- 1How much time do you spend on your phone each day?
- 2What do you mainly use your phone for?
- 3Which app do you find most useful?
- 4Have you ever tried to spend a day without your phone?
- 5Do you like learning how to use new gadgets?
How to answer Part 1 well
- Answer the exact question first, then add one short reason or example.
- Use natural phrases such as "I usually…", "I prefer… because…", "For example…".
- Do not memorise answers: examiners notice, and it lowers fluency.
- Stay on topic; an off-topic answer scores lower even if the English is good.
How to answer these questions
- Give a real figure or example, not just "a lot": "around four hours, mostly for college".
- Use soft, natural openings: "Probably…", "I’d say…", "To be honest…".
- For the app question, name one app and give one reason; do not list five.
- Two or three sentences per answer is enough in Part 1.
Model answers
196 words
How much time do you spend on your phone each day?
Probably more than I’d like to admit! On a normal day it’s around four hours, although a lot of that is for college, because our class group shares notes and announcements on it. I’m trying to cut down in the evenings, though.
What do you mainly use your phone for?
Mostly for messaging and studying. I keep in touch with friends and family on chat apps, and I watch lecture videos when I’m travelling. Apart from that, I listen to a lot of podcasts on my way to college.
Which app do you find most useful?
I’d say a maps app. I’m hopeless with directions, so whenever I go somewhere new, it saves me from getting lost, and it shows me the quickest bus or train.
Have you ever tried to spend a day without your phone?
Yes, once, when my phone broke and was being repaired. The first few hours felt strange, and I kept reaching into my pocket, but by the evening I actually felt quite relaxed. I even finished a book I’d been ignoring for months.
Do you like learning how to use new gadgets?
Yes, I do, as long as they’re not too complicated. When my family bought a smart TV, I was the one who set it up and showed my parents how to use it. I find it quite satisfying to work these things out.
Written by Acedmi to show what high-band answers sound like. It is not an official IELTS sample, and your own ideas can be different.
Useful vocabulary
- screen time
- Time spent looking at a phone or other screen.
- “My screen time is around four hours a day.”
- cut down (on)
- Do or use less of something.
- “I’m trying to cut down on screen time.”
- keep in touch
- Stay in contact.
- “I keep in touch with my cousins on chat apps.”
- scroll
- Move up and down a screen.
- “I waste time scrolling at night.”
- handy
- Useful and convenient.
- “A maps app is really handy in a new city.”
- gadget
- A small electronic device.
- “I like trying out new gadgets.”
- set up
- Get something ready to use.
- “I set up the new TV for my parents.”
- tech-savvy
- Good with technology.
- “My younger brother is very tech-savvy.”
Common mistakes
- One-word answers such as "Yes." Add a reason or an example every time.
- Saying "phone" in every sentence. Vary it: mobile, device, it.
- Long speeches. Part 1 answers are short; save long answers for Part 2.