Part 1 · Band 6

Do you work or study?

Source-reported band score · 31 words

Sample answer

Actually, I am currently a student at a high school. I am studying honors in order to go to a university in Maulana Azad College, which is affiliated to Dhaka University.

Answer analysis

Fluency & Coherence

Text-only assessment: fluency cannot be scored from a written response. The ideas move in a clear sequence: you identify yourself as a high-school student, then explain your studies and university goal, and finish with the college’s affiliation. The answer could develop the response a little more by briefly explaining what you hope to study or why this goal matters. Practise delivering this answer in 20 seconds, then repeat it in 15 seconds while keeping the same key information.

Lexical Resource

The answer uses relevant education vocabulary, including “high school,” “honors,” and “affiliated,” and the listener can understand your study plans. However, “studying honors” and “go to a university in Maulana Azad College” sound less natural than common English collocations. Next, practise these ideas as complete phrases—for example, “study for honours” and “continue to university”—and choose the phrasing that accurately represents your programme.

Grammatical Range & Accuracy

You form complete sentences and extend the second one with the purpose phrase “in order to” and the relative clause “which is affiliated to Dhaka University.” These structures help you connect details efficiently. The main refinement is the preposition in “a university in Maulana Azad College,” which makes the relationship between the university and college unclear. Practise using “at” for the intended location, while keeping your stated facts unchanged.

Pronunciation

Pronunciation cannot be assessed from text, and this practice guide is not an assessment of a recording. Practise the word stress in “currently” (CUR-rent-ly), “university” (u-ni-VER-si-ty), and “affiliated” (af-FIL-i-at-ed). Read in thought groups: “Actually, I am currently a student at a high school” / “I am studying honours…” Record one attempt, replay it, and check whether the stressed syllables and phrase boundaries 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 saying “I’m studying honours with the aim of going on to university” as one natural phrase.
  • Make the relationship between Maulana Azad College and Dhaka University clear by keeping the relative clause directly after the college name.
  • Add one brief, truthful detail about what you hope to study or why you want to attend university.

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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