Page 127

ielts-yasi.englishlab.net

Updated Aug. 1, 2017

IELTS Part 2 and Part 3 Topics and Questions

Page 127

631. No Topic

632. Some Useful Advice that You Received (May, 2014) (Moved from Topic 561) (Probably no longer used)

633. A Child Who Made you Laugh (May, 2015) (Probably no longer used)

634. An Educational Trip (May, 2015) (Probably no longer used)

635. A Piece of Electronic Equipment (May, 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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631. No Topic

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632. Some Useful Advice that You Received (May, 2014) (Moved from Topic 561) (Probably no longer used)

Copy of Topic 302

Describe a situation (or time) when you received some useful advice.

You should say:

what the situation was

who gave you the advice

what the advice was

and explain how this advice was useful to you.

Notes

This might be a repetition (in both Part 2 & 3) of one of the following - Topic 59, Topic 130, Topic 182 & Topic 302
It seems this topic has been in continuous use from May 2014 until now, July 2015. For convenience, the whole of Topic 561 was copied to here. Any additions will be made here, not at Topic 561.
It is possible that some of the Part 3 questions were changed, for example, in January 2015. Or even the Part 2 wording was slightly changed. But, so far, I can't see any clear indication of that.

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Possible follow-up questions:

Do people ever ask you for advice? *
Do your friends often ask you for advice?
(Possibly) Do you ever give advice to others? *

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Part 3

See also Part 3 of Topic 59, Topic 130, Topic 182 & Topic 302

Advice for Young People

Do you like receiving advice?
Do you think young people need advice? FQ
On what topics do they need advice? *
Who do you think is best for giving advice to young people?
(Similar to above) Who do you think should give advice to young people?
Which do you think is better, advice from one's family members or advice from one's friends? FQx2
(Similar to above) Would you rather take advice from your parents, or from your friends? FQ
Do you usually follow the advice of your parents? FQ
(Similar to above) What do you do when you have an opinion about what is best to do that is different to that of your parents? FQ
(Similar to above but more general) When you are given advice, do you usually follow that advice or do you make your own decisions? FQ
In what way should parents (or others) give advice to young people to maximize the chances that this advice will be taken? FQ
Do your friends often ask you for advice? FQ
(Similar to above) Do you ever give advice to others? FQ
On what topics do you think young people might ask their friends for advice?
Do people, such as your family or friends, generally offer advice to you or do you usually need to ask for advice?
Do you think it’s a good idea to look for advice?
Do you think people should get advice from others before they decide on what career to follow?
Do you think that the advice that people gave 50 years ago is still relevant today?
Do you think the advice of old people is useful (today)?
Why do you think that, in some cultures, it is elderly people who usually give advice?
What kind of people are suitable for giving advice to others?
Are there any skills that differentiate a good advice-giver from other people? FQ
What type of personality do you think someone needs to have in order to be a good advice-giver? FQ
How can an advice-giver get someone to accept their advice?
Do you think a teacher should give any kind of advice to students or should he or she only give advice about academic questions? FQ
Do you think teachers should give (or, are suitable for giving) advice to their students about career choices?
What should (or, what does) a teacher do when a student needs advice of a more personal nature?

Advice on the Internet

Would you take a stranger’s advice?
Do you think it's a good idea to seek advice, or look for advice, on the internet?
Do you think it is good to blindly accept the advice of others? See Note 5
(Similar to above) Are there any dangers in blindly accepting the advice of others?
Where can people get information about prices for products on sale on the internet?
Do you think it's useful to read customer reviews at (or about) online buying and selling websites?
Where should consumers look for prices?
Do you read customer reviews?
Do you find them useful?
Do you think harmful cosmetic products should be banned? Why?

Government Advice / Information

What kinds of advice does the government give people?
Where (or how) can a person get advice from the government?

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633. A Child Who Made you Laugh (May, 2015) (Probably no longer used)

Describe situation when a child made you laugh.

You should say:

who the child was

(when and) where it happened

what he or she did to make you laugh

and explain why you laughed.

Notes

Although the wording above would allow you to talk about when you were a child and another child made you laugh, for some reason, I think it would be preferable for you to prepare to talk about a time when you were no longer a child yourself because the wording might be, "Describe a recent situation when a child made you laugh".
If the wording is as written above, I can't see anything wrong with talking about a child in a film or on TV.
For Chinese people (and maybe others), make sure you know the difference between "smile" and "laugh". This topic is about laughing, not smiling.

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Possible follow-up questions:

Do children often make you laugh?

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Part 3

On the topic of 'Humour', see also any relevant Part 3 questions at Topic 404 and Topic 494

On the topic of "Children', see also any relevant Part 3 questions at 421, Topic 311, 103 and Topic 40

Childhood

What is the importance of childhood?
(Possibly) Was your childhood important to you?
Can you suggest why some adults miss their childhood?
In general, would you say children in your country enjoy their childhoods?
Why is it easy for children to feel happy?
Some people believe that children learn best while they are playing. What do you think?

Parenting

See also the Part 3 of Topic 470 for more questions on the topic of parenting.

What do you think is the ideal (or, best) age to become a parent? FQ
What are the main qualities of a good parent? FQ
What do you think good parents should teach their children?
Do you think that new parents should be given some training in how to be parents? FQ

Humour

What sorts of things make children laugh? FQ
(Similar to above) What sorts of things do children laugh at? FQ See Note 6
(Similar to above) What sorts of things made you laugh when you were a child? FQ
Is there much difference between what children laugh at and what adults laugh at?

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634. An Educational Trip (May, 2015) (Probably no longer used)

Describe an educational trip you went on.

You should say:

where the place was

what you did at this place

who you went there with

and explain what you learned on that trip.

Notes

See also the notes written about the meaning of "educational" at Topic 636, Page 128.
As I explained at Topic 636, something can be defined as "educational" even when you didn't learn anything, as long as the aim or purpose of this something (a trip, in this case) was to teach something. By the same token you can say that any activity or experience was "educational" for you, if you learned something from that activity or experience, even if the original intention was not for that activity or experience to teach you something.

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Possible follow-up questions:

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Part 3

See also the Part 3 of Topic 169

See Note 1

Educational Trips

Do school children in your country often go on school excursions (or, educational trips organized by the school)? FQ
Where do they go? FQ See Note 3
(Similar to above) Did you ever go (or, how often did you go) on school excursions (or educational trips) when you were at school? FQ
Did you enjoy those trips?
What did you learn?
How useful do you think such trips are? (= What are the benefits of such trips?) FQ
(Similar to above) Do you think educational trips really do help promote learning?
How would you compare what children learn on educational trips (school excursions) to what they learn in the classroom?
What do you think is (or, should be) the role of the teacher during a school excursion?
What is the value for the children of going on such excursions with a teacher as opposed to going there with their parents, or going there alone?
What do you think are the benefits of overseas educational trips?

Education

How important do you think parents are in the education of their children?
(Similar to above) Which do you think is more important for the education of children, their parents or (the teachers at) their school? FQ
How do you think parents, at home, can help with their children with their education? FQx2
How do you think parents and teachers can work together (co-operate) towards the education of the children?
How important do you think it is for older school students to do some study at home? See Note 8
Which do you think is better, studying at home or studying out of the home? FQ
(Similar to above) What do you think are the advantages and disadvantages of being educated at home, as opposed to being educated in a school? FQ
Do you think that all parents are capable of supporting their children studying at home? See Note 9
(Possibly) How important is it for older people to study at home? ("Older people" here means "older than school age".)
What do you think are the pros and cons of "remote education". See Note 2
Some children in the West are "home schooled". Why do you think that happens and do you think it's a good idea?
Do you think home-schooling will become more popular in the future? See Note 4

Tertiary Education and Professional Training

Would you say universities (in your country) prepare the students well so that they will be able to work in their chosen fields?
Do you think (professional) people's education always ends after they finish university?
Can you suggest why a middle-aged person might want to (or need to) learn a new skill?
When working people need some extra training, who do you think should pay for it?

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635. A Piece of Electronic Equipment (May, 2015) (Probably no longer used)

Describe an item of electronic equipment that you would like to have. *

You should say:

what it is

where you would get (buy) it from

what features it would have (or, special features you would like it to have) *

and explain why you would like to have it. *

Notes

I am not sure of the first line. Some people have reported it as variations of, "Describe something electronic that you want to buy in the future". Of course, "want to buy in the future" refers to a specific plan or intention but the meaning of "Describe an item of electronic equipment that you would like to have" is not the same as a specific plan or intention.
Know the difference between "electronic" and "electrical". It is possible that the questions allows you to choose either of those.

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Possible follow-up questions:

Do you think you'll buy it in the near future?

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Part 3

See also the Part 3 of Topics 575, 504, 420, Topic 300, 268, 199, 149 & 51

Technology in Modern Life

What are some examples of the electrical appliances that people use today in the home (i.e., to help them do housework)? FQx2
Can you compare what kitchen work at home was like before modern kitchen appliances and what kitchen work is like using modern appliances?
In what ways do you think these have changed people's lives, compared to people's lives in the past? FQ
(Similar to above) In your opinion, what is the impact (or, importance) of technology on modern life?
(Possibly) Would you be able to live without using any electrical or electronic equipment at all? *
Do you think these modern electrical appliances in the home tend to make people lazy?
What electronic products (or, electrical appliances) do you think are most important to have in the home?
Do young people and the older generations usually use the same types of electronic or electrical equipment?
What would you say are the advantages and the disadvantages of modern technology (esp. electronic technology)?
What sorts of electrical (or electronic) equipment do you think people's homes will have in the future? FQx2
Is there any electronic equipment that you do not want to have, or use?
What are some examples of modern technology that are used in classrooms (or, in education) today? FQ
Why do you think this technology is used in classrooms?
Do you think studying via the internet is useful? FQ
Do you think online education, or electronic devices will one day replace traditional classroom teachers (or, traditional classroom education)? FQx2
What are some examples of electronic (or electrical) technology that are commonly found in cities? See Note 10
Do you think technology is changing the world, or is it the case that the world is changing technology? See Note 7
(In terms of science and technology) what do you think the world (the "human world", society) will be like in the future?
How do you imagine electronic (or electrical) equipment might develop in the future?

Shopping

When was the last time you went shopping?
How do you think people's consumption (= buying) habits have changed in the past few decades?
How do you think people's consumption habits might change in the future?

Advertising

Do you think it's good to have advertising?

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Note 1

Educational school trips are often called, "excursions" or "school excursions".

Note 2

The term, "remote education" usually refers to the education of school children from a distance. For example, some children on isolated sheep or cattle farms (called "sheep stations" or "cattle stations" in Australia) used to be (or still are) educated by mail and the use of short wave radio to connect them with teachers or tutors in some urban location. Today, internet connections via satellite would be more common. The alternative is for the children to live away from their homes in boarding schools during the school terms.

Note 3

I probably don't need to tell you that the most common school excursion destination is to museums. But excursions to musical performances are also quite common.

Note 4

"Home schooling", as it is called in English, is not common in countries such as China but it's a growing phenomenon in the West, especially in the U.S.A. Parents have varying reasons for not wanting to send their kids to normal schools - religious, political and other reasons such as the fear of crime in the schools. Of course, many parents simply believe that their children would receive better quality education at home, regardless of religious, political or other reasons. The reason is rarely because no school is available, although it might sometimes be that reason in the U.S. - I am not sure if they differentiate between the terms, "remote education" and "home schooling" in the U.S.. I suggest you read a little about it on the internet, such as at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homeschooling.

Note 5

"Blindly" = you don't know this person, or their qualifications for giving advice

Note 6

Don't forget, kids like to make each other laugh by making funny faces :)

Human being, including kids, often laugh at things that are weird, strange or unexpected. Why? It seems to have something to do with not being able to understand something. [See the animal picture here. Did you laugh the first time you saw it? And the picture at Topic 134. Also see this short video. If you have never seen such a thing before, you probably laughed at that video. Right? You probably also laughed at the reaction of the young man in that video.]

"Unexpected" is similar to "surprising". Adults often laugh at things that worry them, or give them a sense of embarrassment. That's why jokes about sex are so common because sex, being so personal, is a rather embarrassing topic. Similarly, (in Western culture at least), jokes for married men about mothers-in-law are also common because married men often feel uncomfortable in their relationship with their mother-in-law.

Note 7

Do you think technology is changing the world, or is it the case that the world is changing technology?

This seems to be an unusually abstract question. I think the words, "the world is changing technology" means "people are changing technology". Of course, both cases are true - technology is changing the world and people are continuously developing new or better technology.

It's not difficult to talk about how technology, in the form of modern industry, is changing the environment by pollution and the over-exploitation of natural recourses. Personally, I do not agree with the theory of "man-made climate change" (see HERE) but I suspect that the question is hinting at that topic. In the IELTS Speaking & Writing tests, there is, in theory, no "right" or "wrong" answer on this topic as long as you can express your viewpoint clearly. But you need to understand that some examiners might treat "man-made climate change" almost like their personal religion so you need to be careful how you address this topic. One reason why I suspect that this is what the question is about is the fact that "climate change" would fit the situation of "the world changing technology". For example, climate change (whether man-made or not) and / or man-made pollution can be considered to be the driving force behind such technological changes as the development of solar power technology. That is to say, the only way that I can imagine "the world changing technology" is to interpret those words as meaning, "the situation in the world is driving changes in technology".

Another way that technology is changing the world (human society) is the way in which modern communications such as the internet are bringing the peoples of the world closer together. Medical technology is also allowing us to live longer.

Note 8

"Older school students" would be those in the senior years of high school.

Note 9

The word "support" was reported by one candidate. If this is accurate, "support" can include financial support, academic support and encouragement. Financial support means that one of the parents probably does not work in order to supervise home study. Academic support means that the parents have enough education themselves to be teachers of their children.

Note 10

This is probably asking you to name and talk about office equipment.