IELTS SPEAKING CUE CARD
[PART 2]
AN OCCASION WHEN YOU
WASTED YOUR TIME
Describe an occasion when you wasted your time
You should say:
- Where you were
- When it was
- What you did
And explain why you think it was a waste of time
A N S W E R
For the past few weeks, I have been researching how I could start my own e-commerce business so I could create another source of income. After hours of surfing the net at home, I came across a very attractive video on YouTube that really captured my interest. The title was so incredibly catchy that I couldn’t help myself but click the video.
LEXICAL RESOURCE
Surf the net [phrase] – to browse various content on the internet
Come across [phrase] – to find by chance
Capture my interest [phrase] – to make someone interested
Catchy [adj.] – appealing; memorable
Can’t help oneself [phrase] – unable to control one’s action
TIP
i.) The speaker created his introduction by not immediately talking about what occasion he had wasted his time – in other words, he didn’t give his answer at once. Instead, he laid his foundation clearly in order for him to craft his story in a more creative way.
Well, as far as I can remember, the title of the video was The Ultimate Guide To Start Your Own Online Business. Just by reading the title, I knew right off the bat that that’s the answer to my question on how I could venture into an online business. With eagerness, I prepared my notebook so I could take down notes of what valuable things he would say and put on my headphones. I was all ears. He blabbered about his own business like what his products were about, how he’s able to make 6-7 figure sales each month, and things like that, but I realized he didn’t really deliver the content that I was expecting based on the title of his video.
LEXICAL RESOURCE
Right off the bat [phrase] – at the very beginning; straight away
Venture [verb] – undertake a risky course of action
Take down [phrasal verb] – to write down
Put on [phrasal verb] – to start wearing something
All ears [phrase] – ready to pay attention to what someone has to say
Blabber [verb] – talk excessively
TIP
i.) In this part, the speaker gave relevant details on what the video that he watched was about and how he invested his time watching that video, and later on he realized that it’s just a waste of his time. This part is the most important part of his story as this describes the point of how he wasted his time.
I tried to extend my patience by continuously watching the video thinking that I would get what I really came for, until the last 2 minutes of his video, he asked his viewers to sign up for his online course for us viewers to know how to start an online business. I was so upset and annoyed because he didn’t deliver what he’s supposed to deliver to his viewers based on the title of his video. I wasted 10 minutes of my time and I felt bad about it. I’m pretty sure that I wasn’t the only one who felt the same way. If I had known that the video was just a clickbait for him to sell his online course, I wouldn’t have taken the trouble to spend my time watching it.
LEXICAL RESOURCE
Sign up [phrasal verb] – to commit oneself; to join
Upset [adj.] – unhappy
Annoyed [adj.] – irritated
Clickbait [noun] – a content on the internet whose main purpose is to attract viewers to click the content
Take the trouble [phrase] – to exert effort, time, and energy in accomplishing something
TIPS
i.) This part serves as the supplemental details to the previous part. He added more details on how his time was wasted upon watching that video. Adding more details helped him extend his story a little bit longer.
ii.) The last line was his conclusive statement of his story in which he used a particular kind of grammar – third conditional tense, that would surely help him achieve a good mark in the criterion, Grammar & Accuracy. That’s one kind of strategy that would help him achieve his target band score.
PART 3
How can we avoid wasting our time?
The best way to avoid wasting our time is to plan things ahead of time and set priorities. When we plan or list down the things that we need to do for the next day, we will be aware and guided on what we need to fulfill the following day. For instance, journaling your priorities with a timetable like at 7 AM you have to eat breakfast; at 9 AM you have to do the laundry; at 10 AM you run errands. When we are specific about what we have to do in the morning, afternoon, and evening, we will not tempt ourselves to waste time by scrolling on our social media accounts. If we regularly take time to plan ahead, it does change our lives meaningfully.
LEXICAL RESOURCE
Ahead of time [phrase] – in advance
Journal [verb as used in the answer] – write in a journal or diary
Timetable [verb] – schedule something to take place at a particular time
Run errands [phrase] – to go out to buy or do something
TIP
i.) The speaker gave a direct answer to the question then he explained it thoroughly by giving specific examples that would support his main idea. He did use several topic vocabulary words for him to express his answer in a better way. Also, he ended his answer by adding his reflection on how giving value to time could make everyone’s life meaningful.
Do you think time management is important?
Definitely! Most prominent and successful people in the world teach us the importance of giving value to time management since time is the most precious resource we all have. As Warren Buffet said, he could buy all the material things that the world had offered but he could never buy time. That line alone is full of wisdom – it does teach us to value time as much as we value our lives because once time is gone, we cannot get it back.
Well, I am not saying that we should always busy ourselves doing many things, what I mean by that is we have to make sure to cultivate a habit of time management so we will not waste this precious resource, and by doing that, we can surely live a more productive and meaningful life.
LEXICAL RESOURCE
Prominent [adj.] – famous
Wisdom [noun] – knowledge; the quality of being wise
Get (something) back [phrase] – to be given something again that you had before
Cultivate [verb] – develop
TIP
i.) The speaker gave a positive answer with the use of a good expression and then provided his main reason. Right after that, he quoted what that famous person had said about time management. That helped him express his point thoroughly and it helped him sound knowledgeable and confident in using the English language. If you know some good sayings or proverbs, use them in your answers but make sure to use them wisely and timely.
How can parents help their children learn to manage time?
That’s a hard question! I’m not a parent yet so I do not have any idea about teaching children the importance of time management. Besides, my parents did not teach me anything about time management when I was a child. Also, I believe children could care less about managing time since they are more interested in playing.
However, I suppose parents can simply educate their children about the importance of valuing time, like making them finish their homework first before allowing them to play. I am not sure if that is effective but that is the only way I can think of right now.
LEXICAL RESOURCE
Besides [prep.] – aside from; in addition to
Could care less [phrase] – used to emphasize that you’re not interested in something or someone
TIP
i.) The speaker expressed his honesty by stating that it was a difficult question. That’s one good way to buy time while you’re thinking of your answer. Use that technique when you’re still developing or searching for an answer in your mind. After that, he just transitioned to giving his main answer to the question and ended his answer by simply stating that that’s just what he could think. It sounds natural.
When does relaxing become a waste of time?
First of all, relaxing is not a waste of time, it is the ultimate way to give our mind or our body a rest and we all deserve that. However, I think relaxation becomes a waste of time if it is done too much to the point that your work or your goal is already sacrificed. For example, instead of relaxing for an hour by surfing the net, you end up spending two or more hours on the internet which puts off your work that you are supposed to finish during the day.
In that case, relaxation becomes bad and I believe we can avoid that when we draw the line between relaxation and wasting time.
LEXICAL RESOURCE
Ultimate [adj.] – being the best
Sacrifice [verb as used in the answer] – to give up something for the sake of other things
End up [phrase] – to end up in a situation that’s not planned
Put off [phrase] – delay
Draw the line [idiom] – to clearly create boundaries for two things
TIP
i.) First, the speaker explained the importance of relaxation, and then he transitioned to giving a scenario when relaxation turned into a waste of time. He gave a specific example to support his argument. And finally, he just ended his answer by simply stating that people should know the limit in order for them not to waste time. It’s a well-discussed answer.
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Meaning of Words and Phrases Sources: Collins, Macmillan, Cambridge, Oxford
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