Updated Sep. 27, 2015
IELTS Part 2 and Part 3 Topics and Questions
Page 123
611.
An Exciting Sport
(January, 2015)
612.
A Subject You Didn't Like
Before (January, 2015)
613.
An Occasion When You Helped a Stranger
(January, 2015)
614.
Someone Who Did Not Tell the Whole Truth
(January, 2015)
615.
A Family Member You
Would Like to Work With
(January, 2015)
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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611. An Exciting Sport
(January, 2015)
Notes
On the topic of "exciting"
Sport in Your Country
(This is probably more about the sports that people play, not so much about spectator sports.)
What sports are most popular in your country?
(Similar to above)
What are the differences between professional athletes
and amateur athletes?
How do you think becoming a famous sportsperson affects people? See Note 12
Do children (or, people) in your country have enough time for sport?
Do you think playing a sport is important for the well-being of people?
What do you think the government could do to promote more sports participation among the people?
Do people in your country prefer to participate in sport or to watch sports competitions?
What are the most popular sports that people watch on TV? FQx2
Do you think these TV programs encourage people to take an interest in sport?
(Different question to above)
Extreme Sports / Dangerous Sports
What would you say is the most "exciting" sporting activity in your country / city? See Note 14
What are some examples of so-called "extreme sports"
that exist in your country?
What are some of the most exciting sports you have seen on TV (or the internet)?
(Possibly)
Do many people do these sports?
What equipment is needed for these extreme sports?
Do the people who do these sports wear any special equipment?
Why do you think some people like to do these extreme sports?
Are there any extreme sports that you would like to try?
What types of people like (to try) these sports?
Are there extreme sport competitions?
At what point would you say a sport becomes a "dangerous sport"? See Note 13
(Similar to above) Do you think the government should
prohibit people from doing dangerous sports?
If the government does not restrict/control these extreme sports, wouldn't everyone want to do them?
Do you think some sports should be restricted to only men?
Would you encourage people to try some of these extreme sports?
School Subjects
In addition to the subject you just spoke about, what other (school) subjects do you think are interesting?
Which do you think is better, for
Do you think it's better for (senior) high school students to study a wide range of subjects, or to specialize in just one or two main areas? FQ
Do university students study a wide range of subjects or do they tend to specialize in one or two areas?
When students do their study at home, do you think they should spend equal time on each subject that they are studying at school?
School Teachers
Do you think teachers have a great influence on their students' education?
What sort of classroom atmosphere is most conducive to promoting learning among the students?
Do you think the teacher needs to show enthusiasm for a subject (or topic) in order to teach it well? *
In school, do you think most students are paying attention more to the teacher, or to the subject matter?
What makes a subject "interesting" for a student?
Do you think it's important for school students to be
interested in what they are learning?
(Similar to above) Do you think teachers need to make
their lessons interesting?
How do you suggest they could do that?
Do you think they should make their lessons "fun"? Note 3
Do you think students should ever be allowed to play
during lessons?
Do you think a teacher needs to add a sense of humour
to his or her lessons?
(Similar to above) Do you think it's good for teachers
to have a sense of humour?
In your opinion, how can a teacher become a good teacher?
The Internet and TV as Educational Tools
Do you think there are benefits from having educational
programs on TV?
(Similar to above) Do you think school students can
learn anything from watching TV?
Do you think online study is useful?
How important is the role of the internet in education?
What sorts of knowledge (or, information) does the internet give people access to?
Do you think we can trust the information on the internet?
Which do you think is more useful as an educational tool, television or the internet?
(Similar to above) Which do you prefer as a tool for learning, television or the internet?
See also (for "You Helped Somebody") the Part 3 of Topics 78, 156, 279 & 550
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Professional Helpers
What are some examples of occupations (or, jobs) in
which people are paid to help others?
What personal qualities should people in these jobs have (or, need to have)? FQ
Are these jobs very popular in your country?
How are these professionals paid? See Note 6
Do you think people who work in the "helping
professions" should be paid a high salary?
Helping in the Community or in Society (Unpaid Volunteer Work)
See Note 7
How can people help others in their community in an unpaid way?
Can you
suggest why some people volunteer to help others?
What (personal) qualities do
these volunteers need to have for this work?
(Similar to above but a little different)
Sometimes (a group of) celebrities such as famous pop singers put on a performance and then donate the money from the concert to charity. Do you think this is a good thing?
What volunteer work do you think might be most common (or, most needed) in the future?
How do you think volunteers themselves benefit from volunteering their service to the community (or, to society)?
Do you thing everyone should do some voluntary work in the community?
Do you think it should be necessary to have people doing voluntary work in society? See Note 15
Notes
It doesn't have to be a serious lie. It can be a relatively harmless "white lie".
It has been reported that it should be "someone you know". If that is the case, it should be someone you have personally spoken to. If "you know" is not included, you could choose someone such as a news reader on TV. But most likely, "you know" is included".
The third, missing point is not clear. Someone has reported that it is, "why they did not tell the truth" but this seems unlikely because you cannot judge the reasons of another person for lying. It might be, "what they lied about", which does not mean the general topic but, instead, the specific point about which they lied. Whether this is written on the card or not, it makes sense to say that, otherwise your little story will not seem complete.
Your answer to the last line, ("and explain ...") will depend on the seriousness of the lie. If it was something small (i.e., a white lie), maybe you were simply "puzzled", "mystified", "surprised" or even "amused". For something more serious, you could say you were ""shocked", "disappointed", "incredulous that this person lied to you", "hurt", "let down" or "betrayed". You could even say that you felt "relieved to find out the truth (about this person)".
The second version of "and explain" refers more to the truth of the situation than to the person who lied. That is possibly what is written on the card.
There is a kind of lie called, "lying by omission", when someone simply fails to tell you all they know but does not tell an outright lie. This is still a lie if it is intended to mislead you.
Here's a video about lies: https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=62C3lYSiHvw. (The lyrics to this song are at Note 11).
See
Lying
Can you
suggest why people tell lies?
Under what circumstances do people tend to lie the most?
Do you like it when someone lies to you?
Do you think lying is very common?
Do you think the effects of lying are mostly negative, or mostly positive?
What sorts of problems can result from telling a lie?
Do you think there are times when it is suitable to tell a lie?
What's the difference between a "small lie" and a "big lie"?
What effect do white lies have, or are intended to have?
In what
situations do people tell "white lies"?
Would you say that politicians lie very much?
Do people expect politicians to be honest?
Crime
If someone is giving evidence in a court of law and they tell a lie, do you think it's very serious? See Note 8
Sometimes, in a court of law, two or more witnesses to a crime give quite
different evidence. Does that automatically mean that one of them or some of
them are lying?
Quite
often a criminal will lie to the police after he has been arrested. Is there
any technology that you know of that can be used to detect if that person is
lying or not?
Do you know how that technology works?
Can you think of other circumstances when that technology could be useful?
If the police find a dead person but do not know who the person is, is there any modern technology they can use to help discover who the dead person is (was)? See Note 9
Do you think this technology is always 100% accurate?
Children and Lying
Do you think it's important to teach children to tell the truth?
615. A
Family Member You Would Like to Work With
(January, 2015)
Notes
This is a good example of "would like to" not meaning the same as "want to". This is because we rarely have an active, conscious desire (a want), to work with a family member. Therefore, for this Part 2, you will need to include some "if" statement such as, "If I had to choose to work with a family member", "If I had to work with a family member" or, "If I had the opportunity to work with a member of my family". But don't repeat that "if" statement too often; just say it once or twice.
On the other hand, there are situations when it would be suitable to substitute the words, "want to" for "would like to". Don't forget, "want to" means that it is an active, conscious desire that you have thought about before. Such situations are: a) you are married and, for some reason, you really wish you could work with your husband or wife, b) a situation where "work" does not mean "work in a paid job" but means something like, "engage in a constructive activity". For example, maybe your brother is constructing his own wooden boat in his spare time and you would like to (= want to) "work with him" in order to learn how to do it, or because you rarely do anything with your brother and you would like to (= want to) do something with him. But this situation is not very common.
"Family" could possibly include a member of your extended family such as a cousin, uncle, aunt, nephew, niece, brother-in-law, sister-in-law or grandparent.
Family Businesses / Big and Small Companies
In your country, what kinds of businesses are often family-run businesses?
In a family business, do you think non-family employees should be treated the same as family members?
Do you think that happens in reality? *
What do you think are the pros and cons of having a family business? FQx2
Which do you think is better, to work in your own
family business or work in a big company owned by others?
In general, do you think it is better to work in a big
company, or a small one?
Do you think working for a big company is impersonal?
Why do you think some people don't stay with one employer for a long time?
Technology and Business
International Business
What do you think about the globalization of business? (See the notes on Page 130)
Do you think that, in the future, many small businesses will be replaced by (a smaller number of) large corporations?
Do you think that would be a positive change?
This is an old issue that is mainly about the subjects that senior high school students study, especially in their last year or two. The wording "schools to decide" means that the subjects are compulsory.
(Especially for Chinese readers) Make sure you know the differences between "interesting", "fun" and "funny".
"Fun" lessons are, at times, more suitable for primary school kids, especially in the first few years of primary school. Very young kids (e.g., under 7 years old) learn best when they think they are just playing!
This sort of question has been reported more than once. It's a relevant question but it also could be a trap, testing to see if you confuse "fun", "funny" and "interesting".
The questions here might be referring to TV and the internet in general, for everyone, including school children when they are not at school. Alternatively, the questions might be referring to educational tools used in school classrooms. This is not clear.
The point here is that many of the people who these professionals help are poor people. So, people such as social workers are usually government employees although sometimes they work for charitable organizations such as the Red Cross (e.g., doctors & nurses).
Although most volunteer work is unpaid work, not all voluntary acts are unpaid acts. For example, sometimes in war the soldiers are asked, "Who will volunteer to do this dangerous task?" Or, in the case of a natural disaster in a far-off place, doctors or nurses or other workers might volunteer to go to that place to help but they still might be paid. To "volunteer" firstly means that you offer yourself to do something rather than being told that you have to do it.
It's called "perjury".
DNA testing
In most non-Western cultures, the way one treats a guest is very important, much more important than in Western European culture. If the guest asks for something, including some favour, the host feels obligated to do his (or her) best to satisfy the guest's request. This results in a culture where people avoid saying "No" as much as possible to guests & friends. In some cases, this avoidance of saying "no" becomes a significant part of politeness.
This phenomenon is quite strong in Japan, and to some extent in Korea & among Chinese people. Some English-speaking visitors to the far East have commented on this and how it leads to a serious cultural misunderstanding. Here's an example. An American goes to Tokyo & replies to a newspaper ad seeking English teachers. After a couple of weeks, he calls the school (from the other side of Tokyo) and asks if there is any progress on his application. He is not told that the application was unsuccessful, when the person at the school knows perfectly well that it was unsuccessful! The Japanese guy at the school suggests he come over to the school, "for a chat" or something like that. So the American guy spends 20% of his remaining cash reserves (he's getting desperate for work now) and most of a day travelling to & from the school, only to be told that, "Sorry this a university-level college. You need an M.A. or Ph. D. in English to teach English here." The American is grateful for the Japanese guy's honestly and nice, polite manners. But he wonders to himself, "Why didn't he just tell me this on the phone yesterday?" To the American, it was similar to, "lying by omission".
This is what some people refer to as the "Japanese lie". I think the culture is of ancient Chinese culture but it is, in all varieties of modern Chinese culture, no longer as strong as it once was .
It's possible that some IELTS examiners might make their own question about this topic, or a related topic.
"It's all Lies" sung by "Osama, The Bin Ladens"
"It's all Lies" as MP3: ALL_A_LIE.mp3
"It's all Lies" – lyrics: 'It's_all_Lies'_lyrics.htm
Another copy of the song lyrics, here -
Lyrics to, "It's all Lies" sung by "Osama, The Bin Ladens"
You heard it on the evening news,
The voice of authority,
And though it was all a lie, still you believe.
They told you about yellowcake,
As a pretext to war.
They embedded reporters cheap,
Like five- dollar whores.
They gave you a bogeyman,
To scare you at night.
And terror threat level alerts,
'Till you were ready to fight!
But it's all a lie,
Made of nonsense for you to buy.
Still you believe! Still you believe! Still you believe!
They told you earth's heating up,
That we're all gonna stew.
But the only thing cooking here,
Is the data that they use!
They told you 'bout Saddam Husein,
And his WMDs,
They were sure that he had 'em too,
'Coz they still had the receipts!
But it all's a lie,
Made of nonsense for you to buy.
Still you believe! Still you believe! Still you believe!
Still you believe, all of their crap,
Never suspecting, that it's a trap.
You're being had, you're being used,
It's all just a game, and you're gonna lose!
You'd better wake up,
Before it's too late,
Before the jig's up,
And you've sealed your fate!
And now for the coup-de-grace,
To fool you and me,
They said they just killed the bogeyman,
And buried him at sea!
Lies! Lies! Nonsense! Fairy tales! Propaganda! Crap!
Mind-numbing, soul-crushing, psychological trap!
It's the way that they've always worked,
And baby it's fate.
They'll keep doing it,
Until you stop taking the bait!
It's all lies!
In that type of question, the word, "people" means "these people" or "these famous sportspeople". It does not refer to people in general.
Whenever anything is labelled as "dangerous" then one needs to consider the question, "Dangerous to whom?" or "Who is in danger of being hurt by this?"
This topic could then branch out into politics, such as the legitimacy, or otherwise, of a government calling something "dangerous". Or it could branch out into another socio-political topic, that of victimless crimes, crimes such as drug usage in which the person in greatest danger is the drug user (although many hard-core drug users are forced into becoming thieves, which is a danger to a whole community). Basically, a government can call any activity a "crime" if it really wants to. Here we are getting into the topic of "persona liberties" (even the freedom to endanger oneself) and the topic of "victimless crimes".
To answer this, you first need to understand the broad definition of "sporting activity" in English. For example, chess can be considered a "sport", as is trout fishing in the rivers of the north, horseback riding, or even fox hunting. "Sport" is also divided into a) spectator sport b) participatory sport. For example, football (or soccer) is a major spectator sport all over the world and if only a very small percentage of people in your society actually play it, then it is basically a spectator sport where you live.
Then we have the meaning of "exciting". Obviously, this is quite subjective, although there certainly are some sporting activities that are universally "exciting" (everybody is excited by them). But consider that it would be quite legitimate to describe the (exciting) "cut and thrust" of a wei qi game or a chess game! What is exciting to one might be boring to someone else. The key point is Part 2 is being able to generate some good adjectives related to "exciting" and to justify why you say it is exciting, exciting either to you, to others, or even only to participants in these activities.
This type of question means that, if there is a need in society (in the community) then why isn't the government providing a person who is paid to do it
A lie detector test = a polygraph