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Describe Something You Do That Can Help You Concentrate On Work/Study: IELTS Speaking Cue Card

You should say

  • What is it?
  • When do you do it?
  • How did you learn about it?
  • How does it help you concentrate?
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40 unique answers with expert feedback

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Cue 1:What is it?

  • Clearly state the activity you do to help you concentrate, such as meditation, listening to music, or taking short breaks.
  • Provide a brief explanation of what this activity involves.

Example

One activity that helps me concentrate on my studies is listening to instrumental music. I usually choose soft piano or nature sounds, which create a calming atmosphere that allows me to focus better.

Cue 2:When do you do it?

  • Mention specific times when you engage in this activity, such as during study sessions or while working on assignments.
  • Explain how often you incorporate this activity into your routine.

Example

I typically listen to music while studying in the evenings, especially when I have a lot of material to cover. I make it a point to do this every day, as it has become an essential part of my study routine.

Cue 3:How did you learn about it?

  • Share how you discovered this activity, whether through friends, online resources, or personal experimentation.
  • Mention any specific experiences that led you to adopt this method.

Example

I learned about the benefits of listening to music for concentration from a friend who is also a student. She recommended it to me during our study sessions, and I decided to give it a try. After a few days, I noticed a significant improvement in my focus.

Cue 4:How does it help you concentrate?

  • Explain the specific ways this activity enhances your concentration, such as reducing distractions or creating a positive mood.
  • Provide personal insights on how it affects your productivity.

Example

Listening to instrumental music helps me block out distractions from my surroundings, like noise from family members or traffic outside. It creates a peaceful environment that allows me to immerse myself in my studies, ultimately boosting my productivity and retention of information.

Conclusion

    Example

    In conclusion, listening to instrumental music has become a vital part of my study routine. It not only helps me concentrate better but also makes the studying process more enjoyable. I believe that finding the right method to enhance focus is essential for anyone looking to improve their academic performance.

    Following this structure will ensure you cover all the essential points while providing a clear and engaging response to the cue card topic.

    Tips to answer this Cue Card

    1: Vague Descriptions

    Using unclear or general terms can confuse the examiner. It's important to provide specific details about the activity to make your answer more engaging and informative.

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    Tip

    Use clear examples and specific details when describing the activity. Explain what it is and how it works in your routine.

    2: Lack of Personal Connection

    Failing to connect the activity to your personal experience can make your response less relatable. The examiner wants to hear your unique perspective.

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    Tip

    Share a personal story or experience related to the activity. Explain how you discovered it and why it matters to you.

    Ignoring the Cues

    Not addressing all the cue prompts can lead to an incomplete answer. Each cue is designed to guide your response and showcase your speaking skills.

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    Tip

    Make sure to answer all the cues provided. Structure your response to cover each point clearly and logically.

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    All Answers

    Here are all the answers by real-users practicing speaking for IELTS Cue Cards on our IELTS Prep App.

    Band 6-7

    Recently, I have deleted all my social media apps that I have been using since a long time. I am very fond of, I was very fond of using it and I can say it, I was very addicted of using it. I have been spending so much of my time, even leisure time, even in my busy time, that social media app. It was something for me to distract me from my target, although I have been preparing for even a small exam, so I was unable to concentrate on that just because of that social media things. Especially that Facebook and Instagram, there is a real kind of things. It's very difficult to, difficult things to get out of that because it is something that make you distracted and make you addicted of that. It consumed so much of my time, when I have started using it in the starting, I was not aware of that thing and it started eating my so much time. I never get even, I never get out of it that how and where I am spending so much of my time. To eradicate it from my day to day life and save my time to focus on my study, I have deleted all these things and it helps me a lot to concentrate on my target and whatever I have planned, whatever the score I have planned to focus in that direction, it helped me. So, I think this was something that I have done which helped me in my study a lot and in a gargantuan way. It was not something easy, it was not something easy to delete because I was very much engrossed and very much engaged with that. So, I think that was something I have done to focus on myself and keep with all the flow to maintain my concentration.

    Band 6-7

    The common thing I do for keep my concentration track is I would isolate myself in a row with zero additional references like my phone or any other thing. I would do it by keeping my phone away from myself. I would generally give it to my parents or my friends so they can keep the accountability of my phone. It helps me to control the triggers for getting distracted and focusing on the deep work without interferences. I generally do it when I want to work on something and I have deadlines and I want to deliver my work in the stipulated period of time. So to free up myself without distractions I would use these techniques that I learned from YouTube in the implementation to keep myself focused. So it would help me to completely focus on my work and also it helps me to concentrate on one thing instead of multitasking.

    Band 6-7

    Something that I do to help myself better concentrate at work or while studying is putting my phone in Zen mode. There are many things that can be a distraction when we are trying to focus and concentrate while studying, especially for me who can easily get distracted even by little noise, it can become very difficult sometimes. So I recently discovered an app in my phone called Zen mode where we set a timer starting from 15 minutes which goes up to 90 minutes and the phone locks itself out and does not allow anyone to open for the duration of the time. So whenever I have to study for long hours and requires me to concentrate on a particular thing, phone can be very distractful and I put my phone in Zen mode so I can concentrate for 60 to 90 minutes without any distractions. I can give my undivided attention to what I am studying. The other thing that I would like to do when I am trying to concentrate or work is I uninstall the social media apps that are available on my phone because scrolling is one of the major problems and causes a major distraction when we are trying to work. It will start as a less time consuming activity but end up taking hours together without us realizing about it.

    Band 6-7

    Time management is the thing which helped me grow and it felt me more concentrated in my work and I never been so delayed because I schedule my path every day before. Each and every one of the process I do will have a plan. Without planning nothing is impossible. Like being practiced, I usually track my things and I checklist with it. Each of my work will be ticked when it's done. I usually have a plan and I take it. Okay, time management is the thing which focused on my concentration. I prepare myself previous day with a note and a checklist. I usually been scheduled about my plans for the next day. I get to know about the things I noted down in my books and usually I take it when I complete it. I heard time management in books and a lot of podcasts and also through Instagram videos. And also I've heard about things which could further help more in developing each day and I was so improved when trying all the tips and tricks which were given on the podcast and when I felt so confident when I've completed my task pre-early. I felt so accomplished and more confident and I feel exactly what a successful person feels like. Each of the time I prepare myself being so perfect, sometimes perfect, sometimes practice Smart work let me be more concentrated on my work. No pain no gain as the code says for being more consistently worked and being practiced and and that lets us to be succeeded. I usually schedule things pre-early which help me to be on the track and sometimes pre-early. I work smart because being with a lot of work makes you pressurized in the end. So schedule your things as per the time and try to do it some more times earlier. As you do it earlier, you feel more free and relaxed. I do smart tasking whenever I have multi works to be done. Earlier I plan, earlier I succeed. I learnt this through experience and failures. Each and every failure of me had a keystone to make my work more pleasant. I felt my work is being accomplished faster when I plan and do it with smart work. Each of my work is done so easily and effortlessly. I further prefer to work more effortlessly and I obviously think about doing lot of works at a time. But people who is doing multi task will have a clumsiness in their work. But I prefer to be a person who be so perfect and trying to do it correctly. So I keep on focusing on things and be concentrated. I look after my things since I schedule it before and I do check my works again before I submit to some people or in the task buttons. People usually ask about this to me. I often answer that. Smart work let me do this each and every time. But people often get lag in this. I do suggest people that consistency matters. Consistency doesn't mean that you

    Band 6-7

    Indulging in recreational activities is another kind of fun because it helps you to relax and enhance your focus toward your work and one such activity that I followed to nourish my focus is playing tabla. I was studying in 8th standard when I got to met my music teacher named Prakash Singh who taught me this skill and for the continuous 4 years I learned this skill from him and the dexterous use of my fingers made me feel that I can go further in this field but I didn't wanted to turn it into my profession so I kept it as my hobby and also it works as a meditation for me since I have started doing this hobbies and from that time I have enhanced myself not only my performance while playing tabla in the public events but also I have seen personal growth while following my passion of playing tabla and in future I will be continuing this art because it helps me relax and express myself artistically. Moreover my friends admire this quality very much and often when we gather at our places like in the office or in the home they enjoy the beats I play on the tabla and some of them sing songs from the 90s classical music which I also love and I match the beats of my tabla with their beautiful voice. So guys this was the activity that I loved the most and it helps me to concentrate on my work as well as study.

    Band 6

    20-minute rule or the Pomodoro method is something that works best for me and I usually started after school from 5 to 6. I at least try to keep it between 5 to 6 and I came to know about this through a study skills workshop held by my school. This works best for me because it keeps me focused and in some sense gives me the time and rest to think about various things plus do the work right on time. It helps with my procrastinating attitude and in some sense it does help me focus better and concentrate better to get my work done on time and betterly finish it. So yeah.

    Band 6

    sort of a procrastinator and initially it was difficult for me to concentrate but I started listening to music and not just any music, white noise because it's just instrumental and does not have any lyrics. So instead of distracting me from what I am doing, it actually makes my focus clearer and because I listen to music in the background, I don't overthink things and I don't get distracted easily or I don't start thinking about someone else or something else. Furthermore, I remain in the moment and can just focus on one thing. I learned about it from my friends. I saw them doing it initially and then I started doing it and it helps me because it reduces my anxiety as well.

    Band 6

    I do exercises. Exercises are very important part of one person's life because it helps us to keep our body fit and keep us mentally fit. Exercising every day keeps our mind fresh and helps us to concentrate on our daily activities. Exercising not only keeps our mind clear but also helps to perform tasks with excitement and full concentration. I exercise in the morning like six o'clock and exercising in the morning is a very good thing because in empty stomach if you exercise it burns a lot of calories and makes you look fit and gorgeous.

    Band 6

    Something that helped me concentrate on my work and study would be a day planner app. I downloaded this app because I wanted a disciplined schedule for myself. I use this app daily on the work and as well as at home for studying. However, there are many times when I am not able to keep up with the app because of my personal issues. Though this app helped me a lot to save my time but it also keeps me away from my family members as I am usually busy completing the tasks on it. It has various music that calms me down, helps me with my anxiety and also helps me concentrate on my work.

    Band 6

    As I've been given this question on telling something that will help you concentrate on work and study. To be frank, I have been following a very regular but very simple technique that is by avoiding all the social media platforms during my preparation for any kind of exams or for my exam time period or for an assignment that I have to complete because I feel getting when you have the social media platforms there in your nearby what you call electronics or gadgets that you use frequently, you end up getting diverted very easily instead of concentrating on the work that you actually are doing. So I think a small span of time before you start preparing I think it's better you stay away from them and I started doing I started practicing it from an year ago when I was actually getting so much of addicted to all this platform. So I learned it about I learned it by myself because I have been getting this in my mind saying that maybe I was getting addicted to all this stuff so much that I took my decision with there's no one that leaded me to this one but it was a self-decision making and it actually helped me a lot. It truly helped me. It gradually increased my score. It also gradually increased all my percentage levels. It made me concentrate more on my studies. It made me spend more time on studying because I had no access to any of the platform where I would get diverted but rather spend the time in studying more of more. So I think it has been a very good beneficial decision that I've taken.
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