Part 3 的 work 主題考的不是你的工作內容，而是 "現代人工時有沒有變長？各國文化差異？遠距工作的影響？" 這類跨世代、跨文化的大哉問。台灣考生特別容易掉進「抱怨模式」——把 Part 3 當成 therapy session。
Part 3 工作題的 5 個常見角度
| 角度 | 題目 | |------|------| | 文化比較 | Why do some cultures work longer hours than others? | | 世代對比 | Do young people today view work differently from their parents? | | 科技影響 | Has technology made work easier or more stressful? | | 政策層面 | Should governments limit working hours by law? | | 未來推測 | Will people work less in the future because of automation? |
5 題代表題 + Band 7+ 範例
Q1. Why do some cultures work much longer hours than others?
It really depends on the stage of economic development, but I'd argue culture plays a huge role too. In East Asia — Taiwan, Japan, Korea — long hours are almost a moral signal, a way of demonstrating loyalty. In much of Northern Europe, on the other hand, leaving on time is seen as a sign of efficiency, not laziness. So the same behaviour carries opposite meanings.
Q2. Do you think young people today have a different attitude to work than their parents?
On the whole I'd say yes, though it depends on the country. From what I've seen in Taiwan, younger workers tend to prioritise flexibility and mental health over loyalty to a single employer — something their parents would have found almost unthinkable. That said, the economic pressure hasn't really eased, so "quiet quitting" often coexists with very long hours.
Q3. Has technology made work-life balance better or worse?
It genuinely cuts both ways. On one hand, remote work has eliminated the commute for millions of people, which is an enormous gain. On the other hand, arguably it has erased the boundary between "at work" and "at home" — the laptop follows you to the sofa, and the line manager's message pings at 9pm. Net effect? Probably worse for most people, honestly.
Q4. Should governments limit working hours by law?
I'd say some legal floor is necessary — a weekly maximum, mandatory rest days, that kind of thing — because in practice workers rarely have the bargaining power to refuse overtime. France's 35-hour week is often mocked, but productivity statistics actually hold up surprisingly well. On the other hand, a blanket cap can hurt freelancers and entrepreneurs, so the rules need to be nuanced.
Q5. Will automation reduce how much we need to work?
Generally speaking, the historical pattern suggests yes — every wave of technology has reduced working hours over the long run. But those gains tend to be unevenly distributed; arguably, owners of automation benefit far more than workers do. So the question isn't really "will we work less" but "who decides how the time dividend gets shared".
三層結構提醒
Claim — I'd say / On the whole / It depends on...
Reason — because / since / partly because / mainly driven by...
Example — In Taiwan / Japan's karoshi culture / France's 35-hour week...重點：每題至少一個「具體國家或制度名」——這是 Band 7 Lexical Resource 的加分點。
主題詞彙（Band 7 級）
| 詞彙 | 中文 | 範例 chunk | |------|------|------------| | work-life balance | 工作生活平衡 | strike a healthy work-life balance | | burnout | 過勞 | widespread burnout in the profession | | long-hours culture | 長工時文化 | a deeply entrenched long-hours culture | | presenteeism | 形式出勤 | presenteeism is rewarded more than output | | overtime | 加班 | unpaid overtime is the norm | | flexible working | 彈性工作 | flexible working has become standard | | remote work | 遠距工作 | remote work has blurred boundaries | | quiet quitting | 安靜離職 | quiet quitting is spreading | | gig economy | 零工經濟 | the gig economy leaves workers exposed | | job security | 工作保障 | traditional job security has eroded | | career progression | 職涯發展 | career progression without burnout | | statutory holiday | 法定假日 | statutory holidays are limited | | collective bargaining | 集體協商 | weakened collective bargaining | | automation | 自動化 | automation is reshaping the workforce | | hustle culture | 奮鬥文化 | hustle culture glorifies overwork | | productivity | 生產力 | productivity doesn't scale with hours | | mental wellbeing | 心理健康 | protect mental wellbeing at work |
台灣考生常見陷阱：抱怨模式
典型翻車："Taiwanese work very hard. Boss is terrible. I hate my job." ——這是 Band 5 的個人抱怨，不是 Part 3 應有的分析。
修正公式：把個人感受 upgrade 成跨文化觀察：
Before: My boss makes me work late and it's awful.
After: Working late is almost normalised in Taiwan — on the other hand, in countries like Denmark it would be a sign that you're failing at your job. The same behaviour carries very different meanings depending on the cultural frame.
把個人 anecdote → 文化對比，分數立刻上去。