On a habit card, the key grammar is the present perfect: how the habit has changed your life ("I've lost", "I've been sleeping better"). Numbers and an unexpected benefit make the answer strong, and advice at the end builds a bridge to Part 3.
The cue card
Describe a good habit you have.
You should say:
what the habit is
when you started it
how it has affected your life
and explain why you think it is a good habit.
One-minute notes
- what: walking 40 min a day, home from university (4 km)
- start: first year at uni, sitting all day, weight, back pain
- effect: minus 6 kg, no back pain, better sleep, 5 h of English podcasts a week
- why: free, easy, fits into my day; attach habits to routines
Model answer (about 2 minutes)
A good habit I'm quite proud of is walking for at least forty minutes every day. Most days I do it by walking home from university instead of taking the metro, which is about four kilometres.
I started it in my first year at university. I was sitting for most of the day, in lectures and then at my desk, and after a few months I'd put on weight and started getting back pain, which is ridiculous at nineteen. A friend suggested walking home together, and it just stuck.
It's affected my life in more ways than I expected. I've lost about six kilos, my back pain has gone and I sleep much better. But the unexpected benefit is English: I listen to podcasts while I walk, so I get almost five hours of listening practice a week without having to find extra time for it.
I think it's a good habit mainly because it's so easy to keep. It's free, it doesn't need any equipment, and it fits into something I have to do anyway, which is getting home. Whenever I've tried more ambitious habits, like going to the gym at six in the morning, I've given up within a couple of weeks.
So my advice to anyone trying to build a habit would be to attach it to something you already do.
Useful words and phrases
| Phrase | Meaning |
|---|---|
| put on weight | put on weight |
| ridiculous | ridiculous |
| it just stuck | it just stuck |
| in more ways than I expected | in more ways than I expected |
| an unexpected benefit | an unexpected benefit |
| fit into | fit into |
| ambitious | ambitious |
| an instant reward | an instant reward |
How to answer
- Give the habit a measure: "forty minutes", "four kilometres".
- Use the past perfect for how it started: "I'd put on weight".
- List the results in the present perfect, then add the unexpected benefit.
- End with short advice: "My advice would be to...".
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The AI examiner asks you these questions, listens to your answers and shows your mistakes.
Part 3: follow-up discussion questions
Why do people find it hard to change bad habits?
Because bad habits usually give an instant reward, while the benefits of good habits take weeks to appear. Scrolling on your phone feels good immediately; the results of exercise don't.
Should schools teach children healthy habits?
Definitely, because habits formed in childhood tend to last. Things like regular exercise and a sensible attitude to screens are much easier to learn at ten than at thirty.
Do parents or friends have more influence on a young person's habits?
Can technology help people build good habits?
Part 2 strategy: the cue card guide. Next step: the Part 3 guide.
Practise this topic now
The AI examiner asks you these questions, listens to your answers and shows your mistakes.
