Future intention: 想 / 打算 / 要, time word first
Put the intention verb before the main verb. 想 (xiǎng) = would like to, a softer wish; 打算 (dǎsuàn) = to plan to, a worked-out plan; 要 (yào) = want to / going to, a firm intention. Keep the time phrase BEFORE the verb: 明年我想去留学。(Míngnián wǒ xiǎng qù liúxué.) — Next year I would like to study abroad. Add 希望 (xīwàng — to hope) for a wish and 会 (huì — will) for a prediction: 我希望将来会成为一名医生。(Wǒ xīwàng jiānglái huì chéngwéi yì míng yīshēng.)
Further-study plan: 学 subject, 将来当 job
Say what you will study and why. Use 学 / 学习 (xué / xuéxí — to study) + a subject and 将来当 (jiānglái dāng — in future work as) + a job: 我想学医学，将来当医生。(Wǒ xiǎng xué yīxué, jiānglái dāng yīshēng.) — study medicine, become a doctor. Get the measure words right: a university takes 所 (一所大学 yì suǒ dàxué), a job 份 (一份工作 yí fèn gōngzuò), a person 名 or 位 (一名护士 yì míng hùshi). Show effort with 为了 (wèile — in order to): 为了考上好大学，我每天努力学习。
Volunteering & training across time frames
Volunteering and training centre on 参加 (cānjiā — to take part in), 当志愿者 (dāng zhìyuànzhě — to be a volunteer) and 实习 (shíxí — to intern). A past EXPERIENCE uses 过 (guo): 我参加过一次社区的志愿服务。(Wǒ cānjiā guo yí cì shèqū de zhìyuàn fúwù.) — I have volunteered in the community once. A completed past event uses 了 (le): 去年我在敬老院帮助了老人。Then add a present feeling and a future intention with a reason: 这次经历让我更有信心，所以以后我还想做志愿者，因为帮助别人很有意义。
Drawn from real examiner reports.
HAVE studied (past) vs WILL study (future)
Distinguish a past duration from a future intention. ✗ 我会学三年 (I WILL study for three years) when asked 你已经学了多久中文？(how long HAVE you studied Chinese?) ✓ 我已经学了三年中文了。(Wǒ yǐjīng xué le sān nián Zhōngwén le.) — I have already studied Chinese for three years. Mark a past duration with 了……了 and 已经 (already); mark a future intention with 打算 / 要 / 会 and 以后 / 将来.
Dropping the degree word 更 (more)
Ambitions answers often need a comparison, and dropping the degree word loses the mark. ✗ 做志愿者让我有信心 when the point was that it made you MORE confident ✓ 做志愿者让我变得更有信心。(Zuò zhìyuànzhě ràng wǒ biàn de gèng yǒu xìnxīn.) — Being a volunteer made me become more confident. Keep 更 (gèng — more) or 最 (zuì — most), and in a 比 comparison use the degree word, never 很: 上大学比工作更有意义。
No 了 on a future plan
When the task asks about the FUTURE (你以后打算做什么？), answer with a future intention, not the present. ✗ 我学习中文 (present habit) or 我上了大学 (completed, with 了) ✓ 我打算以后上大学，学习中文。(Wǒ dǎsuàn yǐhòu shàng dàxué, xuéxí Zhōngwén.) — I plan to go to university in future. 了 marks completion, not the future — never add it to a plan; use 打算 / 要 / 会 instead.
Adding detail the task did not ask for
Answer only what is asked; extra, unsupported content can contradict the point and earn nothing. ✗ drifting into 我还喜欢打篮球、看电影…… when the bullet asked only for your STUDY plan, or claiming 学好中文 where the text does not support it ✓ give the plan and stop: 我打算上大学，学习医学。Adding unnecessary detail that changes the meaning is a repeated cross-cutting error — write only what you need.
Wrong or missing measure word (量词)
Chinese has no plural ending, so number + correct 量词 + noun is the only way to signal quantity, and a wrong measure word is a stock error. ✗ 一个大学、一个工作 ✓ 一所大学 (yì suǒ dàxué — a university), 一份工作 (yí fèn gōngzuò — a job), 一家公司 (yì jiā gōngsī — a company), 一名护士 (yì míng hùshi — a nurse). Learn the measure word together with the noun; never default to 个 for these.
Time word must come before the verb
Chinese puts the time phrase BEFORE the verb, unlike English word order. ✗ 我想去留学明年 (calquing "study abroad next year") ✓ 明年我想去留学。(Míngnián wǒ xiǎng qù liúxué.) — Next year I would like to study abroad. The same holds for 以后 / 现在 / 去年: 大学毕业以后，我打算再学两年。Put 明年 / 以后 / 将来 at the front or just after the subject, never after the main verb.
想/要/打算/会 are NOT all just "want to"
These four are NOT interchangeable, and the wrong one changes the meaning. 想 (xiǎng) = would like to, a softer wish; 打算 (dǎsuàn) = to plan to, a worked-out plan; 要 (yào) = want to / going to, a firm intention; 会 (huì) = will, a prediction. ✗ 我会当医生 to mean I WANT to be a doctor ✓ 我想当医生。Match the verb to a wish (想), a plan (打算), an intention (要) or a prediction (会).
Four-step routine for an ambitions task
For a writing or speaking answer on your ambitions: CHOOSE the future verb (想/打算/要/会) and keep the time phrase before it; STATE the plan concretely (学医学, 当志愿者) with the right measure word; JUSTIFY it across the time frames; then CHECK you answered the exact question.
Cover past, present and future
Higher-tier ambitions answers reward a clear time-frame spread. Use 过 for a past experience (我参加过社区的志愿服务), 现在 for present effort (现在我每天努力学习), and 打算 / 以后 for the future (以后我想当护士). Naming all three, linked with a reason, lifts a bare wish into a developed answer.
Link ideas with connectives
Over-plain sentences with no connective cap the mark for range. Link your ideas with 因为……所以…… (because…so), 虽然……但是…… (although), 为了 (in order to) and 不但……而且……. Example: 因为帮助别人很有意义，所以以后我还想当志愿者。One reason word turns a list into an argument.
Justify an opinion, do not just name a job
A bare plan such as 我想上大学 scores little at Higher tier — add an OPINION and a reason. 我打算学医学，因为我觉得当医生很有意义，能帮助别人。(…yīnwèi wǒ juéde dāng yīshēng hěn yǒu yìyì, néng bāngzhù biéren.) Attach a reason with 因为 and a feeling to every plan.
This topic (Theme T4: Future Aspirations, Study & Work, T4.2) covers how you talk about your ambitions and future plans: further study (going to university, choosing a subject, graduating, applying, studying abroad), volunteering (community service, helping others, meaningful experience) and training (internships, learning skills, part-time work). The core grammar is future intention with 想 (xiǎng), 打算 (dǎsuàn) and 要 (yào), plus 会 / 希望 / 将来 / 以后. It appears in Paper 2 Speaking (conversation and role play), Paper 4 Writing (functional and extended), and in listening and reading. At Higher tier you must justify opinions about your plans with reasons and move across past, present and future time frames.
Further study 升学 (shēngxué)
| 汉字 | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 理想 | lǐxiǎng | ideal, dream, ambition |
| 将来 / 以后 | jiānglái / yǐhòu | in the future / afterwards |
| 大学 | dàxué | university |
| 上大学 | shàng dàxué | to go to university |
| 专业 | zhuānyè | major, subject of study |
| 毕业 | bìyè | to graduate |
| 成绩 | chéngjì | grades, results |
| 申请 | shēnqǐng | to apply |
| 奖学金 | jiǎngxuéjīn | scholarship |
| 留学 | liúxué | to study abroad |
| 继续学习 | jìxù xuéxí | to continue studying |
Volunteering 志愿服务 (zhìyuàn fúwù)
| 汉字 | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 志愿者 | zhìyuànzhě | volunteer |
| 当志愿者 | dāng zhìyuànzhě | to be a volunteer |
| 参加 | cānjiā | to take part in |
| 社区 | shèqū | community |
| 敬老院 | jìnglǎoyuàn | care home for the elderly |
| 帮助别人 | bāngzhù biérén | to help others |
| 环保 | huánbǎo | environmental protection |
| 有意义 | yǒu yìyì | meaningful |
| 信心 | xìnxīn | confidence |
| 经验 | jīngyàn | experience |
Training & work-readiness 培训与就业 (péixùn yǔ jiùyè)
| 汉字 | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 培训 | péixùn | training |
| 实习 | shíxí | internship, to intern |
| 技能 | jìnéng | skill |
| 打工 / 兼职 | dǎgōng / jiānzhí | to do casual / part-time work |
| 职业 | zhíyè | occupation, career |
| 当 + 职业 | dāng | to work as (a doctor, teacher…) |
| 努力 | nǔlì | hard-working, to make an effort |
| 希望 | xīwàng | to hope |
| 计划 | jìhuà | plan, to plan |
university -- say it in Chinese with pinyin and use it in a short sentence
用中文写出四个和"未来计划、升学或志愿服务"有关的词或短语（例如"上大学"），并标出拼音。
Level-of-response questions with model answers and mark scheme rubrics.
你的未来计划 Your future plans. 用中文写大约 20-30 个字，介绍你将来想做什么（例如升学、当志愿者或工作），并说一说你的看法。(Write about 20-30 Chinese characters describing what you would like to do in the future — further study, volunteering or work — and give a simple opinion.)
只选一个题目回答 Choose ONE option only. 用中文写大约 80-110 个字。(Write about 80-110 Chinese characters on ONE option below. Use an informal register, tell a short story or explain your plan, and give and justify your opinions. Try to use more than one time frame — present, past and future.)
题目一 (Option 1): 写一写你未来的升学计划：你想学什么？为什么？(Write about your plans for further study — what do you want to study, and why?)
题目二 (Option 2): 写一写一次你参加志愿服务的经历，以及你的感受。(Write about a time you took part in volunteering, and how you felt about it.)
口语：话题对话 Speaking — topic conversation (Paper 2). 和老师就 「未来的志向」 进行一段对话。你要回答关于升学、志愿服务和培训/工作的问题，说明你的计划，并说说你的看法和原因。(Take part in a conversation with the teacher about your future ambitions. Answer questions on further study, volunteering and training/work; explain your plans and give reasons and opinions. Foundation: full simple sentences, mainly in the present, with some basic past and future.)
