# Describe an invention useful in daily life: IELTS Speaking sample answers

Speaking Part 2 - Technology

Describe an invention that is useful in daily life.

You should say:
- what the invention is
- when you first used it
- how often you use it
- and explain why it is useful in your daily life

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

## Band 7 sample

I'd like to talk about the washing machine, which I think is one of the most useful inventions in everyday life, even though most people don't really think about it.

When I was a child, we didn't have one at home. My mother washed all our clothes by hand in a big plastic bucket, and I remember it took her almost the whole Saturday morning, especially in winter when everything took ages to dry. We have finally bought a washing machine when I was about ten, and I still remember the day it was delivered. My little brother and I sat in front of it and watched the clothes going round and round, like it was a TV programme.

Nowadays I live in a shared flat with two friends, and we use our machine four or five times a week, so it's basically working all the time. It's quite an old model, and it makes a terrible noise when it's spinning, but it does the job.

The main reason it's so useful is that it saves a huge amount of time and effort. Washing clothes by hand is physically tiring, and to be honest in my family it was always my mother who did it, so the machine actually gave her more free time to do other things, like her evening classes. Also, it's much more gentler on your hands, because you don't have to scrub everything with strong soap in cold water.

So for me it's a simple invention but it really changed our daily life. I honestly can't imagine going back to washing everything in a bucket like my mother did.

**Examiner notes.** This Band 7 answer gives a clear, personal account with a memorable childhood detail (watching the clothes "going round and round, like it was a TV programme"). It uses some less common, natural phrases such as "took ages" and "it does the job", but the reasons are fairly predictable and the vocabulary stays mostly everyday. There are also typical grammar slips: the present perfect with a finished past time in "We have finally bought a washing machine when I was about ten" (rather than "We finally bought") and the double comparative "much more gentler" (rather than "much gentler"). Band 8 adds more precise and idiomatic language, a more developed argument and smoother links between ideas.

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

## 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.