IELTS SPEAKING CUE CARD
[PART 2]
A JOB YOU WOULD NOT
LIKE TO DO IN THE FUTURE
Describe a job that you would not like to do in the future
You should say:
- What it is
- Where you knew it from
- Why you think it is difficult or easy
And explain why you would not like to do it
A N S W E R
If I had to choose one particular job among the many jobs that I wouldn’t do, I suppose it would be a housekeeping job in a psychiatric hospital or a mental health hospital. No offense meant to those who work as a housekeeper in psychiatric facilities, I believe they have the most mentally and emotionally draining job. Besides, it’s a physically demanding job since they need to clean the gross human waste here and there.
Let me tell you about my experience when I was still a graduate student, I visited one of the mental hospitals in a neighboring hometown to conduct a research study for my major subject, Behavioral Psychology. I remember I was so thrilled to visit that facility since I wanted to know more about the behavior of mentally ill patients and I was more than eager to know their condition in that hospital. I was hungry for new experiences and knowledge then!
LEXICAL RESOURCE
No offense meant [expression] – used to say when you don’t want to be misunderstood as insulting people
Housekeeper [noun] – a person employed for cleaning and other domestic tasks
Draining [adj.] – cause you to lose your energy; exhausting
Gross [adj.] – disgusting
Here and there [phrase] – in different places
Behavioral Psychology [noun] – the study of problematic behaviors and thoughts
Thrilled [adj.] – excited
TIPS
i.) FIRST PARAGRAPH: The speaker developed his introduction by using the second conditional tense as it’s just an imaginary case. Then, he picked one particular job among the many kinds of jobs that he wouldn’t do and that’s a housekeeping job in a psychiatric hospital. Before explaining why he didn’t want that job, he used a very good expression before expressing his reason so as not to sound rude or insulting. With that kind of expression, he sounded very natural and confident in expressing himself in English. It’s a very good way to develop his introduction.
ii.) SECOND PARAGRAPH: In this part, he recalled his experience of visiting the psychiatric hospital. That’s the foundation of his story or the background story and that’s very important. So you should make sure that you have background information of your story.
So when I arrived at the hospital, one of the staff toured me around the facility before I had to interview some psychiatrists and nurses, to get ideas of the behavior of patients who have severe mental illness. I witnessed different kinds of behavior that I didn’t see in my everyday life – some were horrific and some were indescribable. As we continued walking from one ward to another, I saw one housekeeper cleaning one particular ward that smelled awful and almost had me puking.
She was scrubbing the wall that was spattered with excrement of the patient. I realized how tough the job of the housekeepers in that facility was. Not only that, their job requires mental and emotional fitness since they can always witness the different kinds of behavior of the patients that are overwhelming. Well, that experience of mine taught me one very important lesson in life and that’s to give so much respect to all the housekeepers. I’m pretty sure that I can’t do what they can do. I don’t have the guts to do such a thing!
LEXICAL RESOURCE
Psychiatrist [noun] – a medical practitioner specializing in the diagnosis and treatment of mental illness
Horrific [adj.] – frightful; causing horror
Indescribable [adj.] – unusual; extreme; hard to describe
Awful [adj.] – disgusting; unpleasant
Puke [verb] – vomit
Spatter [verb] – to cover with drops or spots of something
Excrement [noun] – human waste; stool
Overwhelming [adj.] – very strong
Have the guts [idiom] – to have enough courage to do something
TIPS
iii.) THIRD PARAGRAPH: In this part, the speaker started talking about what he saw in that hospital. He described the behavior of the mentally ill patients. This part helped him add information to the previous parts of his story. So that’s supplemental information for his story.
iv.) FOURTH PARAGRAPH: This is the part where he answered as to why he wouldn’t want to work as a housekeeper. He described to the examiner the job of the housekeeper in that mental hospital. The words that he used were kind of sensitive which gave the examiner an idea of the reason why he didn’t want to have that kind of job. The vocabulary words that he used, made his story believable and at the same, it helped him showcase his vocabulary knowledge. And that surely helps him get a better mark in the criterion, Lexical Resource.
v.) FIFTH PARAGRAPH: This is the last part of his story, he simply shared his reflection of his experience. This is a very good way to end his monologue. More often than not, we always put the lesson or the reflection of a story at the end, and that’s what the speaker did.
PART 3
What kind of job do young people prefer?
Honestly, I do not know how to answer this question as I believe there is no universal answer to that. So, let me just answer based on my observation. I suppose young people want to get a job in the IT industry since there are countless opportunities in that field, considering that we are now living in a digital age, where everyone is reliant on the use of internet technology, jobs related to information technology are really popular and promising.
I also think that some want to become a full-time Youtuber. I know some people laugh it off, however, that is serious, some YouTube influencers are living a luxurious life since they can earn a huge amount of money, most especially when some major companies hire them to be endorsers of their products or services. Having that kind of job helps them live a stress-free life since they are their own boss, which is impossible if they work in a corporate world. So, as technology keeps evolving, the interest of young people in choosing their profession becomes non-conventional.
LEXICAL RESOURCE
Universal [adj.] – general; applicable to all
Countless [adj.] – too many to count
Digital age [noun] – also called as the Information Age; where many things are done by computers
Reliant [adj.] – dependent
Laugh it off [phrase] – to dismiss something as insignificant by laughing at it
Luxurious [adj.] – extremely elegant
Corporate world [noun] – the place where business ethics, practices, and laws must be followed
Evolve [verb] – develop; progress
Non-conventional [adj.] – not traditional; not conforming to customs or usual practices
TIP
i.) The speaker answered the question very honestly stating that he didn’t know and explained why the question was vague. He then transitioned telling the examiner that he would answer the question based on his observation. Then he talked about the IT jobs and provided his explanation. To make his answer a bit longer, he provided another type of job that was popular in this social media era and explained why a lot of young people wanted to be a YouTube influencer.
Finally, he ended his answer by giving his reflection on how technology affected people’s job choices. It’s a very good way to wrap up his answer.
Which is more important for people, a high salary or an interesting job?
Realistically, people prefer the former simply because they work to earn money. Having a high salary is what most people aim or dream to have. We cannot deny the fact that if one earns way better than the other, his life is more comfortable or convenient. Who does not want to have a convenient life? In my opinion, it is hypocrisy if one does not want a job in which he can become wealthier.
Well, lucky are those workers whose job is interesting and that they can earn very well. Also, if I myself have to choose between the two, I go for the first choice as well.
LEXICAL RESOURCE
Realistically [adv.] – in a way that demonstrates a practical idea
(The) former [adj.] – first-mentioned
(Way) better [adj.] – a lot better
Hypocrisy [noun] – contrivance of a false appearance of virtue or goodness, while hiding the real character traits
Wealthier [adj.] – rich
Go for [phrasal verb] – choose
TIP
i.) The speaker answered the question in a practically honest way. He explained why people prefer getting a job that they can earn very well. He talked about what a high salary job could do for people’s lives and interestingly he used a rhetorical question that helped him sound very natural. Then, he ended his answer by using a conditional tense talking about his personal choice. It’s a very good way to wrap up his answer.
Which do you prefer, physical work or mental work?
Well, my current job is under the white-collar category, so without a doubt, I choose mental work over physical work. Actually, I am a correctional counselor in this city, I work with inmates helping them achieve their goals towards rehabilitation.
My job requires me to be mentally and emotionally fit since I need to deal with different kinds of inmates. It is sometimes mentally draining but the feeling of being able to help the inmates change their lives for the better is utterly rewarding.
LEXICAL RESOURCE
White-collar [adj.] – professional jobs usually working in the office
Without a doubt [phrase] – indisputably
Correctional counselor [noun] – also called treatment specialist; they work with inmates helping them in rehabilitation
Inmate [noun] – a person confined in a prison
Rehabilitation [noun] – the action of restoring someone to normal life through therapy
Draining [adj.] – tiring
Utterly [adv.] – absolutely; completely
Rewarding [adj.] – satisfying
TIP
i.) The speaker developed his answer by categorizing his current job first. He did not give his choice at once. Right after that, he then chose the second choice which was mental work as his answer to the question. Then, he transitioned to talking about his profession and described his job which best fit the definition of mental work. And lastly, he just ended his answer by stating how rewarding his job was. The way the speaker talked about his profession, is a very good technique to extend his answer and at the same time being able to provide a discussion about mental work.
What factors should people take into consideration when choosing jobs?
I suppose there are many factors that job seekers should take into account when choosing jobs, however, I would like to emphasize three factors. First, they have to know whether the job is good for them or not. Job seekers need to assess first if the job can help them develop their skills or make them grow professionally. More often than not, some people keep changing their jobs simply because there is no professional growth. That is one thing that they should consider the first time they are given a job offer.
Second, they have to evaluate if it provides them with a decent salary. That is indispensable since people need to pay bills every month. If the compensation is unfavorable to them, then how could they live a comfortable life? The last but not the least is understanding the scope of employment. Sometimes this is being overlooked especially when the salary is irresistible. However, job seekers need to understand their responsibilities better before accepting the job offer, or else they will end up making coffee for their boss.
So, these are what I think are the most important factors that job applicants should bear in mind when searching for jobs.
LEXICAL RESOURCE
Take into account [phrase] – to consider
Assess [verb] – evaluate
More often than not [phrase] – usually
Decent salary [expression] – a good salary
Indispensable [adj.] – necessary
The last but not the least [phrase] – the last thing mentioned but equally important as others first mentioned
Scope of employment [noun] – duties or responsibilities that an employee is expected to fulfill
Irresistible [adj.] – too attractive to resist
End up [phrasal verb] – to be in a particular place or state after doing something
Bear in mind [phrase] – a reminder of something that they should remember
TIP
i.) The speaker developed his answer with certainty. He mentioned that there were three important factors to be considered. (Use this technique when you are really sure that you can give three, if not don’t use this kind of structure.) Then, individually cited the important factors and explained each of them thoroughly. Each of his explanations is realistic and is developed in a natural way. Then, he wrapped up his answer by just telling the examiner that job seekers should remember those factors. It’s a comprehensive answer!
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Meaning of Words and Phrases Sources: Collins, Macmillan, Cambridge, Oxford
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