Are you good at managing your time?
I'm better than I used to be, but I wouldn't call myself an expert. In my first year at university I left everything until the night before and suffered for it. Since then I've become more organised, especially because I now balance classes with tutoring two school students, which forces me to plan my week carefully.
Do you make plans or to-do lists?
Yes, every evening I write a short list for the next day, usually no more than five items. I've found that long lists just make me anxious, whereas a short one feels achievable. I keep it in a notes app on my phone, and crossing things off gives me a small but genuine sense of satisfaction.
Do you usually arrive on time for appointments?
I try very hard to, but in Dhaka it's genuinely difficult. A journey that should take twenty minutes can easily take an hour if there's a jam or heavy rain. So I've learned to leave far earlier than necessary, and I often end up arriving early and waiting. Being late makes me feel terribly guilty.
What usually wastes your time?
Definitely my phone. I'll pick it up to check one message and somehow find myself twenty minutes into short videos. Traffic is the other big time-waster; I spend hours every week stuck on the road. I've started using that time better, though, by listening to podcasts or going over my notes.
When in the week do you have the most free time?
Friday afternoons and evenings, mostly. On Saturdays I still have tutoring in the morning, and the rest of the week is taken up by classes and travelling. Friday is the one day when nothing is scheduled after lunch, so that's when I meet friends, read for pleasure or simply do nothing, which I think is important too.
Do you ever find it hard to meet deadlines?
Occasionally, yes, especially at the end of the semester, when three or four assignments are due in the same week. At times like that I have to prioritise ruthlessly and accept that not everything will be perfect. I've only missed one deadline completely, because of a power cut the night before, and that taught me never to leave things until the last evening.
Sample answers written by Abroadway as models of natural, high-band speaking (not official IELTS samples).
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