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IELTS Speaking Lesson about Daily Routines - Part 2

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Daily Routines : Lesson Notes

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Listening Activity: Daily Routines

Listen to this dialogue between two people

1. Who is speaking?

a) Two students

b) A student and a teacher

c) A mother and son

d) A worker and a student

d) A worker and a student

Iā€™m still a student

I work full-time now

My grandma says routines can reduce stressĀ 

2. True / False / Not Given

Listen again and decide if the following phrases are true, false or not given.

a) Tom believes routines are always positive.

b) Anna works fixed hours every day.

c) Tom finds studying exciting all the time.

d) Anna thinks routines are useful for children.

e) Both speakers agree routines should be completely avoided.

a) Tom believes study routines are always positive. F

That routine helps me stay on track with my studies.

I think they can be both good and bad.

b) Anna works fixed hours every day. NG

I have a full time job

c) Tom finds studying exciting all the time. F

If I study the same way every day, I feel bored to tears.

d) Anna thinks routines are useful for children. T

I think routines are good for some people, like children.

e) Both speakers agree routines should be completely avoided. F

I think routines are good for some people,

Maybe the best thing is balanceā€”a routine, but with some flexibility.

3. Listen and find phrases similar to these

Ā 

a) Unable to change your situation

b) Continue moving towards a goal

c) Feeling you are improving step by step

d) Very bored

a) Unable to change your situation

  • Stuck in a rut

Ā 

b) Continue moving towards a goal

  • Stay on track

Ā 

c) Feeling you are improving step by step

  • A sense of progress

Ā 

d) Very bored

  • bored to tearsĀ 
4. Listen again and follow the script below

Anna: Hi, Tom, how are you doing?

Tom: Not bad – same old, same old!

Anna: Yeah, I know what you mean, sometimes I feel like Iā€™m stuck in a rut. I was reading an article the other day about the benefits of routines. What do you think? Do you think routines are a good thing?

Tom: Hmm, I think they can be both good and bad. Iā€™m still a student, so I try to follow a daily routine at uni. I tend to go to the library most mornings, Iā€™ll have lectures in the afternoon, and I typically review my notes in the evenings. That routine helps me stay on track with my studies.

Anna: That makes sense. I work full-time now, and you know what? Although routines can be boring, they help me be more productive. More often than not, I work on my projects first thing in the morning and then only do emails after lunch. It gives me a sense of progress.

Tom: Exactly. And repetition helps too. I mean, perfection comes through repetition, right?

Anna: True, but donā€™t you ever feel bored? Sometimes my routine feels so monotonous.

Tom: Yeah, I get that. If I study the same way every day, I feel bored to tears.

Anna: I think routines are good for some people, like children. They give a sense of safety and clear boundaries.

Tom: And maybe for older people too. My grandma says routines can reduce stress and give her a sense of certainty.

Anna: Sure, but for me, I need some variety. Otherwise, life feels a bit dull.

Tom: I know what you mean. Maybe the best thing is balanceā€”a routine, but with some flexibility.Ā 

IELTS Speaking Vocabulary: Daily Routines

ALWAYS

I get up early everyday

I will get up early (present habit)

I always get up early

USUALLY

I tend to get up early

I typically get up early

I usually get up early

More often than not, I get up early

RARELY

I rarely get up early

I hardly ever get up early

I get up early once in a blue moon

šŸ‘‰ TIP

Ā 

If the adverb of frequency is one word it usually goes between the subject (e.g. I, he, youā€¦) and the verb.

I often get up late

I always have coļ¬€ee in the morning.

If the adverb of frequency is more than one word it usually goes at the beginning or end of a phrase, not in the middle!

I get up at 7am on a regular basis.

From time to time I get up at 9 am.

I go to work every Monday without fail.

Other Adverbs of Frequency

AlwaysUsuallyOftenSometimes
InvariablyTypicallyOn a regular
basis		From time to time
Without failGenerallyFrequentlyNow and again
Without
exception		RegularlyRepeatedlyOccasionally
Day in day outMostlyTime and againOnce in a while

Tell me about a habit you have and how often you do it!

Idioms to talk about ROUTINES

Idioms to talk about ROUTINES

1. To be a creature of habit routine (positive) = someone who likes to have the same

I hate to miss my early morning walk, I am a creature of habit.

2. To be stuck in a rut = doing the same boring routine and not changing (negative)

I feel stuck in a rut with my daily routine.

I have got stuck in a rut at work. I think I need a new job!

3. As regular as clockwork (adv.) = very regularly and predictably

I brush my teeth every morning, as regular as clockwork

Related idiom

  • To run like clockwork = to go smoothly and eļ¬ƒciently all the time

4. To shake things up = change your routine to make life more exciting

I travel at weekends to shake things up.

Once in a while, I work in a coļ¬€ee shop, to shake things up.

Website Recommendation

The benefits of Routines

How to Speak English Confidently

ā€œI understand 90% of your videos, but I still canā€™t speak English confidently!ā€™

You are learning English passively!

ā€˜Identity Imitation Syndromeā€™

Have you seem ā€˜Rockyā€™ or ā€˜Love Islandā€™?

You feel like you are the person you are watching.

But you donā€™t become a great actor by watching others act in films.

To do that, you need to practise acting.

To speak more confidently, you need to practise speaking English.

Systematically (with a routine šŸ˜‰ )

The Speaking Success System

1. Discover

2. Practise

3. Review

This system is at the centre of my online courses.

You can practice all the language from my live lessons in The Vocabulary Vault

The vocabulary vault

Song

šŸŽµ Same Old, Same Old?

Language note:

To give someone the sack = to fire them (so they lose their job)

Verse 1

I wake up early, same time every day

Regular as clockwork, in a steady kind of way

Grab my coļ¬€ee, head out with my bag

Stay on course, yeah, never looking back

I go to work on Mondays, without fail Iā€™m there

More often than not, I sit in the same old chair

I tend to leave my emails for the afternoon

Seems the end of the day canā€™t come too soon

Chorus

Same old, same old, am I stuck in a rut?

Should I carry on working, or follow my gut?

A creature of habit, or just staying on track?

Maybe I should change, before they give me the sack!

Verse 2

Another boring meeting, Iā€™m bored to tears

Iā€™ll get another coļ¬€ee, maybe Iā€™ll make it beers

Why do you copy me in on all your emails?

Iā€™ll never answer them, if Iā€™m down at the sales

Picking up a bargainā€¦.

Chorus

Same old, same old, am I stuck in a rut?

Or building a better life, bit by bit?

A creature of habit, or just staying on track?

Maybe I should change, before they give me the sack!

Bridge

They say routines give you safety, give you boundaries too

Help you feel more certain in the things you do

But I need some variety, I need to feel free

A balance in my life, thatā€™s the key for me

Final Chorus

Same old, same old, am I stuck in a rut?

Or building a better life, bit by bit?

A creature of habit, or just staying on track?

Maybe I should change, before they give me the sack!

More IELTS Speaking Free Lessons

If you liked this lesson about music in IELTS Speaking, leave a comment below!

There are more lessons you can follow in the links below too.

FAMILY in IELTS Speaking. How to talk about your family, stages of life, as well as idioms about family.

PERSONAL FINANCE in IELTS Speaking. Idioms and vocabulary to learn how to manage your personal finance, earning, and saving money.

NOISE POLLUTION in IELTS Speaking. How to talk about different types of noise, and how noise pollution affects our lives today.

AMBITION in IELTS Speaking. Vocabulary and ideas to talk about ambitions, as well as some model answers.

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