Describe a time when you were very busy.
A strong long turn names the subject in the first sentence, spends most of the two minutes on the last bullet — the why — and arrives at a prepared final line rather than trailing off.
The question, as the examiner gives it
Describe a time when you were very busy.
You should say
- when this was
- what you had to do
- how you managed
- and explain how you felt afterwards
60 seconds to prepare, up to 2 minutes to speak
A band 7 to 8 answer
About 193 words at a natural pace — roughly what 120 seconds holds.
Answer it yourself first
Record your own answer first. A model you have read three times comes out with a flattened rhythm, and examiners are trained to hear exactly that. Read it afterwards for the vocabulary and the shape, not to memorise the sentences.The busiest stretch I have had was about eighteen months ago, when a colleague left with no notice three weeks before a deadline that could not move. I ended up covering two roles for roughly six weeks. What I had to do was essentially all of my own work, which was already full, plus the parts of his that nobody else knew how to do, which meant learning a system I had never touched while using it under pressure. I was working until about ten most nights and some of the weekend. How I managed it was mostly by giving things up rather than by being efficient. I stopped swimming, I cancelled everything social, and I ate badly for six weeks, all of which I would now say was the wrong trade. Afterwards I felt oddly flat rather than relieved. I had expected some sense of achievement and what I mainly felt was tired, and it took about a fortnight before I was any use to anybody. We did meet the deadline, and about three months later the project was cancelled, which I have decided is a useful thing to know about deadlines.
The words that earn marks
Each one links to how it is pronounced.
- stretch
the precise noun for a period of time
- deadline
compound noun at the centre of the story
- covering
the exact verb for doing someone else's job
- efficient
three syllables with the stress on the second
- cancelled
British double consonant, audible ending
- relieved
the expected feeling, named and denied
- fortnight
a British time noun few candidates use
How a strong answer is built
- 1Say when and what caused it.
- 2Describe the workload concretely.
- 3Say how you coped, honestly, including the cost.
- 4Answer the last bullet with a feeling you did not expect.
Sounds to watch
The ones this answer leans on most.
Straight answers
How long should my answer to “Describe a time when you were very busy.” be?
You get 60 seconds to make notes and then speak for up to two minutes without interruption. Aim to still be talking at ninety seconds: finishing at forty is the commonest way to lose marks on this part.
Should I memorise the model answer?
No. Record your own version first, then read the model for the shape and the vocabulary. A memorised answer changes rhythm and pace noticeably, and examiners are trained to hear it — it usually costs more than the better wording gains.
Does sayit score this answer?
It scores what a microphone can observe: an estimate from fluency and pronunciation only — not an official band, and not a mark for vocabulary or grammar.
What the band on your result means
An estimate from fluency and pronunciation only — not an official band, and not a mark for vocabulary or grammar.One question a day until your test
A free account remembers every take, so you watch a trend instead of a single answer, and it picks tomorrow's question for you.