Technology & media: IELTS Speaking Part 1 questions

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3. Feeling

Pretty much constantly, if I'm honest, from first thing in the morning until I switch the lights off. My phone wakes me up, I'm on a laptop for the whole working day, and even my evenings tend to involve one screen or another. It's become so woven into my routine that I barely notice it any more.

first thing in the morning

very early, as soon as the day starts

woven into my routine

a natural, built-in part of my daily life

barely notice it any more

hardly realise it is there now

57 words · about 25 seconds spoken

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It's probably my laptop, even though my phone is never far away. I work from home most of the week, so it's essentially my office. Mine's a slim, fairly basic model, but it does everything I need and it's light enough to take to a café when I fancy a change of scene.

never far away

always close by

does everything I need

has all the functions I actually use

fancy a change of scene

want to be somewhere different for variety

53 words · about 23 seconds spoken

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Work, mostly, so things like spreadsheets, emails and endless video calls. Once I've logged off, though, it turns into a sort of entertainment centre, and I'll stream a series or catch up on a podcast while I cook. Last night, for instance, I finally finished a documentary I'd started weeks ago.

Once I've logged off

after I have finished work on the computer

catch up on

watch or listen to something you missed earlier

51 words · about 22 seconds spoken

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3. Feeling

Definitely the maps on my phone, because I've got a hopeless sense of direction. Before I had them, I'd regularly turn up late and flustered, having taken the wrong exit or misread a street sign. Now I can find my way around a strange city without a second thought, which is a huge relief.

a hopeless sense of direction

very bad at knowing which way to go

turn up late

arrive after the time you were expected

without a second thought

easily, without worrying or hesitating

54 words · about 23 seconds spoken

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Yes, almost certainly, and I can feel it in my eyes by the end of the day. Between work and relaxing in the evening, I'd guess it adds up to ten or eleven hours. I've started leaving my phone in another room at night and going for a walk at lunchtime, which helps a little.

I can feel it in my eyes

my eyes feel tired or sore because of it

adds up to

comes to a total of

55 words · about 24 seconds spoken

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3. Feeling

Far more often than I'd like to admit, probably every few minutes when I'm awake. I checked the screen time setting once, and it told me I'd unlocked it about ninety times in a single day. That figure genuinely shocked me.

more often than I'd like to admit

so often that it is a little embarrassing

in a single day

within just one day

41 words · about 18 seconds spoken

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Mainly for keeping in touch, since most of my friends and family are spread across different cities. We've got a family group chat that's busy from breakfast onwards, full of photos, recipes and my dad's terrible jokes. It's a lovely way to feel close to them even when we're miles apart.

keeping in touch

staying in contact with people

from breakfast onwards

starting early in the morning and continuing all day

even when we're miles apart

although we live a long way from each other

51 words · about 22 seconds spoken

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3. Feeling

I could, but I'd feel slightly lost for the first few hours. Last summer I went hiking somewhere with no signal at all, and I kept reaching into my pocket out of sheer habit. By the evening, though, I actually felt calmer than I had in weeks.

out of sheer habit

only because you always do it, without thinking

calmer than I had in weeks

more relaxed than I had been for a long time

47 words · about 20 seconds spoken

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Messaging, nine times out of ten, because it lets people reply whenever it suits them. A phone call can feel a bit intrusive if someone's at work or in the middle of something. The one exception is my grandmother, who much prefers hearing a voice, so I ring her every Sunday without fail.

nine times out of ten

almost always

whenever it suits them

at a time that is convenient for them

without fail

always, every single time

53 words · about 23 seconds spoken

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Completely different. It was a chunky handset my older brother passed down to me, with real buttons and a tiny screen. All it could really do was make calls and send texts, and you had to press each key several times to type a single letter. I was incredibly proud of it at the time, though.

passed down to me

given to me after someone older had used it

at the time

then, back in that period of the past

56 words · about 24 seconds spoken

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Mostly for my studies, because I'm doing a master's and almost all the reading is online. I spend hours digging through academic journals and rewatching recorded lectures whenever a topic hasn't quite sunk in. I honestly don't know how I'd get through my course without it.

digging through

searching carefully through a lot of material

hasn't quite sunk in

is not yet fully understood

get through my course

manage to complete my studies

46 words · about 20 seconds spoken

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Probably somewhere around eight or nine hours, though it's hard to put an exact figure on it. The line between being online and offline has almost disappeared, because my phone is always connected in the background. If I only counted the time I'm actively browsing or studying, it might be closer to six.

put an exact figure on it

give a precise number

in the background

working quietly while you do other things

53 words · about 23 seconds spoken

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I imagine they relied a lot more on libraries, newspapers and simply asking other people. My dad still talks about queuing at the library to borrow the one copy of a textbook that everyone in his class needed. It sounds exhausting, but I suspect people were far more patient back then.

relied a lot more on

depended much more on

far more patient back then

much better at waiting in the past

51 words · about 22 seconds spoken

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For study, definitely, which I suppose counts as work in my case. During term time it's probably eighty per cent coursework and research. That said, I do have a weakness for long videos about how old buildings are restored, and I can lose an entire Sunday afternoon to them.

counts as work in my case

can be called work for someone like me

I do have a weakness for

I really enjoy something, maybe a bit too much

lose an entire Sunday afternoon

spend a whole afternoon without noticing the time

49 words · about 21 seconds spoken

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Yes, the sheer amount of clutter you have to wade through to find anything useful. Half the time I open a page and I'm hit with cookie notices, pop-up adverts and a video that starts playing on its own. By the time I've closed them all, I've forgotten what I was looking for in the first place.

wade through

deal slowly with a large amount of something

Half the time

very often

in the first place

originally, at the very beginning

57 words · about 25 seconds spoken

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Not a great deal, no, maybe twenty minutes a day at most. I tend to have a quick look on the bus home, and that's about it. It's more of a habit than something I truly look forward to.

Not a great deal

not much

have a quick look

check something briefly

that's about it

that is all, nothing more

39 words · about 17 seconds spoken

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Just two, really, a photo-sharing app and a professional networking site I use for work. The photo one is where most of my friends post, so it's the easiest way to see what they're up to. The work one is less fun, but it's handy for keeping an eye on job openings in my field.

what they're up to

what they are doing in their lives

keeping an eye on

watching or checking something regularly

55 words · about 24 seconds spoken

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Honestly, I mostly just scroll and look at other people's posts instead of sharing my own. I follow quite a few cooks and travel photographers, so my feed is basically food and beautiful landscapes. I'll post maybe three or four times a year, usually when something genuinely worth sharing happens, like a friend's wedding.

quite a few

a fairly large number

genuinely worth sharing

truly interesting enough to show other people

54 words · about 23 seconds spoken

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I don't now, but I certainly did when I was at university. There were evenings when I'd lose two or three hours to mindless scrolling without even noticing. What finally fixed it was turning off every notification, so now I open the apps when I choose to rather than whenever they demand my attention.

mindless scrolling

looking through posts without real thought or interest

What finally fixed it

the thing that solved the problem in the end

demand my attention

try hard to make me look at them

54 words · about 23 seconds spoken

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3. Feeling

It's made it much easier to stay connected with people I'd otherwise have lost touch with. I've got school friends scattered across three continents, and I still know roughly what's going on in their lives. Sometimes I worry that liking someone's photo has become a substitute for actually picking up the phone.

lost touch with

stopped being in contact with

scattered across three continents

living in many places far from each other

a substitute for

something used instead of something else

52 words · about 23 seconds spoken

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A fair amount, although hardly any of it is live TV these days. Most evenings my partner and I will watch an episode or two of something on a streaming service after dinner. It's our way of switching off after a long day.

A fair amount

quite a lot, but not a huge amount

switching off after a long day

relaxing and forgetting about work in the evening

43 words · about 19 seconds spoken

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I'm a big fan of nature documentaries, especially the ones filmed in really remote places. The camerawork is often breathtaking, and I always come away having learnt something unexpected. When I'm too tired for anything serious, I'll put on a baking competition instead, because it's cheerful and easy to follow.

I'm a big fan of

I really like

come away having learnt something

finish it knowing something new

easy to follow

simple to understand without concentrating hard

50 words · about 22 seconds spoken

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Usually with my partner, since it's one of the few times in the day we properly sit down together. We've got a strict rule that neither of us watches ahead on a shared series. I broke it once with a crime drama, and I've never quite been forgiven.

one of the few times

one of the rare occasions

never quite been forgiven

the other person is still a little annoyed

48 words · about 21 seconds spoken

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On a proper television, without a doubt. Documentaries in particular deserve a big screen, and watching them on a phone feels like looking at a masterpiece through a keyhole. I'll only watch on my tablet when I'm travelling, and even then it's usually something I've downloaded in advance.

without a doubt

definitely, certainly

deserve a big screen

should be watched on a large television

downloaded in advance

saved to the device before you need it

48 words · about 21 seconds spoken

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Completely, because scheduled programmes have more or less vanished from my life. When I was growing up, the whole family would gather round for the same show every Saturday night, and if you missed it, that was that. Now I can watch whatever I like whenever I like, though I do miss that sense of occasion a little.

gather round

come together in one place to watch or listen

that was that

it was over and nothing could be done

that sense of occasion

the feeling that something is special

58 words · about 25 seconds spoken

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I love them, and I'd say I get through at least two a week. A good film can transport me somewhere completely different for a couple of hours, which is something I really value when life gets hectic. I've even started keeping a little notebook of everything I watch.

get through at least two

watch or finish a minimum of two

when life gets hectic

when things become very busy and stressful

49 words · about 21 seconds spoken

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Mostly slow-burning thrillers and dramas where the characters really drive the story. I'd much rather be kept guessing than watch a string of explosions. I've also developed a soft spot for old black-and-white films, which I first discovered through my grandfather.

drive the story

make the plot move forward

be kept guessing

stay unsure about what will happen next

a soft spot for

a special fondness for something

41 words · about 18 seconds spoken

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It depends on the film, really. Anything with stunning visuals or a powerful soundtrack deserves the big screen, so I'll happily pay for a ticket. For quieter dramas, though, I prefer my own sofa, where nobody's rustling sweet wrappers or scrolling through their phone in the row in front.

It depends on the film

the answer changes according to the film

I'll happily pay for

I am glad to spend money on

in the row in front

in the seats just ahead of you

49 words · about 21 seconds spoken

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Usually my younger sister, because we've got remarkably similar taste. We take turns choosing, and whoever picks a dud has to make the popcorn next time. Every so often I'll also slip off to the cinema alone on a weekday afternoon, and I love having the place almost to myself.

take turns choosing

choose one after the other, alternating

picks a dud

chooses something disappointing

the place almost to myself

nearly nobody else is there

50 words · about 22 seconds spoken

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Yes, a classic from the fifties about twelve jurors locked in a hot room, arguing over a young man's fate. It's almost entirely dialogue, yet it's more gripping than most action films I've seen. Every time I rewatch it, I notice some tiny detail in someone's performance that I'd missed before, and that never gets old.

more gripping than

more exciting and holding your attention more than

that never gets old

it never becomes boring

56 words · about 24 seconds spoken

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Mainly through a news app on my phone, which I skim over breakfast. Then on the drive to work I'll have the radio on, so I catch the main bulletin at eight. Between the two, I feel reasonably well informed without it taking over my morning.

reasonably well informed

knowing enough about what is happening

taking over my morning

using up too much of my morning

46 words · about 20 seconds spoken

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International news, mostly, partly because of my job. I work for a company that exports furniture, so a strike at a foreign port or a sudden change in trade rules can affect us within days. I do keep half an eye on local stories too, especially anything about roadworks or new housing near me.

keep half an eye on

follow something casually, without full attention

affect us within days

have an impact on us very quickly

54 words · about 23 seconds spoken

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I check the headlines every day, but I've learnt not to go much deeper than that. A few years ago I was reading every update on every crisis, and it left me feeling anxious and drained. Now it's strictly a morning thing, and I never look at the news in bed.

check the headlines

look quickly at the main news stories

left me feeling anxious and drained

made me worried and tired afterwards

51 words · about 22 seconds spoken

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Yes, mostly with my dad, who loves nothing more than a lively debate over dinner. We usually see things from opposite sides, particularly on economic issues, yet it never turns into a proper row. I actually find those conversations really valuable, because he makes me question opinions I'd taken for granted.

loves nothing more than

enjoys something more than anything else

turns into a proper row

becomes a real argument

taken for granted

accepted as true without questioning it

51 words · about 22 seconds spoken

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No, not always, especially when a story is still unfolding. In the rush to be first, news organisations sometimes report details that turn out to be completely wrong a few hours later. So whenever something big happens, I wait a day and compare a couple of different sources before I make up my mind.

still unfolding

still developing, not yet finished

In the rush to be first

hurrying to report something before anyone else

make up my mind

decide what I think

54 words · about 23 seconds spoken