Speaking About the Future
Lesson 9.5 closes Unit 9 with Speaking Part 2 (imagine a scenario) and Part 3 prediction / speculation, plus a Unit 9 review.
- Handle 'imagine a scenario' Part 2 cards
- Speculate about the future using hedging language
- Review Unit 9 grammar and vocabulary
Listening Skills — Discussing Future Predictions
You will hear two students discussing predictions about future technology for a class debate. This time you must choose TWO correct options from a list of five for each question, so read all five options before you listen.
- Read all five options in each question before listening — do not choose the first one that sounds right.
- Listen for tentative language like 'might' or 'could' versus firm predictions.
- Identify numbers relating to years or percentages, and note when a figure is corrected or hedged.
- Watch for the students explicitly ranking or prioritising ideas — this often signals the answer.
Listen first — the transcript stays hidden so this works like the real exam.
Listening audio
Tap play to generate and listen.
Questions 1–2. Choose TWO letters, A–E. Which TWO topics do the students agree will form the strongest argument for their debate, since they have 'the clearest data'?
- A) Renewable energy
- B) Transport
- C) Healthcare
- D) Remote work
- E) Artificial intelligence
Questions 3–4. Choose TWO letters, A–E. Which TWO of the following are mentioned as sources of uncertainty or as obstacles in the predictions discussed?
- A) Battery charging technology
- B) Government funding for renewables
- C) Two differing estimates for the share of renewable energy by 2040
- D) Public willingness to adopt wearable devices
- E) The cost of electric vehicles
Answer key
Speaking · Part 2 — Imagine a scenario
Describe a technology you think will exist in 20 years. You should say: what it will do, who will use it, why it will be useful, and how it might change everyday life.
Speaking · Part 3 — Prediction & speculation
- Do you think people will rely more or less on technology in the future?
- What kinds of jobs might disappear because of AI?
- Is it possible to predict future technology accurately?
- 'I think some jobs will disappear because of AI, for example factory jobs.'
- 'It's quite likely that routine, rules-based roles — think basic bookkeeping or first-line customer service — will be largely automated within a decade. What's less obvious is that many creative and interpersonal roles could actually expand, precisely because AI can't replicate the human element.'
Pathway focus · Academic speculation
Academic-track candidates: use 'the evidence suggests', 'it seems plausible that', 'one could argue …'.
Unit 9 review
- Give the 4 future forms from 9.1 with an example of each.
- Recall the 4-step matching-information method from 9.2.
- Give three signposting phrases from 9.3.
- State the two-part-question rule from 9.4.
Exam Strategy
- Exam Tip
Speculation = hedging language. 'It's likely / possible / plausible' > 'It will definitely'.
Independent Practice
Record yourself on the cue card. Aim for 90–110 seconds.
Cover meanings, recall the 10 items from 9.1.
Key Takeaways
- Predictions live in hedged language.
- Unit 9 = future tenses + AI/space lexis + two-part essays.
- Common errors clinicError pairs: choose the sentence an examiner would accept.
- True / False / Not Given decisionsTen statements — the question type students lose most marks on.
- Trend language workoutDescribe movement precisely — verbs, adverbs and noun phrases.
Optional — this doesn't affect your lesson or course progress.