Part Three Question Type 2: Predicting

Mat Clark – IELTS Speaking 
174
… I guess that we might begin to see… 
… I suppose it’s quite probable that we may have… 
… who knows, it could even be possible that we’ll see… 
Now you will build your own ―predicting answer structure‖. Begin with an opening 
linking phrase: 
Certainly, I’m sure that most people would agree that there will be a number of major 
changes related to this. 
I’m sure that in years to come we will be a number of major changes related to this. 
I reckon that in the not so distant future, we will witness some major changes with 
regard to… 
Introduce your first prediction: 
Initially, I guess that we might begin to see… 
To begin with, I’d predict that we will most likely have… 
Primarily, it looks quite probable that we are going to have… 
First of all, I would envisage that we are going to have… 
Use a sentence to describe your first prediction. Try to use basic future tenses when 
giving details. Try to develop the sentence with a basic linking word. 
―Initially, I guess that we might begin to see houses that are made of plastic materials 
because these will be much cheaper and easier to construct.‖ 
Now introduce your second prediction. 
At the same time, I suppose it’s quite probable that we may have… 
As well as this, some people claim that we will probably start to see… 
On top of this, I imagine it’s quite likely that we will soon have… 
Likewise, I would imagine that we may even be able to see. 
Use a sentence to describe your second prediction. Try to use basic future tenses 
when giving details. Try to develop the sentence with a basic linking word. 
―At the same time, I suppose it’s quite probable that we may have houses that are 
controlled by computer because this will make home life much easier.‖ 
Now introduce your 3rd prediction. It is now always possible to make 3 realistic 
predictions, so you can make your final one quite unrealistic. 
And who knows, it could even be possible that we’ll see the arrival of … 
And you never know, it could even transpire that we’ll have… 
And I know it’s a bit of a crazy thought, but one day we may even have… 
And who knows, there’s even a chance that we will have… 

Mat Clark – IELTS Speaking 
175
It is probable not necessary to develop your last prediction, but if you can add a detail 
use a basic future tense. Practice your prediction structure with the following questions: 
What will schools be like in the future? 
What will restaurants be like in the future? 
What types of people will become famous in the future? 
What will shops/shopping habits be like in the future? 
What will public transport be like in the future? 
What types of hobbies will become popular in the future? 
What types of trips/holidays will people take in the future? 
What will cars be like in the future? 
What will TB programs be like in the future? 
What kinds of gifts will people give in the future? 
What kinds of skills will become important in the future? 
What new inventions do you think we will see in the future? 
What environmental problems will we see in the future? 
Do you think we will see any changes in the weather in the future?. 
Do you think we will read books in different ways in the future? 
Do you think we will get news in different ways in the future? 
In is important to remember that some of these prediction questions are quite difficult 
in their content. It is not always easy to think about the future. As a basic guideline the 
following changes should be useful for many topics. 
Changes in variety (There will be a wider variety.) 
Changes in price (Things will become cheaper or more expensive.) 
Changes in size, materials or appearance 
Changes in location 
Changes in location 
Changes in form (Things will become internet base. /There will be electronic 
versions.) 

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