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 Occasion When You Had a Special Cake", examiners have asked 9 follow-up discussion questions, listed above. They move from your personal story to general opinions on the same theme.

Is this cue card still being used?

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

IELTS Speaking Part 2

An Occasion When You Had a Special Cake

Most recently asked in May–Aug 2026

The cue card

Describe an occasion when you had a cake that was special

You should say:

what kind of cake it was
why you had this cake
who you were with
and explain how you felt about having this special cake

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 states feelings plainly ('nobody cared about that') and uses a single basic compound sentence to describe the flawed icing, which is clear but linguistically simple.

The cake I want to talk about was a simple vanilla cake my mother made for my graduation from university in Hanoi, about seven years ago.

I had this cake because my mother travelled all the way from Hue to Hanoi to see me graduate, and she wanted to celebrate properly. Instead of buying a cake in Hanoi, she baked one at home the night before and carried it with her on the bus, wrapped carefully in a box on her lap for the whole journey.

I was with my mother and my roommate at the time, in my small student room, since we didn't have money for a restaurant. The cake was a bit flat because of the long bus trip, and the icing had slipped slightly to one side, but nobody cared about that.

How I felt about it is difficult to put into simple words. I remember feeling proud of finishing my degree, but mostly I remember being amazed that my mother carried a cake on her lap for hours just so the day would feel special. It wasn't fancy at all, but it tasted like home. I still think about that slightly broken cake more than any expensive one I've had since.

206 words · about 2 minutes

Why this band

FC“How I felt about it is difficult to put into simple words.” — This sentence announces that the feeling is hard to express, but rather than actually developing that complexity within the sentence itself, it simply states the difficulty as a topic sentence and lets the following sentences do the explaining. This is a functional but modest coherence strategy — flagging complexity rather than embodying it linguistically — which fits the "one clear reason or example is enough" pattern the Band 6.5 descriptor describes, since the real emotional nuance only emerges afterward through simple, separate statements. A 7.5 answer might instead compress that same nuance into a single tightly reflective sentence rather than flagging it and unpacking it separately.
LR“nobody cared about that” — "Nobody cared about that" uses the most common possible phrasing to dismiss the cake's cosmetic flaws, rather than a more specific alternative like "it didn't matter in the slightest" or "no one gave it a second thought." The vagueness of "that" (standing in for both the flatness and the slipped icing mentioned just before) keeps the sentence short and conversational, which suits spoken delivery, but is also a sign of the limited lexical precision expected at Band 6.5. The plainness here throws the following, more reflective sentences about the mother's effort into relief.
GRA“the icing had slipped slightly to one side, but nobody cared about that” — The past perfect "had slipped" is used correctly to mark the state of the cake at the moment it's being described, but the sentence otherwise relies on a single "but" to join the flaw to its dismissal, rather than subordinating one clause under the other ("although the icing had slipped, nobody cared"). This coordination-based pattern is accurate and reads naturally, but it's the kind of basic structural variety the descriptor associates with Band 6.5, since the two ideas are simply placed side by side rather than integrated into a tighter complex sentence.

Band 7.0

The corrective move 'It wasn't really about the taste at all — it was about watching Vy' develops a reflective point, and the relative-plus-'when' clause shows a comfortable, accurate range of structures.

The cake I want to talk about was a green tea sponge cake that my younger cousin, Vy, made for our family's Tết gathering last year.

It wasn't a special occasion cake in the traditional sense — we usually just have traditional sweets like mứt for Tết — but Vy had just finished a baking course online and really wanted to try something new on the family. She'd been practising for weeks, apparently, and this was meant to be her big reveal.

I had this cake because I happened to be visiting my grandmother's house in Hue for the holiday, along with most of my aunts, uncles and cousins. Everyone was sitting around the table after the New Year meal when Vy brought it out proudly, a bit nervous, holding the plate with both hands like it might fall apart.

The cake itself was, honestly, a little strange. The matcha flavour was much stronger than expected, almost bitter, and one side had sunk slightly in the middle. But everyone ate a piece anyway, and my uncle, who always says exactly what he thinks, described it as "interesting" with a straight face, which made the whole table burst out laughing.

I felt genuinely happy about it, even though the cake wasn't very good. It wasn't really about the taste at all — it was about watching Vy, who's usually quite shy, get brave enough to try something in front of the whole family and laugh along when it didn't quite work out. We still bring it up every time we see her now, and I think next year she's already planning to get her revenge with a better version.

278 words · about 2 minutes

Why this band

LR“holding the plate with both hands like it might fall apart” — The simile "like it might fall apart" extends a concrete physical detail (holding a plate with both hands) into a small comparison that conveys Vy's nervousness without stating it directly. This is more developed than the plain description a Band 6.5 answer would give ("she was nervous"), but it stops short of the genuinely idiomatic or figurative language a Band 7.5 answer might reach for in the same spot — it stays a literal, easy-to-follow image, which is exactly the flexible-but-clear range Band 7.0 lexical resource targets.
FC“It wasn't really about the taste at all — it was about watching Vy” — The "It wasn't really about X... it was about Y" frame corrects an expectation the listener might have (that a happy memory about cake is about the cake) and redirects toward the real point, which is a mini rhetorical move rather than a plain fact. This kind of self-correcting structure is what lifts the paragraph from description to reflection, characteristic of Band 7.0 fluency, though it's a single clean pivot rather than the fuller evaluative build-up (weighing multiple reasons, adding a consequence) that would push it toward Band 7.5.
GRA“who's usually quite shy, get brave enough to try something in front of the whole family and laugh along when it didn't quite work out” — This sentence stacks a non-defining relative clause ("who's usually quite shy") onto the main verb phrase and then closes with a "when" clause, so three pieces of grammar are working together in one breath without losing accuracy. That comfortable layering — not a single simple structure, but not yet the dense participial or cleft constructions of Band 7.5 either — is precisely the "mix of simple and complex sentences, generally accurate" descriptor Band 7.0 grammar targets, and it lets the speaker pack in Vy's personality, her bravery, and the outcome in a single fluent unit.

Band 7.5

The dry joke 'it had a texture rather than a taste' and the paradox of the collapsed part being 'the best part' give this answer the idiomatic wit and reflective edge that mark Band 7.5.

The cake I'd talk about was made for my thirtieth birthday, four years ago, by my colleague Linh, who cannot bake and did it anyway.

What kind of cake it was is difficult to describe accurately. It was meant to be a phone — a rectangular sponge covered in dark icing, with a 'screen' of white icing on which she'd written, in shaky blue letters, 'Error 404: youth not found'. One side had collapsed in the oven, so the phone appeared to have been dropped. The sponge inside was dense and slightly undercooked in the middle, and the icing was so sweet that Đức said it had a texture rather than a taste. It was, objectively, a bad cake.

Why I had it: the studio has a rule that birthdays get a cake, and normally it's bought from the bakery downstairs. Linh had decided that thirty deserved something made, and had spent the previous evening, I learned later, producing two failed versions before this one.

Who I was with was the whole studio, about twelve people, in the meeting room at four in the afternoon, with plastic forks and the projector showing a photograph of me at twenty-two that someone had found.

How I felt is complicated by the fact that I was slightly dreading thirty. I'd been quiet about it, and I think Linh had noticed, and the cake was her way of making the day ridiculous rather than heavy. It worked. I laughed so much at the '404' that I forgot to be sad, and then, when she admitted the two failed versions, I was genuinely moved, because a bought cake takes five minutes and this had taken a night. We ate all of it, including the collapsed part, which was the best part. I've had beautiful cakes since. That's the only one I photographed from every angle, and the only one I remember the taste of, which is strange, because the taste was terrible.

327 words · about 2 minutes

Why this band

LR“Đức said it had a texture rather than a taste” — This is a witty, understated turn of phrase — implying the cake was so oversweet it barely registered as flavour, only texture — delivered as reported speech rather than the speaker's own blunt criticism, which softens the insult into humour. This kind of natural, idiomatic wit is exactly what the "7.5 figurative or idiomatic touch" descriptor points to; a 7.0 answer would more likely just say "it was way too sweet." Attributing the line to a colleague also adds a layer of social realism, making the joke feel like something genuinely said at the party rather than the narrator's own commentary.
FC“We ate all of it, including the collapsed part, which was the best part.” — This sentence builds a deliberate paradox — the objectively worst part of a bad cake, the collapsed side, is reframed as "the best part" — which only makes sense once the reader understands the emotional context of the story, making this a genuinely reflective point rather than a simple description of what happened. This kind of considered, evaluative twist is what the 7.5 tier means by fluency going beyond plain narration; a 7.0 answer would more likely state a straightforward fact, such as "we all ate the whole cake together." The paradox also echoes the answer's closing idea that a "terrible" cake is the one most fondly remembered.
GRA“I laughed so much at the '404' that I forgot to be sad, and then, when she admitted the two failed versions, I was genuinely moved” — This sentence layers a "so... that" result clause with a further embedded "when" time clause inside a coordinated second half, meaning three separate grammatical structures are combined into one long but fully accurate sentence. That density of controlled subordination is exactly the "wide range of mostly error-free complex grammar" the 7.5 tier rewards; a 7.0 answer would more likely split this into two or three shorter sentences to manage the same content safely. The grammar also mirrors the emotional arc it describes, laughter shifting into being moved, so the complexity tracks a real change in feeling rather than existing for its own sake.

How this card was asked, by exam period

Describe an occasion when you had a cake that was specialMay–Aug 2026

Part 3 follow-up questions

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

1. Do you agree or disagree that food for special occasions should be different from everyday food?
May–Aug 2026
Compare Band 6.5 / 7.0 / 7.5 for this question
Band 6.5
Hedges twice at the opening, 'I agree, although I think', rather than a single trimmed concession.
I agree, although I think the difference does not have to be in the food itself. My friend once gave me a cake that was honestly not very good, but it was one of the most special things I have eaten, because of who made it and why. I think special occasions need to feel different, and food is an easy way to do that - a dish that only appears at Tết instantly says 'this is Tết'. But the difference can also come from effort or company, not just cost. A family that eats the same food every day but eats it together with a candle on someone's birthday has still made it special.
Why this band
FC“I agree, although I think” — 'I agree, although I think' hedges twice, plainly; 7.0 trims this to 'I agree, though I'd say', and 7.5 removes 'I'd say' entirely for the leaner 'I agree, though the difference doesn't have to be in the food.'
LR“not very good” — 'not very good' is a plain understatement; 7.0 and 7.5 both sharpen this to the more idiomatic 'worse than what I eat on a normal/ordinary Tuesday', a more concrete, evaluative comparison.
GRA“My friend once gave me a cake that was honestly not very good, but it was one of the most special things I have eaten, because of who made it and why.” — This sentence links its ideas plainly with 'but... because'; 7.0 and 7.5 both split this into two shorter sentences with a dash, giving the contrast more rhetorical punch.
Band 7.0
Trims the double hedge of 6.5 down to a single 'though I'd say'.
I agree, though I'd say the difference doesn't have to be in the food itself. That cake was, by any measure, worse than what I eat on a normal Tuesday, and it was still one of the most special things I've eaten, because of who made it and why. Special occasions need to be marked as different somehow, and food is the easiest way - a dish that appears only at Tết says 'this is Tết' before anyone even speaks. But the difference can be in effort, company or meaning rather than in cost or rarity. A family that eats the same noodles every day but shares them together on a birthday, with a candle, has made the food special.
Why this band
FC“I agree, though I'd say the difference doesn't have to be in the food itself.” — Trimming the double hedge of 6.5 down to a single 'though I'd say' is more compact; 7.5 removes 'I'd say' entirely, relying on the bare 'though' to signal the same concession.
LR“worse than what I eat on a normal Tuesday” — This concrete comparison is more vivid than 6.5's vague 'not very good'; 7.5 keeps a nearly identical phrase, 'worse than what I eat on an ordinary Tuesday', showing 7.0 had already found the right image here.
GRA“That cake was, by any measure, worse than what I eat on a normal Tuesday, and it was still one of the most special things I've eaten, because of who made it and why.” — This is the one moderately complex sentence expected at 7.0, joining contrast and cause with 'and... because'; 7.5 keeps an almost identical structure, trimming only 'still' and adding 'in years' for extra emphasis.
Band 7.5
Removes the hedge 'I'd say' that 7.0 keeps, for the leanest, most direct opener.
I agree, though the difference doesn't have to be in the food. That cake was, by any measure, worse than what I eat on an ordinary Tuesday, and it was the most special thing I've eaten in years, because of who made it and why. Special occasions need to be marked as different, and food is the easiest way - a dish that appears only at Tết says 'this is Tết' before anyone speaks. Different food also carries memory across years. But the difference can be in effort, company or meaning rather than in cost or rarity. A family that eats the same noodles every day but eats them together on someone's birthday, with a candle, has made the food special. It's the marking that matters, not the menu.
Why this band
FC“I agree, though the difference doesn't have to be in the food.” — Removing the hedge 'I'd say' that 7.0 keeps makes this the leanest, most direct of the three openers, letting the concession stand on its own.
LR“Different food also carries memory across years.” — This extra sentence, absent from 6.5 and 7.0, adds a further abstract point about memory, broadening the argument beyond the personal cake story alone.
GRA“It's the marking that matters, not the menu.” — This short, rhyming final sentence ('marking... menu') is a more flexible, memorable closing device than the plainer final sentences in 6.5 and 7.0.
2. How important is personal responsibility when people make decisions about unhealthy food?
May–Aug 2026
Compare Band 6.5 / 7.0 / 7.5 for this question
Band 6.5
Spells the balanced claim out fully with 'I think... but it is not the whole story.'
I think personal responsibility is important, but it is not the whole story. My uncle has diabetes, and his own choices, like the sugar in his coffee, are really his responsibility - he would say so himself. But his walk to work passes four bubble-tea shops and no fruit stall, and the drinks are cheaper than the fruit, which is not really his fault. Adults should own their food choices, and treating them as helpless is not fair. But food companies also spend a lot of money making unhealthy food cheap and hard to resist, so we cannot blame individuals alone.
Why this band
FC“I think personal responsibility is important, but it is not the whole story.” — This full sentence spells the balanced claim out with 'I think... but'; 7.0 compresses it to the fragment 'Important, I'd say, but not the whole story.', and 7.5 removes the hedge entirely for the bare 'Important, and not the whole story.'
LR“not really his fault” — 'not really his fault' is plain, everyday phrasing; 7.0 and 7.5 both replace this with the slightly more formal 'that isn't really his doing' / 'that isn't his doing', a marginally more precise collocation.
GRA“But his walk to work passes four bubble-tea shops and no fruit stall, and the drinks are cheaper than the fruit, which is not really his fault.” — This sentence trails a relative clause 'which is not really his fault' onto the end; 7.0 and 7.5 both restructure this as a separate coordinated clause, 'and that isn't really his doing', for a slightly cleaner, more parallel flow.
Band 7.0
Compresses the opener to a fragment with a mid-placed hedge, tighter than 6.5's full sentence.
Important, I'd say, but not the whole story. My uncle has diabetes, and his own choices - the sugar in his coffee, the second bowl - are genuinely his responsibility; he'd admit that himself. But his walk to work passes four bubble-tea shops and no fruit stall, and the drinks are cheaper than the fruit, and that isn't really his doing. Adults should own their decisions about what they eat, and treating them as helpless is a bit insulting. At the same time, food companies spend fortunes making unhealthy food cheap and hard to resist, and blaming individuals alone lets that off far too easily. Responsibility, I think, is shared.
Why this band
FC“Important, I'd say, but not the whole story.” — Compressing the opener to a fragment with a mid-placed hedge is tighter than 6.5's full sentence; 7.5 removes the hedge entirely, stating the same balanced claim with full confidence.
LR“that isn't really his doing” — This is a slightly more idiomatic way of assigning blame than 6.5's plain 'not really his fault'; 7.5 keeps an almost identical phrase, 'that isn't his doing', trimming 'really' for extra tightness.
GRA“food companies spend fortunes making unhealthy food cheap and hard to resist, and blaming individuals alone lets that off far too easily” — This is the one moderately complex sentence expected at 7.0; 7.5 extends the same structure with a third item, 'cheap, available and hard to resist', and tightens 'far too easily' to simply 'entirely'.
Band 7.5
Removes the hedge 'I'd say' that 7.0 keeps mid-sentence, for the most direct of the three openers.
Important, and not the whole story. My uncle has diabetes, and his own choices - the sugar in his coffee, the second bowl - are genuinely his responsibility; he'd say so himself. But his walk to work passes four bubble-tea shops and no fruit stall, and the drinks are cheaper than the fruit, and that isn't his doing. Adults should own their decisions about what they eat, and treating them as helpless is insulting. At the same time, food companies spend fortunes making unhealthy food cheap, available and hard to resist, and blaming individuals alone lets that off entirely. Responsibility is shared: people choose, and the environment shapes the choices. The honest position holds both at once.
Why this band
FC“Important, and not the whole story.” — Removing the hedge 'I'd say' that 7.0 keeps mid-sentence makes this the most direct and confident of the three openers, letting the two-word verdict stand alone.
LR“Responsibility is shared: people choose, and the environment shapes the choices.” — This closing colon-led sentence restates the whole argument in a compact, aphoristic form absent from 6.5 and 7.0, giving the answer a sharper final synthesis.
GRA“The honest position holds both at once.” — This short final sentence is a more flexible, essay-like closing device than the plainer conclusions in 6.5 and 7.0, summarising the balanced argument in a single compact clause.
3. Do you agree or disagree that banning advertisements for unhealthy foods would improve public health?
May–Aug 2026
Compare Band 6.5 / 7.0 / 7.5 for this question
Band 6.5
Spells the hedge out in a full clause, 'I agree, but only a little.'
I agree, but only a little. My nephew asks for a certain snack by singing its advertisement song, which shows me the advertising is working exactly as it is meant to. The ban on tobacco adverts, which seemed extreme at the time, has clearly helped reduce smoking over the years. Banning adverts for sugary drinks and junk food, especially to children, would reduce the constant pressure towards them. But it would not change public health on its own, because the food would still be cheap and everywhere. Price, availability, and school food matter more, I think, but advert bans are still a cheap, useful step.
Why this band
FC“I agree, but only a little.” — 'I agree, but only a little.' spells the stance out in a full clause; 7.0 and 7.5 both compress this to the two-word fragment 'Agree, modestly.', a much leaner opener.
LR“extreme at the time” — 'extreme at the time' is a fairly plain adjective; 7.0 and 7.5 both upgrade this to the more precise 'radical at the time', a slightly stronger, more evaluative word.
GRA“Banning adverts for sugary drinks and junk food, especially to children, would reduce the constant pressure towards them.” — This single-clause sentence states one effect; 7.0 and 7.5 both extend the same sentence with a second linked effect, 'and change what feels normal', for a fuller, more layered structure.
Band 7.0
Uses the two-word fragment 'Agree, modestly.' rather than 6.5's fuller hedged sentence.
Agree, modestly. My nephew asks for a particular snack by singing its jingle, which tells me the advertising is doing exactly what it's paid to do; and the ban on tobacco advertising, which seemed radical at the time, has clearly helped reduce smoking over decades. Banning adverts for sugary drinks and junk food, especially to children, would reduce the constant pressure toward them and change what feels normal. It wouldn't transform public health on its own, though, because the food would still be cheap and everywhere, and people would still want it. Price, availability and school food matter more. But advertising bans are cheap, and they cost only the companies selling the harm.
Why this band
FC“Agree, modestly.” — This two-word fragment is a far more compact opener than 6.5's full sentence 'I agree, but only a little.'; 7.5 keeps this exact same fragment, showing 7.0 had already found the leanest possible opening here.
LR“doing exactly what it's paid to do” — This idiomatic phrase is more vivid than a plain description of advertising working; 7.5 keeps the phrase completely unchanged, showing 7.0 had already reached the right register.
GRA“It wouldn't transform public health on its own, though, because the food would still be cheap and everywhere, and people would still want it.” — The hedge 'though' inserted mid-sentence is the one moderately complex touch expected at 7.0; 7.5 removes 'though' entirely, stating the same concession with more direct confidence.
Band 7.5
Drops the mid-sentence hedge 'though' that 7.0 includes, for a more direct concession.
Agree, modestly. My nephew asks for a particular snack by singing its jingle, which tells me the advertising is doing exactly what it's paid to do; and the ban on tobacco advertising, which seemed radical at the time, has clearly helped reduce smoking over decades. Banning adverts for sugary drinks and junk food, especially to children, would reduce the constant pressure toward them and change what feels normal. It wouldn't transform public health on its own, because the food would still be cheap and everywhere, and people would still want it. Price, availability and school food matter more. But advertising bans are cheap, they work slowly and steadily, and the only people they cost are the companies selling the harm.
Why this band
FC“It wouldn't transform public health on its own, because the food would still be cheap and everywhere, and people would still want it.” — Dropping the mid-sentence hedge 'though' that 7.0 includes makes this concession more direct and confident, relying on the logic alone rather than a softening word.
LR“they work slowly and steadily” — This extra descriptive phrase, absent from 7.0's version, adds a more precise, measured evaluation of how advertising bans function, broadening the vocabulary beyond a simple cost argument.
GRA“But advertising bans are cheap, they work slowly and steadily, and the only people they cost are the companies selling the harm.” — Extending 7.0's two-part closing sentence into a three-part list adds an extra clause within the same overall structure, showing the fuller range of connected ideas typical of 7.5.
4. Do you think there is more good food available now than in the past?
May–Aug 2026
Compare Band 6.5 / 7.0 / 7.5 for this question
Band 6.5
Spells the nuanced claim out fully with 'I think... but I am less sure'.
I think there is more food and more variety now, but I am less sure there is more good food. My grandmother remembers years when rice was limited, so for her the answer is clearly yes - my street now offers many kinds of dinner, from Japanese to Italian to different regional Vietnamese dishes, and nobody goes hungry. In that way, the amount of choice today is amazing. But the vegetables taste of less than they used to, and a lot of the new choice is processed food made to be eaten quickly. Good food, in the sense of fresh and honestly made, is easier to find if you have money and time.
Why this band
FC“I think there is more food and more variety now, but I am less sure there is more good food.” — This full sentence spells the nuanced claim out with 'I think... but I am less sure'; 7.0 and 7.5 both compress this into the fragment 'More food, more variety, and I'm less sure about more good food.', dropping the verb for a punchier opener.
LR“amazing” — 'amazing' is a plain, general intensifier; 7.0 and 7.5 both replace it with the more precise 'extraordinary', a stronger, more idiomatic evaluative word.
GRA“my street now offers many kinds of dinner, from Japanese to Italian to different regional Vietnamese dishes, and nobody goes hungry” — This sentence uses vague quantities like 'many kinds' and 'different regional'; 7.0 and 7.5 both replace these with specific numbers, a more precise, concrete structure.
Band 7.0
Drops the verb for the compressed fragment 'More food, more variety, and I'm honestly less sure...'
More food, more variety, and I'm honestly less sure about more good food. My grandmother remembers years of rationed rice, so from her chair the answer is obviously yes - my street offers dozens of kinds of dinner tonight, from Japanese to Italian to several regional Vietnamese cuisines, and nobody goes hungry. In that sense the abundance really is extraordinary. But the vegetables taste of less than they did, the fruit is picked early to travel, and a lot of the new choice is processed food engineered to be eaten quickly. Good food, in the sense of fresh and well made, is available to anyone with money and time, and harder to find without it.
Why this band
FC“More food, more variety, and I'm honestly less sure about more good food.” — This fragment-based opener, with the hedge 'honestly' inserted mid-sentence, is more compact than 6.5's full sentence; 7.5 removes 'honestly' entirely, relying on the bare claim to carry the same reflective tone.
LR“the abundance really is extraordinary” — 'extraordinary' plus the intensifier 'really' is a stronger evaluation than 6.5's plain 'amazing'; 7.5 keeps 'extraordinary' but drops 'really', trimming the sentence to its sharpest form.
GRA“my street offers dozens of kinds of dinner tonight, from Japanese to Italian to several regional Vietnamese cuisines, and nobody goes hungry” — Using the specific quantity 'dozens' is the one moderately complex upgrade expected at 7.0; 7.5 pushes this further with the even more exact number 'forty kinds' and 'six regional Vietnamese cuisines', a more precise, vivid structure.
Band 7.5
Removes the hedge 'honestly' that 7.0 inserts mid-sentence, for a marginally leaner opener.
More food, more variety, and I'm less sure about more good food. My grandmother remembers years of rationed rice, so from her chair the answer is obviously yes: my street offers forty kinds of dinner tonight, from Japanese to Italian to six regional Vietnamese cuisines, and nobody goes hungry. In that sense the abundance is extraordinary. But the vegetables taste of less than they did, the fruit is picked early to travel, and a great deal of the new choice is processed food engineered to be eaten quickly. Good food, in the sense of fresh, honest and well made, is available to anyone with money and time, and harder to find for anyone without. More food, certainly. Better food is a question of who you ask.
Why this band
FC“More food, more variety, and I'm less sure about more good food.” — Removing the hedge 'honestly' that 7.0 inserts mid-sentence makes this opener marginally leaner, letting the parallel three-part structure carry the reflective tone on its own.
LR“More food, certainly. Better food is a question of who you ask.” — This closing two-sentence aphorism, absent from 6.5 and 7.0, condenses the whole argument into a punchy, memorable final judgement using precise, contrastive vocabulary.
GRA“my street offers forty kinds of dinner tonight, from Japanese to Italian to six regional Vietnamese cuisines, and nobody goes hungry” — Using the exact numbers 'forty' and 'six' rather than 7.0's vaguer 'dozens' and 'several' shows the more precise, concrete quantification typical of 7.5.
5. Do you think foods high in sugar or fat should be heavily taxed?
May–Aug 2026
Compare Band 6.5 / 7.0 / 7.5 for this question
Band 6.5
Hedges the claim across a full sentence, 'I think... but maybe not heavily.'
I think they should be taxed, but maybe not heavily. A tax on sugary drinks would probably push my uncle, who drinks three a day, towards water, and countries that have tried this show that people do drink less sugar. It also raises money for health. My worry about 'heavily' is that a big tax hits poorer families hardest, since they spend more of their income on food. It also treats my niece's occasional treat the same as someone's daily habit. I would support a moderate tax on the clearest cases, like sugary drinks, with the money used to make healthy food cheaper.
Why this band
FC“I think they should be taxed, but maybe not heavily.” — This full sentence hedges the claim with 'I think... but maybe'; 7.0 and 7.5 both compress this to the punchy semicolon fragment 'Taxed, yes; heavily, I hesitate.', a much more compact structure.
LR“My worry about 'heavily' is” — 'my worry about heavily is' is fairly plain; 7.0 and 7.5 both sharpen this to 'my hesitation about heavily is', a slightly more precise, formal word choice matching the earlier 'I hesitate'.
GRA“A tax on sugary drinks would probably push my uncle, who drinks three a day, towards water, and countries that have tried this show that people do drink less sugar.” — This sentence uses the vaguer 'countries that have tried this show' construction; 7.0 and 7.5 both tighten this to the more precise 'the evidence from countries that have tried it suggests consumption... does fall', a more academic, evidence-based phrasing.
Band 7.0
Uses the punchy semicolon fragment 'Taxed, yes; heavily, I hesitate.' instead of 6.5's fuller hedged sentence.
Taxed, yes; heavily, I hesitate. A tax on sugary drinks would push my uncle, who drinks three a day, toward water, and the evidence from countries that have tried it suggests consumption really does fall. It also raises money for health. My hesitation about 'heavily' is that a large tax hits poorer families hardest, since they spend more of their income on food, and it treats my niece's occasional treat identically to a daily habit. I'd support a moderate tax on the clearest cases - sugary drinks, sweets aimed at children - with the money spent on making healthy food cheaper.
Why this band
FC“Taxed, yes; heavily, I hesitate.” — This semicolon-linked fragment is a far more compact opener than 6.5's full hedged sentence; 7.5 keeps this exact same opener, showing 7.0 had already found the sharpest possible structure here.
LR“the evidence from countries that have tried it suggests consumption really does fall” — 'the evidence... suggests' is a more precise, academic register than 6.5's vaguer 'countries... show'; 7.5 keeps this phrase but drops 'really', trimming the sentence to its sharpest form.
GRA“it treats my niece's occasional treat identically to a daily habit” — This is the one moderately complex, precisely worded clause expected at 7.0; 7.5 keeps it unchanged, showing it already reaches 7.5-level fluency, and instead extends the answer with an extra point about taxing fat.
Band 7.5
Closes with a symmetric semicolon aphorism, 'A tax alone punishes; a tax that funds the alternative changes things.'
Taxed, yes; heavily, I hesitate. A tax on sugary drinks would push my uncle, who drinks three a day, toward water, and the evidence from countries that have tried it suggests consumption does fall. It also raises money for health. My hesitation is about 'heavily': a large tax hits poorer families hardest, since they spend more of their income on food, and it treats my niece's occasional treat identically to a daily habit. Fat is harder to tax sensibly than sugar, because some fats are necessary. I'd support a moderate tax on the clearest cases - sugary drinks, sweets aimed at children - with the money spent on making healthy food cheaper. A tax alone punishes; a tax that funds the alternative changes things.
Why this band
FC“A tax alone punishes; a tax that funds the alternative changes things.” — This closing semicolon-linked aphorism, absent from 6.5 and 7.0, condenses the whole argument into a punchy, parallel final judgement, echoing the earlier 'Taxed, yes; heavily, I hesitate.' structure for a satisfying symmetry.
LR“Fat is harder to tax sensibly than sugar, because some fats are necessary.” — This extra sentence, absent from 6.5 and 7.0, introduces a further nuanced distinction between sugar and fat, broadening the vocabulary and argument beyond the simpler sugar-only focus of the lower bands.
GRA“My hesitation is about 'heavily': a large tax hits poorer families hardest” — Using a colon to introduce the explanation, rather than 7.0's 'that' clause, is a marginally tighter, more essay-like transition, showing the small structural refinements typical of 7.5.
6. Why do some people spend a lot of money on food for special occasions?
May–Aug 2026
Compare Band 6.5 / 7.0 / 7.5 for this question
Band 6.5
States the reason with 'I think... like family pride' rather than leading with the reason itself.
I think the food is standing in for something else, like family pride. My cousin's wedding banquet in his village cost about a year of his family's income and fed three hundred people, and nobody there thought that was strange - the meal was really about the family's reputation. Spending a lot shows generosity, status, and respect for guests, and in my culture, hospitality is very important, so a small meal can embarrass a family for years. Some of it is love, giving the best food to people you care about. It becomes a problem when families borrow money just to do it.
Why this band
FC“I think the food is standing in for something else, like family pride.” — This full sentence states the reason with 'I think... like family pride'; 7.0 restructures this to lead with the reason itself, 'Because the food is standing in for something else, I'd say.', and 7.5 removes the hedge entirely for the bare causal clause.
LR“family pride” — 'family pride' is a fairly plain phrase; 7.0 and 7.5 both replace this with the more vivid metaphor 'the family's reputation, served on plates', a more original, idiomatic image.
GRA“My cousin's wedding banquet in his village cost about a year of his family's income and fed three hundred people, and nobody there thought that was strange - the meal was really about the family's reputation.” — This sentence links its ideas with 'and... - the meal was really about'; 7.0 and 7.5 both restructure the final clause with a colon, a tighter, more deliberate rhythm.
Band 7.0
Leads with the causal clause and places the hedge 'I'd say' at the end, more sophisticated than 6.5's plain opener.
Because the food is standing in for something else, I'd say. My cousin's wedding banquet in his village cost roughly a year of his family's income and fed three hundred people, and nobody there thought that was strange: the meal was the family's reputation, served on plates. Special-occasion spending shows generosity, status and respect for the guests, and in cultures like mine, where hospitality is a duty, a modest table can shame a family for years. Some of it is love - the best ingredients for people you care about. Some is simply the once-a-year pleasure of not counting. It becomes a problem when families borrow to do it, which many do.
Why this band
FC“Because the food is standing in for something else, I'd say.” — Leading with the causal clause and placing the hedge 'I'd say' at the end is more sophisticated than 6.5's plain 'I think... like'; 7.5 removes the hedge entirely, stating the same reason with full confidence.
LR“the family's reputation, served on plates” — This vivid metaphor is more original than 6.5's plain 'family pride'; 7.5 keeps the exact same phrase, showing 7.0 had already found the right image here.
GRA“Some of it is love - the best ingredients for people you care about. Some is simply the once-a-year pleasure of not counting.” — These two short parallel sentences are the one moderately complex structural device expected at 7.0; 7.5 keeps this pattern and extends it with a third parallel sentence, 'And some is competition with the last family's banquet.', for a fuller list.
Band 7.5
Removes the hedge 'I'd say' that 7.0 keeps, for the leanest and most assertive causal opener.
Because the food is standing in for something else. My cousin's wedding banquet in his village cost roughly a year of his family's income and fed three hundred people, and nobody there thought that was strange: the meal was the family's reputation, served on plates. Special-occasion spending shows generosity, status and respect for the guests, and in cultures like mine, where hospitality is a duty, a modest table can shame a family for years. Some of it is love - the best ingredients for people you care about. Some is the once-a-year pleasure of not counting. And some is competition with the last family's banquet. It becomes a problem when families borrow to do it, which many do.
Why this band
FC“Because the food is standing in for something else.” — Removing the hedge 'I'd say' that 7.0 keeps at the end of the same clause makes this opener the leanest and most assertive of the three, letting the causal claim stand alone.
LR“And some is competition with the last family's banquet.” — This extra parallel sentence, absent from 6.5 and 7.0, introduces a sharper, more critical motive using the precise word 'competition', broadening the emotional range of the answer.
GRA“Some of it is love - the best ingredients for people you care about. Some is the once-a-year pleasure of not counting. And some is competition with the last family's banquet.” — Extending 7.0's two-part parallel list to three items shows the fuller, more layered structure typical of 7.5, adding one further connected idea within the same overall sentence pattern.
7. Why do some people cook less often now than people did in the past?
May–Aug 2026
Compare Band 6.5 / 7.0 / 7.5 for this question
Band 6.5
Spells the reasoning out with 'I think... and' instead of leading with 'Because'.
I think cooking has stopped being necessary and become more of a choice, and choices often lose to convenience. My mother cooked two meals a day for thirty years because there was no other option, but I have two delivery apps and a rice cooker, and cooking competes with everything else I could do with an hour. Working hours are longer now, and both parents in a family usually work, so the person who used to cook is often at the office. Eating out is cheap in Vietnam, sometimes cheaper than buying ingredients for one person. Many young people also never learned to cook, because their parents did it for them.
Why this band
FC“I think cooking has stopped being necessary and become more of a choice” — This full sentence spells the reasoning out with 'I think... and'; 7.0 restructures this to lead with 'Because...', placing the hedge 'I'd say' mid-sentence, and 7.5 removes the hedge entirely for the bare causal clause.
LR“become more of a choice” — 'become more of a choice' is plain; 7.0 and 7.5 both tighten this to the sharper 'started being a choice', a marginally more idiomatic verb phrase matching the earlier 'stopped being necessary'.
GRA“Many young people also never learned to cook, because their parents did it for them.” — This is a short, separate final-style sentence; 7.0 folds a similar idea into the previous sentence with 'and', and 7.5 keeps it as a separate short sentence again but adds one further closing sentence about skill fading with disuse, extending the list further.
Band 7.0
Leads with the causal clause, placing the hedge 'I'd say' mid-sentence, more sophisticated than 6.5's plain opener.
Because cooking has stopped being necessary and started being a choice, I'd say, and choices tend to lose to convenience. My mother cooked two meals a day for thirty years because there was no alternative; I have two delivery apps and a rice cooker, and cooking competes with everything else I could do with an hour. Working hours are longer, and both adults in a household usually work, so the person who used to cook is at an office. Eating out is cheap in Vietnam, often cheaper than buying ingredients for one. Kitchens in city flats are small, and many young people never learned, because their parents did it for them.
Why this band
FC“Because cooking has stopped being necessary and started being a choice, I'd say, and choices tend to lose to convenience.” — Leading with the causal clause and placing the hedge 'I'd say' mid-sentence is more sophisticated than 6.5's plain 'I think... and'; 7.5 removes the hedge entirely, stating the same reasoning with full confidence.
LR“started being a choice” — This sharper verb phrase matches the earlier 'stopped being necessary' more precisely than 6.5's vaguer 'become more of a choice'; 7.5 keeps this exact phrase, showing 7.0 had already found the right wording here.
GRA“Kitchens in city flats are small, and many young people never learned, because their parents did it for them.” — This sentence joins two ideas with 'and'; 7.5 splits the same content into two separate short sentences and adds a further closing sentence about skill fading with disuse, extending the range of the answer.
Band 7.5
Removes the hedge 'I'd say' that 7.0 keeps mid-sentence, the most direct causal opener of the three.
Because cooking has stopped being necessary and started being a choice, and choices lose to convenience. My mother cooked two meals a day for thirty years because there was no alternative; I have two delivery apps and a rice cooker, and cooking competes with everything else I could do with an hour. Working hours are longer and both adults in a household usually work, so the person who used to cook is at an office. Eating out is cheap in Vietnam, often cheaper than buying ingredients for one. Kitchens in city flats are small. Many young people never learned, because their parents did it for them. And the skill fades with disuse, so the next attempt is worse, and the app wins again.
Why this band
FC“Because cooking has stopped being necessary and started being a choice, and choices lose to convenience.” — Removing the hedge 'I'd say' that 7.0 keeps mid-sentence makes this opener the most direct and confident of the three, letting the causal chain run uninterrupted.
LR“the skill fades with disuse, so the next attempt is worse, and the app wins again” — This closing chain of cause and effect, absent from 6.5 and 7.0, adds a further vivid, almost narrative explanation using the precise phrase 'fades with disuse', broadening the argument's range.
GRA“And the skill fades with disuse, so the next attempt is worse, and the app wins again.” — This extra final sentence, built from a chain of three linked clauses, extends the answer with one more connected idea beyond what 6.5 or 7.0 include, showing the fuller range expected at 7.5.
8. On what occasions do people eat special types of food in your country?
May–Aug 2026
Compare Band 6.5 / 7.0 / 7.5 for this question
Band 6.5
States the framing in full with 'I think... it is more about', rather than a compressed fragment.
I think in my city, it is more about life events than fixed dates. When a friend opens a shop, a whole roast pig sits at the entrance for good luck, and everyone who helped gets a plate. A house-warming means bringing a pot of sweet soup to the neighbours. A promotion or a good exam result usually means a seafood dinner at the beach, paid for by everyone except the person being celebrated. When someone is ill, they get chicken porridge from several relatives, all sure that theirs is the best. And by an old custom, a first salary buys the parents a restaurant meal.
Why this band
FC“I think in my city, it is more about life events than fixed dates.” — This full sentence states the framing plainly with 'I think... it is'; 7.0 compresses this to the fragment 'Life events more than fixed dates, I'd say,', and 7.5 removes the hedge entirely for the leaner 'Life events more than dates,'.
LR“good luck” — 'good luck' is plain, everyday phrasing; 7.0 and 7.5 both tighten this to simply 'luck', a marginally more economical word choice.
GRA“And by an old custom, a first salary buys the parents a restaurant meal.” — This is a short separate closing sentence; 7.0 folds a similar idea into a flowing list of examples without a strong closing marker, and 7.5 restores 'And' plus 'by an old custom' as an inserted aside mid-sentence, packing the detail more tightly.
Band 7.0
Compresses the opener to a fragment with the hedge 'I'd say' inserted mid-sentence.
Life events more than fixed dates, I'd say, if I think about my own city. When a friend opens a shop, a whole roast pig sits on a table at the entrance for luck, and everyone who helped gets a plate. A house-warming means a pot of sweet soup carried round to the neighbours. A promotion or an exam result earns a seafood dinner on the beach, with everyone paying for the person being celebrated. A colleague leaving for another city is sent off with the noodle dish they swear they'll miss. Recovering from an illness brings chicken porridge from several relatives, all convinced theirs is the cure. None of this is written down anywhere, but each occasion has its dish.
Why this band
FC“Life events more than fixed dates, I'd say, if I think about my own city.” — Compressing the opener to a fragment with the hedge 'I'd say' inserted mid-sentence is tighter than 6.5's full sentence; 7.5 removes the hedge entirely for the leanest version, 'Life events more than dates, if I think about my own city.'
LR“sent off with the noodle dish they swear they'll miss” — This vivid, idiomatic phrase for a farewell tradition is more original than a plain description; 7.5 keeps the phrase completely unchanged, showing 7.0 had already reached this level of vividness.
GRA“None of this is written down anywhere, but each occasion has its dish.” — This is the one reflective closing sentence expected at 7.0; 7.5 varies the wording slightly to a more original, culturally specific image than the plainer 'written down anywhere'.
Band 7.5
Drops the hedge 'I'd say' that 7.0 inserts mid-sentence, the leanest and most direct opener.
Life events more than dates, if I think about my own city. When a friend opens a shop or a café, a whole roast pig sits on a table at the entrance for luck, and everyone who helped gets a plate. A house-warming means a pot of sweet soup carried round to the neighbours. A promotion or an exam result earns a seafood dinner on the beach, with everyone paying for the person being celebrated. A colleague leaving for another city is sent off with the noodle dish they swear they'll miss. Recovering from an illness brings chicken porridge from three different relatives, all convinced theirs is the cure. And a first salary, by an old custom, buys the parents a restaurant meal. None of this is in any almanac, but each occasion has its dish.
Why this band
FC“Life events more than dates, if I think about my own city.” — Dropping the hedge 'I'd say' that 7.0 inserts mid-sentence makes this the leanest and most direct of the three openers.
LR“None of this is in any almanac, but each occasion has its dish.” — 'in any almanac' is a more original, culturally specific image than 7.0's plainer 'written down anywhere', showing a wider and more precise range of vocabulary for the same closing idea.
GRA“And a first salary, by an old custom, buys the parents a restaurant meal.” — Inserting 'by an old custom' as a parenthetical aside mid-sentence, rather than as a separate clause, shows more flexible, compact grammar than the plainer sentence structures in 6.5 and 7.0.
9. How important are meals as a chance for families to communicate with each other?
May–Aug 2026
Compare Band 6.5 / 7.0 / 7.5 for this question
Band 6.5
Uses the plain, generic intensifier 'very important' rather than a concrete image.
I think meals are very important for family communication. In my family, dinner is the only time of day when everyone is together. At my parents' house in Hue, the evening meal is where the day's news gets shared, like who is ill or who is getting married - I learned most of what I know about my family at that table. Meals are good for communication because they happen regularly and nobody needs to announce that they want to talk. Families that stop eating together do not stop talking completely, but they lose this easy, daily version of it.
Why this band
FC“I think meals are very important for family communication.” — This full sentence states the claim plainly with 'I think... very important'; 7.0 removes the hedge entirely and opens with the concrete image 'In my family, the meal is really the only hour of the day that holds everyone at once.', and 7.5 keeps this same opener, trimming only 'really' for extra tightness.
LR“very important” — 'very important' is a plain, generic intensifier; 7.0 and 7.5 both replace it with the more specific, evocative phrase 'the only hour of the day that holds everyone at once', doing more descriptive work than a simple adjective.
GRA“Meals are good for communication because they happen regularly and nobody needs to announce that they want to talk.” — This two-part 'because' sentence is fairly plain; 7.0 and 7.5 both extend the same list to three reasons joined by commas, adding 'they have a natural length', for a fuller, more layered structure.
Band 7.0
Drops the hedge 'I think' entirely, opening straight with a vivid concrete image.
In my family, the meal is really the only hour of the day that holds everyone at once. The evening dinner at my parents' house in Hue is where the day's news gets exchanged, whether anyone wants to or not - who's ill, who's marrying, what the neighbour said - and I learned most of what I know about my family across that table. Meals matter for communication because they're regular, they have a natural length, and nobody has to announce that they want to talk; the conversation happens sideways, over rice. Families that stop eating together don't stop communicating, but they lose the daily, low-pressure version of it.
Why this band
FC“In my family, the meal is really the only hour of the day that holds everyone at once.” — Dropping the hedge 'I think' entirely and opening straight with a vivid concrete image is a more confident, developed move than 6.5's plain 'I think... very important'; 7.5 keeps this same sentence, trimming only 'really' for extra economy.
LR“the conversation happens sideways, over rice” — This is a vivid, original metaphor for casual family talk; 7.5 keeps the exact same phrase, showing 7.0 had already reached this level of idiomatic precision, with 7.5 mainly extending the closing sentences further.
GRA“Meals matter for communication because they're regular, they have a natural length, and nobody has to announce that they want to talk” — This three-part list is the one moderately complex structure expected at 7.0; 7.5 keeps an almost identical list but adds a further closing sentence about a phone on the table, extending the overall range of the answer.
Band 7.5
Trims 7.0's 'really' from the same sentence for the leanest, most confident version of the opener.
In my family, the meal is the only hour of the day that holds everyone at once. The evening dinner in my parents' house in Hue is where the day's news gets exchanged, whether anyone wants to or not - who's ill, who's marrying, what the neighbour said - and I learned most of what I know about my family across that table. Meals are important for communication because they're regular, they have a natural length, and they don't require anyone to announce that they want to talk; the conversation happens sideways, over rice. Families that stop eating together don't stop communicating, but they lose the daily, low-pressure version of it, and problems get noticed later. A shared meal without a phone on the table is the cheapest family therapy there is.
Why this band
FC“In my family, the meal is the only hour of the day that holds everyone at once.” — Trimming 7.0's 'really' from the same sentence makes this the leanest, most confident version of the opener, letting the concrete image stand without any softening word.
LR“A shared meal without a phone on the table is the cheapest family therapy there is.” — This closing metaphor, absent from 6.5 and 7.0, condenses the whole argument into a witty, idiomatic final line using the precise phrase 'family therapy', giving the answer real personality.
GRA“they lose the daily, low-pressure version of it, and problems get noticed later” — Extending 7.0's sentence with the additional clause 'and problems get noticed later' packs in a further consequence within the same sentence, showing the fuller, more layered structure typical of 7.5.

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 Occasion When You Had a Special Cake", examiners have asked 9 follow-up discussion questions, listed above. They move from your personal story to general opinions on the same theme.
Is this cue card still being used?: It was most recently reported by test-takers in May–Aug 2026. Cue cards rotate every four months, and many topics return in later seasons with slightly different wording.