IELTS Speaking Part 2 & 3 Topic: Describe a team project for study or entertainment

Topic: Describe a team project for study or entertainment

You should say:

– What that project was

– What was your role in that project

– Who did you do it with

– What was the result

Being a senior at the university, I have to say that team working is a commonplace assignment that we need to complete in almost every module. Despite doing projects like a thousand times, each new team working gives me various experiences and lessons. Among those, the most memorable one would be the time that I was engaged in during my second year at college. I would like to start by highlighting some points about our main duty as well as the group’s structure. Well, the team, which consists of 5 members, has to cooperate with a local business to research and establish a plan for expanding their market. The final report and presentation will be assessed by the company’s management board and our professor. Since this project accounts for a substantial part in our final module assessment, it took us quite a great deal of time to planning and seeking for the appropriate approach. The very first thing we did was dividing the team into two smaller groups. We had been delegated to a company that manufactured a wide range of bicycle accessories, therefore, two members in my team would spend some time getting an insight into the company’s activities and operation, while the other group took charge of doing market and competitors research. After that, the team came together and assembled all the info, statistic, data that we had collected and analyzed in order to come up with a brand-new sales module and promotion campaign for the company. In the end, we fulfilled our presentation with flying colors and it was very well – evaluated by the company we worked with. I have to say that the projects like this one is precious opportunities for me to gain more realistic experience and rules of thumbs that are usually non – transferable in a conventional classroom. It also the time for us to apply all the business theory to the real practice of the corporate world.

QUESTIONS FOR PART 3

1. What kinds of qualities does a leader need?

Well, I suppose leaders need to possess a wide range of skills. First, they have to know ways to inspire and motivate their followers. Second, they have to be the ones who are willing to take responsibilities and criticism. Sometimes, their ego can hinder them from being a great leader. Leadership skills also include their abilities to build relationships. The stronger their relationships, the better a leader they will be.

2. What are the reasons for the failure of teamwork?

I reckon teamwork failure depends solely on the failure of that team’s leader. If the leader has a short vision and makes misguided decisions, he or she will lead the whole team into a mess. Moreover, the leader is the bridge between team member’s relationships. Bad relationships result in weak communications and a lack of networking with each other. Consequently, team members cannot work effectively together. Apart from poor leadership skills, poor time management or poor budgeting may also cause the whole team to fail.

3. Do children need to know more about teamwork?

Of course they do. Children need instruction in effective teamwork for a wide variety of reasons. When learning about teamwork, not only are children learning to work as a team, they’re also learning to actively listen and respond in a way that makes the group effort more effective. It’s beneficial for their ability to interact socially. In addition to that, working in a team helps children learn to reflect on their individual experience versus the experience of the group. They often get feedback from their instructor and other members of the group. Self-reflection contributes a lot to a child’s development.

4. Is cooperation more important than the competition?

Actually, I can’t tell which one works better in general. On the one hand, by competing against others and comparing ourselves with one another, we learn how to improve and achieve success. On the other hand, in some cases, competition leads directly to hostility and greed, both of which are the enemies of progress. Cooperation also has certain advantages and disadvantages. The main strength is that cooperation provides the chance to help other people and let them help you in return, while the biggest weakness of cooperation is that the mass of members may lose interest and let a small clique take over affairs and manage things for their own benefit. So, I would say that it depends on each situation as to whether cooperation or competition is more important.

VOCABULARY

 inspire: [verb] to make someone feel that they want to do something and can do it:

Example: After her trip to Venezuela, she felt inspired to learn Spanish.

 hinder: [verb] to limit the ability of someone to do something, or to limit the development of something:

Example: Her progress certainly has been hindered by her lack of experience.

 solely: [adverb] only and not involving anyone or anything else:

Example: He’s solely in charge of the operation.

 Misguided: [adjective] wrong, because you have judged a situation badly:

Example: Her decision to quit her job is, in my opinion, misguided.

 Mess: [noun] a situation that is full of problems:

Example: The economy is in a mess as a result of government policies.

 Result in: [phrasal verb] lead to, bring about

Example: The fire resulted in damage to their property.

 Self- reflection: [noun] careful thought about your own behavior and beliefs

Example: I often do some self-reflection when I’m alone.

 Clique: [noun] a group of people who spend their time together and exclude others:

Example: A small clique of corrupt politicians is running the country.

 Take over: [phrasal verb] to get control of something, or to do something instead of someone else:

Example: She took over management of this department last winter.