Part 2 cue cardLeisure and relaxation

Describe a busy day you had recently

The card says recently, so it's a past-tense story, but the bullet that earns the marks is "how you managed your time". Most answers turn it into an hour-by-hour timetable; examiners want the decisions and shortcuts that got you through.

1 minute to prepare
Up to 2 minutes
Samples at Band 6, 7 and 8
Updated 20 October 2026

Describe a busy day you had recently.

You should say:

what day it was
what you had to do
how you managed your time
and explain how you felt at the end of it

Rehearse the long turn

1 minute to prepare · 2 minutes to speak

Sit this card with the AI examinerThen the Part 3 discussion, and a full report

A 60-second plan

what day it waslast Thursday, Manila, three things at once
what you had to dothesis defence, tutoring, sister's engagement dinner
how you managed your timeplan night before, Grab, rehearse in traffic
and explain how you felt at the end of itdrained but proud; slept eleven hours

Sample answers

232 words · about 2:01 spoken at a Band 6 pace

I'd like to talk about last Thursday, which was probably the most busy day I had this year. I'm a final-year engineering student in Manila, and on that day three big things happened in the same time.

First, in the morning I had to present my thesis in front of a panel of three professors. Then in the afternoon I had two tutoring sessions, because I teach maths to two high school students for earn some extra money. And in the evening it was my sister's engagement dinner at our house, and my mother asked me to help with cooking and decorating.

To manage my time, I made a list on the night before, with every task and the time for it. I also prepared my clothes and printed my slides, so in the morning I didn't waste any time. Because traffic in Manila is terrible, I booked a Grab instead of taking a jeepney, and I practised my presentation in the car. Between the tutoring sessions I just ate a sandwich while walking.

At the end of the day I felt very tired but also satisfy. My presentation went well, the professors only made me two questions, and the dinner was success, my sister was so happy. When everybody left, I fell asleep on the sofa with my clothes on and I didn't wake up until ten o'clock in next morning.

The mistakes that keep it at Band 6

the most busy day I had this year should be the busiest day I've had this year
in the same time should be at the same time
for earn some extra money should be to earn some extra money
on the night before should be the night before
very tired but also satisfy should be very tired but also satisfied
made me two questions should be asked me two questions
the dinner was success should be the dinner was a success
in next morning should be the next morning

Why this is Band 6, not Band 7

Fluency and coherence: Willing to extend and well organised with simple sequencing ("First", "Then", "And in the evening"). It stays at Band 6 because the answer leans on that list structure, and the time-management bullet is mostly a series of actions rather than reasons.
Vocabulary: Topic vocabulary is adequate ("thesis", "panel of three professors", "tutoring sessions"), but some choices are wrong: "made me two questions" is not the English collocation, and "satisfy" uses the verb for the adjective. Band 7 would describe the tiredness more precisely than "very tired".
Grammar: A mix of simple and complex sentences, but with frequent errors: "for earn some extra money" breaks the purpose clause, "the most busy day I had this year" misses both the superlative form and the present perfect, and articles go missing ("was success"). That is Band 6.

Pronunciation is the fourth criterion; it is judged from your voice, so a written sample cannot show it.

267 words · about 2:03 spoken at a Band 7 pace

The busiest day I've had recently was last Thursday, when three things I'd been dreading all happened to land on the same date. I'm in my final year of engineering in Manila, so my schedule is usually full, but this was something else.

In the morning I had to defend my thesis in front of a panel of three professors, which I'd been preparing for since August. In the afternoon I had two tutoring sessions, since I teach maths to a couple of high school kids to cover my phone bill and transport. And that evening my older sister was having her engagement dinner at our house, with both families coming, and my mum had put me in charge of the decorations.

The only way I got through it was by planning everything the night before. I wrote out a schedule down to the half hour, laid out my clothes and printed my slides, so I wouldn't have to think in the morning. I also splashed out on a Grab rather than squeezing onto a jeepney, partly to save time and partly so I could rehearse my opening in the back seat. Lunch was a siopao eaten while walking between students' houses, which isn't something I'd recommend.

By the time the last guests left, I was completely drained, but in a good way. The defence had gone far better than I'd feared, the panel only asked two question, and my sister kept thanking me for the lanterns I'd hung in the garden. I collapsed on the sofa still in my shirt and slept for about eleven hours.

The slips

only asked two question should be only asked two questions

Why this is Band 7, not Band 8

Fluency and coherence: Speaks at length without effort, and the time-management bullet is developed with reasons ("partly to save time and partly so I could rehearse"). Not Band 8 because the second paragraph still runs through the day in order ("In the morning", "In the afternoon", "And that evening") like a timetable.
Vocabulary: Some less common and idiomatic items: "this was something else", "put me in charge of", "splashed out on a Grab", "completely drained, but in a good way". Band 8 would show this precision throughout, including in the plainer description of the tutoring.
Grammar: A good range with frequent error-free complex sentences: past perfect continuous ("I'd been dreading", "I'd been preparing for since August"), a participle ("a siopao eaten while walking"), purpose clauses. One small slip, "only asked two question", which drops a plural; occasional slips are Band 7.

Pronunciation is the fourth criterion; it is judged from your voice, so a written sample cannot show it.

270 words · about 1:52 spoken at a Band 8 pace

I'm going to talk about last Thursday, which was easily the most hectic day I've had this year. I'm finishing a civil engineering degree in Manila, and through some cruel twist of scheduling, three things I'd been quietly dreading for weeks all landed on that one date.

The morning was my thesis defence: forty minutes in front of a panel of three professors, one of whom is notorious for tearing students' methodology apart. After that I had two tutoring sessions on opposite sides of Quezon City, because I coach a couple of teenagers in maths to pay for my own transport. And to cap it all, that evening my older sister's fiancé and his entire family were coming to our house for the formal engagement dinner, and my mother had made me responsible for decorating the garden.

I got through it by being almost ruthless with my time. The night before, I mapped out the whole day in fifteen-minute blocks, ironed my shirt and printed two copies of my slides in case one went missing. Instead of taking a jeepney I splurged on a Grab, which meant I could run through my opening out loud without strangers staring. Lunch was a siopao wolfed down between houses, and I was stringing up fairy lights while my mother was still frying lumpia.

By the end I was running on fumes, but I felt a kind of satisfaction I don't often get. The panel had asked just two questions, my sister hugged me in front of everyone, and I fell asleep on the sofa fully dressed, which I think everyone agreed I'd earned.

Why this is Band 8, not Band 9

Fluency and coherence: Fluent and coherent, with the time-management bullet given the most space and the most specific detail, which is exactly where this card's marks are. Short of Band 9 because the ending is a tidy list of outcomes ("The panel had asked just two questions, my sister hugged me") that sounds slightly assembled.
Vocabulary: Wide and idiomatic: "cruel twist of scheduling", "to cap it all", "almost ruthless with my time", "wolfed down", "running on fumes". The gap to Band 9 is the odd general phrase, such as "a kind of satisfaction".
Grammar: Flexible and accurate: a relative clause with a quantifier ("one of whom is notorious"), the past continuous for an arrangement ("were coming to our house"), a participle phrase, "in case" for a precaution. No errors; the structures vary without sounding rehearsed.

Pronunciation is the fourth criterion; it is judged from your voice, so a written sample cannot show it.

Rounding-off questions

Are people busier than they used to be?: In some ways, yes. Phones mean work and messages follow us everywhere, so the day never really ends. Our grandparents probably worked harder physically, but they had clearer limits.
How can people manage their time better?: Planning the day the night before helps a lot, in my experience. It also means being honest about what can be dropped, and switching off notifications for a few hours to do the hardest task first.