📙 Part 2: Describe an occasion when you were not allowed to use your mobile phone

This episode's vocabulary

Surgically attached to my hand (idiom) – to be constantly holding or using something, especially a mobile phone. → My phone is basically surgically attached to my hand at this point.

Stand out (phrasal verb) – to be very noticeable or memorable. → One time that does stand out is actually when I had my IELTS exam.

Squarely (adverb) – directly or exactly. → This was almost squarely in the center of the city.

Hand over (phrasal verb) – to give something to someone in authority. → I had to hand over all my personal items before taking the test.

High-stakes (adjective) – involving serious risks or important consequences if there is a failure. → This is a high-stakes assessment and having a phone would allow you to cheat.

Distraction (noun) – something that prevents someone from giving their full attention to something else. → Having a phone could be a distraction to others.

Policy (noun) – a set of rules or a plan of action adopted by a group or individual. → It makes sense that that would be a policy that they have in these test centers.

Put out (phrasal verb) – to be annoyed, upset, or offended. → I wasn't actually that put out about it.

Take issue with (idiom) – to disagree with or challenge something. → I don't really take issue with rules like that.

Not only... but also (conjunction) – a structure used to present two related pieces of information, with the second one adding to the first. → Not only because I like the city, but also because it was the closest IELTS center.

With regards to (phrase) – a formal way to introduce a topic; concerning. → With regards to when it was, this must have been about nine months ago.

When it comes to (phrase) – used to introduce a new aspect of a topic being discussed. → When it comes to where it was, I know I already said Edinburgh.

As for (phrase) – used to begin talking about a new subject that is connected to the previous one. → And as for how I felt about the whole thing, I wasn't actually that put out about it.

Questions and Answers

Maria: Describe an occasion when you were not allowed to use your mobile phone. You should say when it was, where it was, why you were not allowed to use your super mobile phone, and how you felt about it.

Rory: Well, this doesn't happen very often since my phone is basically surgically attached to my hand at this point, but one time that does stand out is actually when I had my IELTS exam. It was for listening and reading and writing, and not speaking. With regards to when it was, well, this must have been about nine months ago roughly. I'd gone through to Edinburgh at the start of the summer for the big day. Not only because I like the city, but also because it was the closest IELTS center as well. So, I had to travel quite far. When it comes to where it was, I know I already said Edinburgh, but to be more exact, this was almost squarely in the center of the city where these old Edwardian townhouses are located. It's actually quite a nice part of the place, regardless of why you're there. I had to go into one of these converted apartments and hand over all my personal items before taking the test, and that included my mobile phone. To explain why I wasn't allowed to use it, well, I think that should be clear. This is a high stakes assessment and having a phone would either allow you to cheat or perhaps worse, be a distraction to others and nobody really wants that, do they? So it makes sense that that would be a policy that they have in these test centers. And as for how I felt about the whole thing, I wasn't actually that put out about it. I don't really take issue with rules like that and I think I'd prepared well enough for the test that I didn't feel a really strong need to cheat or anything. Not that I would do that anyway, but it's good to not be able to do that. Even if I'd had my phone, I think I'd have put it on silent mode anyway just to avoid disturbing others because that's the polite thing to do. Hopefully, I won't have to do it again though. I think one time was enough and even though I survived the test, I prefer to have my phone on me at all times.