When you asked for an extension of time

IELTS Cue Card/ Candidate Task Card 419 with Model Answer:

Describe a time when you asked for an extension of time to complete something.

You should say:

• when it was
  
• what the task was
  
• who you asked for the extension in time
  

and explain why you needed more time to complete it.

[You will have to talk about the topic for one to two minutes. You have one minute to think about what you are going to say. You can make some notes to help you if you wish.]

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Model Answer 1:

As a university student, I needed to ask for an extension many a time to finish my homework or assignments because of wasting my time in doing unnecessary things. Today, I would like to talk about one of those times when I needed to ask for an extension.

It was during the final year of my university studies when I was struggling to balance my student life and the life outside of it. Yes, my final year at the university was hectic, to say the least, since my course load was a bit too much for me to handle.  Of course, I could delay my graduation a bit, but I didn’t like the idea since I wanted to get out of university as soon as possible and get a good job.

Even though I somehow managed to complete the study and course works for the subjects, which I was taking during my last semester, I was limping with my final year project.

By the way, initially, I didn’t think that my final year project was so difficult or it would take so much of my time, but I was proved dead wrong since I was struggling to prepare just the “definition of terms”, let alone finishing my case study for the project. Of course, I tried to finish the works as quickly as possible, but it wasn’t just easy to apply all of my knowledge that I had learned over the years as a university student. So, knowing that I wouldn’t be able to finish my final year project on time, I had no other option but to ask for an extension from my project supervisor. He granted 2 weeks' extension and that was a big relief for me.

Anyway, I needed to ask for the extension, mainly because I started the project rather late. In fact, I underestimated the level of complexity of my final year project.  I needed the extension also because I needed to spend a lot of time in studying the regular semester courses which were rather difficult.

Model Answer 2:
I would like to thank you for the opportunity to let me talk about a time when I needed to ask for an extension of time to finish something. The event that I would like to describe happened during my final year at university when I was working on my thesis.

The incident took place in the middle of the semester when I was immersed in my thesis research. My thesis topic was quite complex, involving extensive data collection and analysis. I had originally set a timeline that I thought was reasonable to complete the research, compile the data, and write the thesis.

As the deadline approached, I realized that the research was more time-consuming than I had anticipated. I was struggling to gather and analyze the data effectively, and it became clear that I wouldn't be able to meet the initial submission date.

In my university, the process for requesting an extension involved approaching the thesis advisor. In my case, my thesis advisor was Professor Smith, who had been guiding me throughout the research. I scheduled a meeting with Professor Smith to discuss my concerns and to formally request an extension. During our meeting, I explained the challenges I was facing in completing the research and how it was taking more time than expected. I also presented a detailed plan outlining the additional time I needed and how I intended to use it efficiently to ensure the quality of my thesis. Professor Smith was understanding of my situation, considering the complexity of the research, and agreed to grant me a two-week extension that I requested.

I needed more time to complete the thesis because I didn't want to compromise on the quality of my work. I felt that rushing through the research and analysis would have a detrimental impact on the overall thesis. I wanted to ensure that I conducted thorough research, analyzed the data accurately, and presented a well-structured thesis that contributed significantly to my field of study.