IELTS Speaking Part 2

A Time When You Couldn't Use Your Phone

最近一次出现于 2026年5–8月

题卡

Describe a time when you couldn't use your phone

You should say:

  • Where you were
  • Why you wanted to use your phone
  • Why you couldn't use it
  • And explain how you felt about not being able to use your phone

范文:6.5、7.0、7.5 三档

同一题目的三个版本,分别写到对应分数的真实水平——对比着看,能清楚看到分数之间到底差在哪里。

6.5 分

The emotional reaction is named plainly ('I felt quite anxious'), a simple, accurate description without any further unpacking of the feeling.情绪反应被平实地点了出来('I felt quite anxious'),是一个简单准确的描述,没有对这种感受做进一步的剖析。

The time I could not use my phone was during a company trip to Cu Lao Cham island, near Hoi An, organised by my colleague An.

I wanted to use my phone because I was waiting for an important email from a client about a project deadline. I had been checking my email every hour for two days before the trip, so I planned to keep checking it on the island too.

The problem was that there is almost no phone signal on Cu Lao Cham. As soon as our boat left the mainland, my phone showed no bars at all, and it stayed like that for the whole day we were there.

At first, I felt quite anxious. I kept looking at my phone screen, hoping the signal would suddenly come back, and I imagined all the emails piling up without me. After an hour or two, though, I simply gave up checking and started enjoying the trip instead. I went swimming with my colleagues, ate fresh seafood, and actually had a really relaxing day.

When we got back to the mainland that evening, my phone finally connected again. There were several messages, but nothing urgent at all. I realised I had worried for nothing, and that small island day without my phone was one of the most relaxing days I had had in a long time.

查看中文翻译

我没办法用手机的那次,是在一次公司组织去会安附近占婆岛(Cù Lao Chàm)的团建旅行中,那次活动是我同事An组织的。

我想用手机,是因为我在等一封客户发来的重要邮件,内容跟一个项目的截止日期有关。出发前两天我几乎每个小时都在查邮件,所以打算在岛上也继续看。

问题是占婆岛几乎没有手机信号。船一离开大陆,我的手机就完全没有信号了,而且那一整天我们在岛上都是这样。

一开始我挺焦虑的。我一直盯着手机屏幕,希望信号突然恢复,还想象着邮件在我没看的时候一封封堆积起来。过了一两个小时之后,我干脆放弃查邮件了,开始好好享受这趟旅行。我和同事们一起去游泳,吃了新鲜的海鲜,那天其实过得相当轻松愉快。

那天傍晚回到大陆之后,手机信号终于恢复了。有几条消息,但没有一条是紧急的。我意识到自己完全是白白担心了一场,而那没有手机的一天,反而是我很久以来过得最放松的一天之一。

228 词 · 约 2 分钟

为什么是这个分数

  • LRI felt quite anxious"Anxious" paired with the intensifier "quite" is a plain, common way to name the feeling directly, with no attempt at a more specific or physical description of the anxiety, like restlessness or unease. This is the 6.5 ceiling for vocabulary — clear and accurate, but a single expected adjective rather than the one flexible, topic-specific word a 7.0 answer would add nearby. It does the necessary job of setting up the emotional arc from worry to relief that the rest of the paragraph tracks."Anxious"搭配强调词"quite",是直接说出这种情绪的一种平实、常见方式,并没有尝试用更具体或更具身体感的词来描述这种焦虑,比如坐立不安或不自在。这正是6.5分词汇的上限——清晰准确,但只是一个可预料的形容词,而不是7.0分答案会在附近添加的那种灵活、话题相关的词。它完成了必要的任务,搭建起了从担忧到如释重负这条贯穿全段的情绪线索。
  • GRAI simply gave up checking and started enjoying the trip insteadThis is two verbs coordinated with "and" under one subject, a grammatically safe structure that avoids any subordination at all. It's accurate and natural-sounding, but it stays at the most basic level of sentence-building expected at 6.5; a 7.0 speaker might instead frame it as a result clause ("so I just gave up checking, and once I did, I actually started enjoying the trip"). The simplicity here matches the plain resolution of the anecdote, where the speaker stops trying to fix the problem and just relaxes.这是两个动词在同一个主语下用"and"并列连接,一种语法上很安全、完全避开从属结构的写法。它准确且听起来自然,但仍停留在6.5分所期望的最基础的造句水平;7.0分的说话者可能会把它框架成一个结果从句("so I just gave up checking, and once I did, I actually started enjoying the trip")。这里的简单恰好与这段轶事平淡的收场相吻合——说话者不再试图解决问题,只是选择放松下来。
  • FCI realised I had worried for nothingThis is a short, factual close to the anecdote that states the realization but doesn't unpack it further — no comment on what it says about the speaker's habits or how it changed their behaviour beyond the line that follows about checking phones. A 6.5 answer is allowed to stop at one clear takeaway like this, whereas a 7.5 answer would likely turn it into a broader reflective point about being too tied to a phone generally. It's a fitting, low-key ending for an anecdote that was itself fairly low-stakes.这是一段简短、事实性的结尾,陈述了这一领悟,但没有进一步展开——除了后面那句关于查看手机的话之外,没有评论这说明了说话者的什么习惯,或者它如何改变了他们的行为。6.5分的答案可以就此止步于这样一个明确的收获,而7.5分的答案则很可能把它变成一个关于普遍过度依赖手机的更宏观的反思点。对于这样一段本身也不算什么大事的轶事来说,这是一个恰如其分、低调的收尾。
7.0 分

The natural collocation 'half-listening while scrolling through something' and the reflective closing observation show the answer developing a comparison fluently, without any unusual vocabulary.自然的搭配'half-listening while scrolling through something',以及结尾那句带反思意味的观察,都显示出回答在流畅地展开一个对比,而且没有用到任何特别的词汇。

The time I couldn't use my phone was during a two-day team-building trip my company organised in the mountains near Ba Na last year.

I really wanted to use my phone because I was waiting for the result of a job interview I'd had a few days earlier at a company I was quite keen on joining. I'd been checking my email constantly in the days before the trip, so naturally I planned to keep doing exactly the same thing once we got there.

The problem was that our manager had decided, as part of the programme, that everyone had to hand their phones in at the start and only get them back at the end. He said it was meant to help us actually talk to each other instead of staring at screens the whole time, which, looking back, was probably a fair point.

At first, not having my phone made me quite restless. I kept thinking about the interview result and wondering whether I was missing an important email, and for the first couple of hours I honestly wasn't paying much attention to anything around me. Gradually, though, I got pulled into the activities — we did some hiking, played a few silly team games, and sat around a fire in the evening talking properly instead of half-listening while scrolling through something.

By the time we got our phones back the next afternoon, I realised I'd actually had a pretty enjoyable two days, probably more enjoyable than if I'd been checking my phone the whole time. As for the email, it was there waiting, and I did get the job in the end, so all that worrying had honestly been for nothing.

查看中文翻译

我没法用手机的那次,是去年公司组织的一次为期两天、在巴拿山附近山区举行的团建活动。

我当时特别想用手机,因为我正在等几天前一次求职面试的结果,那家公司我挺想进去的。出发前那几天我一直不停地查邮件,所以很自然地,我也打算到了那边继续这样做。

问题在于,经理决定作为活动的一部分,所有人一开始都要把手机上交,只能在结束时才能拿回来。他说这样做是为了让我们真正彼此交流,而不是一直盯着屏幕看,现在回想起来,这话大概也有几分道理。

一开始,没有手机让我相当坐立不安。我一直在想面试结果的事,担心自己是不是错过了什么重要邮件,老实说,前两个小时我基本上没怎么留意周围发生的事情。不过慢慢地,我就被各种活动吸引进去了——我们去徒步,玩了几个挺傻但挺好玩的团队游戏,晚上还围着篝火好好聊天,而不是一边心不在焉地听一边刷着手机。

等第二天下午拿回手机的时候,我才意识到自己其实度过了相当愉快的两天,说不定比一直查手机还要愉快得多。至于那封邮件,它一直在那里等着我,而我最后也确实拿到了那份工作,所以说到底,之前那些担心根本就是白操心一场。

284 词 · 约 2 分钟

为什么是这个分数

  • GRAwhich, looking back, was probably a fair pointThe participial phrase 'looking back' is inserted mid-clause between the relative pronoun and the verb, adding a temporal, reflective frame to the judgement without requiring a separate sentence, which is the comfortable embedded complexity the 7.0 grammar descriptor rewards. A 6.5 answer would more likely separate this into 'Now I think that was a fair point', while the insertion here lets the concession about the manager's phone rule flow naturally within the ongoing story.分词短语'looking back'被插入到从句中间,夹在关系代词和动词之间,为这一判断增添了一层带有反思意味的时间框架,而不需要另起一句——这正是7.0分语法描述所看重的那种从容的嵌入式复杂结构。6.5分的答案更可能会把这一点拆开,说成'Now I think that was a fair point',而这里的插入方式让关于经理手机规定的让步表达自然地融入正在讲述的故事之中。
  • LRhalf-listening while scrolling through somethingPairing 'half-listening' with 'scrolling through something' names a specific, recognisable modern behaviour -- divided attention on a phone -- more precisely than a general phrase like 'not paying attention' that a 6.5 answer would use. This is exactly the kind of topic-specific, natural collocation the 7.0 lexical descriptor targets, and it lands because it's understated rather than showcased as clever vocabulary.把'half-listening'与'scrolling through something'搭配在一起,精准地指出了一种具体、可识别的现代行为——被手机分散的注意力——比6.5分答案会用的笼统说法'not paying attention'要精确得多。这正是7.0分词汇描述所瞄准的那种话题相关、自然的搭配,它之所以奏效,是因为表达得低调含蓄,而不是被当作炫耀词汇能力的手段。
  • FCall that worrying had honestly been for nothingThis closing line explicitly connects back to the anxiety about the job interview mentioned at the start of the story, giving the whole answer a sense of narrative closure rather than just ending on the last event, which is the kind of coherent development the 7.0 fluency descriptor rewards over a string of loosely connected points. The word 'honestly' also keeps the tone conversational rather than formally concluding, avoiding the more polished wrap-up a written summary might use.这句结尾句明确呼应了故事开头提到的关于求职面试的焦虑,让整个答案有一种叙事上的收束感,而不只是停在最后一件事上,这正是7.0分流利度描述所看重的那种连贯性展开,胜过一串松散连接的要点。'honestly'一词也让语气保持口语化,而非正式的总结性收尾,避免了书面总结可能会用的那种打磨过的收束方式。
7.5 分

The paradoxical closing line 'I have no photographs of that wedding, and I remember more of it than any I've attended' is a genuinely reflective, complex comparative structure, distinctly Band 7.5.带悖论意味的结尾句'I have no photographs of that wedding, and I remember more of it than any I've attended',是一个真正具有反思性的复杂比较结构,明显具有7.5分的水准。

The time I'd describe was a wedding last November, in my brother-in-law's home village in Quảng Trị, about three hours north of Da Nang. His younger cousin was getting married, and the couple had decided, unusually for Vietnam, that it would be a wedding without phones. At the gate of the family house there was a bamboo basket, a smiling aunt, and a small sign asking every guest to leave their phone until the end.

Why I wanted to use mine was partly ordinary and partly work. Ordinary, because a Vietnamese village wedding is spectacular — the red and gold, the tent across the whole lane, the singing — and my instinct was to photograph all of it. Work, because a client had promised a decision on a big project 'by Saturday', and Saturday was the wedding, and I'd been checking my phone every ten minutes for two days.

Why I couldn't was the basket, and the aunt, who was polite and completely immovable. I did try. I explained about the client. She said the client would still exist at nine o'clock, and put my phone with the others.

How I felt went through stages. For the first hour I was genuinely anxious — my hand kept going to my pocket, and I had a strong feeling that something was happening without me. Then, somewhere during the tea ceremony, I noticed I was watching it, properly, rather than composing it, and that the old people were looking at the couple and not at screens. By the meal I'd forgotten the pocket entirely. I talked to a great-uncle for an hour about growing pepper. I sang, badly. When the phones came back at nine, there were eleven messages, none of them the client, who wrote on Monday. I have no photographs of that wedding, and I remember more of it than any I've attended.

查看中文翻译

我要说的这件事发生在去年十一月的一场婚礼上,地点是我姐夫老家所在的村子,在广治省,岘港以北大约三小时车程的地方。他的堂弟要结婚了,而这对新人做出了一个在越南很不寻常的决定——这将是一场不用手机的婚礼。就在那户人家的大门口,摆着一个竹篮,一位笑容满面的阿姨,还有一块小牌子,要求每位宾客把手机留下,直到仪式结束才能拿回去。

我想用手机的原因,一部分很平常,一部分是因为工作。平常的原因是,越南乡村婚礼实在壮观——红色和金色交织,整条巷子上空都搭着棚子,还有歌声——我本能地就想把这一切都拍下来。工作的原因是,一位客户答应'周六之前'会对一个大项目给出决定,而周六正好就是婚礼那天,我已经连续两天每隔十分钟就看一次手机。

我之所以没能用手机,是因为那个竹篮,还有那位阿姨——她态度和气,却又完全不肯通融。我确实试过争取。我跟她解释了客户的事。她说那位客户到晚上九点照样还在,然后就把我的手机和其他人的放在了一起。

我的感受经历了几个阶段。头一个小时我真的很焦虑——我的手总是不自觉地伸向口袋,而且有一种强烈的感觉,好像有什么事情正在发生,而我却缺席了。后来,大概是在敬茶仪式进行到一半的时候,我发现自己是真正在看这一切,而不是在脑子里构图准备拍照,而且我注意到那些老人们看着的是新人,而不是屏幕。等到正式开席吃饭的时候,我已经彻底忘了口袋里那回事。我和一位远房叔公聊了整整一个小时种胡椒的事。我还唱了歌,唱得很难听。晚上九点手机发回来的时候,里面有十一条消息,没有一条是那位客户发的——他直到周一才写信来。那场婚礼我没有留下一张照片,但我对它的记忆,却比我参加过的任何一场婚礼都更清晰。

313 词 · 约 2 分钟

为什么是这个分数

  • GRAa small sign asking every guest to leave their phone until the end'Asking every guest to leave their phone' is a present-participle phrase modifying 'sign' that compresses what could have been a full relative clause ('a sign that asked every guest...') into a tighter structure, adding visual detail efficiently within a longer descriptive sentence. This kind of compact, varied phrasing -- used alongside fuller relative and conditional structures elsewhere in the same answer -- is what the 7.5 grammar descriptor means by a wide range of mostly error-free complex structures, rather than relying on one pattern repeatedly.'Asking every guest to leave their phone'是一个修饰'sign'的现在分词短语,把原本可能是完整定语从句的内容('a sign that asked every guest...')压缩成了更紧凑的结构,在一个较长的描述性句子中高效地增添了画面细节。这种紧凑而多样的措辞——与同一答案中其他地方使用的更完整的定语从句和条件句结构并存——正是7.5分语法描述所说的"大范围、基本无误的复杂结构",而不是反复依赖单一句型。
  • LRwho was polite and completely immovable'Immovable' is normally used of physical objects, so applying it figuratively to the aunt guarding the phone basket is a precise, slightly witty lexical choice that a 7.0 answer would more likely render as something plainer like 'she wouldn't change her mind'. It's the single figurative touch the 7.5 lexical descriptor allows for, and it works because it's dropped in casually rather than flagged as a deliberate flourish.'Immovable'通常用来形容物理物体,因此把它比喻性地用在守着手机篮子的姑姑身上,是一种精确而略带机智的词汇选择,7.0分答案很可能会用更平淡的说法'she wouldn't change her mind'来表达。这是7.5分词汇描述所允许的那种单一的比喻性亮点,它之所以有效,是因为它被随意地融入其中,而不是作为刻意的修辞被特别标出。
  • GRAI have no photographs of that wedding, and I remember more of it than any I've attendedThe comparative clause 'more of it than any I've attended' is grammatically demanding -- it requires correctly omitting the repeated noun after 'any' -- and it's used to build a paradox (no photos, yet the clearest memory), which is the kind of controlled, varied complexity plus reflective insight the 7.5 descriptors ask for together in one sentence. A 7.0 answer would likely state the two facts separately without constructing the contrast as a single grammatical unit.比较从句'more of it than any I've attended'在语法上要求较高——需要正确省略'any'后面重复出现的名词——它被用来构建一种悖论(没有照片,记忆却最清晰),这正是7.5分描述所要求的那种在同一句话中同时体现受控、多样的复杂结构与反思性见解。7.0分的答案很可能会把这两个事实分开陈述,而不会把这种对比构建成一个统一的语法单位。

各考试时段出题记录

  • Describe a time when you couldn't use your phone2026年5–8月

Part 3 追问

这些是考官在该题卡之后提出的讨论题,已编写范文的题目附有参考答案。

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

    2026年5–8月
    查看这道题的6.5 / 7.0 / 7.5三档对比
    6.5 分

    Sticks to short, plain sentences like "Exam halls are the strictest place" and states the reason directly without much elaboration.采用简短朴素的句子,比如 "Exam halls are the strictest place",并直接说明原因,没有太多展开。

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

    查看中文翻译

    其实没有多少地方真正禁止手机,而且大家也不见得都遵守规定。考场是管得最严的地方,老师一旦发现你带着手机,考试就直接作废,所以没人敢冒险。加油站贴着"禁止使用手机"的告示,但大多数人根本不理会。顺化有一座寺庙,门口画着一个打叉的手机图案,人们在那里确实很安静。医院和电影院也提醒大家别用手机,但不是每个人都听。我觉得这种规定只有配上惩罚才真正有用,就像考场那样。

    为什么是这个分数

    • FCExam halls are the strictest placeA short, direct topic sentence that a 6.5 answer leans on to move forward. The 7.0 version softens this with a hedge like "probably", and the 7.5 version opens with a compact evaluative frame instead, showing a gradual rise in how ideas are introduced rather than just stated.一个简短直接的主题句,6.5分的答案靠它往下推进。7.0版本用像 "probably" 这样的模糊语气词把它软化,而7.5版本则改用一个紧凑的评价性框架开头,显示出随着分数提高,观点的引入方式逐渐变得更有层次,而不只是直接陈述。
    • LRthe rule only really works when there is a punishmentSimple, common vocabulary ("only really works") does the job at 6.5 but stays generic. The 7.0 band swaps in the slightly more natural "only really bites", and 7.5 goes further with the idiom "rules with teeth", which a 6.5 writer would not reach for.简单常见的词汇("only really works")在6.5分够用,但显得笼统。7.0分换成了更自然一点的 "only really bites",而7.5分更进一步用上习语 "rules with teeth",这是6.5分的写作者不会想到用的表达。
    • GRAIf a teacher finds your phone, your exam is finished, so nobody takes the risk.Two short clauses joined with "so" — safe and correct, but grammatically basic. The 7.0 band combines a reason and a result into one longer sentence with "because... so", and 7.5 balances two clauses across a comma with no conjunction at all, showing more flexible control.两个用 "so" 连接的短句——安全正确,但语法上比较基础。7.0分用 "because... so" 把原因和结果合并成一个更长的句子,而7.5分则用逗号平衡两个分句,完全不用连接词,展现出更灵活的语法掌控力。
    7.0 分

    The hedge "Honestly, there aren't as many strict places as there should be" opens with reflection rather than a flat fact.用 "Honestly, there aren't as many strict places as there should be" 这种模糊语气开头,带有反思的意味,而不是平铺直叙的事实陈述。

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

    查看中文翻译

    说实话,严格限制手机的地方并没有想象中那么多。考场大概是最严重的例子,因为一旦被发现带着手机,考试当场就结束,所以没人敢冒这个险。加油站也立了禁止使用手机的牌子,但说句公道话,几乎每个人都无视它。让我印象最深的是顺化的一座小寺庙,门口画着一个打叉的手机,而人们在那里是真的会保持尊重。医院和电影院也提出同样的要求,虽然常常没人理会,当然飞机起飞时手机也要关掉。我想说,这种规定只有配上惩罚才真正有约束力。

    为什么是这个分数

    • FCHonestly, there aren't as many strict places as there should beOpens with a spoken hedge and a personal judgement rather than a bare statement, more conversational than the 6.5 opener. The 7.5 band pushes this further into a genuinely evaluative closing line, so the reflective habit deepens across bands rather than appearing only once.以口语化的模糊语气加上个人判断开头,而不是干巴巴的陈述,比6.5分的开头更口语化。7.5分则把这种反思习惯进一步推进为真正具有评价性的结尾句,说明这种反思性贯穿了各个分数段,而不只是出现一次。
    • LRthe rule only really bites once there's a punishment attached to it"Bites" is a small figurative upgrade on the plain "works" used at 6.5, showing a little more control of natural collocation. It is still less compact than the 7.5 phrase "rules with any real teeth", which packs the same idea into fewer, sharper words."Bites" 是对6.5分中朴素的 "works" 的一个小小的比喻性升级,显示出对自然搭配更好的掌控力。不过它仍然不如7.5分的 "rules with any real teeth" 紧凑,后者用更少、更犀利的词表达了同样的意思。
    • GRAExam halls are probably the most serious example, because a phone found on you can end the exam on the spot, so nobody risks it.One long sentence chains a reason clause and a result clause together, more ambitious than the two short sentences at 6.5. It still leans on "because... so", whereas the 7.5 version varies its connectors and uses a dash to link ideas without a conjunction.一个长句把原因分句和结果分句串联在一起,比6.5分的两个短句更有野心。但它仍然依赖 "because... so" 的结构,而7.5版本则变换了连接方式,用破折号连接观点,完全不用连接词。
    7.5 分

    The closing line "the only rules with any real teeth" gives the answer an idiomatic, evaluative finish that the plainer bands don't reach for.结尾句 "the only rules with any real teeth" 为答案赋予了一个地道、带有评价色彩的收尾,这是分数较低的版本达不到的水准。

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

    查看中文翻译

    比应该有的要少,而且执行得也参差不齐。考场是迄今为止最严格的——手机在门口就被收走,一旦被发现带着手机,考试当场就结束。加油站贴着禁止手机的告示,但大家都心安理得地无视它。有些寺庙,比如顺化一座门口画着打叉手机的寺庙,要求保持安静,而且大多真能做到。医院在某些病区限制使用手机,电影院提出要求却没人理会,飞机起飞时也坚持要关机,尽管时间很短。除此之外就全靠个人自觉了,偶尔有餐厅或婚礼会尝试用篮子收手机。最让人印象深刻的是,唯一真正有约束力的规定,都是配有惩罚的那些。

    为什么是这个分数

    • FCthe rules are obeyed unevenlyA compact evaluative frame in the opening line sets up the whole argument in a handful of words, something the 6.5 and 7.0 versions only arrive at gradually through separate sentences. This upfront framing lets the rest of the answer read as one argument rather than a list.开头句用一个紧凑的评价性框架,在寥寥数语中就搭建起整个论证,而6.5分和7.0分的版本只能通过一句句逐渐铺陈才能达到同样效果。这种开门见山的框架让后面的内容读起来像一个连贯的论证,而不是一份清单。
    • LRthe only rules with any real teeth are the ones with a punishment attached"Rules with teeth" is a genuinely idiomatic collocation, a step beyond the 7.0 band's "bites" and well beyond the plain "the rule only really works" at 6.5. It shows the kind of natural, low-frequency phrasing examiners associate with the higher band."Rules with teeth" 是一个真正地道的搭配,比7.0分的 "bites" 更进一步,更远远超越6.5分朴素的 "the rule only really works"。它体现出考官会与高分段联系起来的那种自然、低频的表达方式。
    • GRAphones are collected at the door, and a phone found on you ends your exam then and thereTwo clauses are balanced across a comma with no subordinating conjunction, more flexible than the "because... so" pattern at 7.0 or the two flat sentences at 6.5. The dash used earlier in the answer performs a similar linking job, showing control over punctuation as a grammatical tool.两个分句通过逗号平衡,不使用任何从属连词,比7.0分的 "because... so" 结构或6.5分的两个平铺句子更灵活。答案前面用到的破折号也起到了类似的连接作用,显示出把标点当作语法工具来掌控的能力。
  2. 2. Is it important to have rules about using phones?

    2026年5–8月
    查看这道题的6.5 / 7.0 / 7.5三档对比
    6.5 分

    Uses a simple opener, "Yes, I think it's important", and builds the answer around one personal story told in plain, connected steps.使用简单的开场白 "Yes, I think it's important",并围绕一个亲身经历的故事,以朴素、连贯的步骤展开答案。

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

    查看中文翻译

    是的,我觉得这很重要。我参加过的那场婚礼改变了我对规则的看法。一开始我觉得规则只是一种限制,但婚礼门口那个收手机的篮子其实让大家度过了一个愉快的夜晚。如果没有规则,人们很难控制自己,因为手机本来就是被设计来抓住我们注意力的。规则也保护其他人,比如司机用手机开车就会让别人处于危险之中。我认为规则应该简单,并且有明确的理由。如果完全没有规则,手机每次都会赢。

    为什么是这个分数

    • FCI think it's importantA direct, unhedged position statement typical of 6.5 — clear but flat. The 7.0 version replaces this with "Yes, definitely", adding a little more conviction and a personal reflection straight after, and 7.5 opens on the story itself before stating the position, a more developed structure.一个直接、不加修饰的立场陈述,是6.5分典型的写法——清楚但平淡。7.0版本换成了 "Yes, definitely",多了一点笃定,紧接着还加上了个人反思;7.5版本则先讲故事本身,之后才表明立场,结构更为成熟。
    • LRphones are made to keep our attentionPlain, functional vocabulary that gets the meaning across without much precision. The 7.0 band upgrades this to "a device that's designed to grab your attention", and 7.5 sharpens it further to "a device engineered to defeat it", a more vivid and deliberate phrase.朴素、功能性的词汇,能传达意思但不够精准。7.0分段把它升级为 "a device that's designed to grab your attention",而7.5分段更进一步磨砺为 "a device engineered to defeat it",这个表达更生动、更刻意。
    • GRAIf there are no rules, people find it hard to control themselves because phones are made to keep our attention.A conditional clause followed by a because-clause — correct but a fairly standard pattern. The 7.0 band links two ideas with "so" across a longer sentence, and 7.5 uses a colon construction and a list of three parallel settings joined by dashes, showing more range.一个条件句接一个because从句——正确但属于相当标准的句式。7.0分段用 "so" 把两个想法连接成一个更长的句子,而7.5分段则用冒号结构和用破折号连接的三个并列场景,展现出更丰富的语法范围。
    7.0 分

    The hedge "honestly that wedding changed how I see this" signals reflection, and the sentence built with "because" shows a bit more complexity than 6.5.模糊语气 "honestly that wedding changed how I see this" 表明了反思的态度,而用 "because" 构建的句子也比6.5分显示出更多的复杂度。

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

    查看中文翻译

    是的,绝对重要,说实话,那场婚礼改变了我对这件事的看法。我以前认为手机规定只是一种限制,但门口那个篮子其实更像是一份礼物,因为它一下子替两百个人做出了选择,让大家共享同一个夜晚。仅凭意志力其实很难对抗一个专为抓住你注意力而设计的设备,所以不管是在教室还是在餐桌上,共同的规定能起到个人承诺做不到的作用。规定也保护其他人,因为有人一边开车一边用手机,不仅危及自己,也让我处于危险之中。我想说,如果一个社会把用手机完全交给个人自行决定,那基本上就等于让手机赢了。

    为什么是这个分数

    • FChonestly that wedding changed how I see thisThe hedge "honestly" and the reflective framing mark this as more personal and spoken than the flat 6.5 opener. The 7.5 band goes a step further, describing the wedding as having "quietly rewired" the writer's thinking, a more original way of expressing the same reflection.模糊语气词 "honestly" 和反思性的表述,使这个开头比6.5分平淡的开头更个人化、更口语化。7.5分段更进一步,把婚礼描述为"悄悄地重新连接了"写作者的思维方式("quietly rewired"),用更有原创性的方式表达同样的反思。
    • LRa device that's designed to grab your attentionA reasonably natural collocation, better than the plain "phones are made to keep our attention" at 6.5. The 7.5 band's "engineered to defeat it" is more precise and slightly more idiomatic, implying an active battle rather than simple design.一个相当自然的搭配,比6.5分朴素的 "phones are made to keep our attention" 更好。7.5分段的 "engineered to defeat it" 更精确,也更地道一些,暗示了一场主动的较量,而不只是简单的设计。
    • GRAWillpower alone doesn't really work against a device that's designed to grab your attention, so shared rules, whether in classrooms or at dinner tables, do something a personal promise can't.A long sentence linking cause and result with "so", plus an embedded "whether... or" clause — more ambitious than 6.5's short conditional. The 7.5 version achieves a similar length but varies the punctuation, using a semicolon and a colon instead of repeating "so", which reads as more controlled.一个用 "so" 连接原因和结果的长句,还嵌入了 "whether... or" 从句——比6.5分的简短条件句更有野心。7.5版本达到了类似的长度,但变换了标点用法,用分号和冒号代替重复的 "so",读起来更显掌控力。
    7.5 分

    The colon in "a driver glued to their phone endangers me, not just themselves" lets two ideas sit together without a linking word, a compact structure the lower bands avoid."a driver glued to their phone endangers me, not just themselves" 中的冒号让两个想法并列在一起,不需要连接词,这是一种紧凑的结构,较低分段的答案会避免使用。

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

    查看中文翻译

    是的,而那场婚礼悄悄地彻底重塑了我对规则的整体看法。我以前把手机规定看作限制;门口那个篮子结果反倒成了一份礼物,因为它一次性替两百个人拿掉了选择,让他们共同拥有了同一个夜晚。个人意志力根本敌不过一个专为战胜它而设计的设备,所以共同的规定——无论是在教室、餐桌还是方向盘后——都能做到个人决心永远做不到的事。它们也保护其他人:一个盯着手机的司机不只危及自己,也让我处于危险之中。最好的规定应该少而清晰,并附带明确的理由。但一个把用手机完全交给个人选择的社会,实际上已经等于决定让手机获胜。

    为什么是这个分数

    • FCquietly rewired how I think about rules altogetherAn original, evaluative way to open the answer, more developed than the reflective hedge at 7.0 or the flat statement at 6.5. It signals from the first line that this is an argument built from a changed mind, which gives the whole answer a clear throughline.一种原创、带有评价色彩的开头方式,比7.0分的反思性模糊语气或6.5分的平淡陈述都更成熟。它从第一句起就表明这是一个建立在观念转变之上的论证,让整篇答案有了清晰的主线。
    • LRa device engineered to defeat itPrecise, slightly idiomatic phrasing that frames willpower and technology as opponents. This is a step up from the 7.0 band's "designed to grab your attention" and well beyond the plain "made to keep our attention" at 6.5.精准、略带习语色彩的表达,把意志力和科技刻画成对手关系。这比7.0分段的 "designed to grab your attention" 更进一步,也远超6.5分朴素的 "made to keep our attention"。
    • GRAa driver glued to their phone endangers me, not just themselvesThe colon-free juxtaposition and the compact "not just themselves" tag show flexible sentence-final structure. Compare the 6.5 version's separate "because" clause for the same idea, which spells out the logic rather than compressing it.不用冒号的并置结构以及紧凑的 "not just themselves" 尾句,展现出灵活的句末结构。对比6.5版本中用单独的 "because" 从句表达同样的想法,后者把逻辑完全说出来,而不是压缩表达。
  3. 3. At what age should parents allow children to have a phone?

    2026年5–8月
    查看这道题的6.5 / 7.0 / 7.5三档对比
    6.5 分

    Builds around the simple, repeated frame "my sister's plan" and lists the steps in short, separate sentences.围绕简单、反复出现的框架 "my sister's plan" 展开,并用一个个简短独立的句子列出各个步骤。

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

    查看中文翻译

    我觉得我姐姐的做法挺好的。她在女儿十一岁、开始独自上学的时候给她配了一部基础手机,这样有需要时可以打电话回家。到十四岁的时候可以用智能手机,但要遵守一些规定。我姐姐还说社交媒体要等到以后才能用。我认为孩子在开始独自外出的时候就需要一部手机。真正的问题不在手机本身,而在里面的互联网,所以小孩子不应该完全不受限制地接触所有内容。智能手机还是晚一点给比较好。

    为什么是这个分数

    • FCI think my sister's plan is a good one.A short, plain claim that opens the answer directly, typical of 6.5 pacing. The 7.0 band adds a hedge ("Honestly... probably"), and 7.5 drops the framing sentence altogether and states the plan itself with a colon, a more economical opening move.一个简短朴素的论断,直接开启答案,是6.5分典型的节奏。7.0分段加上了模糊语气("Honestly... probably"),而7.5分段则干脆去掉了框架句,直接用冒号陈述计划本身,是更经济的开头方式。
    • LRThe real problem isn't the phone itself, it's the internet inside itClear and correct, but the phrasing is functional rather than crafted. The 7.5 band's "the internet packed inside it" adds a more vivid, almost physical image to the same idea, while staying just as natural.清楚正确,但表达方式偏功能性,而非精心雕琢。7.5分段的 "the internet packed inside it" 为同一个意思增添了更生动、近乎具象的画面感,同时仍然保持自然。
    • GRAso a young child shouldn't have full access to everythingA simple result clause with "so", one idea per clause. The 7.5 version instead uses a semicolon to contrast two linked facts, showing more sentence-level flexibility than the repeated "so" pattern here.一个用 "so" 表达的简单结果分句,每个分句只承载一个想法。7.5版本则用分号来对比两个相互关联的事实,比这里反复出现的 "so" 句式展现出更强的句子层面灵活性。
    7.0 分

    The hedge "Honestly... probably the most sensible one" softens the opinion, and reasons are linked with "because" for a bit more complexity.模糊语气 "Honestly... probably the most sensible one" 软化了观点,而用 "because" 连接的理由也带来了更多复杂度。

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

    查看中文翻译

    说实话,我姐姐的做法大概是我见过最明智的了。她在女儿十一岁、刚开始独自上学的时候给她配了一部基础手机,只是为了万一出事能打个电话,然后到十四岁再给她配智能手机,并附带一些双方商定好的规定。我想说,需要手机这件事其实是随着独立性而来的,因为孩子一旦独自出现在城市里,能联系到他们就开始变得重要。说句公道话,问题从来都不在手机本身,而在里面的互联网,一个九岁小孩能不受限制地接触一切内容,这是前几代人从未面对过的处境。我认为智能手机方面还是晚一点比较好。

    为什么是这个分数

    • FCHonestly, my sister's plan is probably the most sensible one I've come across.The double hedge "Honestly... probably" makes the opinion feel considered rather than declared outright, more natural than the flat 6.5 opener. The 7.5 band removes the hedge but keeps the reflective tone through word choice alone, showing that hedging isn't the only route to a considered voice.双重模糊语气 "Honestly... probably" 让这个观点显得经过深思熟虑,而不是直接断言,比6.5分平淡的开头更自然。7.5分段去掉了模糊语气,但仅通过用词就保留了反思的语调,说明模糊语气并不是表现深思熟虑口吻的唯一途径。
    • LRthe need for a phone really comes with independenceA reasonably natural abstraction linking two ideas. The 7.5 band tightens this to "tracks independence", a more compact and slightly more sophisticated verb choice for the same relationship.一个相当自然的抽象表达,把两个想法联系起来。7.5分段把它收紧为 "tracks independence",这个动词选择更紧凑,也更老练一些,表达同样的关系。
    • GRAthe moment a child is out in the city alone, having a way to reach them starts to matterA fronted time clause followed by a gerund subject — a reasonably complex structure for 7.0. The 7.5 band achieves a similar effect but folds it into a dash-linked aside instead, varying the punctuation used to introduce the same idea.一个前置的时间从句后接动名词主语——对7.0分而言是相当复杂的结构。7.5分段达到了类似的效果,但把它融入了一个用破折号连接的插入语,变换了引入同一想法所用的标点方式。
    7.5 分

    The semicolon-linked list "a basic phone at eleven... a smartphone at fourteen... and no social media" packs three parallel ideas into one flexible sentence.用分号连接的列表 "a basic phone at eleven... a smartphone at fourteen... and no social media",把三个并列的想法压缩进一个灵活的句子里。

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

    查看中文翻译

    我姐姐的计划是我见过最明智的:十一岁配一部基础手机,那时女儿开始独自上学,方便她打电话;十四岁配智能手机,并附带商定好的规定;社交媒体要等到很久以后才能用。对手机的需求是随着独立性而来的——孩子一旦独自出现在城市里,能联系到他们就突然变得重要。真正的问题从来不是手机本身;而是塞在里面的互联网,一个九岁小孩能不受限制地接触一切,这是前几代人从未需要应对的情况。智能手机方面总体上还是晚一点比较好,说实话,具体几岁并不那么重要,重要的是家长在把手机交出去之后是否还保持参与。

    为什么是这个分数

    • GRAa basic phone at eleven, when her daughter starts travelling to school alone, so she can call; a smartphone at fourteen, with agreed rules; and no social media until much laterA single sentence carries three parallel items linked by semicolons, each with its own embedded clause — noticeably more architecturally ambitious than the separate short sentences at 6.5 or the "and then" pattern at 7.0. This is the kind of flexible, list-within-a-sentence structure that distinguishes 7.5 grammar.一个句子承载了三个用分号连接的并列项,每一项还带有自己的嵌入从句——在结构上明显比6.5分独立的短句或7.0分的 "and then" 句式更有野心。这种灵活的、句中套列表的结构正是7.5分语法的特色所在。
    • LRthe internet packed inside itA more vivid, image-driven phrase than the plain "the internet inside it" at 6.5. "Packed" suggests density and risk in a way that a purely functional description doesn't.一个比6.5分朴素的 "the internet inside it" 更生动、更具画面感的表达。"Packed" 暗示了密集感和风险,而纯功能性的描述做不到这一点。
    • FCthe exact age matters less than whether the parent stays involved after handing it overA genuinely evaluative closing line that reframes the whole question, something neither the 6.5 nor 7.0 versions attempt — both simply restate the preference for waiting. This kind of closing pivot is what gives the 7.5 answer a sense of arriving somewhere rather than just listing facts.一句真正带有评价性的结尾,重新定义了整个问题,这是6.5分和7.0分版本都没有尝试的——两者都只是重申了"晚一点比较好"这个偏好。正是这种结尾处的转折,让7.5分的答案给人一种"得出了结论"的感觉,而不只是罗列事实。
  4. 4. How important is it to have general rules about polite behaviour?

    2026年5–8月
    查看这道题的6.5 / 7.0 / 7.5三档对比
    6.5 分

    Opens with a plain judgement, "I think it's very important", and lists the reasons for politeness one at a time in separate sentences.以简单的判断 "I think it's very important" 开头,并用一个个独立的句子逐条列出礼貌的理由。

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

    查看中文翻译

    我觉得这非常重要,即使我们平时没有意识到。在我参加的一场乡村婚礼上,两百个人一整天都井然有序,没有任何成文的规矩,因为每个人都知道谁该先坐、谁该倒茶。这些礼貌规矩让陌生人可以合作,而不用为每件事争论。它们也保护人,尤其是老人或害羞的人。礼貌也能避免冲突,因为大多数争吵都是从有人觉得不被尊重开始的。有时候这些规矩可能太严格了,这一点值得思考。但如果完全没有礼节,大家的生活只会更累。

    为什么是这个分数

    • FCI think it's very important, even if we don't notice it.A direct opinion statement followed by a simple qualifier, functional but plain. The 7.5 band compresses the same idea into "Very, and mostly invisibly", a much tighter, more confident opening that trusts the listener to follow without full sentences.一个直接的观点陈述,后面跟着一个简单的限定语,实用但平淡。7.5分段把同样的意思压缩为 "Very, and mostly invisibly",这个开头更紧凑、更自信,相信听者不用完整句子也能跟上。
    • LRThese polite rules let strangers work together without arguing about everything.Clear, everyday vocabulary that states the function of politeness plainly. The 7.5 band's "let strangers cooperate without negotiating everything" swaps in more precise, slightly formal verbs that read as more deliberate word choices.清楚、日常的词汇,直白地说明了礼貌的作用。7.5分段的 "let strangers cooperate without negotiating everything" 换用了更精确、略显正式的动词,读起来更像是刻意选择的用词。
    • GRAPoliteness also stops fights, because most fights start when someone feels disrespected.A short cause-effect sentence with "because", repeating "fights" for clarity but at the cost of variety. The 7.5 band uses a colon instead, avoiding repetition and linking ideas more efficiently.一个用 "because" 构成的简短因果句,为了清楚起见重复了 "fights" 这个词,但牺牲了用词的多样性。7.5分段改用冒号,避免了重复,更高效地连接了想法。
    7.0 分

    The phrase "works almost like an early warning system" is a small figurative touch layered onto the same reasoning used at 6.5.短语 "works almost like an early warning system" 是在6.5分同样的论证基础上,增添了一点小小的比喻色彩。

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

    查看中文翻译

    我想说,非常重要,而且大多以我们根本没意识到的方式发挥作用。在我提到的那场乡村婚礼上,两百个人一整天都顺利运转,完全没有成文的指示,因为大家都清楚谁先坐、谁倒茶、谁该在什么时候发言。像这样共同的习俗让陌生人无需为每件小事协商就能合作,而且说句公道话,它们也保护了人的尊严,尤其是老人和害羞的人。它们还能减少冲突,因为大多数争吵都是从有人觉得不被尊重开始的,所以礼貌几乎就像一套预警系统。有些规矩可能会过头,这一点值得质疑。但一个没有共同礼节的社会并不会更自由,只会更累人。

    为什么是这个分数

    • FCVery important, I'd say, and mostly in ways we don't even notice.The inserted hedge "I'd say" and the extended qualifier make this feel more spoken and considered than the flatter 6.5 opener. The 7.5 band strips this down even further to two words plus a qualifier, showing that confidence can also come from brevity rather than hedging.插入的模糊语气 "I'd say" 和更长的限定语,使这个开头比6.5分平淡的开头更口语化、更显深思熟虑。7.5分段把它进一步精简为两个词加一个限定语,说明自信也可以来自简洁,而不一定要靠模糊语气。
    • LRpoliteness works almost like an early warning systemA small original comparison that goes beyond plain description, a step up from the functional language at 6.5. It's a genuine attempt at figurative language, though less integrated into the sentence than the dash-led image the 7.5 band builds around the wedding scene itself.一个小小的原创比喻,超越了单纯的描述,比6.5分功能性的语言更进一步。这是对比喻语言的真正尝试,不过没有7.5分段中围绕婚礼场景本身、以破折号引出的画面那样融入句子。
    • GRAtwo hundred people got through a whole day with no written instructions at all, because everyone simply knew who sits first, who pours the tea, and who speaks whenA long sentence with an embedded list of three parallel clauses after "knew", more ambitious than the shorter 6.5 sentences. The 7.5 version achieves the same list but follows it with a dash and a summarising clause, adding a further layer of structure this sentence doesn't attempt.一个长句,在 "knew" 之后嵌入了三个并列从句组成的列表,比6.5分较短的句子更有野心。7.5版本达到了同样的列表效果,但在后面加了一个破折号和总结性从句,增添了这个句子没有尝试的额外结构层次。
    7.5 分

    The dash before "the rules of politeness did the organising" lets the story deliver its own conclusion without a separate linking sentence."the rules of politeness did the organising" 前面的破折号,让这个故事自己得出结论,而不需要另外一句连接句。

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

    查看中文翻译

    非常重要,而且大多是无形中起作用的。那场乡村婚礼让两百个人顺利度过了一整天,没有任何一条成文的指示,因为大家都清楚谁先坐、谁倒茶、谁在什么时候发言——是礼节规矩在幕后完成了这一切的组织工作。共同的习俗让陌生人无需为每件事协商就能合作,也保护了人的尊严,尤其是老人和害羞的人。它们还能减少冲突:大多数争执都是从有人觉得不被尊重开始的,而礼貌本质上就是一套提前表达尊重的机制。有些规矩可能过于苛刻,只是用来让人安分守己,这一点值得质疑。但一个没有共同礼节的社会并不会更自由;只会更累人。

    为什么是这个分数

    • FCVery, and mostly invisibly.An extremely compact opening that answers the question in three words before the explanation even begins, well beyond the fuller sentences used at 6.5 and 7.0. This kind of confident brevity is characteristic of higher-band fluency, where less can carry more.一个极其精简的开头,在解释开始之前就用三个词回答了问题,远远超越6.5分和7.0分使用的完整句子。这种自信的简洁正是高分段流利度的特征,少即是多。
    • LRpoliteness is essentially the system for showing respect in advanceA precise, almost technical way of framing an abstract idea, more polished than "works almost like an early warning system" at 7.0 and well beyond the plain "politeness also stops fights" at 6.5. "In advance" adds a subtle temporal precision the other bands don't include.一种精确、近乎技术性的表达方式,来框定一个抽象概念,比7.0分的 "works almost like an early warning system" 更精炼,也远远超越6.5分朴素的 "politeness also stops fights"。"In advance" 增添了一种微妙的时间精确性,是其他分段没有的。
    • GRAwho sits first, who pours the tea, who speaks and when — the rules of politeness did the organisingA list of parallel clauses followed by a dash-linked summary sentence with no conjunction — a genuinely flexible structure. Compare the 7.0 band's similar list, which is still closed off with "because", showing less willingness to let punctuation alone carry the logical link.一系列并列从句,后面跟着一个由破折号连接、不用连接词的总结句——这是一种真正灵活的结构。相比之下,7.0分段类似的列表仍然用 "because" 收尾,说明它没那么愿意仅靠标点来承担逻辑连接的作用。
  5. 5. Do you agree or disagree that social rules were more strict in the past than they are today?

    2026年5–8月
    查看这道题的6.5 / 7.0 / 7.5三档对比
    6.5 分

    Signals the position clearly with "I half agree" up front, then supports it with two short, parallel examples.用 "I half agree" 在开头就清楚地表明了立场,然后用两个简短、平行的例子来支撑它。

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

    查看中文翻译

    我算是部分同意。我奶奶告诉我,她小时候在家庭聚餐时,不等大人先跟她说话是不能开口的,但我侄子在饭桌上从头讲到尾也没人介意。所以在礼节、穿着和家庭地位这些方面,过去的规矩要严格得多。但一些新规矩取代了旧规矩。如今,你对别人说了什么、你在职场上怎么对待别人、你在网上发了什么,都被盯得很紧,而且惩罚可能是公开的。所以我想说,过去在行为方面的规矩更严,而今天在言论方面的规矩更严。

    为什么是这个分数

    • FCI half agree.A blunt, two-word position statement placed right at the start, functional but abrupt. The 7.5 band delays this exact phrase until partway through the answer, after the evidence has already built the case, which makes the agreement feel earned rather than declared.一个直白的两词立场陈述放在开头,实用但显得突兀。7.5分段把同样这个短语延后到答案中段才出现,等证据已经把论点建立起来之后再说,让这个"同意"显得是水到渠成,而不是直接宣布出来的。
    • LRthe punishment can be publicAccurate but minimal vocabulary. The 7.5 band adds a second, more precise adjective — "public and permanent" — which sharpens the claim with barely any extra length, a hallmark of more deliberate word choice.准确但简省的词汇。7.5分段加上了第二个更精确的形容词——"public and permanent"——几乎没有增加长度,却让论点更加锐利,这是更深思熟虑用词的标志。
    • GRASo on things like manners, clothes and family position, the old rules were much stricter.A single clause with a fronted list, straightforward and correct. The 7.5 band achieves the same content but splits it with a semicolon between two contrasting mini-scenes first, building the comparison structurally rather than just stating the conclusion.一个带有前置列表的单一从句,简单直接且正确。7.5分段表达了相同的内容,但先用分号把两个对比性的小场景分开,从结构上建立起对比,而不只是直接陈述结论。
    7.0 分

    The hedge "I'd say... honestly" softens the same half-agreement, and the sentence uses "while" instead of a plain "but" for contrast.模糊语气 "I'd say... honestly" 软化了同样这个"部分同意"的立场,而句子用 "while" 而不是简单的 "but" 来表达对比。

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

    查看中文翻译

    说实话,我想说我算是部分同意。我奶奶小时候在家庭聚餐上不等大人先跟她说话是不能开口的,而我侄子却能把整顿晚饭讲个不停,也没人在意,所以在礼节、穿着和家庭等级方面,过去的规矩显然更严格。话虽如此,一些新规矩似乎取代了部分旧规矩。你能对其他群体说什么、你在职场上怎么对待别人、网上发什么内容才算可以接受,这一切在今天都被监管得比我奶奶当年面对的任何情况都要严格,而且惩罚最终可能是公开且永久的。所以我想说,过去在行为方面的规矩更严,而现在在言论方面的规矩更严。

    为什么是这个分数

    • FCI'd say I half agree, honestly.The double hedge ("I'd say", "honestly") softens the position and makes it sound more considered than the flat 6.5 statement. The 7.5 band removes the explicit hedge and instead opens with an aphorism-like phrase, "Stricter in form, though not always in substance", which does similar work through compression rather than hedging.双重模糊语气("I'd say"、"honestly")软化了立场,让它听起来比6.5分平淡的陈述更经过深思熟虑。7.5分段去掉了明显的模糊语气,转而用一个格言式的短语 "Stricter in form, though not always in substance" 开头,通过压缩表达而非模糊语气来达到类似的效果。
    • LRall of that is policed more strictly today than anything my grandmother ever faced"Policed" is a nicely chosen verb, a step up from plain description. The 7.5 band uses the same verb, showing this choice already sits near the top of the range, though 7.5 tightens the surrounding sentence further by cutting "ever"."Policed" 是一个选得很巧妙的动词,比单纯的描述更进一步。7.5分段使用了同一个动词,说明这个选择已经接近这个范围的顶端,不过7.5分段进一步收紧了周围的句子,去掉了 "ever"。
    • GRAWhat you can say about other groups, how you treat people at work, what's acceptable to post online, all of that is policed more strictly today than anything my grandmother ever faced, and the punishment can end up being public and permanent.A long sentence stacks three parallel noun clauses before the main verb, an ambitious structure for 7.0. The 7.5 band uses an almost identical list but drops "online" and tightens the ending, showing a slightly more economical version of the same grammar.一个长句在主动词之前堆叠了三个并列的名词从句,对7.0分而言是很有野心的结构。7.5分段用了几乎一样的列表,但去掉了 "online",并收紧了结尾,展现出同样语法结构更精简的一个版本。
    7.5 分

    The closing observation "Each generation thinks it's freer, and is only free in different directions" adds a reflective twist absent from the other two bands.结尾的观察 "Each generation thinks it's freer, and is only free in different directions" 增添了一层反思性的转折,是另外两个分段都没有的。

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

    查看中文翻译

    形式上更严,但实质上未必如此。我奶奶小时候在家庭聚餐上不等大人跟她说话是不能开口的;我侄子却能把整顿晚饭从头讲到尾也没人介意——在礼节、穿着、等级观念,以及女性能做什么这些方面,过去的规矩要严格得多。但新规矩已经悄悄取代了一部分旧规矩。你能对其他群体说什么、你在职场上怎么对待别人、发什么内容才算可以接受,这一切在今天都被监管得比我奶奶当年面对的更严格,而且惩罚可能是公开且永久的。所以我算是部分同意:过去在行为方面的规矩更严,而现在在言论方面的规矩更严。每一代人都觉得自己更自由,其实只是自由的方向不同罢了。

    为什么是这个分数

    • FCStricter in form, though not always in substance.An elliptical, aphorism-like opening with no main verb in the first clause — a confident, compact move that neither the 6.5 nor 7.0 bands attempt. It immediately signals nuance rather than a flat yes/no position.一个省略式、格言般的开头,第一个分句没有主动词——这是一个自信而精简的手法,6.5分和7.0分都没有尝试。它一开始就传达出细致的立场,而不是简单的是/否表态。
    • LREach generation thinks it's freer, and is only free in different directions.A genuinely idiomatic, aphoristic closing line that neither other band reaches for; both simply restate the half-agreement instead. This kind of turn of phrase, precise and slightly witty, is exactly the "evaluative closing touch" that separates 7.5 from the bands below it.一句真正地道、格言式的结尾句,另外两个分段都没有触及;它们只是重申了那个"部分同意"的立场。这种精准而略带机智的措辞,正是把7.5分和低分段区分开来的"评价性收尾"。
    • GRAMy grandmother didn't speak at family meals until an adult addressed her; my nephew narrates the entire dinner and nobody mindsTwo independent clauses balanced across a semicolon with no conjunction, letting the contrast speak for itself. The 7.0 band expresses the same contrast with "while", a correct but more conventional connector, and 6.5 uses "but" plus "so" across two separate sentences.两个独立分句通过分号平衡,不用连接词,让对比自己说话。7.0分段用 "while" 来表达同样的对比,这个连接词正确但比较常规;6.5分段则用 "but" 加 "so",分成两个句子。
  6. 6. How do younger and older people view the importance of social rules?

    2026年5–8月
    查看这道题的6.5 / 7.0 / 7.5三档对比
    6.5 分

    Frames the contrast plainly with "I think older people see... but younger people see", then supports it with one clear anecdote.用 "I think older people see... but younger people see" 这样朴素的方式点明对比,然后用一个清晰的小故事来支撑。

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

    查看中文翻译

    我觉得年长的人认为规矩很重要,而年轻人更多把它们当成一种可以选择遵守或不遵守的习惯。在一场婚礼上,一位年长的亲戚跟我讲解座次安排,讲得好像那是神圣不可侵犯的事,但他的孙子虽然坐在正确的位置上,却只是说了句"我们一直都是这样做的。"所以行为是一样的,但态度不同。年长的人见过规矩被打破后会发生什么,所以他们认真对待规矩。年轻人会问为什么要有这条规矩,如果没有明确的理由,他们就不理会。我觉得两种看法都有一定道理。

    为什么是这个分数

    • FCI think older people see rules as important, but younger people see them more as habitsA straightforward contrast stated with "but", clear but conventional. The 7.5 band opens with the same contrast compressed into a single semicolon-linked sentence with no framing verb at all, a more economical and confident move.一个用 "but" 表达的直接对比,清楚但比较常规。7.5分段用一个由分号连接、完全没有框架动词的单句压缩表达了同样的对比,是更经济、更自信的做法。
    • LRjust said "it's just what we do."Functional reporting verb "said" carries the quote without adding colour. The 7.0 band upgrades this to "just shrugged and called it", adding a physical gesture that shows rather than tells the grandson's attitude, and 7.5 keeps a leaner version of the same idea.功能性的转述动词 "said" 承载了这句引语,但没有增添色彩。7.0分段把它升级为 "just shrugged and called it",加入了一个肢体动作,用"展示"而非"讲述"的方式呈现孙子的态度,而7.5分段则保留了同一想法更精简的版本。
    • GRAOlder people have seen what happens when rules are broken, so they take them seriously.A single cause-effect sentence with "so", clear but simple. The 7.5 band expands this into a version that coordinates two verb phrases under one subject before the same "so" clause, a slightly denser structure.一个用 "so" 构成的因果句,清楚但简单。7.5分段把它扩展为一个版本,在同样的 "so" 从句之前,用一个主语协调了两个动词短语,结构稍微更紧密一些。
    7.0 分

    The dash before "same behaviour, completely different weight behind it" lets the story summarise itself, a small step up from the plain "so" pattern."same behaviour, completely different weight behind it" 前面的破折号,让这个故事自己进行总结,比单纯的 "so" 句式略有进步。

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

    查看中文翻译

    我想说,年长的人往往认为规矩是有意义的,而年轻人更多把它们当成可选的习惯。在我参加的一场婚礼上,一位年长的亲戚跟我讲解座次安排,讲得几乎像是神圣的事,而他的孙子虽然坐在完全正确的位置上,却只是耸耸肩,说这"就是我们的做法"——同样的行为,背后的分量却完全不同。年长的人大体上见过规矩到底在保护什么,有时还为打破规矩付出过代价,所以他们认真对待规矩。而另一方面,年轻人会质疑那些看不出理由的规矩,部分原因是他们从小就看着规矩变来变去,没有一条显得是永久的。说实话,我认为两方都有一定道理。

    为什么是这个分数

    • FCI'd say older people tend to see rules as meaningful, whereas younger people treat them more like optional habits.The hedge "I'd say" plus the more formal connector "whereas" gives this a slightly more considered feel than the plain "but" at 6.5. The 7.5 band removes the hedge entirely and states the same contrast as a bare fact, trusting the semicolon to do the contrasting work instead.模糊语气 "I'd say" 加上更正式的连接词 "whereas",让这个句子比6.5分朴素的 "but" 更显深思熟虑。7.5分段完全去掉了模糊语气,把同样的对比当作一个直接的事实来陈述,信任分号来承担对比的作用。
    • LRjust shrugged and called it "what we do""Shrugged" adds physical detail and implied attitude beyond the plain "just said" at 6.5. The 7.5 band trims this back to "described it as", showing that at the top band, economy can matter as much as added colour."Shrugged" 增添了肢体细节和隐含的态度,超越了6.5分朴素的 "just said"。7.5分段把它精简回 "described it as",说明在最高分段,简洁和增添色彩同样重要。
    • GRAsame behaviour, completely different weight behind itA fragment used deliberately for effect after a dash, rather than a full grammatical sentence, showing some stylistic confidence. The 7.5 band uses an almost identical fragment but trims "completely" and "behind it", a tighter version of the same device.破折号后面故意使用一个不完整句子来制造效果,而不是一个完整的语法句,显示出一定的风格自信。7.5分段用了几乎一样的片段,但去掉了 "completely" 和 "behind it",是同一手法更紧凑的版本。
    7.5 分

    Two semicolon-linked pairs close the answer, one contrasting the generations and one contrasting what each generation is good at.两组用分号连接的对句为答案收尾,一组对比两代人,另一组对比每一代人擅长什么。

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

    查看中文翻译

    年长的人往往认为规矩是有意义的;年轻人则把它们看作可选的习惯。在一场婚礼上,一位亲戚跟我讲解座次安排,讲得几乎像是神圣的事,而他的孙子虽然坐在正确的位置上,却把它形容为"我们一直就是这么做的"——同样的行为,分量却不同。年长的人见过规矩到底在保护什么,也常常为打破规矩付出过代价,所以他们认真对待规矩。年轻人质疑那些看不出理由的规矩,而且他们是看着规矩快速变化长大的,所以没有哪条显得永久。两种看法都有一定道理。年轻人擅长发现那些已经变得毫无意义的规矩;年长的人则擅长记得其他规矩存在的原因。

    为什么是这个分数

    • FCOlder people tend to see the rules as meaningful; younger people see them as optional habits.Two balanced clauses across a semicolon with no connector at all, more compact than the "but" of 6.5 or the hedged "whereas" of 7.0. This kind of paired, symmetrical opening is a recognisable 7.5-level move for stating a contrast.两个通过分号平衡、完全不用连接词的分句,比6.5分的 "but" 或7.0分带模糊语气的 "whereas" 更紧凑。这种成对、对称的开头,是表达对比时7.5分段可辨识的典型手法。
    • LRThe young are good at spotting rules that have become pointless; the old are good at remembering why the others exist.A neatly balanced closing pair with precise, contrasting verbs ("spotting" vs "remembering"). Neither the 6.5 nor 7.0 versions attempt a symmetrical closing line like this; both simply state that "both views have some truth" without the same crafted parallelism.一组整齐对称的结尾句,用词精准、动词形成对比("spotting" 对 "remembering")。6.5分和7.0分的版本都没有尝试这样对称的结尾句;两者都只是说"both views have some truth",没有同样精心设计的排比结构。
    • GRAthey've grown up watching rules change quickly, so none feel permanentA participle clause ("watching rules change quickly") feeding into a result clause, compact and efficient. The 7.0 band expresses a similar idea with a longer "partly because" clause, which is correct but less tightly built than this version.一个分词从句("watching rules change quickly")引出一个结果从句,紧凑而高效。7.0分段用一个更长的 "partly because" 从句表达类似的想法,虽然正确,但结构没有这个版本紧凑。
  7. 7. How important is it to understand the social conventions of other countries?

    2026年5–8月
    查看这道题的6.5 / 7.0 / 7.5三档对比
    6.5 分

    Opens with a plain causal claim, "more important than people expect, because small mistakes can cause big problems", spelled out in full.以一个朴素的因果论断开头,"more important than people expect, because small mistakes can cause big problems",完整地表述出来。

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

    查看中文翻译

    我觉得这比大家想的要重要得多,因为小失误也可能引发大问题。有一次我用一只手把名片递给一位日本客户,结果我感觉到会议接下来的整个氛围都变了。工作本身没受影响,但花了好几周才重新建立起信任。习俗代表着尊重,哪怕是无意中打破了习俗,也可能在你还没来得及解释之前就显得很失礼。了解一些基本常识,比如问候方式和用餐礼仪,在出国旅行或做生意时真的很重要。

    为什么是这个分数

    • FCI think it's more important than people expect, because small mistakes can cause big problems.A complete framing sentence with subject, verb and reason spelled out in full, clear but a little effortful. The 7.5 band cuts the framing sentence entirely and opens on a bare comparative fragment instead, a more confident and economical move.一个完整的框架句,主语、动词和理由都完整表述出来,清楚但略显费力。7.5分段完全砍掉了框架句,直接用一个赤裸的比较级片段开头,是更自信、更经济的手法。
    • LRThe work itself was fine, but it took weeks to build trust again.Plain, workmanlike vocabulary that states the outcome without much colour. The 7.5 band compresses the same idea into "the work was fine, but the trust took weeks", a tighter phrase that lets "trust" itself take weeks, a subtly more idiomatic personification.朴素、实用的词汇,陈述结果但缺乏色彩。7.5分段把同样的意思压缩为 "the work was fine, but the trust took weeks",这个更紧凑的表达让"信任"本身"花费"了几周时间,是一种微妙、更地道的拟人化手法。
    • GRAConventions show respect, and breaking them, even by accident, can look rude before you get a chance to explain.A single sentence with one embedded aside ("even by accident"), correct and reasonably fluent. The 7.5 version achieves a similar structure but tightens "before you get a chance to explain" to "before anyone can explain", a small but real efficiency gain.一个带有一个嵌入插入语("even by accident")的单句,正确且相当流畅。7.5版本实现了类似的结构,但把 "before you get a chance to explain" 收紧为 "before anyone can explain",是一个虽小但实在的效率提升。
    7.0 分

    The phrase "more or less the price of being taken seriously" hedges the same claim with a natural spoken qualifier.短语 "more or less the price of being taken seriously" 用一个自然的口语化限定语,软化了同样的论断。

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

    查看中文翻译

    说实话,这件事的重要性通常比失误本身的大小所暗示的要大得多。有一次我随手用一只手把名片递给一位日本客户,结果感觉到会议接下来的整个氛围都冷了下来。我想说,习俗基本上就是人们表达尊重的方式,所以哪怕完全是无心之失,打破习俗也会在别人还没来得及听你解释之前就被解读为不尊重。对于跨国的商务、旅行和友谊来说,了解基本常识——问候方式、礼物、什么算失礼、用餐时该注意什么——差不多就是被认真对待的门槛。理解这些能让你从一个冒犯别人的人,变成一个明显在努力的客人。

    为什么是这个分数

    • FCHonestly, it's more important than the size of the mistake usually suggests.The hedge "Honestly" softens the claim and the comparative phrasing is more developed than the flat 6.5 opener. The 7.5 band drops the hedge and the verb altogether, turning the same comparative idea into a punchy fragment that opens the whole answer.模糊语气 "Honestly" 软化了论断,而比较级的表达也比6.5分平淡的开头更成熟。7.5分段干脆去掉了模糊语气和动词,把同样的比较性想法变成一个有力的片段,作为整个答案的开头。
    • LRmore or less the price of being taken seriously"The price of being taken seriously" is a nicely idiomatic phrase, softened here with the hedge "more or less". The 7.5 band keeps the same core phrase but removes the hedge, letting the metaphor stand on its own with more confidence."The price of being taken seriously" 是一个很地道的短语,这里用 "more or less" 加以软化。7.5分段保留了同样的核心短语,但去掉了模糊语气,让这个比喻更自信地独立存在。
    • GRAknowing the basics, greetings, gifts, what's rude, what's expected at a meal, is more or less the price of being taken seriouslyA subject followed by an appositive list of four items before the verb, a reasonably complex structure for 7.0. The 7.5 band achieves the same list but sets it off with dashes instead of commas, which reads as slightly cleaner given how comma-heavy this sentence already is.一个主语后面跟着一个由四项组成的同位语列表,然后才是动词,对7.0分而言是相当复杂的结构。7.5分段实现了同样的列表,但用破折号而不是逗号来分隔,考虑到这个句子本来逗号已经很多,这样读起来更干净一些。
    7.5 分

    The fragment opener with no main verb, "More important than the small size of the mistakes suggests", launches straight into the argument without a framing sentence.没有主动词的片段式开头,"More important than the small size of the mistakes suggests",直接切入论证,不用框架句。

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

    查看中文翻译

    这件事的重要性,比失误本身的规模看起来要大得多。有一次我随手用一只手把名片递给一位日本客户,结果感觉到会议接下来的整个氛围都冷了下来;工作本身没受影响,但信任却花了好几周才重新建立起来。习俗是人们表达尊重的方式,打破习俗,哪怕是无心之失,也会在别人还没来得及解释之前就被解读为不尊重。对于跨国的商务、旅行和友谊来说,了解基本常识——问候方式、礼物、什么算失礼、用餐时该注意什么——就是被认真对待的门槛。你不必全盘照搬这些习俗。但理解它们能让你从一个冒犯别人的外来者,变成一个努力融入的客人,而人们几乎会原谅一个客人的一切。

    为什么是这个分数

    • FCMore important than the small size of the mistakes suggests.A verbless comparative fragment used as the entire opening line, more confident and compact than the full sentences at 6.5 and 7.0. Starting an answer this way signals fluency because it trusts the listener to fill in the implied "it is".一个没有动词的比较级片段,作为整个开头句,比6.5分和7.0分的完整句子更自信、更紧凑。用这种方式开头能体现流利度,因为它信任听者能自行补上省略的 "it is"。
    • LRan outsider who offends into a guest who tries, and people forgive a guest almost anythingA neat, almost proverbial closing pair ("outsider who offends" vs "guest who tries") followed by an aphoristic tag. Neither lower band reaches for this kind of crafted, symmetrical phrasing; both end on a flatter, more literal note about understanding customs.一对整洁、近乎格言式的结尾对句("outsider who offends" 对 "guest who tries"),后面还跟着一句格言式的附语。两个低分段都没有触及这种精心设计的对称表达;两者都以关于理解习俗更平淡、更直白的方式收尾。
    • GRAfelt the temperature in the room drop for the rest of the meeting; the work was fine, but the trust took weeksA semicolon links two contrasting facts without a conjunction, more flexible than the "but" used to join equivalent ideas at 6.5 and 7.0. The dash-set list later in the same answer performs a similar economy, showing consistent control of punctuation as grammar.一个分号连接了两个对比的事实,不用连接词,比6.5分和7.0分用 "but" 连接相同想法更灵活。同一个答案后面用破折号分隔的列表也起到了类似的经济效果,显示出把标点当作语法工具的稳定掌控力。
  8. 8. What impact has the internet had on social conventions?

    2026年5–8月
    查看这道题的6.5 / 7.0 / 7.5三档对比
    6.5 分

    Sequences the effects with plain connectors — "also", "And" — each introducing a new, separately stated point.用朴素的连接词——"also"、"And"——依次排列各种影响,每个连接词都引出一个新的、独立陈述的观点。

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

    查看中文翻译

    我认为它创造新规矩的速度,比消除旧规矩的速度更快。短短一年内,我的单位就自己发展出了一套群聊规矩,比如该多快回复、点赞表情代表什么,而且这些规矩从来没人写下来过。互联网也削弱了一些旧的习俗,比如正式的问候语,因为发消息给人的感觉比当面交谈更随意。在网上结识不同文化背景的人,也让关于穿着和交往关系的地方规矩变得没那么严格。而且如今私人的事情也不像以前那么容易保持私密了。总的来说,现在的规矩更多了,但大家对这些规矩的共识却更少了,很多人都拿不准自己是不是失礼了。

    为什么是这个分数

    • FCI think it has created new rules faster than it removed the old ones.A clear topic sentence stated as a plain personal opinion, functional and easy to follow. The 7.5 band drops "I think" entirely and states the same claim as a bare fact, a small but telling shift toward more confident, assertive fluency.一个清晰的主题句,以朴素的个人观点陈述出来,实用且容易理解。7.5分段完全去掉了 "I think",把同样的论断当作一个赤裸的事实来陈述,是一个虽小但能说明问题的转变,朝着更自信、更笃定的流利度迈进。
    • LRnobody ever wrote these rules downPlain, literal phrasing for an unwritten social code. The 7.5 band reframes the same idea with the simile "the internet generates manners the way villages once did", a much more original and evaluative piece of lexis.对一套不成文的社交规则,用朴素、直白的措辞来表达。7.5分段用比喻 "the internet generates manners the way villages once did" 重新表达了同样的想法,这是一段更具原创性、评价性的用词。
    • GRAThe internet also made some old conventions weaker, like formal greetings, because messages feel more relaxed than talking in person.A single sentence with one embedded reason clause, correct but linear. The 7.5 band restructures the same content with a colon introducing a three-item list ("titles, formal greetings and the distance between generations"), a more compact way of packing the same information.一个带有一个嵌入原因从句的单句,正确但比较线性。7.5分段用冒号引出一个三项列表("titles, formal greetings and the distance between generations"),重新组织了同样的内容,是一种更紧凑地打包同样信息的方式。
    7.0 分

    The hedge "Honestly, I'd say" opens the answer, and the closing summary uses the softened "a lot of people quietly unsure".模糊语气 "Honestly, I'd say" 作为答案的开头,而结尾的总结用了较为委婉的 "a lot of people quietly unsure"。

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

    查看中文翻译

    说实话,我想说它创造新习俗的速度,比摧毁旧习俗的速度更快。短短一年内,我的工作室就发展出了一整套不成文的群聊礼仪——该多快回复、点赞表情究竟代表什么、什么时候打电话算失礼,而这一切从来没人坐下来专门写出来过。它也削弱了一些旧的习俗——头衔和正式问候语在消息里比在面对面场合感觉更淡薄。在网上接触不同文化也让关于穿着的地方规矩变得没那么严格,还削弱了"私事应当保持私密"这条旧习俗。我想说,最终的结果是规矩更多了,但大家对规矩的共识更少了,而且很多人心里默默地拿不准自己是不是刚刚失礼了。

    为什么是这个分数

    • FCHonestly, I'd say it's created new conventions faster than it's destroyed the old ones.Two hedges ("Honestly", "I'd say") open the answer, giving it a considered, spoken feel that the flatter 6.5 opener lacks. The 7.5 band removes both hedges, stating the claim outright, which reads as more confident though slightly less conversational.两个模糊语气词("Honestly"、"I'd say")开启了答案,让它带有一种深思熟虑、口语化的感觉,而这是6.5分较平淡的开头所缺乏的。7.5分段去掉了这两个模糊语气,直接陈述论断,读起来更自信,尽管口语色彩略淡一些。
    • LRa lot of people quietly unsure whether they've just been rude"Quietly unsure" is a nice, understated pairing that adds emotional nuance. The 7.5 band uses the plainer "a lot of people unsure" without "quietly", trading a touch of nuance for a tighter closing sentence overall."Quietly unsure" 是一个不错的、低调的搭配,增添了情感上的细致度。7.5分段用了更朴素的 "a lot of people unsure",去掉了 "quietly",用一点点细致度换取了整体更紧凑的结尾句。
    • GRAmy studio developed a full, unwritten etiquette for its group chat, how fast a reply is expected, what a thumbs-up actually means, when a call is considered rude, and nobody ever sat down to write any of it outA very long sentence stacks a three-item list after a colon-like comma and then adds a further clause, ambitious but a little comma-heavy. The 7.5 band achieves the same list using dashes to set it off cleanly, then closes the sentence with a semicolon and a separate simile, a more controlled version of the same structure.一个很长的句子,在一个类似冒号作用的逗号后面堆叠了一个三项列表,然后又加上一个从句,很有野心但逗号偏多。7.5分段用破折号干净利落地分隔出同样的列表,然后用分号和一个独立的比喻收尾,是同一结构更受控制的版本。
    7.5 分

    The simile "the internet generates manners the way villages once did" gives the argument a compact historical comparison the other bands don't attempt.比喻 "the internet generates manners the way villages once did" 为论证提供了一个紧凑的历史类比,是其他分段没有尝试的。

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

    查看中文翻译

    它创造新习俗的速度,比摧毁旧习俗的速度更快。短短一年内,我的工作室就发展出了一整套群聊礼仪——该多快回复、点赞表情究竟代表什么、什么时候打电话算失礼——而没有任何人写下一条规矩;互联网就像从前的村落一样,自行孕育出礼节。它也削弱了一些旧的习俗:头衔、正式问候语,以及代沟感,在消息里都比在面对面场合更淡薄。接触其他文化也让关于穿着和交往关系的地方规矩变得更宽松。而且它也削弱了"私事应当保持私密"这条习俗。最终的结果是规矩更多了,但共识更少了,而且很多人拿不准自己是不是刚刚失礼了。

    为什么是这个分数

    • LRthe internet generates manners the way villages once didA genuinely original simile that reframes the whole answer's argument in one line, well beyond the literal "nobody ever wrote these rules down" at 6.5 or "nobody ever sat down to write any of it out" at 7.0. This is exactly the kind of idiomatic, evaluative phrasing that marks the top band.一个真正原创的比喻,用一句话就重新框定了整个答案的论证,远超6.5分直白的 "nobody ever wrote these rules down" 或7.0分的 "nobody ever sat down to write any of it out"。这正是标志着最高分段的那种地道、评价性表达。
    • GRAtitles, formal greetings and the distance between generations feel thinner in a message than in a roomA colon introduces a three-item subject list before a single shared verb phrase, a compact structure that avoids the repeated "also... and" pattern used at 6.5. The parallel dash-set list earlier in the same answer shows the same instinct for packing information efficiently.一个冒号引出了一个三项主语列表,后面共用一个动词短语,这是一种紧凑的结构,避免了6.5分反复出现的 "also... and" 句式。同一答案前面用破折号分隔的并列列表也展现出同样高效打包信息的本能。
    • FCwithout anyone writing a rule; the internet generates manners the way villages once didA semicolon lets the concluding simile follow directly from the observation with no linking word, giving the sentence real momentum. Both lower bands instead close their equivalent points with a full stop and a fresh sentence, a more segmented, less fluid rhythm.一个分号让结尾的比喻直接承接前面的观察,不需要连接词,给句子带来了真正的推进感。而两个较低分段则用句号加一个新句子来结束相应的观点,节奏更分段、更不流畅。
  9. 9. What do you think of the idea that the world would be a better place if everyone behaved in the same way?

    2026年5–8月
    查看这道题的6.5 / 7.0 / 7.5三档对比
    6.5 分

    States the position plainly, "I don't really agree with that idea", then walks through the reasoning in separate, connected sentences.平铺直叙地表明立场,"I don't really agree with that idea",然后用一个个独立又相连的句子逐步展开论证。

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

    查看中文翻译

    我不太同意这个说法。在那场婚礼上,我的叔公和我的德国客户举止几乎截然相反,一个慢条斯理、含蓄委婉,另一个直截了当、雷厉风行,但每种风格都完美契合了它所来自的生活方式。如果我们把其中一种硬套到另一个地方,两边可能都会变得更糟,而不是更好。有些基本准则应该在任何地方都通用,比如诚实和不伤害他人。但除此之外,文化之间的差异正是人们互相学习新观念的途径,如果所有人的行为都一样,这种学习就会停止。这也会引出一个问题:大家最终会模仿谁的行为方式,通常答案是最强大的那个国家。

    为什么是这个分数

    • FCI don't really agree with that idea.A plain, direct disagreement stated as the very first sentence, clear but ordinary. The 7.5 band replaces this with the metaphor "a mistake dressed as harmony", which states the same disagreement while also characterising the idea, doing two jobs in one line.一个朴素、直接的不同意立场,作为第一句话陈述出来,清楚但比较普通。7.5分段用比喻 "a mistake dressed as harmony" 取而代之,既表达了同样的不同意,又刻画了这个观点的性质,一句话完成了两项任务。
    • LRone slow and indirect, the other direct and fastA simple, functional contrast using basic adjectives. The 7.5 band expands this into "one indirect, slow and ceremonial, the other blunt and efficient", adding more precise and slightly more vivid descriptors for the same contrast.一个用基础形容词构成的简单、功能性对比。7.5分段把它扩展为 "one indirect, slow and ceremonial, the other blunt and efficient",为同样的对比增添了更精确、更生动一些的描述词。
    • GRAIf we forced either one onto the other place, both would probably become worse, not better.A conditional sentence with a clear if-clause, correct and easy to follow. The 7.5 band folds the same idea into a longer sentence using a semicolon ("imposing either on the other would make both places worse"), avoiding the conditional "if" altogether for a more compact structure.一个带有清晰if从句的条件句,正确且容易理解。7.5分段用分号把同样的想法融入一个更长的句子("imposing either on the other would make both places worse"),完全避开了条件句的 "if",结构更紧凑。
    7.0 分

    The hedge "a nice-sounding idea that doesn't really hold up" reframes the same disagreement in a more spoken, evaluative way.模糊语气 "a nice-sounding idea that doesn't really hold up" 用一种更口语化、更具评价性的方式重新表达了同样的不同意。

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

    查看中文翻译

    说实话,我觉得这个想法听起来不错,但其实站不住脚。婚礼上的那位叔公和我的德国客户举止几乎截然相反,一个含蓄、慢条斯理、颇讲究礼数,另一个直截了当、干净利落,但每种风格都完美契合了它所来自的生活方式,所以把其中一种硬套到另一个地方,可能会让两边都变得更糟,而不是更好。我同意有一些共同的基本准则确实会有帮助——诚实、不伤害他人,对陌生人多一点耐心。但除此之外,文化间的差异正是人们互相学习的地方,而如果都变得千篇一律,这种学习就会终止。这也会引出一个问题:大家究竟会模仿谁的行为方式,说实话,答案通常是最强大的那个国家。

    为什么是这个分数

    • FCHonestly, I think it's a nice-sounding idea that doesn't really hold up.The hedge "Honestly" plus the evaluative phrase "nice-sounding idea that doesn't really hold up" gives more personality than the flat 6.5 disagreement. The 7.5 band compresses a similar judgement into the single metaphor "a mistake dressed as harmony", a more economical version of the same move.模糊语气 "Honestly" 加上带评价色彩的短语 "nice-sounding idea that doesn't really hold up",比6.5分平淡的不同意更有个性。7.5分段把类似的判断压缩进单一的比喻 "a mistake dressed as harmony",是同一手法更经济的版本。
    • LRone indirect, slow and quite ceremonial, the other blunt and efficientA precise three-adjective description paired with a two-adjective contrast, more developed than the plain "slow and indirect... direct and fast" at 6.5. The 7.5 band uses almost the same phrase, showing this level of lexical precision already sits near the ceiling of the range.一个精确的三形容词描述,与一个双形容词对比相搭配,比6.5分朴素的 "slow and indirect... direct and fast" 更成熟。7.5分段用了几乎相同的表达,说明这种词汇精确度已经接近这个范围的顶端。
    • GRAyet each style is perfectly suited to the life it comes from, so imposing either one on the other place would probably make both worse, not betterA long sentence chains "yet" and "so" to link contrast, reason and result in one breath, ambitious for 7.0. The 7.5 band achieves a similarly long sentence but swaps the conjunctions for a semicolon, a subtler way of signalling the same logical relationship.一个长句用 "yet" 和 "so" 把对比、原因和结果一口气串联起来,对7.0分而言很有野心。7.5分段实现了类似长度的句子,但把连接词换成了分号,更含蓄地表达了同样的逻辑关系。
    7.5 分

    The metaphor "a mistake dressed as harmony" opens the answer with a compact image that carries the whole argument in one line.比喻 "a mistake dressed as harmony" 用一句紧凑的话开启了答案,承载了整个论证。

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

    查看中文翻译

    我认为这是一个披着和谐外衣的错误想法。婚礼上的那位叔公和我的德国客户举止几乎截然相反——一个含蓄、慢条斯理、讲究礼数,另一个直截了当、干净利落——而每一套行为方式都完美契合了它所来自的生活方式;把其中一种硬套到另一个地方,只会让两边都变得更糟。一些共同的基本准则会有帮助:诚实、不伤害他人,对陌生人多一点耐心。但除此之外,差异正是文化互相学习的地方,而千篇一律会终结这种学习。这也会引出一个问题:大家究竟会模仿谁的行为方式,而答案永远是最强大的那个国家。一个更好的世界,应该是人们理解彼此不同方式的世界,而不是只有一种理解方式的世界。

    为什么是这个分数

    • FCa mistake dressed as harmonyA compact metaphor that opens the whole answer and states the position and its flavour in four words. Neither the 6.5 nor 7.0 bands attempt anything this condensed; both need a full sentence to do the same job.一个紧凑的比喻,开启了整个答案,只用四个词就表明了立场及其色彩。6.5分和7.0分都没有尝试如此凝练的表达;两者都需要一整句话才能完成同样的任务。
    • LRA better world is one where people understand each other's ways, not one where there's only one way to understand.A crafted closing line built on the wordplay between "way" and "understand", genuinely idiomatic and memorable. The lower bands close on more literal, functional statements about power and the strongest country, without this kind of deliberate verbal patterning.一句精心构造的结尾,建立在 "way" 和 "understand" 的文字游戏之上,真正地道且令人印象深刻。较低分段则以更直白、更功能性的陈述——关于权力和最强大的国家——来收尾,没有这种刻意的语言技巧。
    • GRAone indirect, slow and ceremonial, the other blunt and efficient — and each set is perfectly suited to the life it comes from; imposing either on the other would make both places worseA single sentence uses a dash and a semicolon together to stack contrast, explanation and consequence without a single subordinating conjunction. This is more structurally daring than the 7.0 version's "yet... so" chain, which relies on conjunctions to do the same linking work.一个句子同时用破折号和分号,把对比、解释和结果层层堆叠起来,完全不用任何从属连词。这在结构上比7.0版本依赖连接词的 "yet... so" 链条更大胆。

常见问题

这道 Part 2 题应该讲多长?
讲 1 到 2 分钟。考官会在 2 分钟时打断你,因此目标约 220-300 词,覆盖题卡上的每一点,并以你的感受收尾。
这张题卡之后会问哪些 Part 3 问题?
在"A Time When You Couldn't Use Your Phone"之后,考官提出过 9 个讨论题,见上方列表。问题会从你的个人经历转向同一主题的普遍观点。
这张题卡还在使用吗?
考生最近一次报告它出现在 2026年5–8月。题卡每四个月轮换一次,许多话题会在之后的季度以略有不同的措辞回归。