Aims
In this lesson you’ll master the formula for what do you want/ hope to do (in the future)?
Type questions.
Do you hope to do the same job in the future?
What do you want to do when you finish university?
What kind of job would you like to do when you finish your studies?
The formula
When the examiner asks you what do you want/ hope to do (in the future)? Type questions.
Answer order:
- Say what your ambition for the future is.
- Say why you want to achieve it.
- Say how you hope to achieve it.
Language steps
- Use hope and would like like a native.
This is something I really hope to do.
I would like to be a really successful businesswoman.
- Use future ambition phrases to say what you want to achieve.
I would like to achieve this ambition because it would be so rewarding!
If I succeeded in doing this, I would gain an enormous sense of security.
- Use the first conditional accurately.
If I work really hard and save up enough money, I will go to Europe and gat a master’s.
Language step 1 Hope & would like
Let’s look at how the two IELTS candidates, Alice and David, use hope and would like.
Alice: What I really hope to do is work for an NGO here in HCMC. I would like to find a purpose in life…
David: What I’d really like to do in the future is pretty simple: I’d like to find a good job… I hope to be able to afford a nice apartment…
There are different ways we can use hope to talk about the future:
I hope to be able to + verb
I hope to be able to go abroad after my studies.
I hope to be able to work in an international hospital.
I hope I can + verb.
I hope I can pass my driving test.
I hope I can convince my parents to buy me a car.
What I really hop to do is + verb.
What I really hope to do is travel around the world.
What I really hope to do is learn to speak Greek.
You’ll notice that Alice and David also use I would like to, which is used in the following way:
I would like to + verb
I would like to marry the girl I met in the cake shop.
I’d like to become the best pool player in Asia.
You can also use these two useful phrases:
I would like (to have) the opportunity to study overseas.
I would like (to have) the chance to fly an aeroplane.
I hope to have the fortune to be able to go to Australia.
I hope to have the chance to go to diving in Thailand.
Language step 2 Future Ambition phrases
Let’s have a look at how the two IELTS candidates, Alice and David, use the future ambition phrases.
Alice: What I really hope to do is work for an NGO here in HCM. I would like to find a purpose in life…
David: What I’d really like to do in the future is pretty simple. I’d like to find a good job… I hope to be able to afford a nice apartment….
It’s a always useful to learn a few phrase to talk about future ambition and why you want to achieve them.
When talking about future ambitions, native speakers will often use common collocations (words that almost always go together when native speakers talk) such as the following:
To achieve an ambition
To fulfil a dream
To succeed in doing something
To manage to do something
Now look at these collocations in the context of the following future ambition phrases:
I would like to achieve this ambition because it would be so rewarding.
I’d love to fulfil this dream because it would give me a great sense of achievement.
It’s my dream to succeed in learning Japanese.
I would love to manage to get into art college.
You can use these phrases after almost any ambition you mention to tell the examiner what you want to do.
Language step 3 The first conditional.
Let’s look at how the two IELTS candidates, Alice and David, use the first conditional.
Alice: …If I work really hard and save up enough money, then I will go to Europe and get a master’s.
David …If I strive hard, I think I can achieve this in less than 10 years.
We use the first conditional to talk about things that will possibly come true in the future if we make sure we do certain things. Remind yourself of the structure of the first conditional.
If + present simple + will + verb
If I work hard, then I will be top of the class.
If I train every day, then I will become the best player in the team.
If I make sure I have the discipline to study more, I will pass the exam.
If I party too much, then I will certainly anger my parents.
Don’t forget there are two possible orders:
If + present simple + will + verb.
If I save enough money, I will travel abroad.
If I give my friend enough help, he will overcome this difficulty.
Will + verb + if + present simple
I will travel abroad if I save enough money.
I will win the race if I train as hard as I can.
Source: 31 High-scoring Formulas to Answer the IELTS Speaking Questions
