FCE Speaking on the future and technology

A: FCE Speaking Parts One and Four-style questions

Take turns asking and answering questions from the list below.
What was your most recent electronics purchase? (Why did you choose that thing?)
Are you loyal to any particular technology brands? (Why/ Why not?)
How has technology changed your life in the last 15 years? (Do you thin that is an im!
pro"ement?)
What piece of technology could you least li"e without? (Why?)
Do you thin that in"entors ha"e a bigger impact on our li"es than businessmen and
politicians? (Why/ Why not?)
How nowledgeable are you about technology?
How interested are you in new electronics etc?
Are you are a technophobe or a technophile? (Why do you describe yourself that way?
Why do you feel that way about technology?)
What is the most positi"e thing about modern technology# in your opinion?
What piece of new technology in the last fi"e years has most impressed you? (Why?)
Are there any pieces of technology that you are thining about buying? (Why ha"en$t
you bought that yet?)
How do you picture daily life in %&5&?
What recent in"ention or piece of technology will ha"e the most impact on our li"es# do
you thin?
Do you thin most of us will be dri"ing electric cars in %&%5?
B: Language presentation
What future tenses would you use to talk about these things?
'uture purchases
(hanges in technology
(onfident predictions
)hings in progress at a certain point in the future
What are the structures and meanings of these tenses for the future?
*oing to
Will
+resent (ontinuous
+resent ,imple
'uture (ontinuous
'uture +erfect
Would lie
Written by Alex Case for UsingEnglish.com 2011
C: Speaking practice
! Plans arrange"ents and predictions
Tell your partner about one of your plans or arrangements, and they will predict something
about it. Tell them how accurate you think their prediction is.
Examples
-.$m going to mo"e to /ngland0
-1ou$ll hate the weather0
-. thin you are right/ 1ou could be right/ Actually# . lo"e the rain0
-.$m going on a blind date0
-. thin you$ll be 2uite ner"ous0
-.$m sure .$ll be 3/41 ner"ous0
Possible plans and arrangements to talk about
(inema ,hopping/ +urchases 5eeting people
6usiness meetings Dates Appointments
/ating out *oing out /7ercise
)ra"el ,tudy Wor
Weeend /"ening 6irthday and other celebrations
Homewor Housewor
Possible predictions about those things
,uccess/ failure 'eelings 8ength of time
Amount of money (on"ersations
#! $uess %hich kind of future
ay one thing about your future without using a full sentence, e.g. -*et my hair cut09 !our
partner will try to guess if that is an arrangement "e.g. you ha#e an appointment$, a plan "%
you ha#e decided to do it$ or &ust a prediction "% your picture or imagination of the future$.
When they ha#e guessed correctly, they will try to make a true sentence in the right tense,
e.g. -1ou are getting your hair cut some time this wee09
&! FCE questions a'out the future
As each other future 2uestions about these typical '(/ topics:
8anguages
/ducation
'amily
Home
'ree time
Wor
'ook at the examples on the next page. (id you think of any different ones?
)sk any questions from that list that you ha#en*t yet.
Written by Alex Case for UsingEnglish.com 2011
Languages
Do you plan to learn another language in the future?
Which other languages do you thin will be most useful for you to learn?
Education
.s there something new you$d really lie to learn about? (Why?)
Would you lie to study full time?
Fa"ily
Would you lie to ha"e a large family? (Why/ Why not?)
When will you ne7t meet up with your e7tended family?
(o"e
Would you lie to li"e in your hometown when you retire?
What type of house would you lie to li"e in# in the future?
When do you thin you will ne7t mo"e house?
Free ti"e
Do you ha"e any plans for this e"ening?
Ha"e you got any plans for this weeend? (What are you going to do?)
Are there any new hobbies that you$d lie to tae up?
)ork
Do you ha"e any ambitions?
What would be your perfect ;ob?
What type of wor would you lie to do in the future?
What 2ualifications do you thin you$ll need in the future?
What ;ob do you hope to do in the future?
Written by Alex Case for UsingEnglish.com 2011