Band 7+: Why do people spend so much time on social media?

Your pronunciation is very good. Aim to refine subtleties and intonation to further improve.

The answer addresses the question directly and provides a clear reason for the phenomenon. The response moves beyond personal experience by discussing general trends among young people and the broader implications of social media use. To reach a higher band, the response could further expand on the 'why' - for instance, by mentioning the psychological aspects of social media, such as the dopamine loop or the desire for instant gratification, rather than transitioning into the negative consequences (addiction and mental fatigue), which slightly shifts the focus away from the initial cause.

The answer is logically organized and follows a clear progression: stating a reason, providing an example, and discussing a consequence. You used cohesive devices like 'One of the main reasons', 'This is because', and 'Consequently' effectively. However, there was a significant grammatical fragment in the raw transcript ('While social media may help... [period]') which disrupted the flow. To reach a Band 8 or 9, ensure that complex sentences starting with subordinating conjunctions (like 'While') are properly connected to a main clause to maintain continuous flow.

You demonstrated a very good range of vocabulary appropriate for Part 3. Terms such as 'geographic barriers', 'mental well-being', 'social media addiction', and 'mental fatigue' are precise and academic. To improve further, try to incorporate even more idiomatic expressions or less common collocations to demonstrate 'full flexibility' as required by Band 9.

The grammatical range is good, utilizing complex structures. However, the raw answer contained a major error: a sentence fragment. You wrote: 'While social media may help people keep in touch with each other regardless of geographic barriers.' This is a dependent clause and cannot stand alone as a sentence. In the refined version, this was corrected by joining it to the next clause. Work on ensuring that your complex sentences are structurally complete to avoid losing marks for accuracy.