A goal you want to achieve
IELTS Speaking Part 2 · cue card
Describe a goal you would like to achieve in the next few years.
You should say:
- what the goal is
- when you set this goal
- what you are doing to achieve it
- and explain why it is important to you
You have one minute to prepare and should speak for one to two minutes.
Free account required for the live AI partner.
Band 7+ sample answer
About 238 words, roughly two minutes spoken. Use it for ideas and language, not to memorise: examiners notice rehearsed answers.
My main goal for the next few years is to complete a master's degree in public health abroad, ideally in the UK or Canada, and then come back to work on health programmes in Bangladesh.
I set this goal about two years ago while I was volunteering at a free health camp in a char area, one of the river islands in the north. I saw families who had never had their blood pressure checked and children who had never seen a dentist. A doctor there told me that the biggest problem wasn't a lack of medicine, but a lack of planning and good systems, and that's when I became interested in public health rather than clinical medicine.
To achieve it, I'm doing several things. Most obviously, I'm preparing for IELTS, because I need at least a band seven overall. I'm also working part-time as a research assistant on a nutrition project, which gives me experience with data collection. And I'm saving money every month, because scholarships don't always cover living costs.
It's important to me for two reasons. Personally, it would be a big step, as I'd be the first person in my family to study abroad. But more importantly, it's about being useful. I believe that if I can learn how other countries organise healthcare and adapt some of those ideas here, I could help many more people than I ever could as one individual doctor.
Useful vocabulary
- char area
- a river island area in Bangladesh
- a lack of
- not enough of
- clinical medicine
- treating individual patients
- research assistant
- a person who helps with research
- a big step
- an important change
- adapt
- change something to suit a new situation
Part 3 follow-up questions
- Is it important to set goals?
- Why do people fail to reach their goals?
- Should parents decide their children's career goals?
- Do young people today have different goals from their parents?
- Is it better to have short-term or long-term goals?
Tip: in Part 3, give an opinion, a reason and an example, and consider another point of view. Aim for 3–5 sentences per answer.
How to practise this card
- Set a one-minute timer and write keywords for each bullet, not full sentences.
- Speak for two minutes and record yourself on your phone.
- Listen back: did you cover every bullet and the "explain" part? Note one phrase from the vocabulary list to use next time.
- Answer two Part 3 questions out loud, then try the card again with the AI Speaking Partner.