A model answer about a fixed nine-to-five routine may not fit your life. If you work rotating shifts, your mornings, evenings and days off can look very different. You can explain that difference clearly without pretending to have the same schedule every day.
The daily-routine sets in Jobin Thomas’s Speak to Score: IELTS Speaking Excellence offer several example responses. This guide uses those themes to help you build answers from your own circumstances, with original examples for shift workers.
Start with the pattern that is true for you
You might begin, “My routine depends on my shift,” or “I have a different routine on workdays and days off.” That gives the listener a useful frame before you describe individual activities.
Then select a relevant detail. You do not need to narrate every meal and journey. Explain enough to answer the question and make the pattern understandable.
Original routine example
Question: Is your routine the same every day?
Possible response: “Not really, because my work shifts vary. On an early shift, I get ready and leave home before breakfast time for most people. On a day off, I usually have a slower morning and study later.”
The contrast explains the variation. Adapt the details to your own life rather than copying the speaker’s schedule.
Use frequency words accurately
“Usually,” “often” and “occasionally” help describe a pattern without making it absolute. “I usually study on days off” leaves room for exceptions. “I always study on days off” makes a much stronger claim.
Choose the word that fits what you mean. You do not need to add a frequency word to every sentence, especially when the opening already establishes the context.
Separate a routine from a recent event
“I practise speaking after breakfast” describes a habit. “I practised after lunch yesterday” describes a particular past event. If a question asks about a recent change, connect the old pattern with the new one.
For example: “I used to study only at weekends, but now I do short sessions during the week as well.” The contrast gives the listener both the earlier situation and the change.
Make the answer match the information
Information: A fictional learner studies after breakfast on days off, but has no fixed study time on workdays.
Draft: “I always study after breakfast every day.”
Possible revision: “On my days off, I usually study after breakfast. On workdays, the time varies with my shift.”
The revision preserves the difference between the two kinds of day. It is clearer because it does not turn a limited pattern into a universal one.
Answer a preference question with a reason
If asked which part of the day you enjoy, choose a period and explain why. Your favourite time may be after work, before a shift or during a day off. There is no need to borrow a model’s preference for mornings or evenings.
A small personal detail makes the explanation useful: “I like the quiet hour before I leave because I can have a drink and plan my day without rushing.”
Practise changing the question
Record answers to three prompts: describe your usual routine, explain whether it changes and describe one recent change. Listen for whether your verb forms and time expressions match each question.
Explore IELTS Speaking — Course 4 for the course linked to this book. At Jobins Training, you can request online one-to-one lesson dates and times around your busy duty schedule, with availability confirmed by your tutor. Live tuition is arranged separately from self-paced courses.
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IELTS Speaking — Course 4
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Source: 3 IELTS sp book.epub, Jobins Training. Examples labelled original or illustrative were written for this article. Independent exam preparation; no affiliation with or endorsement by the examining body. Practice does not predict an official score.