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Describe a time when you felt extremely tired

Try the card on the exam timer first, then read the band-8 sample answer and the Part 3 questions that follow it.

Practice it like the exam

Part 2 · Candidate task card

Describe a time when you felt extremely tired.

You should say:

  • when it happened
  • why you were so tired
  • what you did to feel better

and explain how being tired affected you.

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Band 8 sample answer

257 words · about 2 minutes at a natural pace · Phrases from the vocabulary list are highlighted.

I'd like to talk about a time when I felt completely exhausted, after a long trip back from a business conference abroad. It was about a year ago, and I had been away for five days. The schedule was intense: early morning sessions, long dinners with clients, and very little sleep because of the time difference.

On the last day, my flight was delayed by three hours, and when I finally got on the plane, I couldn't sleep, because the seat was uncomfortable and a baby was crying nearby. By the time I landed, it was already midnight, and I still had to take a taxi home, which took another hour due to roadworks. I think I'd been awake for almost thirty hours in total.

I remember that I could barely keep my eyes open in the taxi, and when I got home, I dropped my bag at the door, took off my shoes and fell on the bed fully dressed. I slept for almost twelve hours straight. The next day, I took a day off work, ate a good breakfast and went for a gentle walk to wake myself up gradually.

Being so tired affected me in many ways. I was irritable, I forgot simple things, such as where I'd put my keys, and I couldn't concentrate on anything. I realised how much sleep influences our mood and productivity. Since then, I try to build in recovery time after any trip, and I try never to schedule an important meeting on the day after I return.

What to notice

  • It takes the points on the card in order, so the examiner can follow it.
  • Each point gets a specific detail or a short story, which is what keeps a talk going for two minutes.
  • The "explain" line at the end gets the most time, because that is where you give an opinion and show your range of language.

We wrote this answer for practice; it does not come from IELTS. Take its structure and phrases and tell your own story, because examiners notice memorised answers.

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Useful vocabulary

PhraseMeaning
worn outextremely tired
pull an all-nighterto stay awake the entire night working
catch up on sleepto sleep more to recover from tiredness
drift offto fall asleep gradually
running on emptyhaving no energy left
recharge my batteriesto rest to regain energy

Plan it in one minute

Choose what to talk about in the first ten seconds, then write two or three key words for each point. Full sentences take too long to write and to read back.

Who or what you could talk about

  • After a long journey with several flights
  • During exam season or a heavy work project
  • After an exhausting day of physical activity such as a hike

How to spend the two minutes

  1. 25 swhen it happened
  2. 25 swhy you were so tired
  3. 25 swhat you did to feel better
  4. 45 sand explain how being tired affected you.

Part 3 questions

In the exam these come straight after your talk, on the wider subject: Sleep and rest. Answer each in 3–4 sentences, with your view, a reason and an example.

  1. Why do many people not get enough sleep?
  2. How does lack of sleep affect work and study?
  3. Should schools start later in the morning?
  4. What can employers do to reduce tiredness in the workplace?
  5. Do you think people today rest enough?
  6. How has technology affected people's sleeping habits?

Frequently asked questions

How should I describe an experience in an IELTS cue card?

Tell it as a story in the past: set the scene (when, where, who), what happened, how it ended. Then explain what you felt or learned. Past tenses used accurately are part of what the examiner is listening for.

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