IELTS Speaking for Success - 🎯 Describe a long-term goal you would like to achieve (Part 2) + Transcript

Episode Date: September 23, 2026

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Hello, hello, dear listener and welcome into IEL speaking part two. Describe a long-term goal or ambition you'd like to achieve. You should say how long you've had this goal or ambition, what it is, how you will achieve it and explain why you set it. Rory, give us your story. I think I've done pretty much everything I wanted to do in terms of my goals, though one, well, apart from one thing that comes to mind, which has been a work in progress for a while, and that is finishing my Delta 3 diploma. Speaking about how long I've been trying to get it done, this has been in the works for about seven years now, which is so unlike me because I'm usually very task-oriented, but there never seems to be a good time to just knuckle down and do it. I say that. I also procrastinate a lot. around it too, which is not helpful. If we consider exactly what it is, it's a teaching qualification offered by Cambridge University's ESOL division. There are three parts to it, and I've got the first

two done and dusted, but the final part is an essay of about 5,000 words on a teaching specialism and a course that's been designed to cater to that specialism. If that sounds unappealing, that's because it is, at least in my opinion, which is why I keep faffing about in instead of just getting on with it. I'm sure I will eventually, though. And when I think about how I'll go about it, I'll have to read a fair amount of literature around my topic and then go through a step-by-step process

of writing the various sections and redrafting and editing them before ultimately submitting them to the university on one of their acceptance dates. It seems pretty straightforward, but I just haven't been able to sort of drum up the motivation to do it yet. Perhaps I will this year after the summer. I need a project to work on. As for why I have to do it as concerned, well, I don't have to do it. It's not mandatory or anything. I just feel like

having it would open up new opportunities for me in terms of work. Even though I'm not exactly struggling at the moment, I still think it's good to plan ahead for things. So this is a good step in that direction, or it will be when I get around to it. Okay, when I sell my business, I want the best tax and investment advice. I want to help my kids, and I want to give back to the community. Ooh, then it's the vacation of a lifetime. I wonder if my head of office has a forever setting. An IG private wealth advisor creates the clarity you need with plans that harmonize your business,

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So, dear listener, a goal or ambition. It could be something about studies. It could be iELTS. Like, my goal is to take ireoles. Do you examine, you know, what I'm doing now at this very moment? Or ambition. Yeah, but Rory talked about studies, right? So getting this diploma.

You can talk about buying a... car, getting married, going to Paris, I don't know, climbing Everest, which is the highest mountain in the world. Part of it is in Tibet. Another part is in Nepal. So, dear listen, a goal could be to buy a house, take aisles, get a new job, okay? So you can close your eyes and decide on a goal, ambition, even if it's not your real goal or ambition, be ready to talk about. And you can start off with like, I've always wanted to do da da da da, da, da, I've always wanted to go to Peru to see Machu Picchu or my ambition is to do what. Or you can say I have a lot of goals, but one that comes to mind is finishing my studies.

right. Rory told us that finishing my Delta 3 diploma, which is one part of this Delta diploma for teachers. And I've been doing it for a while, so it's a work in progress. So if you started doing something but you've not finished it, just say it's a work in progress. Even if you're making no progress at all like me. I've been dreaming about it for some time. I've been trying to get it done for five years. so I've been thinking about it for a long time or I've been trying to do it for a year for example like get it done like do it right

and you can use present perfect continuous I've been thinking about it I've been dreaming about it but don't say I've been wanting to do it like I've wanted to do it why not why kind of be I've been wanting to do it for a while No, because I think want is not used in the continuous. Oh, well, I don't know about that. Yeah, really?

But do you usually say I've been wanting to tell you? Yes, you can't. It's okay. Really? Yeah, okay. It's not following the rules, but native-like speech. Oh, yeah, because McDonald's does say I'm loving it. I've been wanting. Well, if you're not comfortable with that, I've been thinking about it for a while. or I've been trying to get it done, get it finished.

And if it's a work in progress, it could be in the works for a period of time. I can't believe I've been working on this for seven years. That's almost as long as this podcast. Rory, Rory. Yeah, but, you know, like Rory is talking about this part of the diploma when he needs to write a mini thesis. So it's kind of like a work that you write at the end of the university studies. So it's a pain in the neck, to sit down, to make research, to write it down.

So it's like a mini thesis. Oof, yeah, bother. I'm very task oriented. So I'm focused on the task. And I want to knuckle it down. Nackle down is a phrase of a verb, which means to start working, studying hard, knackle down to something. So kind of start studying. Usually about exams, about studies.

So I have to really knuckle down to my exams. You have to focus. Or you could just not, which is what I've been doing or what I've not been doing. Yeah, for seven years. I have to really knackle down to my work. Kind of to start working. But I've been procrastinating a lot, right? Or I procrastinate a lot every day.

I haven't achieved it yet. So I haven't achieved my goal. I haven't achieved my ambition because of procrastination. So I keep putting it off. So when you put something off, you kind of delay it. Like, oh, no, tomorrow, I'll do it tomorrow. So you put it off, which is another phrase of verb. Like you delay doing it.

Put off doing something. I always put off finishing my research paper. If you finish something, it could be done and dusted. Yeah, it's done and dusted. Which is yet another binomial. Yeah, nice one. So I would be very happy when it's done and dusted. I keep procrastinating or I keep fiffing about.

One of my favorite phrase of verbs on this planet fath about is like when you do nothing, like you do unimportant things. You spend your time scrolling through Instagram, doing nothing, running around, but not studying, not work. So I didn't write this essay because I was faffing about all morning. Instead of getting on with it, if you get on with something, you do it. And the strategy could be to talk about your ambition, about your goal, and then say why you haven't achieved it yet. Using all those words procrastinate, I keep fessing. and about instead of getting on with it.

So I do unimportant things instead of being focused on the job. Well, I don't think the things are unimportant. They're just, they're more fun. No, but like when you faff about, you do, you don't do important things that you should be doing. You see, kind of like, well, yes, you should be doing. You should be doing, yeah. But they're fun, you're right, but this is not something that you should be doing.

so you do something else. Fep about. I think I'll start next week or I'll go about it next month and start doing something. I feel like doing it next month or I feel like it would be great for me to do this. You can say that I struggle at the moment. It's difficult for me at the moment, but I keep going. it's good to plan ahead for things. Planning in advance.

Yeah, you plan ahead. So it's my goal, it's ambition. This means that you kind of, you plan things in advance. You plan ahead. I am not sure when I get around to it. Again, this is another synonym. Like when I start working on it, like get around to something. get around to something.

Have the time to do it. Yeah, that you want it to do for a long time. So I'm not sure when I have the time to get around to doing it. Ready, listen. Make sure that you choose what to talk about, a goal, your ambition. What do you want to do in life? Traveling, education, some like buying a house, buying a car. Passing your IELTS exam?

Yeah. Well, this is a nice goal. Right. But don't tell the examiner, oh yeah, I want to take aisles and I want to get a nine, you know, the examiner. So go ahead, give me a nine. You know my goal. Thank you very much for listening. We'll get back to you in our next episode.

Bye. Okay. When I sell my business, I want the best tax and investment advice. I want to help my kids. And I want to give back to the community. Ooh. Then it's the vacation of a lifetime. I wonder if my out of office has a forever setting.

An IG Private Wealth Advisor creates the clarity you need with plans that harmonize your business, your family, and your dreams. Get financial advice that puts you at the center. Find your advisor at IG Private Wealth.com. Describe a long-term goal or ambition you'd like to achieve. You should say how long you've had this goal or ambition? what it is, how you will achieve it and explain why you set it. Well, I think I've done pretty much everything I wanted to do in terms of my goals,

though one, well, apart from one thing that comes to mind, which has been a work in progress for a while, and that is finishing my Delta 3 diploma. Speaking about how long I've been trying to get it done, this has been in the works for about seven years now, which is so unlike me because I'm usually very task-oriented, but there never seems to be a good time to just knuckle down and do it. I say that I also procrastinate a lot around it too, which is not helpful. If we consider exactly what it is, it's a teaching qualification offered by Cambridge University's ESOL division. There are three parts to it, and I've got the first two done and dusted,

but the final part is an essay of about 5,000 words on a teaching specialism, and a course that's been designed to cater to that specialism. If that sounds unappealing, that's because it is, at least in my opinion, which is why I keep faffing about instead of just getting on with it. I'm sure I will eventually, though, and when I think about how I'll go about it, I'll, well, I'll have to read a fair amount of literature around my topic and then go through a step-by-step process of writing the various sections and redrafting and editing them before, ultimately,

submitting them to the university on one of their acceptance dates. It seems pretty straightforward, but I just haven't been able to sort of drum up the motivation to do it yet. Perhaps I will this year after the summer. I need a project to work on. As for why I have to do it as concerned, well, I don't have to do it. It's not mandatory or anything. I just feel like having it would open up new opportunities for me in terms of work.

Even though I'm not exactly struggling at the moment, I still think it's good to plan ahead for things, so this is a good step in that direction, or it will be when I get around to it.