Describe an activity you do that you think wastes your time.
This test has appeared in 6 seasons · 1 reported by test takers
- Sep–Dec/2026
- Sep–Dec/2024
- May–Aug/2024
- Sep–Dec/2022
- May–Aug/2022
- Jan–Apr/2022
Reported by test takers Forecast only
Part 1
The examiner asks about you and two familiar topics. About 4–5 minutes.
Your home town
- Where is your home town? (Tell me more about that.)
- What do you like most about it? (Tell me more about that.)
- Has it changed much since you were a child? (Why is that?)
- Would you like to live there in the future? (Why is that?)
Cars
- Do you have a car? (Why is that?)
- What kind of car would you like to own? (Tell me more about that.)
- Did your family have a car when you were growing up? (Why is that?)
- Do you think there will be fewer cars in cities in the future? (Why is that?)
Friends
- Do you prefer having a few close friends or lots of friends? (Why is that?)
- What do you usually do with your friends? (Tell me more about that.)
- Are you still in touch with your childhood friends? (Why is that?)
- Do you think it is easy to make new friends as an adult? (Why is that?)
Part 2
One minute to prepare, then speak for one to two minutes.
Describe an activity you do that you think wastes your time.
You should say:
- what the activity is
- how often you do it
- why you still do it
and explain why you think it wastes your time.
Follow-up question after your talk: Have you tried to spend less time on it? / What could you do with that time instead?
Part 3
A broader, more abstract discussion of the Part 2 topic. About 4–5 minutes.
how people use their time
- Can you explain why people spend time on things they later regret?
- What do you think are the advantages and disadvantages of spending free time on social media?
- In general, what do people in your country do with their free evenings?
managing time
- Can you explain why some people are much better organised than others?
- What could be done about students who waste a lot of their study time?
- Can you speculate on how apps that track time will change people's daily routines?
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.