IELTS Speaking · 10

I do believe we often learn more from mistakes, because they force us to stop and think carefully about what went wrong. Just last week I sent an email to the wrong person, which was embarrassing, but it taught me to double-check the recipient every time. When I first make a mistake I usually feel frustrated and a bit annoyed at myself, though that feeling fades quickly. I also think admitting mistakes is important, especially at work, because hiding them only makes things worse and damages people's trust in you over time.

I'd like to talk about a mistake I made during my final year at university. We had a major group presentation, and I was responsible for preparing the slides and the data. Because I was overconfident, I left everything until the night before, assuming I could finish it quickly. Unfortunately, my laptop crashed at around midnight and I lost almost all of my work, since I hadn't saved a backup anywhere. I panicked at first, but then I called a classmate who calmly helped me reconstruct the most important points from her notes. We worked until early morning and managed to put together a simpler but acceptable version. The presentation itself went reasonably well, although it was nowhere near as polished as we had hoped. Looking back, this experience taught me two valuable lessons. First, I learned never to leave important tasks until the last minute, because unexpected problems always seem to appear at the worst possible time. Second, I realised the importance of backing up my files, which I now do automatically using cloud storage. More broadly, the mistake made me a more organised and humble person. I stopped assuming things would just work out and started planning properly. Strangely, I'm almost grateful for that stressful night, because it changed my habits for the better.

I think many people struggle to accept mistakes because they link them to personal failure, so admitting one feels like damaging their self-image. Schools definitely should teach children that errors are normal; if students fear mistakes, they avoid trying difficult things and never really grow. As for society, I do feel we sometimes punish people too harshly, especially online, where a single error can be shared instantly and follow someone for years. Technology has changed things in mixed ways, because while it spreads our mistakes faster, it also gives us better tools to correct them and learn from others who faced similar problems.