Topic: Discuss an ASPIRATION | IELTS Speaking Part 2 + 3 Example

Part 2: Describe a goal that you have not yet achieved

You should mention:
What it is
Why you haven’t achieved it
What steps you have taken
And how you feel about it

1. Sample Essay

2. Analysis

How can you practice a speech like this on your own? Below is the method that teacher Hiếu has used for practice.

For this topic, I've chosen to talk about the ambition to live abroad. To creatively develop speech ideas, I'll use the familiar method of W-H questions. With this approach, the more questions I ask with each question word, the better. Then, I'll filter and select suitable questions to develop ideas. 

For example, with What, I'll have questions like:

• What is the ambition?
• What is the background story behind it?
• What makes me want it?
• What do I have to do to obtain it?

Next, using the word Why, I'll have these questions:

• Why do I have that ambition?
• Why haven’t I achieved it?
• Why does it matter to me?

After outlining a series of ideas like this, I'll filter out duplicate questions and then select about 6-8 questions to answer in the speech:

• What is the ambition?
• What is the background story?
• Why haven’t I achieved it?
• How do I feel about it?
• What do I have to do to obtain it?

For this topic on ambition, I'll use some words/phrases related to ambition such as: 

• Aspiration – aspire (+ to V)
• Desire (+ to V)
• To long for sth
• Strive for sth

Hãy nhớ rằng giám khảo không chấm điểm độ “sáng tạo” trong câu chuyện của bạn mà họ chỉ dựa vào 4 tiêu chí cố định. Thay vì mất công nghĩ về những ý tưởng mới, ta có nhiều thời gian để đầu tư vào từ vựng và vun đắp mạch nói mượt mà hơn – cũng là cách để đảm bảo tiêu chí lexical resource và coherence/fluency cho bài Nói.

3. Vocabulary (Highlight)

• aspirations (n): tham vọng, nguyện vọng
• have a penchant for: có thiên hướng
• desire to: mong muốn
• have been longing for: đã khao khát
• fulfill my ambition of: thực hiện tham vọng của tôi về

Part 3: Ambition

1. What are typical ambitions children often have?

It’s really hard for me to say cause they would vary among kids. But whatever they are, I believe the similarity between them is that they would be quite extraordinary, peculiar or even out of this world like aspirations to become a superhero or to eat all food ever or to time travel.

• peculiar (a) kỳ lạ
• aspiration: nguyện vọng

2. What motivates certain individuals to be highly ambitious in their careers?

Well I’m not really sure why. I suppose the main reason is their desire for success. A lot of people strive for it, and in order to become successful you need to have great ambitions. You have to set goals that are a bit bold and you have to have the determination to conquer them, and that kind of resolution would make you seem ambitious?

• strive for: phấn đấu cho
• bold (adj): nhấn mạnh
• conquer (v): chinh phục
• resolution: quyết định, nghị quyết

3. Why do some people lack dreams?

A lot of possible aspects could contribute to it. Those people might have failed too harsh too many times that they lost all hope and desire to keep dreaming, or they may have been educated to be realistic and accepting things as they are.

4. How do individuals manage to balance work and life?

This question is out of the blue, but personally I think it’s a matter of priority. I don’t think we can keep things balanced at all times and in different parts of our lives we have to prioritize different things, so I think in certain periods we could spend more time on one thing over the other. So ultimately, it’ll go down to whether you can manage to prioritize both your work and your life, but in different phases over the years.

• out of the blue: không có gì đáng ngạc nhiên
• go down to: đi xuống

Bài mẫu bởi thầy Trung Hiếu – Giáo viên Mytour HN