In part one of your IELTS Speaking test, you could be asked, “What job would you like to have ten years from now?” or, “What job would you like to do in future?”
Here, we’ll look at how to answer this kind of question, including 10 good example answers (go straight to the answers here).
Talking About Future Plans
When talking about the future, we can use different kinds of sentence structures.
If you use ‘I’d like to be a doctor,’ then it’s just a desire you have: something you want.
If you say ‘I plan to be a doctor,’ then it’s a little stronger.
If you use ‘I will be a doctor,” it means you have a plan and you’ve made a decision. So your plan sounds a little stronger.
And if you use ‘I’m going to be a doctor,’ then your plan sounds the strongest of all. Using ‘going to‘ is a very confident way to talk about the future.
You can also say, ‘My goal is to become a doctor,’ which focuses on your goal and intention. This sounds more certain than ‘My dream is to become a doctor,’ which means it might never come true.
Talking About Future Times
To talk about a number of years into the future, you can use these phrases:
- In ten years…
- Ten years from now…
- By the time I’m 35… (if you’re 25 now)
How To Answer This Question
Try to imagine a job you’d like to have in future. Say that job, then you could talk about:
- Why you want that job
- Which company you’d like to work for
- Where you’d like to work
- If it’s a different job or career to what you do now
- How you plan to get that job
- Someone you know who has that job
- How your life will change when you have that job
- If you think it’s possible to get that job, or not
- Anything else that comes to mind
If You’re Not Sure What To Say
Ten years is a long time into the future. You might not be sure what to say. But it’s best to give an answer.
If you feel unsure, you can use phrases like:
- To be honest I haven’t really thought about it. I suppose I’d like to be…
- Well, ten years is a long time. But if I had to choose, I’d like to be…
- I’ve always had a dream to be…
- To be frank, I haven’t got a clue what I’d like to be in ten years. But it would be nice to be…
Answer Quickly and Fluently
For part-one questions like this, you don’t need to use very complex vocabulary or grammar.
Remember that part one is only to warm you up.
In part two, you’ll have more time to prepare and think of amazing words to use.
For now, in part one, try to speak as fluently as you can. This means speaking quickly, without hesitation.
Fluency is what will impress the examiner in part one. And simple English is fine for this.
Use the Three-Step YES Method
You can use this three-step method for any part one question. Just say:
- Your answer (say your the job you’d like to have)
- Example your answer (say why you’d like to have this job)
- Stop talking (wait patiently for the next question)
Example Answers
Here are 10 good example answers, which you can use for ideas.
Teacher
1. Ten years from now, I’d like to be a teacher in one of my hometown’s best elementary schools. I’ve always wanted to teach for a living, and I’m currently training to become a school teacher.
Senior Manager
2. I suppose I’d like to be a senior manager in my firm in ten years. I love working at my company and I hope to have a promotion soon.
Policeman
3. My dream is to become a policeman. I think it’s a really important job and I want to spend my time helping people. So hopefully in ten years, I’ll be an experienced policeman.
Tour Guide
4. I haven’t really thought about it, but if I had to choose a job then in ten years, I’d like to be a tour guide. I love traveling and as a tour guide, I could see many places and meet interesting people.
Entrepreneur
5. I’m going to be a very successful entrepreneur in ten years. I’m currently starting my own company and I’m certain I’ll still be running and growing this company ten years from now.
Doctor
6. When I have a good IELTS band score, I’m going to study medicine in the USA. And after I graduate, I’ll become a doctor, and I’m sure I’ll still be a doctor in ten years.
Hotel Manager
7. In ten years, I’ll be a hotel manager. I’m currently working at a prestigious hotel in Paris and my career path will take me to become a hotel manager in the not-too-distant future.
Kung Fu Instructor
8. To be honest, I don’t really know what I’d like to be in ten years. It’s such a long time away. But I love kung fu, and it would be amazing to become a kung fu instructor ten years from now.
Forest Ranger
9. I would really like to be a forest ranger in ten years. My hometown is surrounded by beautiful forests with lots of fauna and flora that need to be preserved and protected. So my dream job is to be a forest ranger and look after my local natural areas.
Travel Blogger
10. If I could choose any job to have in ten years, then I’d choose travel blogger. It would be an amazing job because I could travel all the time, seeing exotic countries, while earning money from it as well.
It’s Your Turn To Try
Now give this question a go yourself.
It’s best to record yourself, so turn on the voice recorder on your phone and ask aloud, “What job would you like to have ten years from now?”
When you answer, try to speak quickly and fluently. Use the three-step YES Method.
Afterward, listen to your recording and notice any mistakes you made.
Answer it again a few times, trying to make improvements each time.
This is a very good method to prepare yourself for part one of your IELTS Speaking test.