ielts-yasi.englishlab.net
Notes about Current Part 2/3
Topics
[Go
here to see the notes written in 2009,
and
here for 2011]
Oct. 29, 2010
-
Topic 245 (A Famous Foreign Person) has been labeled as
Probably no longer used).
Oct. 25, 2010
Oct. 24, 2010
- The following topics have been labeled as
Probably no longer used) because
they haven't been reported as used in China (or anywhere in the world) since
August 28: Topics 251, 252 and 254.
- The following topics have been labeled as
Possibly
no longer used because
they have not been reported for a long time: 246 (A Garden or Park),
249 (An Unused Thing), 263 (A TV Program You Enjoy).
-
Topic 245 (A Famous Foreign Person) has also "gone quiet" but there
were some hints that it was used on the weekend of October 23. Possibly
these were just hints about some Part 3 questions about famous people that
were asked following another Part 2 topic and not really about Topic 245.
Oct. 12, 2010
- The following topics have been labeled as
(Probably
no longer used): 231, 232, 233, 234, 240 and 241.
- The following topics have been labeled as
Possibly
no longer used because
they haven't been reported as used in China (or anywhere in the world) since
August 28: 251, 252 and 254. In fact, I think they have
probably been taken out of the test but I will wait a little longer before
giving them the red label because I did believe that they were new on January
9 and that they should have stayed in the test until the end of the year.
- Note that these changes are for Mainland
China. Although there's a big chance that the situation is the same all over
the world, I cannot be sure since I don't keep track of what's happening in
other countries. But I must add that I also haven't seen any of the nine
topics above mentioned being reported as used anywhere in the world since the end of August.
Sept. 26, 2010
- I have labeled the following topics as
(Probably
no longer used) because they haven't been reported as used since
the last test in August: 216, 229, 230, 235, 236, 242 and 247.
- I am leaving the following topics as
Possibly
Still in Use
because some people have reported that these topics were used in some of the
tests in September: 231 A
Special Meal (2), 232 An Old
Person, 233 A
Person who Visited your Home (2), 234
Something You Made Yourself (2), 240 An Old
Thing in Your Family and 241
A
Public Event (2). Sometimes more than one person reported that these
topics were used in September. However, no-one actually reported that
he or she personally got any of these topics. Instead, they were reported in
lists of topics that were used at certain test centres, with no other
details. So, overall, I think the chances are small that any of these topics
really are still being used.
- It is interesting to note that there are
three topics that have not been clearly reported as used in any test in
September: 251, A Person you Have Lived With, 252, A
Childhood School, and 254, A TV Program You Didn't Like. I might
change this after I have finished having a closer look at the Part 3
questions that were reported. Certainly, either Topic 254
or Topic 263, A TV Program You Enjoy was used in the test
of September 25, or possibly both were used. You cannot
assume that these topics have been taken out of the test until we see that
they haven't been used for a few more tests.
Sept. 16, 2010
Sept. 14, 2010
- A new topic, "An Interesting Subject" has been added as Topic 304.
Sept. 12, 2010
- So far, we have seen 25 new Part 2 topics introduced on September 4.
(There might even be more coming in the next test or two!) Twenty five new
topics is a bit unusual because for the past few years only about fifteen
new topics have been introduced every topic
change time. Also for the past few years, a total of about forty five topics
were in use during each of the three testing periods (Jan-Apr, May-Aug &
Sep-Dec). This change seems to be signaling that from now on the test will
probably have about fifty five (or more) Part 2 topics in use for each testing period.
- I don't think any of the topics that have been introduced since January
9 will be taken out of the test before the end of December.
- There is a small possibility that topics
Topics 229 to 242 and Topic 247
will stay in the test until the end of October
or the first test in November in order to give them 12 months of use because
they were all probably introduced into the test on October 31, 2009. (They
might stay in the test but not be used in every test.) They were introduced
at an irregular time because Topics 217 to 228 were taken out of the test
after only two months of use. I am guessing that this happened because some
examiner, somewhere in the world, lost his exam question book with the
copies of these topics.
- Although there is this change in the test, I still think you should pay
attention to the reminder that was written below, on September 10.
Of
course, the most likely topics for you and therefore the most important topics to prepare for are the topics that were
introduced on and after January 9 (the topics numbered 243 and above,
except for Topic 247.) But if
you want to be extra careful, pay attention to that reminder.
- There have been hints of two more new Part 2 topics but since no details
were supplied, I am treating these as mistakes for the moment. These hinted
topics were, "A Family Party" and "A Childhood Game".
Sept. 10, 2010
A
reminder for candidates in China (I don't know
about the situation in other parts of the world)
If you look at the Part 2 topic usage history for this year
and for Sep.-Dec. 2009, you'll see that the topics that were due for retirement
were still used at different times during the first month
of the new 4-month period, after these topics should have been retired. That
means you can expect Topics
216, 229 to 242 and Topic 247 to be
used again in at least one test in September, maybe more than one test.
With the new topics now in the test, this gives you more to prepare than is the
usual situation, but that's the way it is.
May 31, 2010
- On the weekend of May 29/30, we saw several new Part 2/3 topics. Some,
but not all of the new topics, from #265 to #274, were reported in China.
Those that weren't reported in China have already been reported overseas
during May. These are highly likely to be seen in China soon.
- There are still about 6 unknown new Part 2 topics. Possibly some of the
following are new part 2 topics:
A hobby you had when you were a child
A pleasant shopping experience
A person in your hometown who did a good thing
A place near your town you intend to visit
The longest journey you have been on
A film you didn't like
May 24, 2010
- The five topics, 265 to 269 have not yet
been reported as being used in China. I found that those topic were reported
in May overseas. It is not 100% certain that they will soon come to China,
but it is very likely.
- Other possible new part 2 topics are:
- Describe a hobby you had when you were a child
- Describe the longest journey you have been on (Possibly
this is a part 1 question.)
- Describe some recent news that made you feel happy
(Possibly this is Topic 256, An Exciting Message. On the
other hand, it might be a new topic, similar to Topic 46, 151 or 193.)
May 10, 2010
March 23, 2010
- Possibly the wording for Topic 232 is: "Describe an old person
you know who has influenced you."
March 15, 2010
- Please note that the verb tense for
the two "television" topics, Topic 254, A TV Program
that You Didn't Like and Topic 263, A TV Program You Enjoyed,
is not certain. Personally, I think Topic 254 is past tense and Topic 263 is
present tense, but I might be wrong.
- The wording for Topic 202, A
Leisure Activity has been changed.
- Topic 261, A Home You Like,
has been deleted.
February 25, 2010
- I think Topic 232, is worded as, "Describe
an old person you know". Previously, I had the words as, "Describe
an old person you know who you admire" but, except for one person a
long time ago, no-one has reported that the word "admire" is being used in
the wording of this topic.
- I have removed the label,
"NOT CONFIRMED AS A
PART 2 TOPIC" from Topic
264, A Historic Site (2).
February 24, 2010
- It seems that Topic 251 is worded as
"A Person you Have Lived With". That is, it's a past tense
topic. But there's a big chance (this is not certain) that you will be able
to choose to speak about someone you are living with now.
- I have removed the label,
"NOT CONFIRMED AS A
PART 2 TOPIC" from Topic
263, A TV Program You Enjoyed.
- There's a big chance that Topic 261,
A Home You Like (2) is not being used in the test now but, for
the moment, I will not delete it.
- It is possible that Topic 255, A
Well-known Children's Story, does not exist. I say that because we
see that several (not just one or two) of the Part 3 questions for that
topic are the same as those reported for Topic 229, A Book You
Enjoyed as a Child (2). However, for the moment, I will not
label Topic 255 as
NOT CONFIRMED AS A
PART 2 TOPIC - I will wait
to see if it reported for the next two or three tests.
It is possible that both topics are being used
at the same time.
I think this kind of error occurs when some
blog writer who is read by many people makes a mistake. Then, some people
who get this topic in their test remember the description that the blog
writer used and, on 3gbbs or 51ielts or some other bulletin board these
people describe the topic they got using the mistaken words of the
blog writer. This might also happen sometimes if I make a mistake on
my website.
February 14, 2010
- Topic 213, A TV
or Radio Program has been labeled as
Probably no longer used.
At the same time, a new topic, Topic
263, A TV Program You Enjoyed has
been added but labeled as
NOT CONFIRMED AS A
PART 2 TOPIC.
- It looks like Topic 188, A Historic
Site is continuing in the test. It is not clear if there are any
major changes to that topic (either Part 2 or Part 3) but it looks more or
less the same. This has now been called a new topic, Topic 264, A
Historic Site (2).
- Topic 262 has been changed from "A
Healthy Activity You Do" to "A Healthy Activity You Would
Recommend" because almost everybody is calling it that.
- Other changes were made to the wording of
several of the Part 2 topics. (I can't remember which ones.)
February 12, 2010
- Topics 188 and 191 have been labeled as
Probably no longer used.
-
Topic 237, The Latest Book
You Have Read (2) has been deleted. I think that, since Jan. 9 2010,
this has always really been Topic 229, A Book You Enjoyed as a Child
(2).
- It is possible that Topic 213, A TV
or Radio Program has been retired, but people are still reporting
they got a topic, "A TV program you liked" or "A TV program you
like". It is also possible that Topic
213 was rewritten to be simply, "Describe a TV program you like" (i.e., a
new topic). Since Topic 254, A TV Program that You
Didn't Like
definitely exists, you should read
the card very carefully if you get a topic that says something about
describing a TV program.
- A second version of Topic 201, A Job,
has been added. This is called Topic 201B, A
Different Job. This topic might not exist as it is
written but, if it does, it would be the first example I have seen of two
versions of the same topic: one for working people and one for non-working
people.
February 11, 2010
- Topics 183 to 196 (except for Topics 188
and 191) have been labeled as
Probably no longer used.
Topics 188 and 191 have been labeled as Possibly
no longer used because
the situation with those two topics is not so clear but most likely, those
two topics are also probably no longer being used.
February 9, 2010
- I have not yet updated the topic usage page
for February 6/7 but I have had a quick look at what people wrote for that
weekend's test.
- On the weekend of February 6/7,
ONE PERSON
wrote that some of the Topics 183 to 196 (except for Topics 188 and 191)
were used. It is possible that these topics were used at one test centre.
Or, it is also possible that the person who wrote that was just listing some
recently used topics, not topics that were actually reported
as used on Feb. 6/7. When I get time, I will take a closer look at this.
These topics might be used again in the next
test (Feb. 11), but most likely, if they are used again, it will be on the
weekend of Feb. 20. And if they are used again, it might be just at one or
two of the many test centres in China. These topics probably won't be used
for more than one more test weekend.
- Topic 247, Last Weekend (2)
might actually be, "Describe what you did
last week". In fact, I
suspect it is that but I haven't changed the wording yet (on Page 50).
February 7, 2010
- Topic 242, A Journey with Your
Friends, which has had the label,
"NOT
CONFIRMED AS A PART 2 TOPIC"
for the past one day, is now confirmed as a real topic.
February 6, 2010
- Topic 261, A Home You Like (2)
(Jan. 23, 2010)
has been labeled as "NOT
CONFIRMED AS A PART 2 TOPIC".
February 4, 2010
- I suspect that two of the Part 2 topics in
the list might not really be in the test. But, for the moment, I won't
delete them or label them as unconfirmed topics. These are Topic 237,
The Latest Book You Have Read (2) and Topic 242, A Journey
with Your Friends. It would be unusual for there to be two "trip"
topics and two "book" topics in the test at the same time. However, even if
you decide to not prepare answers for those two topics, you should still
have a look at the Part 3 questions for them. Later, I will probably move
those Part 3 questions to other topics.
- I have labeled Topics 183 to 196 (except
for Topics 188 and 191) as "Possibly
no longer used".
This means that there is a good chance that these topics are no
longer being used but this label is not as confident as
Probably no longer used.
In other words, there is a small chance that some of these topics
might be used again in the next one or two tests. Even Topics 188 and 191
might be no longer used now but this is not clear yet.
- Topic 184, A Healthy
Habit, seems to be continuing in the test but there might be some
changes to either the Part 2 wording and/or the part 3 questions. So I have
created a new topic, Topic 262, A
Healthy Activity you Do (2).
- Note that Topic 213, A TV or Radio
Program seems to be still in the test, concurrent with Topic 254, A
TV Program that You Didn't Like.
February 1, 2010
- As I write this, I have not yet had a
complete look at the information from the test of January 30/31. The changes
I made today were based on the information from the Jan. 23/24 test. (I have
been busy in the past week, including spending a few days in Hong Kong
because I had to renew my visa.)
- I might be wrong but I have eliminated the
following topics from the list:
Topic 250 - Your Favourite Type of
Music. I think this was really Topic 186. Someone has also
reported a similar question for Part 1, under the topic of Sounds
(Noise).
Topic 259 - A Place You Learned
Something From. I think this is Topic 252, A Childhood
School.
- It is still a bit early to say that the
topics that are due for retirement have, in fact, been retired.
(Specifically, Topics 183 to 196 and Topic 213.) In other words, they still
might be used in the next test (February 6). However, as time goes on, there
is a smaller and smaller chance that these will be used again in the near
future.
January 29, 2010
- If you look at this page,
TOPIC_USAGE_2010_P1.htm, you'll see that the topics that are due for
retirement are still being used. More specifically, Topics 183 to 196 and
Topic 213 are still being used, mostly (but not only) on every second test
weekend. However, it does seem that these topics are not being used a lot.
We will have to wait a few more weeks before we can say that these topics
have been retired.
- Several new topics were added after the
test of Jan 23/24 but, for some of them, it is not clear yet which are
really new topics.
- Probably Topic 250, "Your favourite type of
music" is not a real topic.
- Topics 238 An Important Decision (2)
and 239 A Project or Homework Assignment (2) were eliminated
from the list of topics that are
being used in China right now.
- A couple of topics that were previously
labeled as "NOT
CONFIRMED AS A NEW TOPIC" have now been confirmed as real topics.
These were, Topic 244. A Wild
Animal (2) and Topic 253. A Walk (Jan. 23, 2010).
January 18, 2010
- Recently I changed Topic 191 from "A Family
Member" to "A Person you Live With". Now I have changed it back to the
original description, i.e., "A Family Member". It looks like "A Person you
Live With" is s new topic, in addition to Topic 191. I have put this
new topic at Topic 251. Not only have I now realized that there are two
separate topics, I now remember that "A Person you Live With" was used in
2007, on Page 14, Topic 68. Also on Page 14 we find the topic, "Last
Weekend". This has now returned to the test and is at Topic 247.
- Topic 230, "Your Favourite Subject at
School" now has a "Version B". This might be a sign of a completely new
topic but I think the person who reported this "new topic" was making a
mistake and actually got Topic 230, which he or she didn't understand very
well. There is a link to the 3gbbs.com page where I saw this reported "new
topic". This "new topic" seems to ask you to describe an "out-of-school"
class. The person on 3gbbs described it as a
补习班.
January 11, 2010
- As predicted, the topics that were
introduced into the test on January 10, 2009 are still being used. I predict
they will be used for the rest of January, but not on every test weekend.
Take a look
at how the topics that were due to retire at the end of August, 2009
continued to be used during September, 2009 and into early October. Those were topics 164 to 178.
We see they were used every second weekend during the month of September and
in the first test of October.
However, the test managers might not do exactly the
same thing this time. They might even use (some of) these topics until
late
February.
- As shown below, I think there have been
some hints of new topics. I predict we will start to see many more new Part
2/3 topics in the next test, January 14.
- Topic 191 was changed from, "Describe
the person in your family who you spend the most time with." to, "Describe
a person you live with (or who you spend the most time with)."
- Someone wrote (on a January 9
bulletin board), a hint that they got Topic 238, "An Important Decision".
But that might have been a mistake.
- On this page,
http://bbs.3gbbs.com/dispbbs.asp?boardid=344&id=229541&page=&star=3,
message #41, someone wrote:
|
重庆川外
杯具了啊，全部是些没准备的题目
1.野生动物
2.名人
3.花园
4.古建筑
5.为保持健康做的事
6.小时候的补习班
7.传统的故事
8.电视节目
杯具了
杯具…………
|
For those who do not read
Chinese, here is a translation:
1. Wild animals (A wild
animal)
2. A famous person
3. Garden
4. Old buildings (An old
building)
5. Something to maintain good health
6. A child tutorial
7. Traditional stories
8. TV program
It is difficult to make a
judgment with no details. It is possible that these hints just refer to some
Part 3 questions that the examiners made themselves. "Famous people" or
"celebrities" is in some (new) Part 3 question, and questions about
preserving old buildings are used in Part 3 for Topic 188 (An Historic Site)
and possibly for other topics. "Traditional stories" might be a Part 3
question in Topic 229, "A Book You Enjoyed in your Childhood". "A child
tutorial" seems to be referring to Part 3 for Topic 185 (An Interesting Talk
or Speech).
However, it is possible some new topics were, in fact, introduced in Chongqing on January 9. Other
people, (some at other test centres besides Chongqing), did hint that there is a new Part 2
topic about a building. In
Sydney, Australia (see
http://bbs.3gbbs.com/dispbbs.asp?boardid=344&Id=229541, Message #6)
someone wrote:
|
P2:
describe a morden building (where, why,……)
这个我说的不好，没准备，只好说在家乡的高楼了，让我郁闷的是，我一直努力的冲她笑，但是她始终没笑过，而且一直不点头，不摇头，看不出来态度如何。
S3
在你家乡有很多morden building吗，你喜欢old
building还是morden的？你觉得morden比old的好在哪里？你觉得悉尼的old
building怎么样，你去过其他国家有很多old
building的吗？
|
So, this looks like a new topic.
This was added as Topic 243
- Topics about a Wild Animal, A Famous Person
and A Garden were added as Topics 244, 245 and 246.
- In the past 3 or 4 months, a few people
have written that they got a Part 2 topic, "Describe what you did last
weekend". But they never provided any details. One person did provide
details this past weekend but it was obvious that he or she got the Part 1
topic. I think they all were confusing the
Part 1 topic with a Part 2 topic. I will not add this as a possible Part
2 topic because I think it is very unlikely that it is a Part 2 topic.
- Those topics numbered 214 to 228 (except
for 216) that are currently labeled as
Possibly
no longer used
will be labeled as
(Probably no longer used)
if none of them are used in the test of January 14. (I don't think any of
them will be used.)