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Updated Aug. 1, 2017

IELTS Part 2 and Part 3 Topics and Questions

Page 115

571. A Friend's Success (May, 2014) (Probably no longer used)

572. A Sport You Like (Possibly January, 2014) (Probably no longer used)

573. A Foreign Country You Would Like to Visit (May, 2014) (Probably no longer used)

574. A Letter or Email You Wrote (June , 2014) (Probably no longer used)

575. Problematic Equipment (June , 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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571. A Friend's Success (May, 2014) (Probably no longer used)

Describe an achievement of one of your friends that made you feel proud.

You should say:

who this friend was (or, is) *

what the achievement was *

how your friend celebrated this achievement *

and explain why you were proud of your friend's achievement. *

Notes

The word "achievement" or the word "success" might be used, or both might be used.
For both Part 2 and Part 3, make sure you know the differences in usage and pronunciation between the three words, "to succeed" (verb), "a success" (noun), "successful" (adjective). I think most English speakers usually say "be successful (in doing something or achieving something or at something) rather than, "have a success" or "achieve a success", but those two latter expressions are sometimes used and they don't sound too bad..

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Possible follow-up questions:

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Part 3

See also the Part 3 of Topics 43, 109, 173, 296, 344, 379 & 595

The Nature of Success

(Some of these questions seem to be unusually abstract and difficult! See any notes I wrote for previous topics related to success.)

How can (or how do) people become successful in life?

In general, how do people judge (or, assess) the success (or otherwise) of others? FQ

Do you believe "being successful" and "making a lot of money" are the same thing? FQ

(Similar to above) Do you think "success" is only measured by the amount of money a person makes? FQ
How do people achieve success at school? FQ
How would you define the expression, "success at school"? FQ
(Similar to above) How do most people assess (= judge) the level of a person's success at school? FQ
Which do you think is more important, academic success or success in more practical, everyday skills?
Which do you think is more important, success with one's studies (academic success) or success in sport?
(Similar to above) If a school student wants to be a success at something, do you think it is better for them to focus on academic activities, artistic activities or sporting activities?
Do you think the meaning of "success" is the same for primary school students, high school students and university students?
Do parents in your country pay more attention to (or, give more value to) academic success or to some other example of success? (Why?)
What do you think are the differences between success at school and in the wider society?
Which do you think is more important, to learn academic skills or practical skills?
What kinds of people are most likely to be successful in their work?
Which factor do you think is more important for success, talent or opportunity?
Besides academic and job success, what do you understand "success in life" to mean?

Rewards for Success

How do you think successful students at school are rewarded?
How do you think successful students at school should be rewarded?
(Possibly) How do you think (= suggest) a successful teacher could be rewarded?
How are (employed) people's salaries determined?
In your opinion, how should people's salaries be determined?

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572. A Sport You Like (Possibly January, 2014) (Probably no longer used)

Describe a sport you like to watch or play.

You should say:

        what people wear in this sport

        what equipment is used in this sport

        how this sport is played

and explain why you like this sport.

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Possible follow-up questions:

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Part 3

See also the Part 3 questions for Topic 64, Topic 343, Topic 395 and Topic 516

See some vocabulary here.

Sport in Your Country

Besides the sport you just spoke about, what other sports are popular in your country? FQ
Are there any differences between the popularity of sports in your country today and the situation in the past? FQ
(Similar to above) In your country, have people's attitudes towards sport changed at all over the past few decades? FQ
Do people play sport very much in your country?
Why do some people not like sport? FQ
(Similar to above) What are some people not very interested in sport? FQ
Do you play any sport yourself?
Do women play sport very much?
Do you think women's sport will change in the future?
Does the government in your country have much influence over sport?

The Olympic Games

At the Olympic Games, do athletes from your country do better (= win more medals) in individual sports or team sports?
Do you think the Olympic Games is becoming (or, has become) too commercialized?
Do you think there should be any restrictions on advertising during the Olympic Games? See Note
Who do you think is better suited for promoting sport, governments or private companies? See Note
Who do you think is better suited for promoting fitness among the general population, governments or private companies?

Professional Sports and Sports Stars

Do you have a favourite sportsperson?
(Similar to above) Can you give me any examples of famous sportsmen or women (famous athletes)?
(Similar to above) Can you give me any examples of professional athletes (professional sportsmen and women)?
Do you think there is much difference between famous athletes today and those of the past?
Do you think some of these professional athletes are overpaid? *
Do you think these highly paid athletes deserve to receive so much money? *
Where does the money come from to pay these professional athletes? *
Why do so many teenage males (and boys and even some young females) dream of being a professional athlete (or, a sports star)? FQ
Do you think some people become top sportspeople by hard work (or, effort) or is it more a question of good luck? FQ
Do many young people in your country aspire to being a professional athlete?
Do you think it's possible for everyone (or, anyone) to duplicate the success of those professional athletes?
Do many children (and/ or young people) use professional sportspeople as models to copy? FQ
Would you say that's a good thing? FQx2
Do you think professional athletes set a good example for young people?
Do you think professional athletes should set a good example for young people?

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573. A Foreign Country You Would Like to Visit (May, 2014) (Probably no longer used)

Describe a country you would like to visit for the first time. *

You should say:

        what country it is

        how long you would stay there

        in what season you would prefer to go there

and explain why you would like to visit this particular country.

Note

Someone has reported the following wording, "Describe a country that you would choose to travel to if you had a chance to travel". This is the same meaning as shown above. Obviously it does not have to be a place that you strongly want to go to, but if there is a place that you do strongly want to go to, that would be suitable to talk about, using the words, "want to" more than, "would like to". See here for information on that point.
I suggest using a sentence such as "If I went there, I would + verb..." at least once to show that you know this grammar but don't repeat the full sentence too often, which is unnatural. Just say, "and I would ..." to add more points.
This seems to be a slightly different topic to Topic 495. But there is a chance that it actually is Topic 495, continuing in the test. Therefore you should pay particular attention to the Part 3 questions for that topic.
Avoid, "will + verb" in this answer because "will" is related to the idea of a future event that is has some degree of certainty to happen. Instead, say, "would + verb" after first saying something like, "If I went to this country, I would ...". Notes about the use of "will" are included on this page.

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Possible follow-up questions:

Have any of your relatives or friends been to that country? *

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Part 3

See also the Part 3 of Topic 495.

Going Abroad as a Tourist

Do people in your country prefer to be tourists in their own country or in a foreign country? FQx2
What places in your country do they like to visit?
What foreign countries do people from your country like to visit? FQ (Why?)
What factors do you think determine which country a person chooses to visit?
Has foreign tourism from your country changed in the past few decades?
What do they do in these countries?
Do these people who travel abroad usually visit several countries (or places) or do they usually stay in one place?
Is traveling abroad popular with young people in your country?
Do you think it's usually young people or old people who prefer to stay in one place?
What do you think are the benefits of foreign travel (benefits for the traveler)? FQx2
Are there any advantages to visiting (as a tourist) places within your country rather than going overseas?
Before visiting a foreign country, do you think one should first try to learn something about that country?
Some people think they can experience another country by seeing it on the internet. Do you agree? FQ
What effects does tourism have on a country that many tourists visit?
What effects do foreign tourists have on the countries they visit? FQ
How does tourism benefit a country?
(Similar to above) What do you think are the positive and negative effects of (foreign) tourism on a place? FQx2
Do you think tourism can have a negative affect on the environment?
How do you think more people could be encouraged to travel abroad?
Do you think the government should encourage more people to travel abroad? (See Note)

Going Abroad for Reasons Other Than Tourism

Besides tourism, what are reasons are there for people going overseas (or, visiting foreign countries)? FQ
What countries do people from your country most want to migrate to (= settle in)? ("people" = those people who want to leave your country)
Are there any differences between the most popular tourist destinations and the most popular migration destinations? *
What jobs do people from your country do when they migrate overseas?
Do you think teaching your national language abroad would be a good job?

The Tourism Industry

Do you think tourism is an important part of the economy in your country?
Does tourism have any negative effects on a place or a country? FQx2
Have you ever heard of "cultural invasion" caused by foreign tourists?

Other Cultures

What are the various ways that a person can learn about foreign cultures?
Which way do you think is best?
Which would you prefer to do, watch a TV documentary program about another country, or visit that country?
How do you think a visitor to another culture could avoid any cultural conflicts with the local people? FQ
Do you think it's important to respect local cultures when you travel abroad? FQ
(Similar to above) To what extent do you think people should respect local customs when they visit (or migrate) abroad? FQ
Do you think cultural diversity is a good thing?
Compared to several decades ago, do you think there is more cultural diversity in the world today, or less? FQ

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574. A Letter or Email You Wrote (June , 2014) (Probably no longer used)

Describe an important letter or email you wrote

You should say:

        when you wrote it

        who you it wrote to

        what you wrote about

and explain why it was important.

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Possible follow-up questions:

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Part 3

Letters & Emails

What letters do people receive nowadays?

What types of emails (or letters) do you usually get?

When people say they have received a "good" letter or email or a "bad" letter or email, what do you think they mean?

What do people use the post office for?
Which do you think old people prefer to use, emails or (handwritten) letters?
Do you think letter-writing is important? FQ
Do you think handwriting is an important skill? *
How do you suggest people could be encouraged to keep writing handwritten letters?
Why do many modern people dislike writing letters?
What do you think could be done to encourage people to write letters?

Which are better, emails or letters? FQ

(Similar to above) Which do you prefer, emails or letters? FQ

Who most often writes emails, old people or children? See Note 1

Communication Methods

Besides emails and letters, what other ways can people use to communicate with others? FQ
Do you think communicating with others is important?

Which do you think is better (or, more effective) for communicating with someone, a cell phone call, an email or a letter? FQ

(Similar to above) Which do you think is better for communicating with someone, a cell phone call or an email? FQ

In what situations do you think people usually communicate by phone?

What effects have modern scientific & technological advancements had on communication?

Communication Skills

Why is it that some people who can speak very fluently cannot write equally as well (or fluently)?

Do you think a person's ability to communicate is inborn (or is it learned)?

How would you describe (or, define) a "poor communicator" and how would you describe a "good communicator"?

Which people (doing what work) in society do you think are the best communicators?

Do you think leaders need to be good communicators?

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575. Problematic Equipment (June , 2014) (Probably no longer used)

Describe a time when you had a problem with a piece of equipment (e.g., a TV or a washing machine) *

You should say:

        what equipment

        what problem you had

        when you had this problem *

and explain what you did about this problem. [Or: how you fixed (resolved) this problem]

Notes

There are two different reasons why people, "have a problem" with a piece of equipment - a) the equipment is broken or malfunctioning or, b) the user doesn't fully know how to use the equipment. Of course, there is a third possibility - both a) and b) occurring at the same time. But it is not certain that the words are simply, "had a problem with ..". The card might specifically say something like, "Describe a time when a with a piece of equipment you wanted to use was broken".
This might be a repeat of Topic 300, although the Part 3 seems to be a bit different.

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Possible follow-up questions:

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Part 3

See also any related Part 3 questions from the following topics: Topic 300, 51, 149, 199, 268, 420 & 504

Note: The word "break" does not always mean the same as breaking a piece of glass. For example, we can say, "my computer is broken" just to mean it doesn't work any more. For cars, we use the term, "break down". Basically, for this topic, "broken" means "unusable".

Note that "equipment" is non-count. We have to say, "a piece of equipment", not "an equipment".

The Quality of Products / Equipment that Breaks Easily

New term - "planned obsolescence"

In your country, what are some other examples of equipment that often breaks down or becomes unusable because of some fault? FQ
Why do you think this equipment breaks so easily? FQ
(Similar to above) Why do some devices (or why does some equipment) break down? FQ
(Similar to above) Why do people have problems with some equipment? FQ
Do you think salespeople (who sell equipment) should help people learn how to use that equipment?
(Possibly) Do you think salespeople (who sell equipment) should help people when that equipment has a problem? *
Do people in your country usually throw away broken equipment or do they usually get it repaired (or try to repair it themselves)? FQ
(Similar to above) Do you usually throw away something when it is broken or do you usually try to fix it yourself? FQx2
(Similar to above) Would you repair (or have repaired) a piece of equipment that was broken (or would you throw it away)? FQx2
How would you repair (= fix) broken equipment yourself? (If you said you would repair it.)
Would you say you are good at solving problems?
Do you think it would be good to have a class in schools to teach children how to fix equipment (or, fix things)?

Equipment Used in Everyday Life

What are some examples of equipment (or machines, or devices) that we use in everyday life? FQ
What are some examples of equipment that people use today that were not used in the past?
(Possibly) What are some examples of equipment that people used in the past that are not used much today?
Which of those do you think is the most important (or, most useful)? FQx2
(Similar to above) Which of those would you say are essential to have? FQ
Why do you think many people have equipment such as washing machines when they can wash their clothes by hand?
Which do you think is more important (or more useful), a TV or a washing machine? See Note 2
Do you think it's good to have a kitchen that is equipped with modern equipment?
Do you think modern equipment saves people time?
Do you think modern, labour-saving devices/equipment make people lazy? FQx2 See Note 3
Do you think people rely on modern equipment too much?
Do young people and old people have the same feelings (or attitudes) about modern equipment?
Why do you think we see more and more creative inventions nowadays?
Do you think this trend will continue?
Do you think that there are any cases of technical knowledge from the past that has been lost?

Electronic Equipment

Why do so many (young) people think it's important to always buy the latest electronic device? FQ
How does a person feel when they bring home a new piece of equipment that they have just bought? FQ
(Similar to above) How do you think people feel when they buy new (modern) equipment) such as a Smart Phone? FQ
What do you think of the practice of students using a cell phone to take pictures of classroom notes (presented on a screen or whiteboard by the teacher or lecturer) instead of using pen and paper?

Are there enough trained (and/or qualified) people in your country to repair electronic equipment when it breaks down? *

How could more people be trained to repair broken electronic equipment? *

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Note 1

"Who most often writes emails, old people or children?" This is a direct translation of what someone wrote in Chinese but the real words of the examiner might have been different so listen carefully and answer according to the exact words that the examiner uses. Both "old people" (e.g., people over 60) and "children" (3 to 12 year-olds) don't write emails or use the internet very much compared to "young people" (e.g., 13 to 30-year-old people).

Note 2

The examiner might choose two other items to compare, such as a TV or a refrigerator, a washing machine or a refrigerator etc.

Note 3

Think about what "lazy" really means. And think about human nature.