Part 1 · Band 7

Do you work or study?

Source-reported band score · 31 words

Sample answer

I'm currently a student at a special school called Yevgen in my hometown. I just recently finished the 10th grade and will be moving to the 11th grade starting in September.

Answer analysis

Fluency & Coherence

The ideas follow a clear sequence: you identify yourself as a student, name your school and hometown, then explain your recent and upcoming grades. That gives the answer a natural beginning-to-next-step development, though the text alone cannot show spoken fluency. Practise this answer in a 20-second recording, aiming to connect the school detail to the grade transition without adding unrelated information.

Lexical Resource

Your wording is clear and relevant, especially in “a special school called Yevgen in my hometown,” which gives a specific personal detail. “Finished the 10th grade” and “moving to the 11th grade” communicate the study progression successfully. The vocabulary range is necessarily narrow for this short Part 1 response, so you could add one natural detail about what you enjoy or what you hope to study next, if true.

Grammatical Range & Accuracy

You use accurate sentence structures, including the present continuous in “I'm currently a student” and future forms for the grade transition. The two sentences are easy to understand, with no clear grammatical error. “Just recently” is slightly repetitive, and “will be moving to the 11th grade starting in September” is wordier than needed. Try “recently” and a more direct future phrase while keeping the same meaning.

Pronunciation

This is a practice guide, not an assessment of a recording; pronunciation cannot be judged from the text. Practise the word stress in “currently” (CUR-rent-ly), “Yevgen,” and “September” (sep-TEM-ber). Group the answer into thought units: “I'm currently a student / at a special school called Yevgen / in my hometown.” Record yourself reading it, then check that each phrase is easy to follow and that the key names and month are clear.

A transcript shows language and organisation. Fluency, delivery and pronunciation require an audio recording; the synthetic voice demonstrates the text, not the original speaker.

  • Practise giving the answer in about 20 seconds, keeping the sequence of current study, school, and upcoming grade.
  • Try replacing “just recently” with “recently” and “will be moving to” with “will move up to” for a more concise response.
  • If accurate, add one brief personal detail about a subject you enjoy or what you expect from 11th grade.

Plan your answer

Try your own response before reading the samples.

Ideas to explore

  • Give your current status and where you study or work: you are a student researcher at NIAB.
  • Briefly describe your research focus: crop germplasm and marker-assisted approaches.
  • Add a personal view and a future direction: the work is rewarding, and you see yourself growing in the field.

Suggested structure

  1. Answer the work-or-study question directly.
  2. Name your institution or workplace.
  3. Describe your research area in one concise sentence.
  4. Add how you feel about the work.
  5. Finish with a relevant future plan.
Useful vocabulary & examples
student researcher
A student who carries out research as part of their studies.

I’m a student researcher at NIAB.

marker-assisted approaches
Methods that use genetic markers to support research or selection in crops.

I work on crop germplasm using marker-assisted approaches.

challenging and rewarding
Difficult in some ways but satisfying or worthwhile.

I find my research both challenging and rewarding.

grow in this field
To develop skills or progress in a particular area of work or study.

I can see myself continuing to grow in this field.

Practise your answer →

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