CONTENTS
Sample questions and answers from speaking part 1, 2 and 3
Words and terms frequently used when talking about work
Learn how to use wide variety of parts of speech, such as nouns, verbs, adjectives
Find out groups of words that usually used together by native speakers
References to teaching and authentic materials related to this topic: IELTS blogs, podcasts, videos and articles
Mindmap: WORK vocabulary topic for IELTS SPEAKING
Work: Sample questions and answers for IELTS speaking exam
Part 1
- Describe the company or organization you work for.
– I work for the Energy Development Corporation (EDC); it is a company that focuses on the development of renewable energy.
- What is your position?
-I am part of the geophysical survey team, I am a geologist.
- What are your responsibilities?
– Our team is accountable for identifying if a significant resource is present, as well as to collect and analyze samples within the area of research.
- What do you like about your job?
–The best thing about my job is that I can travel and discover places in which I otherwise would not be able to see.
5. What do you dislike about your job?
-Conducting projects in far-flung areas means being away from my family for several days. Thus, I don’t spend a lot of time with my wife and kids. I miss them so much.
6. How many hours do you work each day?
-When I am out in the field work, I spend several hours traveling to the area, then the survey usually lasts for a couple of days, and sometimes – even weeks. When there is no fieldwork, I usually work from 8 am to 5 pm at the office.
7.What would be your ideal job?
-My ideal job is be something that always brings something new to life, not a repetitive monotonous work. I am good at my responsibilities, but I also expect some pleasant moments at my workplace.
Part 2
Describe the job you would most like to have. You should say:
- what this job would be
- where you would work
- which qualifications you would need and
- explain why you would like to have this job most.
I must admit that I have realized one of my passions a little bit too late in life. Seems like I have always wanted to become a chef in a nice high-end restaurant. Eating food is great, isn’t it? But the process of cooking food and the skill it requires to have is what I find even more intriguing and fascinating.
I could probably enjoy working and being trained in fine dining restaurants or some cruise ships that offer a variety of international dishes. I would like to get to know different cultures all over the world through food. I think it is one of the aspects that distinguishes countries.
To be able to be a chef, I need to have education in culinary arts. I also need to undergo a training in various restaurants to be able to apply the knowledge and information I obtained at school. A chef is a highly creative person, since one of his/her responsibilities is to arrange food with a final touch and think of its overall appealing look on the plate.
The kitchen is the only place I have ever felt like I really belong to. I love its heat and the pressure, apparently.
Part 3
- Which jobs are the most respected in your country?
-In my opinion, these are highly-skilled professional positions such as in the fields of law, medicine, and engineering. Usually, parents encourage their children to undertake such careers, because working in these domains, one always has a nice salary and bright perspectives in life. I specifically respect doctors, since they are not only hard-working professionals but also people who dedicate their lives to helping others.
- Some people say it’s better to work for yourself than be employed by a company. What’s your view?
-On the topic of self-employment, I agree with a Chinese billionaire Jack Ma. For young people, it is wiser to first seek a secue position at a smaller company, because at big ones recent graduates frequently get lost in the large system and routine of endless repetitive tasks, ending up unnoticed. At a family-owned enterprise, on the contrary, it is easier to seize opportunities and take initiatives. As one grows, it is important to focus on learning and developing hard skills. When there is a subjective border of learning reached, one might reconsider the career choice in favour of a more responsible place at a bigger corporation or even the difficult path of entrepreneurship..
- What changes in employment have there been in recent years in your country?
-There has been a rejuvenation of the “entrepreneurial spirit” in our country: more and more people become involved in starting their own businesses. The “start-up” community is now more alive than ever, even college students launch their start-up businesses while studying. Even though there is a high failure rate of start-ups, people nevertheless are starting to take the risk and put their ideas into creation.
Key vocabulary: Definitions and examples
WORD
DEFINITION
EXAMPLE
get promotion
someone who got promotion is given a more important job in the same organization
Do they get promotion or change jobs?
to pay
to give money in exchange for goods or services
She refused to let me pay for the taxi.
job
work that is done regularly to earn money
Afterlanding a job in an off-licence straight out of school, he was initially baffled, butintrigued all the same.
customer
a person or organization that buys goods or services from a store or business
He will usually refer the customer to someone in his firm who isan expert in that field
workload
the amount of work to be done by someone or something
To cope with the increasing workload our staff has grown from about 350 to about 1,000, which makes us by far the largest ombudsman scheme worldwide.
career
an individual’s work and life roles over their lifespan.
Most young people today , whatever their background , see school as a passport to a good career.
workplace
any or all locations or environments where people are employed
People with a job spend a lot of time at their workplace so a healthy workplace is vital to their health.
salary
monthly (yearly) payment that you earn from your job
Apprenticeships areoften a great way to earn a salary or receive an allowance while learning newskills and gaining qualifications.
wage
a fixed regular payment, typically paid on a daily or weekly basis, made by an employer to an employee
The basic state pension is just 15.9 per cent of the average wage, compared to 18.4 per cent 57 years ago.
blue-collar worker
relating to manual workers
Workplace automation has eliminated many of the jobs that enabled blue-collar workers to join the middle class.
white-collar worker
relating to those who work in an office
White-collar workers are evaluated based on performance.
to take time off
to stop working for a short time
Taking time off is one of the best ways to re-engage your mind and make yourself more productive.
to take unpaid leave
if you take leave you stay away from work usually because of holiday or illness, without getting paid
Can he afford to take unpaid leave?
sick leave
Paid absence from work specifically to recover from illness.
Sick leave is usually 1- 1 1/2 days per month.
Word Formation
WORD
PART OF SPEECH
EXAMPLE
work
noun
When getting home from work, the first thing you tell your partner is the best thing that happened that day
to work
verb
Work on it in the morning before your work day.
working
adjective
What is the most effective way to enhance working memory?
promotion
noun
Promotions in Army are to higher ranks and not to a different organisation.
to get promoted
verb
Helping your manager get promoted is useless.
pay
noun
Their average basic pay is approximately 300 pounds per month.
to pay
verb
People do pay for quality.
well-paid
adjective
Are astronauts well paid?
employment
noun
A 2012 NASSCOM survey reveals that 83% of Indian engineering graduates are unfit for employment.
unemployment
noun
To get a sense of the cause of unemployment, it helps to understand excess capacity.
employee
adjective
The best employees are multipliers who make others more productive, and next are the adders (workhorses).
employer
noun
My employers, the University of Bristol, own the intellectual property rights for this article.
to employ
verb
I explained again : about my job description , custom and practice and my right to do the work for which I was employed .
self-employed
adjective
There are lots of ways to describe being self-employed and it will totally depend on the person that you’re speaking to.
unemployed
noun
I was unemployed for almost a year after graduating.
earnings
noun
Sales and earnings are two different things.
to earn
verb
What is the best career advice for a software developer to earn higher total compensation?
qualification
noun
Colonel Spratt highlighted the importance of the qualification for people planning a career in marketing.
to qualify
verb
Like student nurses, there are no jobs for them when they qualify.
qualified
adjective
The English Department employs well qualified and experienced tutors and as a result has always enjoyed a high success rate in examination results.
Collocations
hard
arduous
challenging
complicated
intensive
labour-intensive
physical
delicate
adjective +
work
monotonous
repetitive
fascinating
interesting
paid
unpaid
professional
intellectual
mental
creative
adjective +
work
individual
group
meticulous
experimental
academic
commercial
educational
environmental
scientific
building
construction
adjective +
work
carry out
do
get done
have done
take on
undertake
begin
commence
get down to
verb+
work
carry on
continue
complete
finish
halt
hold up
stop
verb+
work
at
on
preposition+
work
lucrative
well paid
badly paid
full-time
part-time
permanent
temporary
regular
steady
adjective+
job
freelance
voluntary
skilled
unskilled
manual
indoor
outdoor
daily
day-to-day
adjective+
job
administrative
clerical
office
secretarial
managerial
domestic
social
research
agricultural
farm
building
adjective+
work
boring
dead-end
menial
routine
undemanding
well-paid
low-paid
full-time
part-time
9-to-5
regular
steady
adjective+
job
permanent
temporary
holiday
summer
vac/vacation
evening
Saturday
weekend
adjective+
job
in a/the
on the
preposition+
job
search
advertisement
vacancy
application
interview
title
market
cuts
losses
opportunities
prospects
satisfaction
job+noun
work
have
look for
apply fo
go for
find
get
land
take
lose
give up
pack in
resign from
verb+
verb+preposition+
job
give sb
offer sb
verb+
job
right person for the job
phrase
job
Useful resources
This topic on IELTS blogs
- IELTS Speaking Part 1: “work” topic [ielts-simon.com]
- IELTS Speaking Practice: Work – part 1, 2 and 3 sample questions [ielts-academic.com]
- IELTS Work Vocabulary [ieltsspeaking.co.uk]
- IELTS Speaking: Job [ielts-exam.net]
Podcasts
- How Can A Monotonous Job Be Meaningful? [npr.org]
- TAS 125: (Success Leaves Cues) Scott’s Complete Story and Path of Becoming an Enterpreneur [theamazingseller.com]
- 48 Days To The Work You Love [gspn.tv]
Articles
- I’m not very smart, but I work extremely hard. Will I be able to succeed ? [quora.com]
- What do you do when you oversleep for work? Take urgent leave? [quora.com]
Videos
- Nigel Marsh : How to Make Work-life Balance Work [TED TALKS]
- Scott Dinsmore: How To Find Work You Love [TED TALKS]
- Mike Rowe: Learning From Dirty Jobs [TED TALKS]
Downloads
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