Page 108

ielts-yasi.englishlab.net

Updated Oct. 5, 2014

IELTS Part 2 and Part 3 Topics and Questions

Page 108

536. No Topic

537. A Park or Garden (Jan 9, 2014) (Probably no longer used)

538. An Advertisement (Jan 9, 2014) (Probably no longer used)

539. A Gift You Received (Jan 9, 2014) (Probably no longer used)

540. An Old Thing in Your Family (Jan 9, 2014) (Probably no longer used)

RETURN TO PART 2 TOPIC INDEX

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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536. No Topic

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537. A Park or Garden (Jan 9, 2014) (Probably no longer used)

Version A

Copy of Topic 246

Describe a garden or park you enjoyed visiting.

You should say:

where it was

what it looked like

what you did (or, were doing) there [or, what people were doing there]

and explain why you liked it. *

how you feel about this garden or park. *

Version B

Describe a garden or park you enjoy visiting.

You should say:

what it looks like

what you do there

when you last went there

and explain why you like it / like going there. *

Notes

This might be Topic 246 returning to the test, which is Version A. But I think Version B (present tense) is more likely.
"Garden" means "public garden" here but if the wording is just "garden" and not "public garden", then you would not be wrong if you described somebody's vegetable garden in their back yard or somebody's flower garden in their front yard .
Even if the card does not tell you to say when you visited this park, you must indicate some time in the past whenever you use the past tense. But this seems more suitable for a park or garden that you only visited once – most people visit a park more than once. Perhaps it is a park that you still visit nowadays. So you might have to vary your verb tense to suit the example you talk about. The most likely variations here would be, "I used to visit" (= "I would visit") for a past habit / "I visit" and "I have been visiting" for a current habit / "I have visited" for a place that you visited at some time in the past, including a place that you visited more than once. For this last situation, you probably should use the past tense to say when you first visited it or use the past tense to say which year you visited it (even more than once). This is similar to the "past habit" situation but is not emphasizing that it was a habit or something you used to do frequently.

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Possible follow-up questions:

Do you often go to a park / garden? (whichever one you talked about)

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Part 3

See also Part 3 for Topics 246, 142 & 102

Public Parks and Gardens

Why do most cities and towns have parks and / or public gardens?
Can you suggest why most people like parks and gardens in their city (or, like "green areas" in their city)? FQx2
Who do you think should be responsible for the public parks and gardens in a town or city? (Why?) FQ See Note
Who do you think should pay for the construction and maintenance of parks and public gardens? (Why?)
Are there any disadvantages to having a public garden as compared to a public park?
What do you think are the best locations for parks in cities?
Do you think gardens should be destroyed when new apartment buildings are built?
How important do you think it is for a country to have national parks?
Are national parks important in the protection of wildlife?

Private Gardens

Do many people in your country have their own (private) garden? FQ See Note
Why do people (want to) have their own (private) garden? FQ See Note
Would you like to have your own garden?
Who do you think likes to have their own garden more, young people or old(er) people?
Do you think it's a good idea for a (poor) person to have their own garden (if possible)? FQ
If you had your own garden, what would you grow in it? FQ
Can you suggest why some people like to grow their own vegetables (and fruit)?
What kinds of plants are suitable to grow where you live?
Do people in the north and in the south of your country grow the same things in their gardens?
(Possibly) If you had your own garden, what would you do in it (or, how would you use it)?
Do you think the vegetables that someone grows in their own garden are healthier than the vegetables that you can buy in the shops? (Hint: organic farming)

Flowers

On what occasions are flowers used in your country? FQ
(Similar to above) (In your country), what roles do flowers play in people's lives (or, in society)?
(Similar to above) What are flowers used for in your country?
On what occasions do people in your country give flowers to others?
Can you suggest why some people like to grow flowers?
Do any flowers have any particular significance (or meaning) in your culture (or, your country)?

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538. An Advertisement (Jan 9, 2014) (Probably no longer used)

Describe an advertisement that you like. *

                    or

Describe an advertisement that you remember. *

You should say:

        when you saw it

        where you saw it

        what the advertisement was about

and explain why you like(d) it. *

            or

and explain why you remember it. *

Notes

So far, no-one has mentioned that the word "like" is in the topic wording. That is just my guess. It might actually say, "an interesting advertisement" or some other adjective. But think about this – if something is "interesting" to you then you like it because human beings like to find things interesting. Therefore, if the card says, "an advertisement that you like" then you can say that you like it because there's something interesting about it. However, there are other reasons to like something, such as liking the music (for a TV commercial) or liking the good-looking girl in a certain ad.! ("Interesting" means it appeals to your logical brain, not necessarily to your emotions. The panda is a "cute" animal (describing your feelings) but it is "interesting" for other reasons, such as the fact that female pandas don't get pregnant very often, which is unusual in the animal world.)

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Possible follow-up questions:

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Part 3

See also the Part 3 for Topics 464, 352, 297, 190, 170, 121 & 65.

The Nature of Advertising

What are some of the different types (or examples) of advertising? FQ
What types of advertisements are most common in your country?
Do you think advertising is important?
What do you think is the role (or purpose) of advertising? FQ
Do you think advertisements are effective?
Do you only buy things as a result of seeing or hearing an advertisement?
Why do some people dislike advertisements (esp. those on TV)? FQx2
(Similar to above) Why do some people dislike advertisements and feel that they are just interruptions? FQ
What do you like and dislike about advertisements?
(Possible question) What factors should be considered when an advertisements is being designed?
Do you think it's good to have advertisements aimed at children? FQx2
(Possibly) Do you think television advertisements (aimed at adults) are always suitable for children to view?
Do you think government public service announcements have much influence on the health of the citizens?

The Power of Advertising

Do you think people really buy the things they see in advertisements? FQx2
What is the influence of advertising on people?
(Similar to above) How does advertising influence people?
What types of advertisements have the biggest effect on people?
Who do you think finds advertisements more useful, young adults or elderly people?
Do you think advertising influences young people's consumption? FQ
Do you think people are more influenced by advertisements or by brand loyalty for a product that hey have been buying for a long time?
(Similar to above) Do you think an advertisement could cause someone to change their brand loyalty?
Are there any advertisements that are aimed specifically at children? FQ (Hint:: McDonalds)
Do you think it's good for some advertisements to be aimed at children? FQ

The Sounds of TV Advertising (esp. music)

Which do you think is more important for a TV (or video) advertisement, what we see on the screen or what we hear?

Do you think some TV advertisements are too loud?

Do you think music plays much of a role in advertising? FQx2

What effect does music in advertisements have on people?

Do you think an advertisement can (or could) make a certain piece of music popular?

Do you think an advertisement can (or could) make a certain singer or band popular?

Consumerism

Do you think it's good for people to spend money on goods and services?
Which do you think is better for the economy of a country, having people spend money or having people save money?
(Similar to above but a little different) Which do you think is better for economic growth in a country, having people spend money or having people save money?
Do you think it's possible to have economic growth when consumption is reduced?
Do you think the current trend towards consumerism is positive?

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539. A Gift You Received (Jan 9, 2014) (Probably no longer used)

Copy of Topic 54

Describe a present (a gift) you received when you were a child

You should say:

what the present was

who gave it to you

how you used this present

and explain how you felt when you got this present.*

Notes

This looks like a repetition of Topic 54.

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Possible follow-up questions:

Do you still have it?
Can you still buy that (thing) today?

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Part 3

See also Part 3 of Topic 423, Topic 364, Topic 221, Topic 233, Topic 160, Topic 85 and Topic 54 This topic has been used before so you should especially read those past Part 3 questions when the Part 2 was exactly the same as this one.

Gifts

Do people in your country often give gifts to their friends and family?
Is gift-giving considered to be important in your culture? FQx2
What are some customs (or traditions) that you have in your culture about gift-giving?
In your country, what are some of the more popular (or, common) gifts that people give each other today? FQ
Do you think gift-giving in your country today is different to gift-giving several decades ago?
Do you think people are giving more gifts today than they did 20 or 30 years ago?
Why are people giving more expensive gifts today than they did 20 or 30 years ago?
Do you (or, do people) think that the more expensive the gift, the better it is?
What factors do people consider when they are buying a gift for someone? FQx2
(Similar to above) What do people need to pay attention to when selecting a gift for someone?
Do you think it's a good idea to give money as a gift?
What gifts do you think are suitable to give to superiors at work?
Which do you think is better to give to someone who you care about (such as a friend or family member), a gift, or your time? FQ
(Similar to above) Do you think it is true that some people use gifts to "pay off" family and friends instead of spending time with them? FQ
(Similar to above) Do you think it is true that some people use gifts to compensate others, such as family and friends, for not spending time with them? FQ
How do you think gift-giving might change in the future?

Gifts and Children

What kinds of (or, what are some examples of) the gifts that children receive today? FQx2

What factors do people consider when they are buying a gift for a child? FQx2

What do you think are good gifts for children? FQ

Can you suggest why children like playing with toys?

Do boys and girls generally get the same types of gifts? FQ

Should boys and girls generally get the same types of gifts?

Is there much difference between the gifts that rural children get and those that urban children get?

Since gift-giving is a good thing, do you think that the more gifts you give a child, the better?

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540. An Old Thing in Your Family (Jan 9, 2014) (Probably no longer used)

Modified Copy of Topic 240

Describe an antique or some other old object that your family has kept for a long time. *

You should say:

what it is

how your family first got this thing *

how long your family has kept it (or, has had it)

and explain why this thing is important to your family. *

Notes

Possibly this is a return of Topic 240.
It seems that the word, "object" might be used somewhere in the wording, instead of "thing". But this might be a mistake.
It looks like a mixture of verb tenses is necessary here.
No, your old dog is not a suitable example.
You should talk about something that has been passed down from a one generation to the next. That is, from your grandparents to your parents (or to you), or from an earlier generation than your grandparents. Naturally, if any of your grandparents are still alive, any of their possessions is only a suitable example if it was passed down to them from their parents (your great-grandparent). Just because your grandmother, who is still alive, has kept something she bought when she was young is not a good enough reason to describe that something because it hasn't yet been passed down to the next generation.
Of course, if you can't think of anything, just make up a story. But try to do it and say it skilfully so the examiner believes you!

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Possible follow-up questions:

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Part 3

See also the Part 3 questions for Topic 240

Old Things in the Family

Besides your example (from Part 2), what other things do people often keep in the family for a long time?
Why do people keep these old things? FQ
How do people (manage to ) keep things within a family for a long time?

History / Old Buildings

Do you think (the study of) history is important? FQ
Do you think (all) old buildings should be preserved? FQ
Why are old buildings sometimes demolished? FQ
Do you think historical buildings should be preserved? FQ
Do you think it is worth the money to preserve historical buildings?
If old buildings were preserved, what do you suggest they could be used for?
Which do you think are better, old houses or new houses?

Museums

What kinds of museums do you have in your country? FQ
Are there many museums in your hometown?
Do you think museums are useful?
Why do people go to museums?
What can people learn from a museum?
(Similar to above) What are the benefits of keeping old things in a museum? FQ
Are there any other ways to learn about the things in museums besides actually going to the museum?
Besides going to a museum, what other ways can people use to learn about the past?
Can you suggest how more people could be encouraged to visit (or, attracted to) museums? FQ

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