Describe a period when you were busy IELTS Cue Card

IELTS CUE CARD TOPIC

Describe a period when you were busy

You should say:

When it was
What you did during the period
What made you busy
Explain how you felt about the experience

Sample 1

Being a workaholic person, I remain busy most of the time. However, I once didn’t have much to do; it was three years back during the lockdown.

Due to the coronavirus pandemic, there was a lockdown, and during the lockdown, I was free, but when the lockdown was over, I had a lot of work to do. I did a lot of things during that period because, at that time, I was in a business where you needed to meet with many clients, and during the pandemic, I was not allowed to go out.

So, I remained indoors for most of the days, and once the administration lifted the lockdown, I sighed in relief and started meeting all my clients. Every day, I would start at seven in the morning; some days, I would skip lunch and return home around 9:30 pm.

So, this routine lasted for about two minutes. So, that was the most busy period of my life, and that experience was good because it taught me many lessons.

It taught me that we create our limits; we have too much energy coupled with huge potential, but by thinking about fatigue, we limit our potential. We can go beyond the conventional domain to do a task, and I also realized that when you remain busy, your worries go for a toss.

Sample 2

I manage my time correctly, and because of that, I never remain too busy. Planning empowers me to do the task on time. There was one occasion when I had to be very busy.

It was four years ago, and the reason for being busy was that all of a sudden, my brother told my family that he would get married next week. So he fixed the date, and we had just one week to prepare.

Due to that, I remained swamped because since my brother was abroad, I had to do all the planning, and my father was unwell then. So I did everything and made catering arrangements; I sent cards to all the near and dear ones.

Apart from this, I decorated my whole house, and my friends from school helped me a lot during that time. Due to their unabated support, I managed to do things at the right time. The wedding ceremony was impressive. All of my relatives and friends appreciated my efforts, and the gala time I had on the wedding day will remain etched in my memories.

Sample 3

A lot of times when I find myself over-occupied. Whenever I do some work, I give myself a hundred per cent, and I like to forget about all other things and give my best to work.

I want to talk about a period when I was too busy. Hence, it happened two years ago. It was my mother’s birthday, and I was with my two sisters, and we were planning to give her a surprise party to her. As my mother was a schoolteacher she was in a school and she probably would come at five o’clock so my sister and I decided to throw a surprise party.

So, one week ago we called all our relatives and cleaned our house. We baked some food, and on that day, I was swamped and like my sisters doing all their housework, but I was the one working outside of the house, like planning everything and buying gifts, so yes, I was. I perfectly arranged the work.

And I forgot all about other things. I just gave my hundred gamer hundred per cent, so after the party, I was thrilled because my mother’s mother was amazed to see that the arrangements and our plan worked very well. Everyone was happy, and that’s the only situation where I was over-occupied and swamped.

Follow-ups

Here are some examples of follow-up questions that the examiner might ask during your speaking part 3 related to the cue card “Describe a period when you were busy”.

1. Do you like the fast pace of modern life?

I wouldn’t say I like the fast pace of modern life because it doesn’t appeal to me. It makes me feel stressed because I do not get time for myself, and my heart goes to a boil by seeing that people are running here and there to make ends meet and are jeopardizing their health to meet this fast piece.

2. How do you feel when you are busy?

When I am really busy, I feel good because it is well-known that when you remain too much holding your work, worries inside you go for a toss, and you gain new valuable insights.

3. What’s the best way to deal with stress?

Remaining busy is the best way to relieve stress because when we are busy, our central focus is on the task at hand, and we do not think about our worries. On the contrary, when we are free, unwanted thoughts keep on coming into our minds, which tarnishes our physical and mental health.

4. What kind of lifestyle is suitable for people in modern society?

A minimalist lifestyle is better for people in modern society because it refrains you from running a rat race where you fetch nothing.

Being a minimalist, you can enjoy your life to the full extent because your focus is not having material possessions. Instead, your attention is on living a peaceful life.

5. What relaxation techniques do you usually use?

For me, the best relaxation technique is to go for a walk. When I go for a walk alone, I talk to myself, and due to that, my worries go for a toss, and I find valuable solutions to my pressing problems.

6. What are some common factors that contribute to a busy lifestyle today?

In the current scenario, only like people are now becoming more workaholics and more engaged in their work, I think.

Apart from that, now they have much more work to do than in the past, and I see some people living separately from their families. They have to do all their work alone, so that’s all the factors contributing to a person being busy in their current life.

7. Do you think being busy is a positive or negative aspect of modern life?

It could be both from my point of view, but it’s better to be busy with our work. If we engage in some work, first, we will give over 100%, and we will definitely approach that thing like the approach that destination, and also, we can distract our mind from evil thoughts.

And we like by busying something we can busy we can distract our mind from the other world. There are some drawbacks too, like if we were too engaged in the work we would not give some time for ourselves, which is not a good idea. People should spend a little time on themselves, too.

8. How do you manage your time effectively when you have a lot of tasks to complete?

If I have a lot of functions, I prefer to write them down because it gives me perfect timing and helps me schedule my work. Then, I will do it accordingly; I will prefer to do which one is the tougher I would prefer at first. Then I will go to the tiny little. By then, it’s good for me to schedule my work, and it’s time-saving also, and it will help me a lot if I pursue this activity as I did in my childhood.

9. In what ways do you think technology has impacted the pace of modern life and contributed to busier schedules?

Due to technology, a lot of work can be done at a single point in time, so the expectations of the employers have reduced, like increased a lot. That’s why they have too many tools to use on the employees, and they keep their employees engaged throughout the day, which is why they lead to a busy lifestyle.

10. Discuss any challenges you face in balancing work studies and personal life.

It is a big problem because I work 10 to 12 hours. Due to that, I do not get time to spend with my family; moreover, my studies also go for a toss, so maintaining a balance is a problem because, uh, due to my hectic schedule, I have to study on weekends. I do not give time to my family members, so balancing is a problem for me, even if they feel inadequate.

11. What are some strategies you use to cope with stress?

There are a lot of activities by which we can counter our stress. The most prominent is a meditation. Many people pursue this activity because it’s simple and easy for anyone. Apart from that, I see many people doing yoga and some pursuing physical exercises like joining a gym and jogging, walking and running, swimming, and every kind of sports activity. Apart from that, we can also engage ourselves in particular works. We can also do our hobbies which we like to do, and that’s all factors by which we can reduce our stress.

12. How do you prioritize your tasks and responsibilities when you have a lot of work to do?

As I said, when I have a hectic schedule, I would prefer to list them, and it gives me help to schedule my work, and then I can distribute time like which work I have to do first and manage my time and tasks so yes that’s how I plan my work if I have a hectic schedule.

13. Is it essential to have leisure activities in your schedule?

Definitely, yes. We should sometimes contribute to leisure activities in our hectic schedule because there are many reasons for this. First of all, it gives us a little break from our monotony. Apart from that, it’s through leisure activities that we can distract our minds for a short period, which gives us a boost, heals our bodies, and keeps our brains fresh for the following work.

14. How do you think a busy lifestyle affects relationships with family and friends?

Too much engagement in work could harm a person, especially in their relationship with their families and friends. For example, our family and friends both need time. They have a special place in our lives, so balance is essential.