IELTS Part 2 and Part 3 Topics and Questions
Introduction
These topics and questions are a collection of the known Part 2 & Part 3 topics and questions that have recently been used throughout the whole of China. (Previously, this list focussed on the Beijing testing area but it seems more likely that the same 'topic pool' is being used throughout China.) This information comes from the bulletin boards of 51ielts.com and similar web sites.
I estimate that there is probably a 'pool' of 50 or 60 different topics that are available for use at any one time in China. From this pool, each examiner carries 15 or 20 topics in his or her examination pack. And from these 15 or 20 topics, the examiner chooses one topic to use in each IELTS interview. (It is possible that the examiner will present you with a handful of topic cards, without letting you see the actual words on the cards, and ask you to randomly pick out a card to be used in your interview.)
After each IELTS exam, 3 or 4 of the most frequently used Part 2/3 topics in each testing area are taken out of the examiners' packs and replaced with 3 or 4 other topics from the pool. Each examiner in each testing area almost certainly has the same set of 15 to 20 topics. It is probable that some of these newly added topics are topics that were previously taken out of the test a few months previously. However, it seems that at least 1 or 2 of the newly added topics are completely new. Therefore, don't be surprised if you get a Part 2/3 topic that is not on the list.
I have no idea when any major changes to the pool of topics will take place. That is, when half or one third or even all of the topics in the pool will be replaced at one time. This might never happen - the plan might be to take a small number of topics out of the pool after every test, (in addition to taking 3 or 4 topics out of the examiners' examination packs after each test.) If there is a major change (= a large number of new topics being added), it might happen at the same time that the Part 1 questions are completely replaced. I believe that the Part 1 questions will next be replaced after the last test of August, 2006.
Since I don't always have time to update this list soon after every IELTS tests, in order to be completely up-to-date, you should check the information on the bulletin boards at 51ielts.com if your IELTS test is coming up within 2 or 3 weeks.
If you feel that you have greatly benefited from this website, you should consider repaying the help that you have received by either posting your own IELTS Speaking test questions at 51ielts.com or by emailing them to me at gelin3@yahoo.com. If you email me, it would be more convenient to use English but you could use Chinese, as well. Another good site to check is www.3gielts.com. This site is also found at www.3gbbs.com.
Note that the wording of some questions might not be exactly the same as the wording shown in the list of recent questions. It is your responsibility to pay careful attention to the wording of the questions in the real test. It is possible that the verb tense on one or two of the Part 2 topic cards is different to that shown on this website. Therefore, be very careful that your spoken answer actually fits the verb tense shown on the task card.
Part 3 questions should be under two or three separate topics but, in the Part 2/3 document, many of the Part 3 questions are simply listed under one topic because the separate topics are rarely reported by candidates. Also note that the examiners sometimes make their own questions in Part 3, although they cannot really choose the topics. Therefore, some of the Part 3 questions in this document are simply examples of the kind of question you might be asked.
Unfortunately for you who are preparing for the test, this list is getting longer after each IELTS test. This is because new topics and questions are discovered after each test but there is no way to accurately judge which topics have been (temporarily) taken out of the test.
* = a guess at a likely topic or question. (There is not enough information available on the internet about some topics or questions, although we know that the topics exist.)
RETURN TO PART 2 & 3 QUESTIONS
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