Mastering IELTS Speaking: Describe a Situation When You Had to Work Long Hours

In the IELTS Speaking test, examiners evaluate your proficiency based on fluency and coherence, lexical resource, grammatical range and accuracy, and pronunciation. One common type of question that often appears in the Part 2 section is describing a particular experience. Today, we’ll focus on “Describe a situation when you had to work long hours,” providing detailed sample answers and strategies to tackle this question effectively.

Part 1: Introduction and Interview

In Part 1, the examiner will ask questions about familiar topics such as your home, family, or work. Here’s an example question related to working habits:

Sample Question:

• What do you do for a living?

Sample Answer:

“I work as a software engineer at a tech company. My job primarily involves developing applications and troubleshooting problems. It’s a highly demanding role that often requires me to work longer hours, especially when we have tight deadlines.”

Keywords/phrases: software engineer, developing applications, troubleshooting problems, highly demanding, tight deadlines.

Part 2: Long Turn

For Part 2, you’ll be given a cue card with a topic and some bullet points to guide your response. Let’s create a cue card based on our main topic.

Cue Card Example:

“Describe a situation when you had to work long hours. You should say:

• What you were working on
• Why you had to work long hours
• How you felt about it
• Describe the outcome of your hard work“

Suggested Answer:

“One situation when I had to work long hours was during a major software deployment project at my company. We were launching a new application, and the deadline was very tight. I had to work on coding the application, fixing bugs, and ensuring that everything ran smoothly. This required me to stay late at the office and even work on weekends.

software-development-team-working-late|Software Development Team Working Late|A photo of a software development team working late in the office, with computers and code visible. The atmosphere should be focused and intense, with a sense of urgency.

The reason I had to put in so many hours was the critical nature of the project. Any delay could have adverse effects on our client’s business, and as a team lead, I felt a great sense of responsibility.

Although it was exhausting, I felt a sense of accomplishment whenever we overcame a major hurdle. The outcome was very positive. We successfully launched the application on time, which received excellent feedback from the client and significantly boosted our company’s reputation.”

Keywords/phrases: major software deployment, launching a new application, coding, fixing bugs, critical nature of the project, client’s business, team lead, responsibility, exhausting, accomplishment, excellent feedback.

Follow-up Questions:

• How do you manage your time when you have to work long hours?
  • “I usually create a detailed schedule and prioritize tasks effectively. I also take short breaks to keep myself refreshed.”
• Do you think working long hours is productive? Why or why not?
  • “I believe that working long hours can sometimes be counterproductive due to mental fatigue. It’s important to balance work and rest to maintain productivity.”

Part 3: Two-way Discussion

In this part, the examiner will ask more abstract questions related to the topic.

Sample Discussion Questions:

• Do you think long working hours affect one’s health?

  • “Absolutely, working long hours can have serious health implications. It often leads to stress, burnout, and sleep deprivation, which can further cause both mental and physical health issues.”

• What are the disadvantages for companies if employees work too many overtime hours?

  • “If employees work overtime frequently, they may suffer from decreased efficiency, higher error rates, and possibly even more sick leaves due to stress-related illnesses. This can negatively affect the overall productivity and work environment.”

Suggested Answer:

“Companies that necessitate long working hours for their employees might see short-term gains, but in the long run, they risk burnout and low morale among their workforce. Chronic stress diminishes both creativity and productivity, leading to higher turnover rates and increased costs associated with recruiting and training new employees.”

Keywords/phrases: health implications, stress, burnout, sleep deprivation, mental and physical health issues, decreased efficiency, error rates, sick leaves, stress-related illnesses, overall productivity, short-term gains, low morale, chronic stress, turnover rates, recruiting, training.

Vocabulary and Structures for High Scores

Advanced Vocabulary:

1. Deployment (n.) /dɪˈplɔɪmənt/ – The movement of personnel or equipment to a place for action.
   • Example: The deployment of new software required extensive testing.
2. Burnout (n.) /ˈbɜːr.naʊt/ – Physical or mental collapse caused by overwork or stress.
   • Example: Burnout is a common issue among professionals working long hours.

Useful Expressions:

• Critical nature of the project: Emphasizes the importance and urgency of the task.
• Mental fatigue: A state of tiredness that affects one’s cognitive abilities.
• Boosted our company’s reputation: An outcome reflecting positively on the company.

Examiner’s Advice

• Practice: Consistently practice speaking English in various situations.
• Fluency: Avoid long pauses, use fillers like “let me think” to buy time.
• Coherence: Structure your answers logically.
• Pronunciation: Work on clear and correct pronunciation.
• Feedback: Get your speaking evaluated by experienced tutors.

By following these tips and practicing with model answers, you can improve your speaking skills significantly and score higher in the IELTS Speaking test.