The gap to 7 is smaller than you think
You are stuck at 6.5. It feels like you need a whole new level of English. You do not. The difference between 6.5 and 7 is usually a few small, specific habits. Not a big change. Just cleaner choices, made again and again. Here are five small upgrades. Each one is easy to see, and each one lifts your score.
5 small upgrades from 6.5 to 7
Upgrade 1: Swap one vague word for a precise one
Many people have bad things happen because of social media.
Many people lose sleep and focus because of social media.
Vague words like bad, good, and thing keep you at 6.5. You do not need rare words. You need the exact one. Change just one or two per paragraph and your Lexical Resource goes up.
Upgrade 2: Join two short sentences into one complex sentence
The city is crowded. Many people move there for work.
The city is crowded because many people move there for work.
Two short sentences are safe but flat. One word like because, which, or although joins them into a real complex sentence. This is what Grammatical Range wants. Remember, it is about structure, not length.
Upgrade 3: Make every this, it, and they point to something clear
Students use their phones in class. This is a problem for them.
Students use their phones in class, and this habit distracts the whole room.
At 6.5, the reader often has to guess what this or it means. Add the noun after it (this habit, this rule, this change). Clear referencing is a key part of Coherence and Cohesion.
Upgrade 4: Connect each paragraph back to your opinion
A paragraph that lists facts about cars and then just stops.
The same paragraph ends: for this reason, cars should be limited in city centers.
A 6.5 essay explains a topic. A 7 essay argues for an opinion. End each body paragraph with one line that ties it back to what you think. Now every paragraph is doing a job.
Upgrade 5: Add a real example to a paragraph that only explains
Exercise is good for health, so people should do more of it.
Exercise is good for health. For example, a short daily walk can lower stress and improve sleep.
Explaining alone is not enough for band 7. One clear example makes your idea real. It does not need to be true or famous. A simple, general example is exactly what Task Response wants.
Your quick checklist before you hand it in
Did I swap at least one vague word (bad, good, thing) for a precise one?
Did I join at least two short sentences into one correct complex sentence?
Does every this, it, and they clearly point to a noun?
Does each body paragraph end by tying back to my opinion?
Does each idea have one clear example, not just an explanation?
Read next
Keep going with the series: the 4 questions your examiner is really asking and 6 mistakes that drop your score fast.
See your own 6.5 to 7 fixes
These five upgrades work on almost any essay. But yours has its own small gaps. Write your essay in VoyaLang and see the exact words, sentences, and paragraphs to upgrade, with a band 7 version beside your own so you can learn the difference. Create a free account and check your next one in about a minute.