Mẫu bài về Chủ đề Hoạt động – IELTS Speaking phần 2, 3

1. Mẫu bài về Chủ đề Hoạt động – IELTS Speaking phần 2

Describe an activity you usually do that wastes your time

You should express:

• What it is
• When you usually do it
• Why you do it

And elaborate on why you believe it consumes your time

Speaking of a particular daily activity that is extremely time-wasting, I would say it is scrolling through my mobile phone to use social media.

Checking and scrolling through social media has become an increasingly popular activity over the past decades, to a point that most people, and myself included, consider it an ingrained habit.

Facebook, Instagram, and Tiktok have always been the most frequently-used applications on my phone, and I just can’t help logging into my accounts as soon as I open my eyes in the morning, and every night before bed, to keep myself updated about my virtual friends, as well as to share with them my daily experiences. There is also a never-ending list of videos and funny posts which make me completely lose track of time, resulting in me constantly procrastinating the tasks at hand.

Regarding my frequent use of social media platforms, despite knowing its potential impact on my mental well-being, I suppose it boils down to the fact that receiving notifications, like a thumbs-up or mention, gives me a sense of satisfaction. These platforms offer immediate gratification for minimal effort.

It feels like my brain rewires itself through this positive reinforcement, making me desire likes, retweets, and emoticon reactions. When my phone is not around, I often feel disconnected from the outside world and begin to fidget by whether playing with my hair or bouncing my leg repeatedly.

Though I am fully aware of how much time I fritter away due to social media, I just can’t refrain from using it so often. I’m doing my utmost to replace this habit with a healthier one, such as reading a book or painting a picture, but I still have a long way to go.

• Scroll through (v): lướt (điện thoại)
• Ingrained habit (n): thói quen khó bỏ
• Keep oneself updated about s.th: cập nhật thông tin
• Virtual friend (n): bạn trên mạng 
• Lose track of time: mất nhận thức về thời gian
• Procrastinate (v):
  trì hoãn 
• Sense of well-being (n): cảm giác hạnh phúc, vui sướng 
• Reinforcement (n): sự củng cố 
• Fidget (v): cựa quậy, sốt ruột
• Fritter away (v): lãng phí 
• Do one’s utmost: cố gắng hết sức

→ The speech describes the habit of using the phone to browse social media too often, resulting in significant time consumption. Always stick to the suggested questions (What: scrolling through social media, Facebook, Instagram, Tiktok,...; When: as soon as I wake up in the morning, and every night before sleep; Why: receive a sense of well-being; when the phone is not nearby, I often feel disconnected...) and incorporate relevant collocations related to the topic: scroll through, fritter away,...

2. IELTS Speaking part 3 topic Effective time management 

2.1. How can individuals maintain a balance between their personal and professional lives?

The way I see it, there are several ways to achieve a life-work balance in the hustle and bustle of urban life. I think it is best to plan ahead to combine work activities with leisure, social, or fitness activities. If people find themselves having virtual meetings back-to-back, for example, they can try taking them while they go for a walk around the office. Another method one can adopt is to end work at a certain time.

It is believed that work expands to fill the time allotted, so setting a time to end work for the day and powering down work-related devices is essential to lead a well-balanced lifestyle.

• Hustle and bustle (n): sự xô bồ
• Back-to-back (adj): liền kề, liên tiếp
• Well-balanced (adj): cân bằng

→ Suggestions for achieving work-life balance (light exercise during online meetings, setting specific work hours,…) with explanations provided. Transition words are used to guide the reader's understanding.

2.2. What are common sources of stress for people?

There are a lot of things putting people under a lot of stress and strain, in different stages of their lives. A high school student, let’s say, would have to face the mental health toll of academic pressure, which derives from their parents’ expectation to outshine their peers in class and pass every exam with flying colors.

People in the workforce, however, are constantly pressurized with a heavy burden of work while bending over backward to make a proper living for themselves and their families. There would always be something for people to be worried about, to tell the truth.

• Derive from (v): xuất phát từ 
• Outshine (v): nổi trội hơn 
• Pass (exams) with flying colors: thi đạt điểm cao
• Heavy burden of work (n): gánh nặng công việc
• Bend over backward: cố gắng hết sức 

→ Analyzing the pressures individuals face based on age, then summarizing by asserting that everyone experiences their own stressors. Transitional word 'however' is used to increase contrast.

2.3. Why do young individuals tend to waste more time?

Wow, this is a big question, actually. There could be several explanations for this, but I believe the most important reason is that young people tend to underestimate the value of time. They may believe that they have an entire life ahead of them and that spending a day is not a big deal. Others, in addition, may not discover their life’s purpose, and when they don’t have something to focus on or devote time to, it is very likely for them to fritter away all their time on senseless things.

• Underestimate (v): đánh giá thấp 
• Fritter away (v): tiêu tốn, lãng phí 

→ Young people often think they have plenty of time, thus fail to appreciate it; Additionally, lacking purpose or goals in life leads to wasting time aimlessly. Each main point is followed by supporting arguments.

2.4. What activities do you think are not worth your time?

To my way of thinking, one of the most time-wasting activities would probably be the excessive use of social media. Nowadays hardly anyone can resist the temptation of Facebook or Instagram, a place where people can receive an endless amount of immediate rewards in the form of attention from others for relatively minimal effort.

People are constantly seeking acclamation from others when talking about great jobs, excellent partners, beautiful homes and feeling happy or inspired as a result. Being deeply immersed in these platforms, however, can lead to people losing track of time and goofing off their work or study. Additionally, people can also waste a lot of their precious time on a bad movie, a toxic relationship or unnecessary chatting, to name but a few.

• Temptation (n): cám dỗ 
• Lose track of time: mất nhận thức về thời gian
• Goof off (v): né tránh (việc)