question for beginners class - your work.doc

Your Work
General Description of Your Job
• What job (or, what work) do you do?
• Why did you choose that job (or, that kind of work)?
• Did you want to do that kind of work when you were very young?
• How long have you been working? (Or: How long have you been doing this
job?)
• What does your company do?
• What do you do (in a typical day) at work?
• Is your job related to what you studied in university?
Feelings about the Job
• How do you feel about your job (or, your work)?
• What's the best thing about your job?
• Do you prefer your life now, as a working person, to the life you had as a
student?
• Do you think your (school or) university education prepared you well for the
work you are doing now?
• Would you say it's an easy job?
• What's the most difficult part of your job?
• Would you recommend this job to other people? (Answer using 'would', not
'will'.)
• Would you like to change your job? \
• What jobs are most popular (among young people) in your country?
Working with Others
• Do you need to work with (= co-operate with) other people at work? (teamwork
question)
• Do you like working with them?
• How (well) do you get along with your colleagues?

Training at Work
"On-the-job" training is training at work, while you work. No-one has reported that

these words were actually used. "Training" could be special classes at work or at some
school. This is not really "on-the-job" training.
• Have you received any ("on-the-job") tra
• ining at work?
• Would you like to receive more training in the future?
• Would you like to receive some training (in the future)?
• Do you think you will (need to) receive any training in the future? *
• What kinds of future training do you think you will need in the future?
Future
• What are your work plans for the future?
• Are you planning to change your job?
• What would influence you to change your job?
• What job (or, work) would you like to do (in the future)?
• In the future, what changes do you think will take place in your industry?
• Possibly the question above is: In the future, what changes do you think will
take place in the typical workplace?
• Why are you taking the IELTS test?
Your Studies
General Description of Your Studies
• What subject(s) are you studying?
• Why did you choose that subject?
• (For high school) Why did you choose those subjects?
• What are the most popular subjects (= university degree courses) in
Vietnam?
• Did you want to study that when you were younger?
School/University
• What school (or university) do you go to?
• Which is the best university in your country (or, city)?
Liking/Disliking Your Studies
• How do you feel about your studies/your subject/your subjects?

• What do you like most about your subject?
• (For university students) What are your favourite classes/courses/subjects at
university?
• (For high school students) What's your favourite subject at school? (Don't say
P.E. – that's not really a subject that people study.)
Easy and Difficult
• Do you think that's a difficult subject to study?
• What's the most difficult part of your course?
Interesting
• For you, what's the most interesting part (or subject or class) of your course?
(For high school) What's the most interesting of your subjects at school?
Specific Course Content
• What (specific things) do you learn in your course (in your studies)?
• How do students in your course learn this subject?
• Are there any particular skills that you learn in your studies?
Life as a Student
• Tell me about your student life. (= Tell me about your life as a student)
• Do you like university life?
• In addition to gaining knowledge, what other ways have you benefited from
your school/university experience?
• In your free time, do you do anything with your classmates?
Studying with Others
• Do you prefer studying independently ( = studying alone) or with others (or, in
a group)? (Why?)
• What do you do with your classmates? (If answering that you prefer to study
with others.)
Future
• Do you think the things you are studying now in school/university will prepare
you well for your future work?
• What are your future work plans? (after you graduate)

• Why do you want to do that kind of work?
• Do you think what you are studying now is very useful (or, relevant or,
important) for this type of work?
• What jobs are most popular (among young people) in your country?
• When you start working, do you think you will prefer that to being a student?
• Why are you taking the IELTS test?
• What are your future study plans?
Your Hometown
(Your 'hometown' is the place where you grew up, not necessarily the place where you
were born.)
• Where do you come from?
• Where do you live at the moment?
• Why did you choose to live here/there? (If not living in your hometown)
• Do you like living here/there?
• How long have you been living there/here?
• Do you plan to live there/here for a long time?
• Where is your hometown? (Or, what part of Vietnam do you come from?)
• What kind of place is your hometown?
• Is that a big city or a small town (or, a village in the countryside)?
• Do you prefer to live in a big city or in the countryside?
• (For you,) what benefits are there from living in a big city?
• Has your hometown changed much in the past few years? (e.g. the past 10 to 50
years)
• What's the traffic situation like in your hometown (or, where you are living
now)?
• What would you say is the best thing about the place where you're living?
• What's the most interesting thing about your hometown?
• Compared to the past, would you say your hometown today is more suitable for
living in, or less suitable?
• Do you think you'll always live there?

• What city would you like to live in (in the future)?
Transportation
• What forms of transportation do you have where you live (in your
hometown)?
• Do you often use public transportation?
• Do you (know how to) drive a car?
• Do you think it's important (for everyone who drives) to drive well?
• Do you think children should be allowed to drive a car (= to get a driver's
license)? (Why?/Why not?)
• The question above might be this: Do you think all young people should learn
how to drive?
• What do you think is the most suitable (minimum) age for a young person to get
a driver's license?
• Do high schools in your country have driving classes? (Why?/Why not?)
Transport
• How did you get to the test today? (What form of transportation did you use?)
• (Similar to above) How did you come here (= get here) today?
• Why did you choose that form of transport?
• Do you often use public transportation?
• What kind(s) of transport do you usually use?
• (Similar to above) What’s your favourite form of transport? (Why?)
• (Similar to above) What type of transportation do you usually (or, most often) use?
• (Similar to above) How do you travel around your hometown?
• For you, what are the benefits (advantages) of using that form of transportation?
• Is it very expensive (= very dear)?
• (Similar to above) What vehicles (or, what means of transport) do people in China most
often choose to use?
Transport in Your Hometown
• Is transportation very important where you live?
• What's the most common means of (= form of) transport in your hometown?

• What do you think of the transport conditions in your hometown?
• (Similar to above) What do you think of the transport situation in your hometown?
• (Similar to above) What’s the traffic like in your hometown?
• How do you think the transport system could be improved?
• (Similar to above) Can you suggest any ways to improve the transport system in your hometown?
• (Similar to above) Do you think the public transportation system needs to be further developed
(or, improved) in your hometown?
• Do you think transportation costs (gasoline, subway, bus & taxi fares, etc) are expensive in your
hometown?
• (Similar to above) Would you say transport costs are high in your hometown?
• How has the transport system in your hometown changed in the past few decades?
• How do you think transport (in your hometown) will change in the future (or, in the next 20 or 30
years)?
• In China, is transportation in the big cities the same as transportation in small towns and villages?
Friends
• Are most of your friends from school (or university) or from outside
school (or university)?
• Do you think friendship is important?
• Do you prefer to spend time with friends or spend time alone? (Why?)
• Are friends more important than family? (Why?)
• What kind of people do you like to have as friends?
• What do you and your friends do together?
• Do you prefer to meet your friends at home or away from your home?
• How do you keep in contact with your friends?
• Do you like meeting new people?
• Do you like face-to-face conversations with people?
• Have you met any interesting people recently?
• What kinds of people do you like to make friends with?
• How do Chinese people make friends? (= where, in what situations, e.g. at
school & at work.)

• Do adults and children make friends in the same way?
• How do people get to know (get to meet) new people?
• Do you think it's easy to form new friendships?
• How long does it take to get to know a person?
• Do you think it's possible to become real friends with the people you meet on
the internet, for example, on chat sites or personal introduction sites?
• How will you make new friends in the future?
• Can you remember your first (or, your earliest) friends? (Who were they?)
• What do your friends think of you? (Do your friends think that you are a
good friend? Why?)
Music
• When do you listen to music?
• How much time do you spend listening to music every day?
• What kinds of music do you like to listen to?
• What's your favourite kind of music?
• How often do you listen to (that type of) music?
• When did you start listening to this type of music?
• Where do you listen to it?
• How do you feel when you listen to this music?
• Do you like listening to songs?
• Have you ever learned to play a musical instrument?
• If you had the opportunity to learn a musical instrument, what instrument would you
learn? (Why?)
• What musical instrument(s) is (are) most popular in Vietnam?
• Which instrument would you prefer to study - the piano or the violin?
• What musical instrument do you most enjoy listening to ( = enjoy listening to most)?
(Why?)
• Have you ever listened to someone play this instrument? (Who?)
• What benefits do children gain by studying music (learning a musical instrument) (in
school)?

• Do you think it's important for children to learn (to play) a musical instrument?
• Is music an important subject at school in Vietnam?
• When do children in Vietnam start to study music in school?
• What benefits do children gain by studying music (learning a musical instrument) (in
school)
• Did you often listen to music when you were a child? (If yes, give details.)