# Describe a time you worked under pressure: IELTS Speaking sample answers

Speaking Part 2 - Work

Describe a time when you had to work under pressure.

You should say:
- when it happened
- what you had to do
- why you were under pressure
- and explain how you felt about the experience

Source: Sample answers and examiner notes are written by Testmigo.

## Band 7 sample

I'd like to talk about a time in my final year at university, when I had to finish a big group project in a very short time.

It was a marketing course, and our group of four had to create a full marketing plan for a local business and present it to the lecturer and some guests. We had about six weeks to do it, and for most of that time things were going fine.

The problem started three days before the deadline. One of our group members got sick and had to go home to his family, and on the same evening my laptop suddenly crashed. Unfortunately, a lot of our work were saved only on my laptop, which, looking back, was a big mistake. So we had to rebuild almost half of the project in less than three days, and also prepare the presentation.

What I did was, first, I organised the remaining three of us and we divided the work very clearly. Then we basically lived in the library for two days. I was in charge of the financial section, so I had to redo all the calculations from my notes, and I slept maybe four hours each night.

To be honest, I felt really stressed during those days, and at one point I seriously thought we will fail. But in the end we finished just in time, and our presentation went better than we expected. We got a good grade, actually. Afterwards I felt exhausted but also quite proud, and I learned an important lesson, which is to always back up my files, because I never want to go through that experience again.

**Examiner notes.** This Band 7 answer tells a clear story with a believable problem and covers every bullet. Vocabulary is good with some less common phrases ("in charge of", "back up my files", "just in time"), and the speaker keeps going without strain. There are some typical errors, such as the agreement slip "a lot of our work were saved" (rather than "was saved") and the missed backshift in "I seriously thought we will fail" (rather than "we would fail"), plus an awkward spoken frame, "What I did was, first, I organised". Linkers like "so" and "also" recur. For Band 8, the speaker would need more idiomatic language to describe the pressure and emotions, and a more flexible range of structures with fewer fillers.

The Band 8 sample is free with an account on the [topic page](https://testmigo.com/ielts/speaking/topics/describe-a-time-you-worked-under-pressure).

## Common questions

### How long should an IELTS Speaking Part 2 answer be?

You get one minute to prepare and then speak for up to two minutes; the examiner stops you at two. Aim to keep talking for the full time, which is usually 220 to 300 words.

### Can I use these sample answers in my test?

No. Examiners are trained to spot memorised answers, and a learned script is marked down. Use the samples to see what each band does, then answer in your own words.