Notes about Part 2 topics

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Notes about Current Part 2/3 Topics, 2012

[ 2009, 2010, 2011]

October 22, 2012

Topic 352, An Advertisement, has been given the label, Possibly no longer used. It was reported as used on Sept. 15 in a list of topics but no other details were given so possibly it was a mistake. If it is not reported as used in the next test, it will get the red label.

Topic 426, A Day Off has been given the label, (Probably no longer used). I thought it was reported as used on Sept. 15 but I made a mistake.

Topic 393, A Family Photograph You Like has been given the label, (Probably no longer used). Some people are nowadays reporting a photograph topic as simply, "A photograph" but many people are reporting it as "An old photograph".

The label, Possibly Still in Use has been taken off Topic 360, Your Future Work Plans. I think this topic is definitely still in use.

October 19, 2012

The following Part 2 topics were labeled as (Probably no longer used): 374, 383, 392, 410, 414, 417, 419, 421, 425, 428, 431, 432 and 433. There is a small possibility that one or two of those topics has been mistakenly given this label, but I will be surprised if this turns out to be the case.

For the October 13 test, I was surprised to see several people report that Topic 393, "A Family Photograph that You Like" was used. Previously, I had this topic labeled as "Probably No Longer Used" and Topic 454, "An Old Photograph" as the current topic. These candidates might have made a mistake, for example by repeating what some blog had mistakenly written as the current topic. Alternatively, I might have been wrong to originally label Topic 393 as no longer used. So, I have relabeled Topic 393 as Possibly Still in Use. If it is not reported clearly in the October 20 & 27 tests, it will be given the red label again.

Topic 360, "Your Future Work Plans" might have been retired but this is not certain so I am giving it the label, Possibly Still in Use. This will change to the red label if it is not clearly reported as used in the Oct. 20 and 27 tests.

August 9, 2012

Some changes were made to the Part 2 wording of Topic 358 (A Book), Topic 372 (A TV Program) and Topic 395 (A Sports Event). The changes to Topics 395 and 372 are major changes, while the changes to Topic 358 do not change the meaning of the Part 2 wording in a major way.

July 23, 2012

Go to the page TOPIC_USAGE_2012_P2.htm to see what topics were reported as used in the July 21/22 test.
Following the July 21 test, I have given the red label to the following topics: 357, 376, 378, 380, 381, 384, 385, 386, 387, 388, 389, 391, 394, 396, 398 & 400. It is unusual that some of these topics have been withdrawn from the test after just 4 months of use. Topic 400 was used just for 3 tests, starting on April 28.
Topic 395, "A Sports Event" was changed from the yellow label to Still in Use.
Topic 397, "A Film" was given the yellow label. This topic is nearly always in the test, but it has rarely been reported since May 19.
Also note that Topic 370, "An Interesting Public Place" has rarely been reported in the past 9 tests. I'll give it one more test with the yellow label before giving it the red label.

July 18, 2012

I changed topic 357, "A Wedding" from (Probably no longer used) to Possibly no longer used.
The wording of Topic 383 was substantially changed.
I used to have the topic, "A City You would like to visit" as #399 but I deleted it because I thought it was a mistake. However, I think it might have really existed because some people out of China have recently reported this as their topic. But I don't think this is a current topic in China.
See the note for Topic 410 on the page PARTS_2_and_3_P82.htm. There might be an extra topic, "Your Favourite Means of Communication".

July 14, 2012

Go to the page TOPIC_USAGE_2012_P2.htm to see what topics were reported as used in the July 12 test.

Although there was less data available about the July 12 test than for most tests, I have made some changes to some of the topic labels.

I have given the red label to the following: 354 (positive change), 357 (wedding), 363 (workplace), 365 (good student), 366 (Two people), 367 (outdoor activity), 368 (angry), 371 (leader), 373 (bad weather) and 375 (useful skill).

I have also given the yellow label to many of the topics that were introduced into the test in January. Since these topics were only used for a little more than 4 months, I would not be surprised to see some of them come back at the beginning of September, especially those that had never been used before (since 2006).

The topics that I gave the yellow label to are: 370 (public place), 376 (letter), 378 (small business), 380 (hope to do), 381(foreign culture), 384 (lost), 385 website), 386 (foreign product), 387 (hometown change), 388 (meal), 389 (interesting subject), 391 (s'thing you made), 394 (ideal home), 395 (sports event), 396 (gift of money), 398 (shop), and 400 (old thing).

If any of the topics with the yellow label are not reported in the July 21 test, they will be given the red label. I actually think these topics have already been (temporarily) retired but it is safer to wait one more test before giving them the red label.

July 13, 2012

Go to the page TOPIC_USAGE_2012_P2.htm to see what topics were reported as used in the July 7 test.

Following the July 7 test, I added the label (Probably no longer used) to three topics and the label Possibly no longer used to several other topics. These labels are mostly based on how long it has been since the topic was reported as used but also, to some extent, a label is based on some logical reason. For example, there are usually not two topics in the test at the same time that are very similar, in either the Part 2 or the Part 3.

In summary, we can see that all the topics after and including Topic 400 are definitely being used a lot at the moment. (But this might suddenly change in late September 2012!) These are the most important ones to prepare for right now.

Some of the topics that were introduced into the test in or after September 2011 but before January 2012 (that is, some of the Topics 376 to 398) are still definitely being used but there is some doubt about many of the other topics in this group. I suggest you still prepare for these doubtful topics, if you have time, but treat them as less important than the topics that are known to be definitely still in use.

Some of those topics in this group that I have labeled as Possibly no longer used will possibly get the red label if they are not reported for the July 12/13 test and all of them will definitely get the red label if they are not reported for both the July 12/13 test and the July 21 test. (The July 12/13 test is not as big as the usual test in China.)

If you look at the Topic Usage page (TOPIC_USAGE_2012_P2.htm), you'll see that many of the topics that were introduced into the test in January 2012 have not been used since May 19. I suspect that some (or even most) of these are No Longer Being Used. So I suggest you also treat these topics as less important to prepare for than Topics 400 and above, but at the same time, a little more important than the doubtful topics in the group 376 to 398. However, since they they were only introduced into the test in January, I will wait one more test before I give them either the yellow or the red label. Although I think it's not highly likely, it is possible that the test managers are playing a trick on us by not using them for several tests but then these topics will suddenly start to be used again in the near future.

I might be wrong but I have given the red label, (Probably no longer used) to Topics 361, 369, and 382. Actually, Topic 369, "An Old Person You Like to Talk to" still exists as Topic 434, "An Interesting Old Person". Possibly it was always "An Interesting Old Person", even when it was Topic 369. I have transferred the Part 3 questions from Topic 369 to Topic 434.

July 3, 2012

I have given the red label, (Probably no longer used) to the following topics: 356, 359, 377 & 390. I might be wrong but I'm pretty sure these topics are no longer being used.

Topic 361, A Restaurant, is close to getting the red label but someone reported this as their topic on May 26. However, that might have been a mistake. This candidate possible got Topic 388. It will get the red label if it is not reported in the next test.

I have given the label Possibly no longer used to Topic 382. It has not been reported as used since May 10 or 12. It will get the red label if it is not reported in the next test.

The following topics have not been reported as used (in China) for 4 1/2 tests. (I call the June 14 test a "half" test since it was only about half the usual size of tests in China.) I suspect a few of these topics might be retired already but it's hard to say which ones. Even though they have not been reported for 5 tests, I think it's likely that at least some of them will reappear within the next two tests, so I am reluctant to give any of them the yellow label at the moment. These topics are: 366, 367, 375, 376, 378, 380, 381, 384, 385, 386, 388, 389, 396, 398 and even 400, which was only introduced into the test on April 28.

Note that this information applies to China. It might also apply to other parts of the world but I don't have enough information to say that it does, for sure. Certainly, some places in the world "lag behind" China by a few months on some topics, both in Part 1 and Part 2/3. (Sometimes places outside China get new topics before China does.) I think other places are probably about 90% the same as China but that 10% might be the topics that you get, if you are not in China.

See the page TOPIC_USAGE_2012_P2.htm for the data on the topic usage.

June 21, 2012

I have labeled Topics 330 & 339 as (Probably no longer used) even though they haven't been used for only the past 4 tests. It's possible I am wrong and one or both of these topics will reappear in the next few tests, but I doubt it.

I think Topic 377 is very possibly no longer in use. In fact, the topic possibly never really existed but was a mistaken version of Topic 360 all the time. I will give it the red label if it is not reported in the next two tests. I have transferred all of the Part 3 questions below to Topic 360.

I changed Topic 408 from "A Science Lesson" to "A Science Subject". This is quite a major change.

I changed Topic 402, "A Group Activity" to an activity you (often or sometimes) do, not a particular example of a group activity that you did in the past at one particular time. This is quite a major change.

I gave Topic 379, "A Success You Have Had" the red label because I'm pretty sure this and Topic 416, "A difficult thing you did well" have always been one and the same. In fact, the original wording of "Describe a goal that you have achieved." might still be the real wording but I am leaving Topic 416 with the title, "A difficult thing you did well".

I gave Topic 359, "A Good Friend" the label Possibly no longer used because it hasn't been clearly reported for several tests and Topic 412, "A Friend You Haven't Seen for a Long"" exists. It's possible that the two topics were always the one and the same topic because the Part 3 questions seem similar. If Topic 359 is not reported in the next test, I'll give it the red label.

June 14, 2012

Even after five tests in this May-August testing period, it is difficult (or, in fact, impossible) to see for sure which topics are no longer being used. I suspect that this testing period is going to have more than 50 topics in use, which has been the situation for the past couple of years. It is possible that there will be as many as 75 topics in use at the same time during the May-August period.

It is also possible that a new system is being used whereby topics are randomly introduced into the test, used for just a few tests (i.e., a month or two), then retired and replaced by other topics. But there is no evidence yet that this is happening.

Despite the fact that it is difficult to clearly see what topics are no longer in use, I have made a few guesses at some topics that are possibly no longer in use. They are labeled as Possibly no longer used. I suggest you should not, yet, assume that these topics are definitely no longer in use - just treat them as less likely than other topics to be the topic you will get. After one to three more tests, a clearer picture should emerge.

Topics 330 and 339 are overdue for retirement and have not been reported in the last two tests. However, the fact that a topic has not been reported for two tests alone should not be taken as a clear indication that it is no longer in use. There is still a small possibility that one or both of those topics will be given an "extended life" in the test until August or even longer than that.

There are three topics that were introduced into the test last September that I have labeled as Possibly no longer used. These are 356, 361 and 370. All three of those have not been reported much in the last 5 tests. (But, with so many topics in use, an absence of a few tests does not necessarily mean a topic has been retired because many topics that are still in the test will sometimes be reported only by a few people.)

There is usually a music-based topic in the test and so, if 356 has gone, 401 will satisfy the music requirement. Similarly, 361, a restaurant and food-based topic would be replaced by 388. And if 370 has gone, 422 will replace it to some extent with questions about cities.

Topic 390, "A Place for Swimming" has been labeled as Possibly no longer used for two reasons: a) It hasn't been reported as used in the last three tests and, b) the Part 3 questions for Topic 390 are more or less covered by Topic 407, "A Place Near Water", Topic 395, "A Sports Event You Would Like to Attend" and possibly Topic 433, "Some Physical Exercise". However, since Topic 390 was introduced into the test only in January, it is less likely to have left the test than topics that were introduced in September 2011.

I haven't labeled Topic 359, "A Good Friend" as Possibly no longer used because, by giving it that label, some people will assume that it has gone from the test when it is possibly still in the test. Yes, it's possible that it has gone because it has only been definitely used in one test in the past five tests but there were two tests when maybe it was used. There is almost always a "Friend" topic in the test and, with Topic 412, "A Friend You Haven't Seen for a Long Time", that requirement is satisfied. So, let's wait another test or two before assuming that Topic 359 has gone.

After the May 26 & June 9 tests, several people reported a topic, "An Interesting Old Person", with no mention of the previous wording, "An Old Person You Like to Talk to". It is possible that Topic 369, which I always had as, "An Old Person You Like to Talk to" was always "an interesting old person" and I have been wrong all the time. Or, it is possible that Topic 369 has been retired and a new topic has entered the test. So, for the moment, I am keeping Topic 369 as a current topic but also adding Topic 434, "An Interesting Old Person". See Topic 434 for notes explaining that these two "old person" topics are not necessarily the same.

After the June 9 test, several people reported a topic with wording like, "Some Physical exercise You Do". If this is a real new topic, then it could indicate that Topic 395, "A Sports Event You Would Like to Attend" is being retired. However, I doubt that Topic 395 is being retired after being introduced in just January this year. Nevertheless, I will add "Some Physical exercise You Do" as a temporary topic at Topic 433. Certainly, there is almost always a sports-based Part 2 topic in the test.

Another topic that is possibly being retired is Topic 360, "Your Future Work Plans (3)". Lately, it has not been clear if people are reporting that topic or Topic 377, "A Job You Wanted to Do (when you were younger)". In fact, it is possible that Topic 377 was always a mistake and there was only one topic, Topic 360. But if there are two different topics, then there is a good chance that 360 will be retired soon because 377 is so similar to it.

May 19, 2012

For various reasons, I doubt that some of the topics labeled as Not Confirmed as a current Part 2 Topic are really current Part 2 topics. I think some of them were reported as Part 2 topics when they were in fact, Part 3 discussion topics. I think probably about half of them will eventually prove to be real topics, (after a few more tests) but we will have to wait and see which ones they are. Therefore, you should assume all of them are real topics until proven otherwise.

February 27, 2012

I have labeled some topics as Possibly no longer used but I really think these topic have already been retired. If any of them are not reported in the next test, I will then give them the red label.

February 25, 2012

There have been one or two hints about a possible topic, "A City You Visited". This might be Topic 325 or Topic 122 returning to the test. But, so far, these hints have been not strong enough for me to add this to the list of new topics, even with the label NOT CONFIRMED AS A NEW TOPIC. It might have really been Topic 362, "A Childhood Trip" that these two people really got. If you have time, have a quick think about this topic in case it is really in the test.

February 21, 2012

I think Topics 305 & 308 are still being used. I have transferred them to new locations as Topics 393 & 394. From now on, any new Part 3 questions or other changes to those topics will only be added to Topics 393 & 394.
I have labeled the following topics as (Probably no longer used) – 306, 325, 328, 329, 336, 342, 350 & 351.
I have also labeled Topic 343 as (Probably no longer used) because it seems to have been replaced by Topic 395 since January 7, although I only realized this change today. So Topic 395 was added today to the list.
I have given Topic 334 the label of Possibly no longer used. If it is not reported as used in the next test, it will get the red label.
I also suspect that the following questions might also be retired but I will wait one more test before giving them the yellow label – 335, 337, 338, 345, 346 & 348. If any of them are not used in the next two tests, they will get the red label.
Topic 339 was renamed "A Foreign Place You Would Like to Travel to" (from simply, "A Place You Would Like to Travel to", although the wording of that Part 2 always included the words, "out of your country".
Topic 383 was changed from simply, "A Building" to "An Old Building".
Topic 347, "A Shop" had a note added, saying that a few people have reported this as "An Interesting Shop". If that is the true wording, it might also say, "An Interesting Shop you have been to", which would change the verb tense to the past tense for this topic. It might be a completely new version of the "Shop" topic.

January 17, 2012

Although I think there is still a small possibility that Topic 306, A Successful Small Company will be used in one or both of the next two tests, it looks like this topic probably will be retired soon (if it has not been retired already) since we now have Topics 377 & 378.
Similarly, Topic 325, Something You Recently Learned will probably soon be retired since we now have Topic 389.
There is also a smaller possibility that Topic 361, A Restaurant will be retired soon since we now have Topic 388.

January 16, 2012

Someone has written that there is a topic similar to this: "Describe an interesting shopping experience. Where, why you went there, what you bought, who you went with, why interesting". This was reported for the Jan 14/15 test when other people reported their topic on that weekend as "A Shop" (Topic 347). It is possible that the first person made a mistake but it is also possible that a second "shop" topic has been introduced into the test.

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