Work and study questions in Part 1 often lead to stress. Pair an idiom for the problem ("snowed under") with one for the solution ("let off steam") and your answer has a natural shape.
The labels tell you how each one lands with a listener. Natural idioms are safe in any Speaking part. Informal ones suit relaxed Part 1 and Part 2 answers. Overused ones are correct but examiners hear them constantly, so use them once at most. Avoid means dated, slang or a cliché that sounds memorised. None of these belong in Writing Task 2.
14 idioms
having too much work to deal with
I'm completely snowed under with assignments this month.
Very natural for work and study answers.
very busy with something
We're up to our eyes in wedding preparations at the moment.
Casual British English. "Up to my ears" means the same.
work very hard from early morning until late at night
Before the product launch, the whole team was burning the candle at both ends.
Widely taught. Correct, but say it once and move on.
so stressed that you cannot cope much longer
Many nurses say they were at breaking point during the pandemic.
Serious and precise. Strong in Part 3 answers about workplaces.
feel pressure, especially from others
Every December the sales team really feels the heat.
Natural for describing pressure at work.
nervous and unable to relax
I was on edge the whole morning before my results came out.
Short and common in everyday speech.
a nervous feeling before something important
I always get butterflies in my stomach before I speak in public.
Examiners hear this in almost every "nervous" answer. "I was a bag of nerves" is a fresher choice.
a very nervous person (British)
On the morning of my driving test I was a bag of nerves.
Natural British English and less predictable than "butterflies".
just manage to deal with your work or problems
With two part-time jobs, I'm only just keeping my head above water.
Works for both money and workload.
try to do too many things at once
In my first year I joined five clubs and spread myself too thin.
Useful for talking about time management.
work so hard that you become exhausted
If you run yourself into the ground, you can't study properly.
Good in Part 3 answers about work-life balance.
do something to release stress or energy
I go for a run after work to let off steam.
Pairs well with a hobby answer in Part 1.
have a short rest
During long revision days I take a breather every hour.
Simple and natural.
rushing about in a disorganised way
The morning of the move, I was running around like a headless chicken.
Comic and casual. Fine in a light story, but not in Part 3.
Part 3
Here is a sample answer we wrote to show how a few of these idioms fit into natural speech. Notice that it uses only a handful, spread out, with plain English around them.
I think a big reason is that students are expected to do everything at once: get top marks, build a CV and have a social life. Many of them end up spreading themselves too thin, and by exam season they're at breaking point. Social media doesn't help, because everyone else seems to be coping perfectly. Schools could do more to teach students to say no and to take a breather before they burn out.
It is correct, but it is one of the most common idioms in IELTS answers about nerves. If you want to stand out, say "I was a bag of nerves" or simply "I was on edge".
Choose idioms that describe situations rather than personal feelings: "at breaking point", "spread themselves too thin" and "run themselves into the ground" all work when you discuss society in general.
No. Idioms belong in Speaking. Writing Task 2 is a formal essay, so idioms and contractions make it sound too casual. Use precise, neutral vocabulary there instead.
One or two, only where they fit what you want to say. Forced idioms sound memorised and can lower your score. On this page, be careful with "burn the candle at both ends", "butterflies in my stomach": examiners hear them often or they sound dated.
Keep going
More idiom themes:
Practise them on real questions:
Written by Fizza Butool Zaidi and Ali Zaidi. Lexical Resource is one of the four Speaking criteria in the public IELTS scoring guide on ielts.org. BandLadder is not affiliated with IELTS, the British Council or IDP, and no list of idioms guarantees a band score.
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