than 7.5's version, which adds "simply" for emphasis and a further sentence about alternatives.
Band 7.5
The added concrete solution about rivers and lakes goes beyond the flatter conclusions at the lower bands.
Yes, and in my country it's a matter of life rather than sport. Every summer the news in Hue carries children drowned in rivers and canals, and my mother taught me to swim in the Perfume River because the school never would — swimming here is a survival skill in a land of water, and leaving it to families means the children of parents who can't swim simply never learn. School lessons reach everyone, including those whose families have no time or money to teach them privately. Swimming is also excellent exercise and one of the few sports people carry into old age. The obstacles are pools and teachers, which are genuinely expensive; some schools make do with rivers and lakes under supervision instead. It's a real cost, and it's still cheaper than the alternative.
Why this band
FC“some schools make do with rivers and lakes under supervision instead” — An added concrete solution before the closing judgement, going beyond the flatter conclusions at 6.5 and 7.0.
LR“whose families have no time or money to teach them privately” — A more precise, expanded phrase than 7.0's plainer "no time or money."
GRA“The obstacles are pools and teachers, which are genuinely expensive; some schools make do with rivers and lakes under supervision instead.” — A semicolon joining a claim to its practical workaround, more controlled than 7.0's dash-framed aside.
8. What kinds of jobs are associated with rivers?
May–Aug 2026
Compare Band 6.5 / 7.0 / 7.5 for this question
Band 6.5
The plain closing observation lacks the extra layer 7.5 adds about what the remaining jobs actually involve.
A walk along the river at dawn shows most of the jobs. There are fishermen with nets in the shallows, families who own and drive the tourist boats, and singers who perform on the boats at night. There is also a sand-dredging crew, legal in some places and not others, and ferry pilots on the smaller crossings. Out of sight are the engineers who manage the dam upstream and the flood-warning system, plus farmers who use the river's water for their fields. In the past, rivers were the main roads, so boatbuilders and traders lived on them too. Today, fewer people work on the river than a century ago.
Why this band
FC“Today, fewer people work on the river than a century ago.” — A plain closing observation. Compare 7.5's version, which adds the extra layer "and most of the remaining jobs are about looking at it rather than crossing it."
LR“a sand-dredging crew, legal in some places and not others” — Plain, functional phrasing. Contrast 7.5's identical wording but embedded in a longer semicolon-chained list with more items, including "water-treatment workers."
GRA“There are fishermen with nets in the shallows, families who own and drive the tourist boats, and singers who perform on the boats at night.” — A comma-separated list within one sentence, less structurally distinctive than 7.5's semicolon-separated list, which reads as a series of separate, punchier fragments.
Band 7.0
The inserted hedge "I'd say" softens the closing generalisation naturally, more fluent than 6.5's flat, unhedged version.
A walk along the river at dawn covers most of them, honestly. Fishermen with nets in the shallows; the families who own and pilot the tourist boats; the singers who perform on them at night; a sand-dredging crew, legal in some places and not in others; the ferry pilots on the smaller crossings; the people who run the riverside cafés and sell lanterns. Out of sight, there are the engineers who manage the dam upstream and the flood-warning system, plus the farmers who irrigate the fields the river feeds. Historically, rivers were the main roads, so boatbuilders and traders lived on them. Fewer people work on the river than a century ago, I'd say, and most remaining jobs are about looking at it rather than crossing it.
Why this band
FC“Fewer people work on the river than a century ago, I'd say, and most remaining jobs are about looking at it rather than crossing it.” — The inserted hedge "I'd say" softens the generalisation naturally, more fluent than 6.5's flat, unhedged version.
LR“the people who run the riverside cafés and sell lanterns” — A plain but concrete phrase, similar to 7.5, though without the added "water-treatment workers" category that widens the list further.
GRA“Fishermen with nets in the shallows; the families who own and pilot the tourist boats; the singers who perform on them at night” — A semicolon-separated list of fragments, more stylistically ambitious than 6.5's single comma-joined sentence.
Band 7.5
The closing antithesis "looking at it rather than crossing it" gives the final judgement more edge than the plainer versions at the lower bands.
A walk along the river at dawn covers most of them. Fishermen with nets in the shallows; the families who own and pilot the tourist boats; the singers who perform on them at night; a sand-dredging crew, legal in some places and not in others; the ferry pilots on the smaller crossings; the people who run the riverside cafés and sell lanterns. Out of sight there are the engineers who manage the dam upstream and the flood-warning system, water-treatment workers, and the farmers who irrigate the fields the river feeds. Historically, rivers were the main roads, so boatbuilders, traders and porters lived on them. Fewer people work on the river than a century ago, and most of the remaining jobs are about looking at it rather than crossing it.
Why this band
FC“most of the remaining jobs are about looking at it rather than crossing it” — The closing antithesis (looking/crossing) gives the final judgement more edge than 7.0's plainer, less pointed version of the same idea.
LR“water-treatment workers” — An additional, more technical category widening the list beyond 7.0's simpler roster of jobs.
GRA“Fishermen with nets in the shallows; the families who own and pilot the tourist boats; the singers who perform on them at night; a sand-dredging crew, legal in some places and not in others; the ferry pilots on the smaller crossings; the people who run the riverside cafés and sell lanterns.” — An extended semicolon-separated list of six fragments, the longest and most controlled list of the three bands.

Frequently asked questions

How long should my answer to this Part 2 cue card be?: Speak for 1 to 2 minutes. The examiner will stop you at 2 minutes, so aim for roughly 220-300 words that cover every bullet on the card and end with how you feel about it.
What Part 3 questions follow this cue card?: After "An Important River, Lake, or Area of Water in Your Country", examiners have asked 8 follow-up discussion questions, listed above. They move from your personal story to general opinions on the same theme.
Is this cue card still being used?: It was most recently reported by test-takers in May–Aug 2026. Cue cards rotate every four months, and many topics return in later seasons with slightly different wording.