Band 7 Example

Question: Why do people like to participate in activities?

Idea 1

Social Interaction
Model Answer
I think the main reason is about social interaction. We work a lot and can't choose our colleagues, so making friends with them can be hard. But, if we do an activity in our free time, we can meet people who share our interests and possibly make better friendships.
I think the main reason is the social side of things. We work so much and we don’t necessarily choose our colleagues, so it may be difficult to actually build friendships with them. However, if we choose an activity to do in our free time, then we can find some like-minded people who have similar interests to us and we can maybe form more meaningful friendships.
Grammar Analysis
Adverbial Clause of Condition: "if we choose an activity to do in our free time" is used to set a hypothetical situation, explaining the social dynamics that may occur under specific conditions. Expressions of Possibility: "it may be difficult" and "we can maybe form" use "may" and "maybe" to express possibility, which is a common way of expressing uncertainty in spoken language. Gerund Phrases: "building friendships" and "choosing an activity" are used to express the purpose of activities or actions, adding fluency and depth to the sentence.
Vocabulary
  • the social side of things
  • build friendships
  • like-minded people
  • similar interests
  • meaningful friendships

Idea 2

Personal Interests and Hobbies
Model Answer
Everyone has a hobby they love besides work, and doing these activities is a way to use this energy. A lot of people are creative and have skills like painting and playing music, but maybe they can't earn a living from it. So, they do it in their free time instead.
Everyone has a passion outside of work and doing these activities is an outlet for this energy. So many people are really creative and have hidden skills like painting and playing musical instruments but maybe just aren't gifted enough to make a living out of it. And so it becomes something we do in our free-time instead.
Grammar Analysis
Gerund phrase: "doing these activities" Using a gerund phrase as the subject describes the behavior of engaging in hobby activities, adding dynamism to the sentence. Past participle as an adjective: "hidden skills" Using a past participle as an adjective describes skills that people may possess but are not often revealed, adding descriptive and depth to the sentence. Conditional adverbial clause: "but maybe just aren't gifted enough to make a living out of it" This conditional adverbial clause provides additional information to the main clause, explaining why people choose to pursue it as a hobby rather than a profession.
Vocabulary
  • passion
  • outlet
  • creative
  • hidden skills
  • gifted
  • make a living out of it

Idea 3

Entertainment and Relaxation
Model Answer
It's a way to have fun and enjoy ourselves. When we're free, it's not good to just sit and look at social media. Most people prefer to go out, meet others, and do something together. It's a break from work stress and responsibilities, but mainly it's to have fun and relax.
It’s just a way to get some enjoyment and fun. When we have free time, it’s a bit of a waste to just sit on the sofa and scroll through social media, so most people like to get out and meet other people while doing something together. It might just be a distraction from the daily stress and responsibilities of work, but the function is to have fun and relax a little.
Grammar Analysis
Gerund phrase: "sitting on the sofa and scrolling through social media" Using a gerund phrase to describe a less valuable activity adds dynamism and descriptiveness to the sentence. Conditional adverbial clause: "When we have free time" Using a conditional adverbial clause to set the context explains how activities are chosen at a specific time, adding logicality and situational awareness to the sentence. Comparison structure: "It might just be a distraction... but the function is to have fun and relax" This comparison structure emphasizes that the activity is both a way to escape daily stress and for enjoyment and relaxation, adding complexity and depth to the sentence.
Vocabulary
  • waste
  • scroll through
  • social media
  • distraction
  • function