Describe a job that is useful to society.
This test has appeared in 9 seasons · 4 reported by test takers
- Sep–Dec/2025
- May–Aug/2025
- Jan–Apr/2025
- Sep–Dec/2024
- May–Aug/2024
- Sep–Dec/2023
- Jan–Apr/2023
- May–Aug/2022
- Jan–Apr/2022
Reported by test takers Forecast only
Part 1
The examiner asks about you and two familiar topics. About 4–5 minutes.
Work or study
- Do you work, or are you a student? (Why?)
- Why did you choose that job or that subject? (Tell me more about that.)
- What do you enjoy most about it? (Why?)
- Is there anything you would like to change about it? (Why?)
Colours
- What is your favourite colour? (Tell me more about that.)
- What colours do you usually wear? (Tell me more about that.)
- Did you have a different favourite colour when you were a child? (Why is that?)
- Do you think colours can affect how people feel? (Why is that?)
Advertisements
- Do you often notice advertisements? (Why is that?)
- Where do you see advertisements most often? (Tell me more about that.)
- Is there an advertisement you remember from when you were younger? (Why is that?)
- Do you think advertisements influence what you buy? (Why is that?)
Part 2
One minute to prepare, then speak for one to two minutes.
Describe a job that is useful to society.
You should say:
- what the job is
- what people in this job do
- what skills or qualifications it requires
and explain why you think it is useful to society.
Follow-up question after your talk: Would you like to do this job yourself? / Do you know anyone who does that job?
Part 3
A broader, more abstract discussion of the Part 2 topic. About 4–5 minutes.
jobs that help other people
- Can you explain why some very useful jobs are not well paid?
- How would you compare the value of a nurse's work with the value of a manager's work?
- In general, which jobs do young people in your country want to do?
work and status
- Can you explain why people often judge others by the work they do?
- What could be done about important jobs that very few people want to do?
- Can you speculate on how machines will change the jobs people do in the next twenty years?
Test titles follow test-taker reports and each season's forecasts — IELTS does not publish its papers. "Reported" means someone reported meeting this topic in a dated test. The questions are written by us in the format of the real test.