Do you work, or are you a student?
A strong Part 1 answer puts the actual answer in the first clause, adds one reason or one example, and stops. Two or three sentences, roughly forty seconds.
The question, as the examiner gives it
Do you work, or are you a student?
no preparation, about 45 seconds to speak
A band 7 to 8 answer
About 69 words at a natural pace — roughly what 45 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.I work. I have been with a logistics company for about three years now, mostly handling the scheduling side, which means I spend my mornings working out how to get lorries and drivers to line up. It is not glamorous, but there is a real satisfaction in a day where nothing goes wrong. I studied economics before that, and honestly I use more of it than I expected to.
The words that earn marks
Each one links to how it is pronounced.
- logistics
names the industry precisely in one word
- scheduling
specific job function instead of planning things
- lorries
British term, concrete and easy to picture
- glamorous
a natural evaluative adjective with good stress
- satisfaction
abstract noun used accurately about work
- economics
names the field and sets up a contrast
How a strong answer is built
- 1Answer the actual question in the first two words.
- 2Name the field, the role and how long.
- 3Add one honest evaluation of the work.
- 4Link to your study background for range.
Sounds to watch
The ones this answer leans on most.
Straight answers
How long should my answer to “Do you work, or are you a student?” be?
About 45 seconds. Long enough for the answer plus a reason or an example, short enough that the examiner can get through the rest of the set.
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
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