Free IELTS Lesson about AMBITION

Question 1

Useful Links

Answer 1

How to answer the ‘do you have any ambitions?’ question.
https://content.wisestep.com/answer-ambition-life-interview-question
Video about Ambition is killing us
In this free IELTS Speaking lesson on the topic of AMBITION, you will
learn how to talk about your own ambitions and whether ambition is a good or bad thing

Question 2

Warm Up Questions These are the kind of questions on this topic of business that you might find in IELTS Speaking.
Speak out your answer to the following questions!

Answer 2

Are you ambitious?
What ambitions do you have?
Is it a good thing to be ambitious?

Question 3

Useful vocabulary
Ambition (n.) uncountable
Ambition (n.) countable
ambitious (adj.)

Answer 3

I have so much ambition (Uncountable)
I have many different ambitions (countable)
I am ambitious

Question 4

What is ambition?

Answer 4

a desire to do well,
to achieve a goal and to succeed

Question 5

aspiration

Answer 5

a strong desire to have or achieve something
I have an aspiration to make a lot of money
One of my highest aspirations was to become a brain surgeon.

مراد، آرمان، مراد دل

Question 6

I want to + verb

Answer 6

I have an ambition to improve my English skills
I long to travel around the world (really want it)
I strive to be fluent in English (try very hard)
I dream of being rich.
I dream about having a big house

Question 7

I am ambitious to pass my exam with flying colours (=do very well)

Answer 7

Do very well ( کاری را خیلی خوب انجام دادن )
Be successful ( موفق بودن )
از امتحان سربلند بیرون آمدن

Question 8

Types of ambitions

Answer 8

An ambition can be long term, for example,
He is ambitious at work, he wants to climb the corporate ladder and become the CEO
پله های ترقی را در کار پیمودن
It can be short term, for example,
She is quite ambitious, she wants to invite 500 guests to her wedding

I want to sell 1,000,000 copies of my new book!
That’s very ambitious, do you think you can do it?

Question 9

Common Collocations

Answer 9

Personal ambition (run a marathon, have a big family, lose weight, visit
Paris…)
Professional ambition (get a PHD, get a promotion, publish a book,
speak at a conference…)
Lifelong ambition It’s a lifelong ambition of mine to _______
Having a healthy ambition can lead to success
I have a burning ambition to become a doctor
She is a person of driving ambition
You lack ambition

Question 10

What ambitions do you have?
(Typical job interview question)

Answer 10

If you get this kind of question in a job interview, you want to sound
enthusiastic but not arrogant.
So a short answer like this, is not so good.

Question 11

arrogant

Answer 11

behaving in an unpleasant or rude way because you think
you are more important than other people
He was unbearably arrogant.
an arrogant attitude

Question 12

Theme for Answer Speak

Answer 12

I want to be successful!! ☹
You should be more specific (whether you are in a job interview or the
IELTS speaking interview)

I want to do my job well, and one day get promoted
because I think I have a lot to contribute,
such as my ideas for teaching students in different ways. 😁

This is much better. Notice the idea of giving
1) Idea
2) Reason
3) Example

Question 13

IDIOMS

Idioms to talk about ambitions

Answer 13

Dig in your heels = to be persistent
I am going to publish my book, even though
my friends say it’s just a dream, I am going to dig in my heels
بر برنامه یا ایده خود پافشاری کردن

Question 14

IDIOM

Throw in the Towel

Answer 14

I will never throw in the towel
= give up, stop

سپر افکندن، لنگ انداختن، تسلیم شدن

Question 15

IDIOM

Stick at it

Answer 15

= to continue, persevere
You need to stick at it
ادامه دادن ( چیزی حتی اگر آن مشکل باشد )

Question 16

Carry on at all costs

Answer 16

= come rain or shine (even though it is difficult)
به هر قیمتی ادامه دهید

Come rain or shine:
حتی اگر از آسمون سنگ بباره

Question 17

To have a bee in bonnet

Answer 17

I have got a bee in my bonnet about writing a book.
=something you really want to do
_ to think something is so important, so necessary, etc
that you keep mentioning it or thinking about it

مشغولیت ذهنی داشتن

Question 18

beyond my wildest dreams

Answer 18

Publishing a book is _beyond my wildest dreams_
=something so great, I can hardly imagine it

آنچه که شخص خوابش را هم نمی دیده
فراتر از تصور/رویا

Question 19

Claw one’e way back

Answer 19

I was losing the game, but I managed to claw my way back and win
=make a come back, to be successful after a failure

Question 20

Go to great length

Answer 20

_I’ll have to go to great lengths to achieve this goal
= do everything possible

نهایت تلاش را کردن

Question 21

Blood, sweet, tears

Answer 21

I reached my goal but it was blood, sweat and tears all the way.
=very hard work

خون دل خوردن و جان کندن

Question 21

Blood, sweet, tears

Answer 21

I reached my goal but it was blood, sweat and tears all the way.
=very hard work

خون دل خوردن و جان کندن

Question 22

** to fight tooth and nails**

Answer 22

I had to fight tooth and nails to reach my goal
=fight and struggle hard

یا با چنگ و دندان جنگیدن

Question 23

Go to extra miles

Answer 23

I’m willing to go the extra mile to reach my goal
=to do some extra work

بیش از حد انتظار کار کردن.

Question 24

**keep one's nose to the grindstone**

Answer 24

I will _keep my nose to the grindstone_ = continue working hard | به کوب کار کردن

Question 25

Ambition: Good or bad?

Answer 25

Good It’s beneficial to _have a competitive spirit_ and to _strive for success_ It helps you _keep on track with_ your goals It’s good as long as you don’t hurt others or stamp on others

Question 26

Ambition: Good or bad?

Answer 26

it can be bad: if you see things as a _zero sum game_ (=a win - lose situation), and if your success is _at the expense of others (=other must lose, so you can win) So long as it is not _at the cost of others_ If you have an _arrogant ambition_ it can get in your way, and make you lose time | بازی برد و باخت

Question 27

Q: Do you have an ambition and what are your ambitions in life?

Answer 27

I wouldn’t say I am a particularly _ambitious person_, but yes, I do have some ambitions, particularly, professional ambitions. I _do dream about_ writing a book and publishing a book and so right now I am actually _going to great lengths_ to write the script and start editing this idea I have for a book, and, yes, that’s an ambition that I have.

Question 27

Q: Do you have an ambition and what are your ambitions in life?

Answer 27

I wouldn’t say I am a particularly _ambitious person_, but yes, I do have some ambitions, particularly, **_professional ambitions_**. I _do dream about_ writing a book and publishing a book and so right now I am actually _**going to great lengths to**_ write the script and start editing this idea I have for a book, and, yes, that’s an ambition that I have.

Question 28

Q: Have the dreams you had as a child changed?

Answer 28

Oh, absolutely, I mean you know, it’s a bit funny, but as a child, I longed to be a postman, because I thought postman had fantastic bicycles, but now, I think even as I was growing up as a young adult, that **dream changed significantly** and I think I have become a little bit **more ambitious** and I think certainly, from a professional point of view, I have an ambition to be successful in the work that I do. I **long to be a good teacher** and to use innovative and creative ways of teaching and although I don’t** wanna stamp on** other people,I do want to dig my heels in and, you know, do as much as it takes to become successful in my area or my field as a teacher.

Question 29

Q: Have you ever achieved your ambitions?

Answer 29

A: That is a very good question. I think I have had several ambitions in my life, and to be honest, I haven’t achieved all of them. One of them that I have not achieved is to be a kind of a famous guitar player. When I was in my 20s, I used to play guitar in a rock band and I used to dream of being a famous rock star, and playing the guitar in big concerts and whilst I was happy playing the guitar in the band, I never really achieved that level or status of being a world renowned musician, but I have achieved my goal of building, you know, a happy family. That was a personal goal that I wanted to, always, I wanted to achieve. I do feel that I have reached that. It’s been blood, sweat, and tears sometimes because, obviously families have disagreements but I think we are getting there, we have gotten there. So, that’s the ambition I feel I have reached