Describe a difficult decision you made
請描述一個你做過的困難決定
Describe a difficult decision you made請描述一個你做過的困難決定
You should say:
- what the decision was這個決定是什麼
- when you had to make it你是什麼時候必須做這個決定的
- what your options were你當時有哪些選擇
and explain why this decision was difficult for you並說明這個決定為什麼對你來說很困難
用這張題卡練習
1分鐘準備，2分鐘說話，和正式考試一樣。你的錄音不會離開你的裝置。
01:00
02:00
- what the decision was
- when you had to make it
- what your options were
這段錄音只會保存在你的瀏覽器中。
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這張題卡的準備方式
這張題卡（cue card）考的是，你能不能用過去式說明自己的思考過程並權衡不同選擇，而不只是敘述事件。考官會注意你有沒有用到比較和說明後果的語言，例如「on one hand」、「the trouble was」、「in the end」，因為這正是人們描述真正困難的決定時會用的說法。
選一個兩邊都有真正利弊、互相拉鋸的決定，而不是答案顯而易見的選擇，因為兩邊都沒有真正缺點的決定，很難說得讓人覺得困難。在兩所大學的錄取之間做選擇、要不要轉換職涯方向，或是要不要離開家人搬到遠方，都是常見又可信的選擇，自然會牽涉到取捨。
開頭說明這個決定是什麼，以及大約是什麼時候遇到的；中段把你的選項並排說清楚；最後一段談為什麼困難，通常也就是說出無論怎麼選，你都害怕失去的東西，因為這正是「explain」那一行要你展開說明的地方。
讓回答更出色的詞彙
比起「it was difficult to choose」，這些片語更自然地描述權衡選項與後果。
| 單字或片語 | 意思 | 例句 |
|---|---|---|
| weigh up the options | 仔細考慮利弊 | I spent a week weighing up the options before deciding. |
| on the one hand / on the other | 用來對比一個問題的兩面 | On the one hand it paid better, on the other it meant relocating. |
| a tough call | 困難的決定 | It was a tough call, honestly, right up until the deadline. |
| torn between (two things) | 無法在兩個選項之間做出決定 | I was torn between staying close to home and taking the opportunity. |
| there was no easy answer | 兩個選項都沒有明顯比較好 | There was no easy answer, since both choices had real downsides. |
| have second thoughts | 對已經做出的決定開始產生懷疑 | I had second thoughts almost immediately after signing. |
| in hindsight | 以已經知道結果的角度回頭看 | In hindsight, I think I made the right call. |
| a leap of faith | 在不確定的情況下仍然做出的決定 | Taking the job abroad felt like a leap of faith. |
| come to a decision | 終於做出決定，通常是經過深思熟慮之後 | I finally came to a decision the night before the deadline. |
| weigh heavily on someone | 讓某人持續擔心或有壓力 | The decision weighed heavily on me for weeks beforehand. |
1分鐘準備計畫
在1分鐘的準備時間裡，可以寫下：
- decision: accept job offer abroad or stay near family
- when: last year, final year of studies
- options: better opportunity abroad vs proximity to ageing parents
- why hard: guilt about leaving, fear of missing out either way
範例回答
以下是這張題卡完整回答的一種寫法，用來示範結構和程度，不是要你照背。
The decision I want to talk about is whether to accept a job offer abroad or stay close to my family, which came up last year during my final year of studies. I had been applying for jobs in a few different countries almost as a formality, not really expecting anything to come of it, and then I unexpectedly received a strong offer from a company overseas. On the one hand, it was a genuinely good opportunity, better than anything available locally at the time. On the other, my parents are getting older, and I knew that if I left, I would not be able to see them regularly or help out if anything went wrong. There really was no easy answer here; whichever way I chose, I was going to give something up. I remember weighing up the options for almost two weeks, making lists, talking to friends, even having second thoughts the day after I initially decided to accept it. What made it so difficult, honestly, was the guilt — I felt like choosing my career meant choosing myself over my family, even though logically I knew that was not entirely fair to myself. In the end I did accept the offer, and in hindsight, I still think it was the right call, but it was without question the hardest decision I have had to make.
這張題卡的常見錯誤
- 選了一個其實並不困難的決定，到了說明為什麼困難時沒有什麼真實的內容可說。
- 只詳細描述其中一個選項，卻沒有說明你拿來比較的另一個選項。
- 過度使用「difficult」和「hard」，而不是真正困難的決定自然會出現的比較用語。
- 匆匆帶過思考過程，直接跳到結果，這正好跳過了題卡所問的重點。
常接著出現的Part 3題目
在你說完1～2分鐘之後，考官通常會進入相關的Part 3討論。以下是這個主題常見的追問類型。
- Are people generally better at making decisions alone or with advice from others?人們通常比較擅長獨自做決定，還是聽取別人的建議後再決定？
- Do you think younger people find it harder to make big decisions than older generations?你覺得年輕人比老一輩更難做重大決定嗎？
- How does having too many options make a decision more difficult?選項太多為什麼會讓做決定變得更困難？
- Is it better to make a quick decision or to take a long time weighing it up?快速做決定比較好，還是花很長時間仔細權衡比較好？
常見問題
這個決定一定要是人生中的重大事件嗎？
不用。選課、工作機會、搬到別的城市，甚至結束一段友誼，都算，只要你能清楚說明為什麼做這個選擇真的很困難，而不只是個小小的偏好。
如果我對想談的那個決定感到後悔怎麼辦？
誠實提到也沒關係，但要把重點放在題卡的幾個要點上，不要讓整個回答變成一個關於後悔的故事，因為這張題卡主要問的是做決定的過程本身。
可以描述我替別人做的決定嗎，例如替家人？
選一個你為自己做的決定比較保險，因為題卡問的是「you」決定了什麼；不過你當然可以在說明為什麼困難時，提到這個決定如何影響別人。
同類別的其他題卡
Describe a time you helped someone
如何組織一個清楚、結構完整的雅思IELTS口說Part 2回答，談一次你幫助別人的經歷，附實用詞彙，以及同一個範例回答的Band 6、7、8版本。
Describe a successful experience you had
如何組織雅思IELTS口說Part 2中關於一次成功經歷的回答，附這個主題的專屬詞彙，以及可供學習的完整Band 7～8範例回答。
Describe a time you taught someone something
如何組織一個清楚的雅思IELTS口說Part 2回答，談一次你教別人某件事的經歷，附實用詞彙、1分鐘準備計畫和範例回答。
