A. Discuss
💬 We'll kick off the lesson by watching the video below, then dive into a discussion about a related question 😉
Do you prefer following your passion or sticking to what you learned in college?
💬 I'm all ears and eagerly waiting for your response here! 👉 A. Discuss
B. Vocabulary
💬 We'll dive into some essential vocabulary to help you understand the material and express yourself confidently on the topic. Feel free to enjoy it!
| Term | Pronunciation (IPA) | Example |
| major [sinh viên chuyên ngành] | /ˈmeɪ.dʒɚ/ | English majors are quite versatile — they can carve out a career for themselves in journalism, copywriting, or any field that involves a fair amount of writing. |
| get the hang of it [nắm bắt được nó] | /ɡet ðə hæŋ əv ɪt/ | Learning the guitar is deceptively simple. Once you get the hang of it, you'll progress really quickly. |
| transferable [chuyển đổi được] | /trænsˈfɜːr.ə.bəl/ | In this rapidly changing economy, it is crucial to arm yourself with transferable skills like communication and leadership. |
| lucrative [kiếm được nhiều tiền] | /ˈluː.krə.tɪv/ | Contrary to what most people think, food & beverage is not that lucrative of an industry. The margins are actually quite thin. |
| leave a little to be desired [chưa được xuất sắc cho lắm] | /liːv ə ˈlɪt.əl tuː bi dɪˈzaɪərd/ | He's an extraordinary singer but his taste in fashion leaves a little to be desired. |
| up to par [đạt yêu cầu] | /ʌp tuː pɑːr/ | His work performance has been up to par lately. |
| entry-level job [công việc cấp thấp] | /ˈen.tri ˌlev.əl dʒɒb/ | Millennials typically aren't too thrilled about doing entry-level jobs when they go to work for the first time, but they gotta start somewhere. |
| tenacious [kiên trì] | /təˈneɪ.ʃəs/ | He's a really tenacious person. After many rejections, he finally got a job offer — at a high-flying audit firm, no less. |
Practicing with Flashcards
💬 Memorizing vocabulary for the first time can be challenging, but the flashcards below offer a fun way to review and practice through various activities 👇
Vocab Task 👉 B. Vocab
💬 Once you've reviewed the vocabulary, strengthen your memorization by completing the Vocab Task.
C. Listen
💬 You will now listen to an interview titled "Work & Study" and complete some comprehension tasks. The interview is divided into three parts, so be sure to review the questions beforehand.
Listening Task
C. Listen 1 Doing what
C. Listen 2 Like and Dislike
C. Listen 3 After graduation
D. Materials
💬 I’ve put together a summary or transcript of the material for you. Take a look when you get the chance!
Woman What do you do?
Man Well, I am attending NEU, short for National Economics University. I am a Finance major, and initially I just put Finance as a default because everyone else seems to be doing it. But gradually, I’ve grown fonder of this field. I know the technical side of it can be quite daunting and off-putting to some people, but once you get the hang of the basic principles it becomes very fascinating.
W What do you like about your major?
M Well, what I love about Finance is that it offers a range of career options. The skill sets of finance-related jobs are also transferable, so you can easily switch to something else if you want to. Of course, if the movie The Wolf of Wall Street is any indication, it is an incredible lucrative profession as well, and that never hurts.
W What do you dislike about your school?
M As wonderful as NEU is, I guess there are several things that leave a little to be desired, like the most schools. For example, I think the facilities are not quite up to par and the capacity of the learning facilities is not enough to accommodate the whole student population. I do hope this will change soon.
W What are you going to do when you graduate?
M Well, as I was saying, there are so many directions you can go when you’re a Finance major, and lately I’ve been gravitating toward banking. Of course, when you first start out, you have to do entry-level jobs like bank teller which I guess can be quite mundane and repetitive. But if you are tenacious, you will advance quite quickly and maybe, with a bit of luck, climb to the position of bank manager – that’s when the money starts rolling in.
*Source: Tran Tung, D. (2022). How to crack the IELTS speaking test.
E. Reflect
💬 You've come a long way on this journey, and now it's time to reflect on what you've learned by answering these questions on your own. 👇
Critical Thinking
- Why do you think having transferable skills is becoming more important in today’s job market?
- Can you think of a time when being tenacious helped you achieve something difficult?
- Do you believe entry-level jobs should pay more if they require a lot of responsibility? Why or why not?
F. Speak
💬 For this part, you will practice a speaking sample in the IELTS speaking part 2 format, incorporating all the lesson vocabulary.
🤖 Talk about your education or work. You should include:
- What do you do? Work or study?
- What do you like about your major/job?
- What subject did you like in high school?
- What do you dislike about your school?
- What are you going to do when you graduate?
Sample Answer 👉 F. Speak
💬 I created a sample answer featuring the target vocabulary. Take a look!
Practice with AI 👉 ChatGPT
💬 Use this prompt as a guide for your practice
I’d like you to be my English coach for pronunciation and intonation. When I read a text aloud, please give me detailed feedback in Vietnamese using a table. Focus on my pronunciation, word stress, connected speech, and intonation. Point out specific mistakes with the correct IPA and tell me how to improve. Also, give me separate scores for how closely I sound like a native speaker in sounds, stress, and intonation.
Congratulations! You've done a great job.
I hope you found the material both engaging and informative. Your feedback means a lot, so feel free to share your thoughts or questions in the comments below. Until next time, happy studying!