ielts-yasi.englishlab.net

Updated  Sep. 27, 2015

 

IELTS Part 2 and Part 3 Topics and Questions

Page 122

 

606.  Some Good News from TV or the Internet  (January, 2015)    (Probably no longer used)

607.  Friendly to a Person You Didn't Like  (January, 2015)    (Probably no longer used)

608.  Something Interesting Learned on the Internet  (January, 2015)    (Probably no longer used)

609.  An Ambition Not Yet Achieved  (January, 2015)    (Probably no longer used)

610.  Something You Would Like to Buy (in the Future)  (January, 2015)    (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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606.  Some Good News from TV or the Internet  (January, 2015)    (Probably no longer used)

Describe some good news you got from television or the internet.

               You should say:

when you got the news

where you got the news

what the news was about

and explain why you think it was good news

 


Notes

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Possible follow-up questions:

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Part 3

See also the Part 3 of Topic 203, Topic 141, Topic 101 & Topic 342

People's News Interests

News Media

The Reliability of the News

News on the Internet

Journalism

Children and the News

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607.  Friendly to a Person You Didn't Like  (January, 2015)    (Probably no longer used)

Describe a person you were friendly to, although you did not really like them (him or her).

               You should say:

who this person was

when and where it happened *

what the situation was *

why you didn't like this person

and explain why you were (or, had to be) friendly to this person. *

                                    or

and explain what the results were after you were friendly to this person. *

Notes

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Possible follow-up questions:

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Part 3

See also the Part 3 of Topic 405 and Topic 472

Friendliness

Communication

Good Manners

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608.  Something Interesting Learned on the Internet  (January, 2015)    (Probably no longer used)

Describe something interesting you learned on the internet.

               You should say:

what you learned

what website it was on

how you found this website

and explain why you think what you learned was interesting.

 

 

Notes

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Possible follow-up questions:

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Part 3

See also the Part 3 of  Topics 385, 114 & Topic 475

Getting Information

The Internet (especially 'social media' websites)

Social Media

Learning / Education, especially on the Internet

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609.  An Ambition Not Yet Achieved  (January, 2015)    (Probably no longer used)

Describe an ambition that you have not yet achieved.

               You should say:

 what your ambition is

 when you first had this ambition (or, how long you have had this ambition)

 how you plan to achieve it

(possibly) what you have done towards achieving this ambition *

and explain why you have not achieved it yet.

 

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Possible follow-up questions:

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Part 3

An "ambition" is similar to a "goal". See previous notes about goals in topics concerning success.

See also the Part 3 of Topic 22, Topic 97, Topic 217, Topic 360, Topic 441 & Topic 521

See also any relevant Part 3 question in the following topics that relate to "success": 571, 43, 109, 173, 296, 344, 379 & 595

Personal Goals (Ambitions)

        Expectations on Young People

Ambition and Children

Ambition and Power


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610.  Something You Would Like to Buy (in the Future)   (January, 2015)    (Probably no longer used)

Describe something special you would like to buy (in the future). *

                      or

Describe something you really want to buy (in the future).  *

               You should say:

what it is

 when you would like to ( = want to / hope to) buy it

 how long you have wanted to buy this

where you would like to buy it *

and explain why you would like to buy this.

 

 

Notes

  • Most people in China are reporting that the words, "in the future" are included on the card. However, it's possible that this is a mistake and people are simply repeating something that is in some IELTS blog. Some learners of English think that the words, "would like" only and always apply to the future but this is untrue – English speakers often use "would like" to talk about "a different present situation". For example, "I would like to be a better student" means, "I would like to be a better student now (better than the student I am now)."  In other words, I think there's a strong chance that you can talk about something you would like to buy now (if you could). At the same time, you can also interpret the words on the card to be referring to the future. See notes on the word "would" and "would like" HERE.

  • It is probably not suitable to say, "will buy" here because the word "will" refers to an almost certain future event, which is not the situation of this topic wording. However, if you can explain in your answer that you almost certainly will buy it, then it might be suitable to use, "will buy". For example, if you have the money and you plan to buy it next week, then "will buy" might be suitable.

  • Possibly the words, "where you would like to buy it" are not included. one or two people have reported that the words, "how long you have wanted to buy it" are used instead of "where you would buy it".

  • Possibly one of the points following "You should say" is, "how much it would cost". This means, "how much it would cost if you bought it" or, "how much it will cost if you buy it". The meaning for these two is almost the same in this situation. Just make sure you don't incorrectly make the sentence. Even if this point is not written on the card, it is logical to mention cost in your answer. If it is written on the card, answer using the same sentence structure as on the card ("would buy" or "will buy").

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Possible follow-up questions:

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Part 3

For Shopping see also the Part 3 of Topic 121, Topic 497, Topic 398, Topic 216, Topic 347, Topic 38, Topic 9

For Advertising see also the Part 3 of 352, 297, 190, 170,  121 65, 464 & 538

Shopping

  • When was the last time you went shopping?

  • Would you say that everyone loves shopping?

  • What sorts of things do young people in your country mostly buy?

  • In general, do males and females feel the same about shopping?

  • How much time do most people spend on shopping?

  • (Similar to above, but different) How often do most people go shopping?

  • Where do most people in your country do their shopping?

  • What do you think are the advantages and disadvantages of shopping locally (= in the shops around where you live)?

  • Do old(er) people like (spending time) shopping as much as young people do? FQ

  • Do you think it is useful to spend a lot of time when shopping for something? (E.g., is it good to buy shoes and clothes in a hurry?)

  • Can you suggest how one could save time when buying something? *

  • How is shopping today different to shopping several decades ago? FQ

  • How do you think people's consumption (buying) habits have changed in the past few decades? FQx2

  • How do you think people's consumption (buying) habits might change in the future?

  • What are the pluses and minuses of online shopping, as compared to shopping in "real" shops?  FQx2

Advertising

  • Do you think it's good to have advertising?

  • What are the main forms of advertising in your country?  FQ

  • (Similar to above) What types of adverting are most common in your country?  (See Note 1)

  • What types of advertisements do you find most interesting (or, most useful)?

  • What types of advertisements do find most attractive?

  • For companies, what do you think the importance of advertising is? FQ

  • (Similar to above) Do you think advertising performs a useful function? FQ

  • What is the importance of advertising

  • Would you say that advertising is effective?

  • (Similar to above) Do you think people really are influenced by advertising?  FQ

  • (Similar to above) Do you think people really do buy products as a result of seeing (or hearing) an advertisement?  FQ

  • How do advertisements influence people?

  • Would you say advertising has a greater influence on young people's shopping habits or a greater influence on old(er) people's shopping habits?

  • Would you agree that some forms of advertising are more suitable for certain products and services while other forms of advertising are more suitable for other products and services?

  • Some people don't like advertisements (e.g., on TV). Can you suggest why?

  • Do you think some companies spend too much money on advertising?

Consumerism

  • What do you think is the relationship between advertising and "the consumer society"?

  • Do you think "consumerism" has a positive effect on society? ("consumerism" = a society in which people buy a lot of things)

  • Is consumerism good for the economy?

  • What effects do you think a large amount of consumerism has on the environment?

  • What do you think is the effect of consumerism on the environment?

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Note 1

Make sure you know the difference between "common" and "popular". Almost certainly, the word "common" is used in this question, not "popular".

Note 2

This question is unclear. It might be, "How do you think the quality of news broadcasts could be improved?" Alternatively, it might be referring to the opposite of "bad news" so that the question means, "Do you think there will be more good news (or, news that is not as bad as now) in the future?" I think the latter is more likely.

Note 3

Here they want you to talk about the "values" that should be most important in guiding one's life (in your opinion).

Note 4

What do you think are the sources of a young person's ambitions? 

From a psychoanalytical point of view, we humans are really a kind of programmed robot. Yes, there still are a few aspects of our bahaviour that are genetic in origin, such as the baby's ability to say "mama" without being taught (a trait that all babies, all over the world possess). But almost all of our higher-level, decision-based actions are preprogrammed into us via our personal life's experience - our education, our family, our traditional culture & religion, our media, the values of the national government, our peers, our relationships ...

So where did your ambition to be a film-maker come from? It probably came from your love of watching films (videos)!

Where did your ambition to be "rich" come from? Probably a combination of all those sources listed above, including especially the personal experience of growing up poor.

An Answer to the Question that Does Not Include Values or the "Pre-programmed" Idea

But there is another source that is part of one's life experience that is not listed above. That is, what one's interests are, .which might have led to "hobbies and interests" in childhood and adolescence, which in turn might have led to career or life ambitions.  This especially applies to the world of science and technology, and to the realm of traditional culture. How do people become interested in certain hobbies? Usually they are introduced to the hobby by someone they know, including school teachers, or they read about it, saw it on TV etc. Some parents allow children to "discover" what interests them, and then the parents fully encourage the child to develop this interest. One example might be an interest in insects, or an apparent interest in playing a musical instrument. Obviously, what interests a child "discovers" is limited by the environment that he or she is living in and what opportunities the child had had to experience a range of possible interests.