IELTS Speaking Part 2: IELTS Cue Card/ Candidate Task Card

Describe a time in your life when you were very busy

: You should say

when it was
why you were busy
how did you manage
And explain what you did then

: Sample Answer

We all get busy in times of exam, sickness of a family member, for completing assignments, to meet deadlines etc. and though most of us wish to lead a relaxed and hassle-free life, the situation demands our promptness in action and we all get busy then. One such busy time I still remember was the time when I had the deadline to submit my thesis paper in the final year of my university

I had about 2 months to complete the thesis and I killed almost 2 weeks due to my job pressure. I joined a company as a part-time employee at the beginning of my final term and had to work for about 4-5 hours per day. I had classes to attend, exams to prepare for, study and work at the office. I had hardly few hours remaining for my personal stuff and I was worried that I was falling behind my schedule for my thesis paper submission. The thesis was a complex one and I had to visit libraries, browse the internet, do group discussions and meetings and brainstorm a lot to organise the writing for the thesis. Moreover, I had to visit some local offices to collect data for my thesis. Those days were so tough and I had been so busy that sometimes I slept for 4 hours only at night

The work pressure, tension, tight schedules, deadlines, moving from place to place, classes & study were my life. I did not visit my parents for the whole semester as they were in my hometown. There was hardly any month that I did not go to my hometown to meet my parents but during that period I did not have the chance to do so. In fact, I was unable to go to my hometown for about 7 months. I usually watch 2-3 movies on my computer each week, go for walking each morning, visit some close friends, maintain my social networking profiles and update my blog but during this period I was so busy that I did not do any of these activities I usually maintain

I am so lucky that I was finally completed the thesis and submitted it in due time. To my surprise, I got a straight ‘A+’ in my thesis, continued my job and did well in my term final. But for that, I had to sacrifice a lot and maintain a strict routine. I slept 4-5 hours each day on an average, read academic books and notes in public transportation while moving from one place to another, and utilised every single hour I got. Moreover, to finish things in time I stopped a lot of my other activities that I usually do. Thus I had been able to handle the pressure and deadline. I have to thank some of my teachers, classmates and some of my friends without whom it would have been impossible for me to finish everything correctly and in time