Daily routine & time: IELTS Speaking Part 1 questions

1. Answer→
2. Detail→
3. Feeling

On weekdays I'm up at half six and out of the door by quarter past seven to catch my train. I work in marketing, so I'm mostly at my desk or in meetings until about half five. Evenings are the part I enjoy most, when I squeeze in a run and wind down with a book.

out of the door

gone from the house, on my way

squeeze in a run

find time for a run in a busy day

wind down with a book

relax by reading before sleep

56 words · about 24 seconds spoken

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3. Detail

Definitely a morning person, which surprises people who knew me as a student. My head is clearest before lunch, so I save anything that needs real concentration for the first couple of hours at work. By nine in the evening, though, I'm flagging, and I'm rarely awake past half ten.

needs real concentration

requires you to think very carefully

I'm flagging

I'm getting tired and losing energy

50 words · about 22 seconds spoken

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3. Example

Without a doubt, it's late morning, roughly between ten and one. That's when most of our meetings are scheduled, and they tend to run back to back. On a bad day I might have four calls in a row and barely have time to grab a coffee, so the afternoon feels calm by comparison.

back to back

one immediately after another

grab a coffee

get a coffee quickly

by comparison

when compared with something else

54 words · about 23 seconds spoken

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3. Example

Not entirely, although my body clock doesn't really know it's Saturday. I still wake up around seven without an alarm, but instead of rushing for the train I have a long, lazy breakfast. I also swap my evening run for a longer one along the river on Sunday morning, which is easily the highlight of my week.

my body clock

the natural rhythm that tells you when to sleep

a long, lazy breakfast

a slow, relaxed morning meal

easily the highlight of

clearly the best part of

57 words · about 25 seconds spoken

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I'd love to cut down on the time I spend on my phone in the evenings. I tell myself I'll just check one thing, and then suddenly forty minutes have disappeared. If I could claw that time back, I'd read more, or finally pick up the guitar I bought last year and haven't touched since.

cut down on

reduce how much you do something

claw that time back

win back time that you lost

haven't touched since

have not used at all after that

55 words · about 24 seconds spoken

1. Answer→
2. Feeling

Usually about half past seven on weekdays, since my first lecture starts at nine and the campus is only a short bike ride away. Anything earlier than that and I'm not much use to anyone.

a short bike ride away

close enough to reach quickly by bike

not much use to anyone

not able to do anything well

35 words · about 15 seconds spoken

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Not at all. I'm a night owl by nature. I set two alarms ten minutes apart, and I'm embarrassed to say I often sleep through the first one. Last term I had a seminar at eight on Mondays, and I think I was late for nearly half of them.

a night owl by nature

naturally someone who prefers staying up late

I'm embarrassed to say

I admit this, though it's a little shameful

sleep through

not wake up despite a noise

49 words · about 21 seconds spoken

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Honestly, the very first thing is reaching for my phone, which I know is a terrible habit. It's the only thing that really drags me out of that half-asleep state. Once I'm properly awake, I open the curtains and drink a big glass of water before I even think about coffee.

a terrible habit

something you do often but shouldn't

drags me out of

pulls me, with effort, out of a state

before I even think about

before I consider doing something else

51 words · about 22 seconds spoken

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I'd much rather have a slow start, although my love of sleep doesn't always allow it. If I have to rush out of the house, I feel scattered and on edge for the rest of the morning. My ideal is twenty minutes with a coffee and the news before I have to talk to anyone.

I'd much rather

I would strongly prefer

scattered and on edge

unable to focus and slightly nervous

for the rest of the morning

until lunchtime

55 words · about 24 seconds spoken

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3. Feeling

Completely, because there's nothing I have to be up for. I tend to sleep in until nine or ten and then make a proper cooked breakfast with my flatmates. It's probably my favourite part of the week, just pottering around the kitchen with no clock to watch.

sleep in

stay in bed later than usual

pottering around the kitchen

doing small jobs in a slow, relaxed way

no clock to watch

no need to worry about the time

47 words · about 20 seconds spoken

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2. Detail

Saturday mornings tend to go on chores, like the food shop and catching up on laundry. In the afternoon I play five-a-side football with some old university friends, and Sunday is when I see my parents.

tend to go on chores

are usually spent on housework

catching up on laundry

doing washing that has been piling up

36 words · about 16 seconds spoken

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3. Example

It's a mix, but if I had to choose, I'd say going out. I'm stuck indoors at a desk all week, so by Saturday I'm desperate for some fresh air. Even when it's pouring with rain, I'll usually drag my partner out for a walk in the park.

if I had to choose

if I could pick only one

desperate for some fresh air

really needing to be outside

pouring with rain

raining very heavily

48 words · about 21 seconds spoken

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Yes, mainly that I actually cook. From Monday to Friday I survive on quick pasta dishes and the occasional takeaway, but at the weekend I'll spend hours trying out a new recipe. Last Saturday evening I made a lamb curry from scratch, and it took me nearly four hours.

the occasional takeaway

a restaurant meal eaten at home now and then

trying out a new recipe

cooking a dish for the first time

from scratch

from raw ingredients, not ready made

49 words · about 21 seconds spoken

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Mostly with my partner, although we each do our own thing for part of Saturday. While I'm off playing football, she usually meets her sister for coffee. Then on Sundays we head over to my parents' place for lunch, which has been a family tradition for as long as I can remember.

do our own thing

spend time on our separate interests

head over to

go to a place

for as long as I can remember

since my earliest memories

52 words · about 23 seconds spoken

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3. Feeling

My ideal weekend would be somewhere by the sea, in a little cottage with no phone signal. I'd spend the days on long coastal walks and the evenings eating fresh seafood in a local pub. Just two days of switching off completely would leave me feeling like a new person.

no phone signal

a mobile phone cannot connect there

switching off completely

relaxing fully and forgetting about work

feeling like a new person

feeling refreshed and full of energy

50 words · about 22 seconds spoken

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3. Feeling

Around seven hours on a typical weeknight, from about midnight until seven. At the weekend I'll often catch up and get closer to nine, which probably says something. Seven feels like the bare minimum for me to function properly.

which probably says something

this tells you something important

the bare minimum

the smallest amount that is acceptable

function properly

work or think normally

39 words · about 17 seconds spoken

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3. Feeling

Probably not, if I'm being honest with myself. I'm fine in the mornings, but by about three in the afternoon my concentration starts to slip and I reach for another coffee. I know an extra hour would make a real difference, but the evenings are the only time I get to myself.

my concentration starts to slip

I begin to lose focus

make a real difference

improve things noticeably

time I get to myself

free time that is only for me

52 words · about 23 seconds spoken

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Hardly ever on weekdays, simply because I'm at work. On Sunday afternoons, though, I sometimes have a twenty-minute power nap on the sofa. I keep it short deliberately, because if I sleep for an hour I wake up groggy and grumpy.

Hardly ever

almost never

a twenty-minute power nap

a short sleep to restore energy

groggy and grumpy

slow, half awake and in a bad mood

41 words · about 18 seconds spoken

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Quite a lot, and mostly for the better. As a teenager I could easily sleep until noon, and at university I went through a phase of pulling all-nighters before deadlines. Since I started working, my sleep has become far more regular, though I don't sleep as deeply as I used to.

for the better

in a way that improves things

went through a phase of

did something for a limited period

pulling all-nighters

staying awake all night to work or study

51 words · about 22 seconds spoken

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3. Reason

Mostly a cool, dark room and a bit of discipline about screens. I try to leave my phone on the other side of the room half an hour before bed and read a novel instead. Reading slows my thoughts down, whereas scrolling just keeps my brain buzzing.

a bit of discipline

some self-control

slows my thoughts down

makes my mind calmer

keeps my brain buzzing

keeps my mind too active to rest

47 words · about 20 seconds spoken

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I'm almost always punctual, sometimes annoyingly so. I'd rather turn up ten minutes early and wait around than walk in late and flustered. My father was a real stickler for time, so I suppose I inherited it from him.

annoyingly so

to a degree that can irritate people

late and flustered

late, hurried and a little confused

a real stickler for time

someone who insists on being on time

39 words · about 17 seconds spoken

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I usually plan it the night before, while I'm having a cup of tea after dinner. I jot down the three things that absolutely have to get done, and everything else is a bonus. If the list is any longer than that, I just end up feeling overwhelmed and achieving very little.

jot down

write something quickly

absolutely have to get done

must be finished, no matter what

everything else is a bonus

anything more is extra, not essential

52 words · about 23 seconds spoken

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In advance, whenever I can, because last-minute panic doesn't suit me at all. If I have a report due on Friday, I'll aim to have a draft finished by Wednesday so there's time to fix anything. Packing is the one exception, oddly enough. I always throw everything into a suitcase the night before we leave.

doesn't suit me at all

is not right for my personality

oddly enough

strangely, surprisingly

throw everything into a suitcase

pack quickly and carelessly

55 words · about 24 seconds spoken

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A bit of both, really. Appointments and deadlines go straight into the calendar on my phone, with a reminder set for the day before. For daily to-do lists, though, I still prefer a paper notebook, because crossing things off with a pen is far more satisfying than tapping a screen.

A bit of both

partly one thing and partly the other

go straight into

are put immediately into

crossing things off

marking tasks on a list as done

50 words · about 22 seconds spoken

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3. Example

Most of the time, yes, but I have two weaknesses. The first is social media, which can swallow an hour without my noticing. The other is that I find it hard to say no when a colleague asks for help, so my own work sometimes gets pushed to the evening.

swallow an hour

use up an hour without you realising

hard to say no

difficult to refuse a request

gets pushed to the evening

is delayed until later in the day

50 words · about 22 seconds spoken