IELTS Speaking – a time when you were late for something important

Yes, I'd say I'm quite reliable. I usually aim to arrive about ten minutes early, because traffic in my city is so unpredictable. I'd much rather wait around for a bit than rush in flustered and apologising. The one exception is meeting close friends, where I'm a little more relaxed.

It depends on how late and whether they let me know. If someone sends a quick message saying they're running ten minutes behind, I don't mind at all. But if they turn up half an hour late without any warning, I do get annoyed, because it feels like they don't value my time.

I use a calendar app on my phone for appointments and deadlines, since it sends reminders automatically. But for daily tasks, I still prefer a simple paper to-do list. There's something satisfying about physically crossing things off, and it helps me prioritise what really needs doing.

I'm definitely a morning person. Between about seven and eleven, my mind is clear, so that's when I try to tackle the hardest tasks, like writing essays. By mid-afternoon, my energy drops, so I save easier jobs such as replying to emails for later in the day.

I'd like to talk about the morning I was late for a job interview, which was about a year and a half ago. It was for an internship at a marketing agency, scheduled for nine o'clock. I'd prepared thoroughly the night before, but I made one big mistake: I didn't check the route properly. I left home at eight, thinking that would be plenty of time. Unfortunately, there was a burst water pipe on the main road, and the whole area was gridlocked. To make matters worse, when I finally got close, I discovered the office was in a different building from the one I'd assumed, so I wasted another ten minutes wandering around. I eventually arrived twenty minutes late, sweaty and out of breath. As a result, the interview got off to a terrible start. The manager had to cut the session short, so I never got to talk about my best projects. Not surprisingly, I didn't get the internship. I learned a couple of valuable lessons from this. First, always plan for things going wrong, especially in a city with unpredictable traffic. Now I check the exact address and leave with at least thirty minutes to spare. Second, I realised that if I'm going to be late, I should phone ahead immediately rather than hoping I'll make it.

Not really. Attitudes to time vary a lot between cultures. In countries like Germany or Japan, arriving even five minutes late to a meeting can be seen as disrespectful, and trains are expected to run to the minute. In many other places, including parts of Southeast Asia, people are more flexible, especially at social events, where arriving a little late is completely normal. In international business, though, punctuality is generally expected everywhere, so it's safest to be on time.

Often, it's because they underestimate how long tasks take. Someone might think a report will take an hour when it really needs three, so they're always playing catch-up. Procrastination is another big factor; people put off difficult tasks and then panic close to the deadline. Some also find it hard to say no, so they take on far more than they can realistically handle. In my experience, the people who manage time well aren't less busy; they're just better at prioritising.

I think so, yes. Many students only learn to manage their time at university, often the hard way, after missing deadlines. If schools taught simple techniques, like breaking large projects into smaller steps or using a weekly planner, children would build good habits early. These skills are also essential in almost every job. That said, it shouldn't become another subject with exams; it works better when it's built into ordinary homework and projects.

I'd say it has done both. On the one hand, apps and online services save enormous amounts of time; we can bank, shop and book tickets in seconds, and calendar reminders mean fewer forgotten appointments. On the other hand, smartphones have blurred the line between work and personal life, so many people are expected to reply to messages at any hour. Social media also eats up hours without us noticing. So technology is a useful tool, but only if we control it.