Part 2 cue card · Media & technology
Describe a day you spent without your phone
Describe a time you went a whole day without using your mobile phone.
Describe a day you spent without your phone
You should say:
- when this happened
- why you didn't use your phone
- what you did instead
and explain how you felt about the experience.
You have one minute to prepare. Then speak for one to two minutes.
Tips for this card
- Explain whether it was a choice or an accident.
- Contrast your feelings at the start and end of the day.
- Mention anything you noticed that you usually miss.
Show a sample answer (try your own first)
A day I spent completely without my phone was about four months ago, and it wasn't really my choice. I dropped my phone in a bucket of water on a Thursday evening, and the repair shop near us was closed on Friday, so I had to manage without it for the whole day. The first few hours were strange. I kept reaching for my pocket out of habit, and I felt anxious that I might be missing important messages about my university application. I even borrowed my mother's phone once just to check my email. But as the day went on, I started to relax. I read a novel I'd abandoned months earlier and finished almost half of it. In the afternoon, I walked to a friend's house instead of messaging him, and we ended up playing carrom with his brothers for two hours. I also noticed things I usually ignore, like the birds on our neighbour's mango tree. By the evening, I felt surprisingly calm and rested. When I got my phone back, I had over two hundred notifications, but almost none of them were important. Since then, I've tried to have one phone-free morning every week, and it's really helped my concentration.
Part 3 — discussion questions
- Are people addicted to their smartphones?
- Should phones be banned in schools?
- How have smartphones changed the way families communicate?
- Will people use phones more or less in the future?