What do you usually do at weekends?
I tend to split my weekend between family and friends. Here the weekend is Friday and Saturday, so Friday is about Jumma prayers and a long lunch with my parents and sister. Saturday is looser; I usually meet a couple of classmates for tea in Dhanmondi or just catch up on assignments.
What did you do last weekend?
Last weekend was unusually busy. My cousin got engaged, so most of Friday went on helping my aunt decorate her flat and fetching boxes of sweets from Old Dhaka. By Saturday I was exhausted, so I stayed in, binge-watched a series and finally tidied my desk, which I'd been putting off for weeks.
Do you prefer busy weekends or relaxing ones?
Relaxing ones, without a doubt. My weekdays are packed with lectures and a part-time tutoring job, and the commute through Dhaka traffic really drains me. So when the weekend arrives, I want at least one day with nothing scheduled. That said, if both days are too quiet, I get restless and start texting friends to meet up.
Are your weekends different now from when you were a child?
Yes, quite different. As a child, Fridays meant cartoons in the morning and cricket in the lane behind our building until the evening call to prayer sent us home. These days my weekends are more structured; there's always some reading to finish, and I spend more time on my phone than outdoors, which I slightly regret.
Is there anything special you would like to do next weekend?
I'd love to get out of the city for a day. A few friends and I have been talking about catching an early train to Gazipur and spending the day at a resort there, just walking around and eating. Whether it happens depends on the weather, though, because one heavy downpour could easily ruin the plan.
Sample answers written by Abroadway as models of natural, high-band speaking (not official IELTS samples).
Answer these questions out loud
Free, no account needed. The examiner voice reads each question; you get a band estimate at the end.