IELTS Speaking Part 2
Describe a situation (or time) when you received some useful advice
You should say:
• what the situation was
• who gave you the advice
• what the advice was
And explain how this advice was useful to you.
Describe an important conversation that you had with someone.
You should say:
• when you had this conversation
• who you had the conversation with
• what the conversation was about
And explain how this conversation influenced you.
Answer
It was 5 years ago when I was in my junior year of college, I was struggling to find out what career would I follow in the future. As juniors, we had to choose courses related to our business concentration such as marketing, finance, human resources or management. At that moment, I was confused since I did not specifically like any of them.
As the deadline closely approached, I had to quickly make my decision. I decided to talk with my father, a wise man, about my problem. Different from many other parents who always make decisions for their children; my father guides me to the answer and lets me choose what I want.
He asked me what I would like my life to be like when I graduated, then analyzed my personality, discussed my strengths and weaknesses. He also showed me some career paths I could follow if I chose certain options.
After an hour of talking to him, everything had become clearer and I finally made my decision to follow a career in finance. Thanks to the conversation that day, I understood more about myself. Five years have passed, I am now a financial analyst for an entertainment company and I have never regretted my decision.
Vocabulary:
– career: your profession, the type of employment you will likely have for a long period of your life or perhaps your entire life; “She was happy to have chosen a career that suited her personality perfectly.”
– related to: having to do with, having an association with; in this context the student needs to take courses that are related to business; “She is tired of taking courses related to her major; now she just wants to take classes for fun.”
– deadline: a time when something is due, when it has to be done; “I am hoping that we will finish this project by our deadline.”
– closely approach: to get closer and closer to a certain point or destination in a short amount of time; when something is closely approaching it means you are very near to that time; “The baby’s due date is closely approaching and we still aren’t prepared.”
– guides me: to guide is to help someone by showing them a way or by giving specific information or assistance without actually doing the task for them; “The teacher guides us in how to learn proper study techniques.”
– analyzed my personality: to examine, assess or evaluate your personality from different points of view; you can take a personality test like the Meyers-Briggs to help see your patterns and propensities; “My mother is a psychologist and she loves to analyze people’s personalities to see what makes them tick.”
– regret: to feel sad, repentant, or disappointed over (something that has happened or been done, especially a loss or missed opportunity). “He regretted not having attended college sooner.”