Which skills will matter most in ten years?
A strong Part 3 answer takes a position in the first clause, supports it with one reason and one concrete case, and then names where it stops being true. Around a minute.
The question, as the examiner gives it
Which skills will matter most in ten years?
no preparation, about 1 minute to speak
A band 7 to 8 answer
About 122 words at a natural pace — roughly what 60 seconds holds.
Answer it yourself first
Record your own answer first. A model you have read three times comes out with a flattened rhythm, and examiners are trained to hear exactly that. Read it afterwards for the vocabulary and the shape, not to memorise the sentences.I would put judgement first, by which I mean the ability to look at an answer somebody or something has produced and tell whether it is any good. That has always mattered and it is about to matter enormously, because producing plausible material is becoming almost free and evaluating it is not. Second, I would say the ability to explain something complicated to somebody who does not share your background, which is rarer than people think and resists automation entirely. Third, and least fashionable, actual domain knowledge. There is a temptation to assume that facts are unnecessary now that they are searchable, and I think that is wrong, because you cannot recognise a wrong answer in a field you know nothing about.
The words that earn marks
Each one links to how it is pronounced.
- judgement
British spelling, and the answer's central noun
- plausible
three syllables with the stress on the first
- evaluating
five syllables with the stress on the second
- resists
the precise verb for what cannot be automated
- automation
four syllables with the stress on the third
- searchable
a compact modern adjective
- recognise
British spelling, and the verb the argument turns on
How a strong answer is built
- 1Name the first skill and define it in your own words.
- 2Explain why it is becoming scarce.
- 3Give a second skill with a reason.
- 4Give a third that goes against the fashion.
Sounds to watch
The ones this answer leans on most.
Straight answers
How long should my answer to “Which skills will matter most in ten years?” be?
About 60 seconds. Long enough for the answer plus a reason or an example, short enough that the examiner can get through the rest of the set.
Should I memorise the model answer?
No. Record your own version first, then read the model for the shape and the vocabulary. A memorised answer changes rhythm and pace noticeably, and examiners are trained to hear it — it usually costs more than the better wording gains.
Does sayit score this answer?
It scores what a microphone can observe: an estimate from fluency and pronunciation only — not an official band, and not a mark for vocabulary or grammar.
What the band on your result means
An estimate from fluency and pronunciation only — not an official band, and not a mark for vocabulary or grammar.One question a day until your test
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