Part 1 · Band 7

Is that a big city or a small place?

Source-reported band score · 17 words

Sample answer

It is a town with a population of about 2 million. It is on the national highway.

Answer analysis

Fluency & Coherence

The answer moves in a clear sequence: “a population of about 2 million” gives the town’s scale, followed by “on the national highway” as a location detail. The ideas are relevant but minimally developed, so there is little evidence of how you would extend the response in speech. Practise a 20-second answer using these two points, adding one further true detail about the town and linking the ideas naturally.

Lexical Resource

The phrases “population of about 2 million” and “national highway” are relevant and communicate the key information clearly. The vocabulary is accurate but limited to basic description, and the short sample offers little variety. For a fuller response, keep these precise terms and add one or two specific, accurate descriptors—for example, a feature of the town or its surroundings—rather than replacing clear wording with unnecessarily advanced vocabulary.

Grammatical Range & Accuracy

Both sentences are grammatically complete: “It is a town with a population of about 2 million” uses a clear noun phrase, and “It is on the national highway” gives a straightforward location. There is no clear grammatical error in this short sample; however, the simple sentence patterns provide limited evidence of range. Practise joining the two facts with “and” or a relative clause while keeping the meaning unchanged.

Pronunciation

Pronunciation cannot be assessed from this text, so this is a practice guide rather than an assessment of a recording. Practise the word stress in “population” (pop-u-LA-tion) and “national” (NA-tion-al). Read the answer in two thought groups: “It is a town with a population of about 2 million” / “It is on the national highway.” Record yourself, then check that both groups are easy to understand and that the key terms are clearly articulated.

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

  • Keep the population figure, then add one true, specific detail about the town to develop the answer without guessing.
  • Practise connecting the population and highway information in one sentence, using “and” or a suitable relative clause.
  • Record a 20-second response and check that “population” and “national highway” are clear within two thought groups.

Plan your answer

Try your own response before reading the samples.

Ideas to explore

  • Contrast Hiva’s relatively small size with its historical importance.
  • Use Itchan Kala as the specific example of the city’s ancient architecture.
  • Explain that cultural heritage and monuments attract tourists.

Suggested structure

  1. Answer directly by describing the place as relatively small.
  2. Add a contrast showing that its size does not diminish its importance.
  3. Give Itchan Kala as a concrete example of its architecture.
  4. Finish with the reason tourists visit.
Useful vocabulary & examples
historically significant
important because of its history

Hiva is a historically significant city in Uzbekistan.

well-preserved
kept in good condition over time

Visitors come to see Hiva’s well-preserved ancient architecture.

cultural heritage
the traditions, places and history passed down through a community

Tourists explore Hiva’s rich cultural heritage.

attract tourists
draw visitors to a place

Its monuments attract tourists throughout the year.

Practise your answer →

Compare answers on this topic

Band 9

Well, this is indeed a large city rather than a small place. With a population of approximately a million residents, the urban area is buzzing with activity.

Band 8

Well, to be honest, Hiva is smaller compared to other cities, but it is a historically significant city in Uzbekistan. It is well known for its well-preserved ancient architectu...

Band 7

I think it is a relatively small city, and it contains five or six phases. I think it is a place to accommodate about 100,000 people.

Band 6

My hometown is called Toshkent and is located in the eastern part of Uzbekistan. I have lived here for 20 years. Its features include high-rise buildings, and the people of my c...

Band 5

Honestly, my hometown is in the middle of this difference. Also, there is more comfort. It has gorgeous places too.

Band 4

Well, my city is actually a small place. There are a number of these, um, this level of amenities. This is to read this situation, supermarkets, um, and also in a diverse popula...