Describe a time you used your smartphone to do something important.
This test has appeared in 8 seasons · 3 reported by test takers
- May–Aug/2025
- Jan–Apr/2025
- Sep–Dec/2024
- Sep–Dec/2023
- May–Aug/2023
- Jan–Apr/2023
- Sep–Dec/2022
- May–Aug/2022
Reported by test takers Forecast only
Part 1
The examiner asks about you and two familiar topics. About 4–5 minutes.
Work or study
- Do you work, or are you a student? (Why?)
- Why did you choose that job or that subject? (Tell me more about that.)
- What do you enjoy most about it? (Why?)
- Is there anything you would like to change about it? (Why?)
Celebrities
- Do you follow any celebrities? (Why is that?)
- Which celebrity would you most like to meet? (Tell me more about that.)
- Who was your favourite star when you were younger? (Tell me more about that.)
- Do you think celebrities are good role models for young people? (Why is that?)
Parties
- Do you enjoy going to parties? (Why is that?)
- What kind of parties do you like best? (Tell me more about that.)
- What was your favourite birthday party as a child? (Tell me more about that.)
- Would you rather have a big party or a small get-together? (Why is that?)
Part 2
One minute to prepare, then speak for one to two minutes.
Describe a time you used your smartphone to do something important.
You should say:
- when it happened
- what you needed to do
- how you used your phone to do it
and explain why it was so important.
Follow-up question after your talk: Could you have done this without a smartphone? / How long did it take you?
Part 3
A broader, more abstract discussion of the Part 2 topic. About 4–5 minutes.
what people use phones for
- Can you explain why people keep their phones within reach at all times?
- In general, which everyday tasks have phones replaced completely?
- How would you contrast the way older people use phones with the way teenagers use them?
depending on phones
- Can you explain why losing a phone now causes serious problems for people?
- What could be done about children who spend too much time on their phones?
- Can you speculate on how people will use their phones to pay for everyday things in the future?
Test titles follow test-taker reports and each season's forecasts — IELTS does not publish its papers. "Reported" means someone reported meeting this topic in a dated test. The questions are written by us in the format of the real test.