Updated June 10, 2014
IELTS Part 2 and Part 3 Topics and Questions
Page 101
FQ = frequent question = a question that has frequently been reported = a question that is probably in the examiner's question book
* = my guess at a question
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Describe an outdoor activity you would like to do (or, try) for the first time.
You should say:
what the activity would be
where you would do it
what preparations and equipment you would need *
and explain why you would like to do this activity.
Notes
This Part 2 is obviously meant to test grammar more than anything else, that is, the grammar associated with the word 'would'. Candidates who make too many grammar mistakes here will probably not get a score above 5 for grammar.
See also any similar questions in the Part 3 of the following topics: 57, 292 and 367.
Outdoor Activities
Do you like trying new things?
Do people in your country often do that activity you just talked about (in Part 2)?
Can you give any more
examples of outdoor activities that people in your country (like to) do?
Do old(er) and young people like to do the same things outdoors?
Do you think people generally like to do things outdoors?
What do you think are some of the benefits that people get from outdoor activities? FQ
How important is it for people to do some outdoor activities?
Do you think a person can
learn anything when they do something outdoors?
How important are outdoor activities for people's health?
Do you think there have
been any changes to the outdoor activities that people do in the past few
decades?
Are people spending more
time outdoors nowadays than they did before?
Do you think children today are doing things outdoors as much as children did a few decades ago?
Do you think there are enough opportunities today for people to do outdoor activities?
Do you think people should
be encouraged to do more outdoor activities?
Can you suggest how people
could be encouraged to spend more time doing outdoor activities?
Extreme Sports
What do you think of extreme sports such as skydiving?
What are the pros and cons
of doing extreme sports?
Do you think extreme sports have much influence in/on society?
(possibly the question
above means)
Do people from you country like doing risky things?
Exercise and Physical Fitness
Would you say that people today are doing more physical activity than they used to do, 20 or 30 years ago?
Why are people today less
physically active than people were in the past?
(Similar to above) Why is it important for people to get some exercise?
Do you think it's
necessary to be outdoors to do physical exercise?
How can people do more exercise?
When people who own a car have to travel a short distance, say about a kilometer or a few hundred meters, do they usually walk or drive their car?
How do you think people
could be encouraged to be more physically active?
Team Sports
What team sports are popular in your country?
Why do you think team sports such as football are so popular?
(Similar to above)
Why do so many
people go to watch these sports (on TV)?
Do women like watching sport on TV as much as men?
What are some examples of team sports that some people take part in?
Do you think more people in your country take part in team sports today compared to a few decades ago?
What do you think are the
benefits of taking part in team sports?
What can we learn from taking part in team sports?
What benefits do children
and young people get from playing a team sport?
Is it useful to get experience in teamwork?
What do you understand, "team spirit" to mean?
Version A (Copy of Topic 204)
Describe a party you would like to organize.
You should say:
who you would invite
where the party would be held
how you would organize it
and explain why you would like to organize this party.
Describe a party you would like to give for someone.
You should say:
who you would give the party for
who you would invite to this party
how you would organize it
and explain why you would like to organize this party.
This seems to be a repeat of Topic 204.
I think there is an equal chance that it is Version A or Version B because Version A is based on previously used wording which was, at the time (2009), somewhat unclear. Version B has recently been reported. The key point is that, if it is Version B, you cannot talk about a party that you would organize just for yourself. Preparing for Version B would also cover Version A.
"How you would organize it" includes, "what arrangements you would need to make", such as what food you would need to prepare.
"Would like to" does not have to mean the same as "want to" and you should definitely avoid using the verb, "will" in your answer. See these grammar points HERE.
The expression, "to throw a party" is similar to, "to hold a party" but when someone "throws" a party it is much more informal than a party that requires a lot of organization, requires less organization, and is planned quite quickly, possibly with virtually no planning at all. For example, a student in a dormitory could simply buy some beer and then announce to the other residents of the dormitory, "I'm throwing a party in Room 204."
See also the Part 3 questions for
Parties
Do people in your country like parties?
On what occasions are parties held
in your country?
What do people do at parties in your country?
How are parties today different to parties in the past?
Do people sing (and dance) at parties in your country?
What benefits do people get from singing together at a party?
Do you think people of different ages and in different places have different types of parties?
Do elderly people like the same kinds of parties that
young people like?
Do people in your country hold parties to celebrate someone's graduation or promotion at work?
Are there any differences between the parties that urban people have and those that rural people have?
Do you think people feel pressure when organizing a party?
(Similar to above but different verbs) Do you think you would feel pressure if you had to organize a party?
On what occasions to family members come together for
special gatherings (or celebrations) in
your country?
What do they do when they are together?
How important would say say family gatherings and
parties are?
How are they organized?
What are some of the major traditional festivals that you have in your hometown (or, country)?
Why are these festivals (or, why is ...... festival) held?
Are these festivals and holidays celebrated differently today, compared to the past?
Are there any festivals or celebrations in your country
that are only celebrated in some parts of the country, or in one town only?
What are the benefits of having such celebrations and festivals?
How are these traditional public festivals organized, and by
whom?
(Similar to above) Do local governments in your country
fund these public festivals?
What do you think are the benefits of having the government sponsor public activities?
Do young people today care much about these
Do you think the celebration of these festivals might change in the future?
Do you celebrate any foreign (or, Western) festivals in your country?
How are traditional foreign festivals different to those in your country?
Do you think international festivals or celebrations are important for the world's community?
How does globalization affect festivals around the world?
Describe a trip you recently took by public transport.
You should say:
what kind of public transport it was
where you were going
what you did during the trip
who you were with on this trip
and explain how you felt during this trip.
Apart from the "explain" line, only 3 points follow "You should say" - I don't know which 3.
"Travel by public transport" basically means travel by some mode of transport that is not a private car (or motorcycle or bicycle). It could be a ferry or other type of public transport across water. I would include air travel here, and taxis are public transport.
See information about different words connected to travel, here.
Virtually all Part 2 questions ask for a specific example of something connected to your life. Therefore, you should speak about one particular trip (as the question asks), not a general answer such as the trip you always make on the subway train to work every morning.
If "recently" is in the question wording, it can be anytime within the past year or even two. The reason why "recently" is sometimes used in question wording is that the IELTS test makers want you to talk about something that you remember well - you probably don't remember a trip from 10 years ago very well. How recent it is, whether this past week or 12 months ago, is not very important to the examiner, as long as it is obviously not "a long time ago".
Public Transport
Besides the example you just talked about, what other forms of public transport do you have in your country?
What forms of public transport do you have in your hometown?
What are the advantages of
having public transportation?
Why do many people choose to use public transport?
Are there things that people can do on public transport that they can't do if they drive their own car?
Are there any
disadvantages to using public transport?
What problems are there in cities that could be helped (or, alleviated) if more people used public transport instead of driving their own car?
Why do some people prefer
to drive their own car instead of using public transport?
Do you think cars can cause harm?
Do you think people should give up driving their car and ride a bicycle instead?
Do you think it's a
responsibility of government to address the problem of traffic congestion?
Do you think the government should restrict people using their own cars?
What would be the benefits of the government doing that?
Do you think the
government should try to encourage more people to use public transport
instead of driving their own cars (or buying their own cars)?
What do you imagine public transport will be like in the future? (e.g., 20 to 50 years in the future)
Buses
Why do so many people use a bus when they could use a taxi?
What are the advantages of using taxis?
Do you think bus systems
should be publicly funded or would it be better to have privately owned bus
companies?
(Most of the questions below have been reported by several people, meaning that
"
Cars
Why do so many people want to have their own car?
What kinds (or, what brands) of car are most popular in your country?
What brand of car would you like to have?
What are the advantages, and the disadvantages, of buying (or owning) your own car?
Many more people are buying their own car nowadays, compared to the past. Can you suggest why that is?
Do you think they all really need a car?
Is (owning) a car a status
symbol in your country?
Do you think car pooling is a good idea? *
Are many people willing to lend their car to others?
Do you think lending your car to others would be a good idea? *
Do you think the government should control (or, restrict) the number of cars on the roads?
Car Advertising / Buying a Car / The Automobile Industry
How do people choose what car to buy?
(Possibly)
How do car manufactures advertise their cars?
How are advertisements for cars different to advertisements for other products? *
Do you think car advertising is always truthful?
In what ways do you think car ads are sometimes misleading?
Which are advertised more, cheap cars or expensive cars?
Why do some people buy expensive (or, luxury) cars (when a cheaper car would suffice)?
Is owning a car a status symbol in your country?
Why do people care about what others think of their car?
Do you think people who drive an expensive car are treated with more respect than others, for example, people who ride a bicycle?
Do you think cars have an effect on the environment?