IELTS Speaking Part 1 – Place of Work or Study

For around two decades of work experience, I have always preferred to work alone. I have a personality that does not need constant company. Even though I have read a lot about working in a team, I find it challenging and prefer working alone. I am comfortable and disciplined enough to complete my work and submit it on time. However, I understand that working in a group can be faster and less physically strenuous. Still, if given a choice, I would rather achieve personal success and find satisfaction in overcoming challenges and finishing tasks on my own.

I prefer to work in a proper workplace. During the COVID pandemic, I found it difficult to work from home. The lack of transition between work and home life was a struggle. Working in a workplace allows for a clear separation between work and home, through commuting or traveling. Although commuting can be stressful, it is better than switching from home to work without a break. While I work from home now, I would enjoy the chance to work in a workplace where I can interact with others. Despite the advantages of working from home, having a separate office or workspace is often better.

In college, my favorite place was the IT room. The building used to be a restaurant, a Pizza Hut, before becoming part of my school. The room had been the pantry section, so sometimes there was an unusual smell from the pipes. Despite this, I liked the room because it had many gadgets and equipment. I could spend hours experimenting and playing with different things. One of my favorite pieces of equipment was the oscilloscope, which I used during my free time. The room was cold due to the servers, which kept the temperature low.

During high school, my favorite place to study was my room at home. My room had a window that looked out onto the backyard, which provided enough natural light, so I didn’t need artificial lights. I preferred studying in the evening when it was quiet, although there were crickets that made a sound that I found stimulating. Watching the sunrise and the changing light from night to day made it a nice place for me to study.

Although I have been to the library a few times, I do not enjoy studying there. The atmosphere of the library, with all the people studying, can be distracting. I excel at working alone, and the library’s smell and presence of many students doing the same thing make it more competitive and overstimulating for me. I prefer studying alone where I can focus better.