工作是雅思的常见话题。Writing Task 2 会问：选职业时收入和工作乐趣哪个更重要，越来越多人居家办公是不是好事，是否值得一辈子留在同一家公司。Speaking Part 3 则可能让你比较当下与上一代的工作，或预测哪些岗位会消失。
这个话题的难点，往往藏在看似简单的词里。学习者常写 I have a big experience，但英语通常说 a lot of experience 或 extensive experience。而加上冠词后的 an experience 就不是工作经验了，而是一次经历，例如 Working abroad was an unforgettable experience. Work 也有类似问题：“I found a good work” 应改成 I found a good job，因为表示工作时，work 不可数，不能加 a。即使其他地方写得很顺，考官也很容易注意到这些错误。下面介绍 28 个搭配、常见误用，并展示 LetsWords 如何反馈你在造句中出现的问题。
本页属于雅思话题词汇指南。价格、税收和收入不平等见经济话题；这里从员工的角度讨论求职、工作条件、职业发展与新的工作方式。
工作与职业：词汇和搭配
求职与职业发展
| 表达 | 含义 | 例句 |
|---|---|---|
| apply for a job | 正式申请一个岗位 | She applied for dozens of jobs before she received her first offer. |
| fill a vacancy | 找到人选填补空缺岗位 | Small firms in rural areas often struggle to fill vacancies. |
| gain experience | 通过实际工作积累经验和技能 | Internships allow students to gain experience before they graduate. |
| pursue a career in | 谋求某一领域的职业发展 | After university, he decided to pursue a career in medicine. |
| career prospects | 职业发展前景 | Fluent English can significantly improve your career prospects. |
| climb the career ladder | 逐步晋升到更高职位 | Climbing the career ladder often means accepting longer hours and more stress. |
| get promoted | 获得晋升 | She got promoted to team leader after only two years. |
| job security | 对不会失去工作的信心，工作保障 | Many people value job security more than a high salary. |
工作条件
| 表达 | 含义 | 例句 |
|---|---|---|
| working conditions | 工作环境与雇佣条件 | Trade unions campaign for better working conditions in factories and warehouses. |
| a well-paid / low-paid job | 高薪／低薪工作 | Without qualifications, young people often end up in low-paid jobs. |
| earn a good salary | 获得较高薪水 | Software engineers usually earn a good salary even at the start of their careers. |
| work long hours | 每天工作很长时间 | Junior doctors often work long hours with very few breaks. |
| work overtime | 在正常工作时间以外加班 | Staff are expected to work overtime before major deadlines. |
| a heavy workload | 繁重的工作量 | A heavy workload is one of the main causes of stress at work. |
| job satisfaction | 认为工作有价值、能带来乐趣的满足感 | For many teachers, job satisfaction matters more than pay. |
| meet a deadline | 在规定期限内完成任务 | The team worked through the weekend to meet the deadline. |
新的工作方式
| 表达 | 含义 | 例句 |
|---|---|---|
| work remotely | 不在办公室工作，通常指居家办公 | Since 2020, millions of office employees have started to work remotely at least part of the week. |
| flexible working hours | 可以灵活调整的工作时间 | Flexible working hours help parents combine a career with childcare. |
| work-life balance | 工作与个人生活之间的平衡 | A four-day week could give employees a healthier work-life balance. |
| be self-employed | 自主经营或为自己工作 | Being self-employed gives you freedom but no paid holidays. |
| acquire new skills | 掌握新技能 | Workers will need to acquire new skills throughout their working lives. |
| at risk of automation | 面临被机器取代的风险 | Routine office jobs are the most at risk of automation. |
员工与公司
| 表达 | 含义 | 例句 |
|---|---|---|
| take responsibility for | 承担某项职责或对过失负责 | A good manager takes responsibility for the team’s mistakes. |
| work as part of a team | 作为团队成员与他人协作 | Employers look for graduates who can work as part of a team. |
| motivate employees | 激发员工做好工作的意愿 | Public recognition can motivate employees as effectively as a pay rise. |
| staff turnover | 员工离职并由新人接替的频率，人员流动率 | High staff turnover costs companies both time and money. |
| hand in your notice | 正式向雇主提出辞职 | He handed in his notice after the company cut his bonus. |
| be laid off | 因公司裁减人员而失去工作 | Hundreds of workers were laid off when the factory closed. |
常见错误
I have a big experience in sales.
正确：I have a lot of experience in sales. 或：I have extensive experience in sales.
Experience 表示技能与知识方面的经验时不可数，不与 big 搭配。表示经验丰富，可以用 a lot of、considerable 或 extensive。An experience 加了冠词，指一次事件或经历。
My brother found a good work in a bank.
正确：My brother found a good job at a bank.
Work 指工作的活动本身，不可数。一个有职位名称和薪水的具体岗位是 a job。详细区别见 work vs job 练习。
I work for this company for three years.
正确：I have worked for this company for three years.
这份工作从过去开始，一直持续到现在，因此需要现在完成时：have worked … for three years。
Many factory workers get a cheap salary.
正确：Many factory workers earn a low salary. 或：Many factory workers are low-paid.
Cheap 用来描述购买价格低的东西。薪酬用 low 或 high；工作则可以是 low-paid 或 well-paid。表达通过工作获得收入，动词用 earn。
LetsWords 如何解释这些错误
这类错误对写作者来说往往不明显：在脑中逐字翻译时，big experience 和 a good work 可能听起来很自然。因此，LetsWords 会在你用所学表达造句时指出问题。下面是一道练习的过程。
假设你正在复习 work remotely。LetsWords 用母语提示给出“不在办公室工作”的含义，你回想英文表达，再写一句关于新工作方式的话：
After the pandemic, many companies allowed to work remotely, and now people spend less time to get to work.
反馈会解释两个错误：
- allowed to work → allowed staff to work：allow 后面这里需要说明允许谁做这件事；缺少宾语，句子就像没有说完整；
- spend less time to get to work → spend less time commuting：spend time 后面接 -ing 形式，每天上下班的往返则叫 commuting。
After the pandemic, many companies allowed staff to work remotely, and now people spend less time commuting.
LetsWords 会用母语逐项解释修改，让你明白原来的写法为什么不行，而不只是该换成什么。几天后，这个表达会再次出现在复习中，你需要换一个情境使用它，例如写一篇关于工作与生活平衡的作文。这样，词表中的搭配才会逐渐变成能凭记忆想起、并准确写出的表达。
注册时选择 IELTS 目标和水平，LetsWords 就会为你安排相应练习。付费前可以先体验反馈。
在 Writing Task 2 中使用这些搭配
一道考试风格的题目：
These days, many young people choose jobs that allow them to work from home, even when such jobs pay less. Do the advantages of this trend outweigh the disadvantages?
一个主体段：
For many young professionals, the chance to work remotely is worth a smaller pay cheque because it offers a far better work-life balance. Without a daily commute, an employee can gain up to two hours a day for exercise, study or rest, and this tends to raise job satisfaction. Satisfied employees are less likely to hand in their notice, so firms that offer flexible working hours usually benefit from lower staff turnover and spend less on recruitment. In other words, a modest cut in pay can buy both sides something more valuable than money: stability.
这个段落为什么有效？ 题目要求权衡好处，段落便把好处串成一条逻辑链：员工的收益又转化成公司的收益。搭配承担实际含义，而不是装点文字：staff turnover 取代了“员工不断离职、公司不断招聘”这样一长串解释。还可以留意 a smaller pay cheque，它自然地表达了薪水降低。雅思 Writing 评分标准在 Lexical Resource 的 7 分描述中提到 an awareness of style and collocation；准确使用 hand in your notice 这样的搭配，正能向考官展示这一点。
在 Speaking 中使用
一道 Part 3 问题：Do you think people will still work in offices in twenty years’ time?
Probably, but not five days a week. Some things are simply easier face to face, like training new staff or sorting out a problem quickly, so I don’t think offices will disappear. What will change is how we use them. People will work remotely most of the time and come in for meetings, and most of them will have flexible working hours. Honestly, that sounds like a healthier work-life balance for everyone.
在口语回答中，同样的搭配可以与 Honestly、sorting out、What will change is… 等口语表达一起使用，既自然，又不失准确。
免费练习
- work vs job：工作活动与具体岗位；
- career vs job：当前工作与整个职业生涯；
- salary vs wages：固定年薪与按工时支付的报酬；
- gain experience：通过实践积累经验；
- apply for：正式申请工作或签证；
- meet a deadline：按时完成；
- burn out：因工作而精疲力竭；
- lay off：裁减员工。
其他考试话题见雅思话题词汇指南。
从词表走向实际运用
知道经验丰富要用 extensive，不用 big，还不够：考试时，你必须在需要的那一刻想起正确的词。可以通过 LetsWords 把词表变成实际练习：选择适合水平的 IELTS 词集，再把本页的搭配加入词集，例如 gain experience 或 work-life balance。你根据提示回想表达，用它写一个句子；LetsWords 指出错误，用母语解释修改方法，并建议更准确的说法，间隔重复则安排表达再次出现，让用法逐渐熟练。之后再把词汇放进完整文章中检验：IELTS Writing 专区提供工作话题的 Task 2 题目，涉及远程办公、转行、工作与生活平衡、工作保障和薪酬；完整回答会得到围绕四项评分标准、结合原文的详细反馈。注册时回答几个关于目标和水平的问题，LetsWords 就会安排相应练习。付费前可以体验反馈。