IELTS Speaking Part 1: Making a List – Model Answers 2025

Making a List is a productivity and organisation topic in the IELTS Speaking Part 1 question bank for September–December 2025. Although the questions are simple, they connect to research on cognitive offloading, task management, and why some people find list-making essential while others find it restrictive.

IELTS Speaking Part 1 Making a List 2025: All Questions and Model Answers

Question 1: Do you like making a list when you go shopping?

Model Answer:
While I do not always write a formal shopping list before going to the supermarket, I find that the occasions when I skip this step consistently result in purchasing things I did not need and failing to buy things I did. The shopping list is one of those tools that seems unnecessary until the absence of it makes the cost of not having it visible. That is the reason why consumer behaviour research consistently finds that shoppers who use lists spend money closer to their intended budget and report higher satisfaction with their purchases than those who shop from memory alone. Despite the simplicity of the concept, the discipline of preparing one in advance forces a useful decision-making process that in-store temptation and distraction tend to bypass.

📌 Band 7-8 Vocabulary: consumer behaviour, intended budget, in-store temptation, cognitive offloading, discipline

Question 2: Do you like making a list when you are working or studying?

Model Answer:
Although I use task lists extensively in both work and study contexts, I have found that the format of the list matters considerably more than its mere existence. An undifferentiated list of tasks of varying importance and urgency tends to produce the behaviour of completing the easiest or most appealing items first regardless of their actual priority, which is a well-documented productivity failure mode. That is why the most effective task management approaches emphasise not just listing tasks but actively prioritising them according to impact and urgency before the day begins. Despite the additional effort this requires, the improvement in how effectively time is used consistently justifies the investment in any context where output quality and time efficiency both matter.

📌 Band 7-8 Vocabulary: undifferentiated, prioritising, productivity failure mode, task management, impact and urgency

Question 3: Why do some people hate making lists?

Model Answer:
Despite the practical benefits that list-making provides to most people who use it consistently, resistance to lists tends to fall into a few recognisable patterns. Some people find that the rigidity of a written list creates anxiety rather than clarity, because the gap between what was planned and what is actually accomplished feels more visible and more judgmental when written down than when simply imagined. Others resist lists as a form of constraint on what they experience as natural spontaneity. That is the reason why personality research identifies a reliable correlation between high scores on the trait of conscientiousness and comfort with structured planning, and between high scores on openness and a preference for less structured approaches. Despite the correlation, neither orientation produces universally better outcomes.

📌 Band 7-8 Vocabulary: conscientiousness, openness, spontaneity, rigidity, trait psychology

Examiner Tips for IELTS Speaking Part 1 Making a List 2025

Connect list-making to psychological research on conscientiousness, task management, and cognitive offloading.

The distinction between an undifferentiated list and a properly prioritised one is a specific and impressive productivity observation.

Trait psychology references like conscientiousness and openness elevate your answer on why some people resist lists.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is this a confirmed IELTS Speaking topic for September–December 2025?
Yes. This topic appears in the official IELTS Speaking Part 1 question bank for September–December 2025.

How long should each answer be?
Aim for at least 100 words per answer at a natural speaking pace.