ielts-yasi.englishlab.net

Updated Feb. 23, 2007

IELTS Part 2 and Part 3 Topics and Questions 

Page 13

61.    Favourite Means Of Transportation   (September 23, 2006)  (Probably not a Part 2 topic)

62.    Studying IELTS (Rarely Used)    (September 23, 2006)

63.    An Occasion When You Were Late   (September 2, 2006)  (Probably no longer used)

64.    A Sports Event   (October 14, 2006)   (Probably no longer used)

65.    An Advertisement   (August 26, 2006)  (Probably no longer used)

RETURN TO PART 2 TOPIC INDEX

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61.  Favourite Means Of Transportation  (September 23, 2006) (Probably not a Part 2 topic)

Describe your favourite means of transportation. 

               You should say:

                               what this transport is

                               when you began to use it

                               the advantages and disadvantages of using this form of transportation

               and explain why it is your favourite form of transportation..    

Note

This was probably Topic #7, mistakenly reported as a separate topic.                           

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Part 3

See Topic # 7

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62.  Studying IELTS  (Rarely Used)    (September 23, 2006)

Notes: 

1. One candidate in Australia reported that this was his Task 2 topic. His reported Part 3 questions seemed to be the same as for topic # 21.

2. The second time I saw this reported was Sept. 23, 2006. Here is the posting:

http://www.3gbbs.com/archive/a3941.htm 

以下是引用闲人姜在2006-9-23 20:23:01的发言：

9-23 5:40 P.M. 上海

.......

第二部分:给了张图,大致是问你从哪得到这类学习信息的,为什么想考IELTS,是否准备出去etc说1-2分钟简单的很,反正多用闪量点的句子,说到老外笑!

第三部分:是上题的延伸,问你觉得学习外语是出去学好,还是在本国学比较好! ...

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Describe your IELTS study. 

               You should say:

                               where you learned about the IELTS test

                               why you want to sit for the IELTS test 

                               how you prepared for the test *

               and explain whether you are prepared to go overseas. 

See also Topic # 21                                

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Part 3

Learning English

• Do you like (learning) English?
• Why do people learn English in China?
• What percentage of people in China have studied English (or, study English)?
• Some people say that if you are going to work in a Chinese company in China then learning English is a waste of time. Do you agree?
• What do you think is the best age for children to begin learning English?
• Compare studying English in China to studying English in an English-speaking country. FQ
• (Similar to above) Would you say it’s better to study English overseas than in China? FQ
• Do adults have more difficulty than children in learning a foreign language?
• What’s the best way to learn a foreign language?

Language and Cultural Diversity

• Why do people prefer to study English over other languages?  
• English is now used as an international language. What other languages do you think might develop into international languages?
• Besides English, what other foreign languages are important? (What other foreign languages do people study in China?)
• If you had to choose a second foreign language to study, which would you choose? Why?
• Compare the future popularity of Chinese and English as foreign languages to study.
• Do you think studying foreign languages can benefit world peace? (How?)
• What difficulties do you think foreigners might have when they study Chinese?
• How do you think translation and interpretation will develop in the future?
• Compare the culture of China to that of the West.

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63.  An Occasion When You Were Late    (September 2, 2006)  (Probably no longer used)

Describe an (important) occasion when you were late.

               You should say:

                               when this happened

                               what occasion you were late for

                               why you were late

               and explain what happened as a result of your lateness. *

                                            or

              and explain why this occasion was so important. *

  or

              and explain how you felt when you were late. *

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Possible follow-up question:

• Were your friends also late? *

• Do your friends also have experiences of being late? *

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Part 3

Punctuality

• Besides the occasion that you just mentioned, what are some other times when people are late?

• What are some of the different reasons why people are late? 

• What are some of the common excuses/reasons that people give when they are late? FQx2

• Some of these excuses might not be true. Do you think it is good to be dishonest like that?

• Are people in China usually punctual (= on time) when they have to be somewhere at a certain time? FQ

• What do people in China think of people who are late?  FQ

• (Similar to above) Do you (or, do people in China) think punctuality is important? (Why?/Why not?) FQ

• (Similar to above) Do you ever get angry when someone is late for a meeting with you? (Why?/Why not?)

• Do you think it's important to be on time? (Is punctuality important?)

• (Similar to above) Is it a good habit to always be late?

• Why do you think some people are often late? What sort of problems does this person have? 

• Do you think people who are often late can change this habit? (How?)

• Do you think people will place more emphasis, or less emphasis on punctuality in the future? FQx2

• (Similar to above) How do you think ideas about punctuality might change in the next 20 or 30 years? FQx2

• For what situations is being on time very important? (Why important?) FQx2

• For what situations is it not so important to be on time? (Why not so important?) FQx2

• Do you think it's important to be on time for a meeting? (Why?) (E.g. a group meeting at work to discuss something important)

• In your high school, what happens if you are late for class?

• If you were waiting for someone who was late, what would you do while you were waiting?

Time

• Do you think it's important to treasure the time we have? (Why?/Why not?)

• How do you think people (we) could make more efficient use of our time?

• Do you think modern technology gives us more time, or less? FQ

• (As above) Why do you think people today seem to be busier and busier, even when we have advanced technology to help us do things?

• Did people in the past lead a faster-paced life than today, or a slower-paced life? (How?/Why?) FQ

• (Similar to above) Do you think modern life puts more pressure on people than before? (How?)

• (Similar to above) Do modern people have more demands on their time than people before? (How?)

• China's rate of development is very fast at the moment. Do you think this is good?

• Do you think the current working hours of most people are reasonable? ( =  Should most people work more or less hours per week? )  FQx2

• Is it reasonable for an employer to ask people to work overtime?

• When people get old, does time seems to pass more quickly or more slowly? Why do you think this is so?

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64.  A Sports Event  (Oct. 14 2006)   (Probably no longer used)

Describe a sports event that you enjoyed watching.

               You should say:

                               what the event was

                               where you watched it

                               who watched this event with you

               and explain why you enjoyed watching this event.                           

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Part 3

Watching Sports Events

• Do you prefer to watch sports events on TV at home or watch them live? (Why?) ('live' is pronounced as 'laIv'.) FQ

• (Similar to above) Do you prefer to watch sports events on TV at home or watch them at the sports stadium? FQ

• Do most people watch sports events live or at home on TV? FQ

• Do you think there are too many sports programs on TV? FQ

• What sports programs do you like to watch on TV?

• What are the advantages and disadvantages of going to see a live sports event, such as a football match, compared to watching the event at home on TV? 

• Do people have the same feeling when they see a sports match on TV and when they see it live?

• Does the ticket price to live sports events effect people's decisions about whether or not to go and watch the event live? (= Are the tickets to live sports events in China very expensive?) FQ

• Why do you think entrance tickets for some sports events are so expensive?

• Where can (or do) people who do not have much money go to watch live sports events? FQ

• How much do you think people should pay for admission tickets to live sports events? FQ

• What about the Olympic Games in Beijing in 2008 – what do you think would be a reasonable price for admission tickets?

• Compare TV sports broadcasts with TV news programs or other TV programs. FQ

Sports Stars

• Who's your favourite sports star? (Why?)  FQ

• What are the differences between (the popularity of) sports stars and media personalities such as TV or movie stars?  FQ

• Why (how) do some sports stars earn such large incomes?

• Do you think sports stars should appear in advertisements (for sports products)? (= Is it good that they do this?) FQ

• What is the reason for using sports stars in advertising?

• How do sports stars influence young people? FQX2

• (Similar to above) Do you think sports stars exert a positive influence on young people?

• Why does the media focus so much on sports stars? FQ

• How do you think people become sports stars? Is it a matter of luck? *

• Do you think it’s a good idea for some children to aim to be professional athletes? *

• Some professional athletes are very well-paid. Do you think they deserve to be so well-paid? *

Sports in general

• Do you like sport? 

• Who do play that sport with?

• How often do you exercise?

• What are the benefits of sport (or exercise)? FQx2

• What sports are most popular in China?

• Compare the sports that were popular to watch before to the sports that people like watching today.

• What kinds of sports facilities exist in your community (= hometown or even in all of China)?  FQ

• Does China have sufficient sports facilities? FQ

• Do males (boys) and females (girls) both play the same kind of sports?

• Do you think that everybody has the same opportunities to participate in sport?

• Have you ever wanted to join a sports club? Is it easy to do?

• How do you think the government could encourage more people to exercise and participate in sport? FQx2

• What opportunities do city people in China have for exercise and participating in sports?  FQ

• Do young people and old people participate in the same sports or the same kinds of physical exercise?

• Do you think children should be encouraged (from a young age) to participate in (competitive) sport? (or team sports) (= Benefits for the children?) FQ

• (As above) What is the influence of sports on children? FQ

• Do children like sports?

• Are there any disadvantages or negative aspects to sport? (Hints: sports injuries; some people take sport too seriously and neglect their studies or future career development; gambling and bribery in professional sport)

• Do you think learning teamwork in sport can benefit people in the workplace? FQ

• What preparations does Beijing have to do for the 2008 Olympics?

• What is the significance of Beijing hosting the Olympic Games in 2008?

• Can you give any examples of sports-related jobs? (Sports team owner or manager, full-time (professional) athlete, sports coach, high school sports teacher, sports facility manager (including fitness centres), sports researcher (scientist doing research on sports performance), sports doctor, physiotherapist specializing in sports injuries, sports nutritionist, sports journalist, sports shop owner, sports clothes designer, computer programmer specializing in creating computer sports games,  ...)

• Compare playing a sport (e.g., a game of badminton) just for fun with playing a sport in a serious competition.

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65.  An Advertisement   (August 26, 2006)  (Probably no longer used)

Describe an unforgettable advertisement (that you saw or heard).

               You should say:

                             where you saw or heard it

                             what kind of advertisement it was

                             what the contents of the advertisement were (or, what product or service was advertised)

               and explain why this advertisement is so unforgettable. *

                                            or

Note: 

• It is possible that this topic includes the words 'an advertisement that you like'. However, it seems more likely that the topic is simply 'an advertisement that left an impression on you',  either a good or bad impression (i.e., an advertisement that you dislike).            

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Possible follow-up question:

• Do you buy this product?

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Part 3

The influence of advertisements

• What are the different kinds of advertising? FQ

• What kind of advertising is most common in China? FQ

• (Advertisements on) which media have the greatest effect on people - TV, radio, billboards, newspapers ...? Why? FQ

• What are the ways in which advertisements catch the attention of viewers?

• Do big companies prefer to advertise on TV or in some other ways? (Why?)

• What are the good and bad points of advertisements?

• Is advertising on the internet very influential? FQ

• What kinds of advertisements do Chinese people most like?

• How do advertisements attract the attention of people? (= What is the best way for advertisements to attract people? = What are the factors that make advertisements appealing to people?) FQ

• What is the purpose (= the function) of advertising? = Why do companies spend money on advertising? FQ

• Do young people and old people have the same attitudes towards advertisements?

• What kinds of advertisements are most attractive to children (or, young people)? FQx2

• (Similar to above) What kinds of advertisements leave the greatest impression on children (or, young people)? FQx2

• Do you think advertisements are a good or bad influence on children? FQ

• Do you think advertisements actually influence people to buy things (perhaps things they don't really need)? (How?) FQ

• Do overseas advertisements used in, or adapted for use in China affect Chinese culture and values? FQ

• Is this a good thing? FQ

Controls on Advertisements

• Does the Chinese government control advertisements in any way?  How? FQx2

• (As above) In China, are there any controls on the contents of advertisements?

• Do you think the government should exercise more control, or less control over advertisements than it does now?

• Are any kinds of advertising in China considered illegal?

• Do you trust advertisements? (Why?/Why not?)

• Can you think of any examples of false advertising? 

• How do you feel about false advertising?

• What kinds of products are most often (most easily) promoted by false advertising? 

• What should happen to those people or companies who engage in false advertising?

• (Similar to above) What can governments do about false advertising? FQ

• Do you think there should be controls on (= laws concerning) advertising,  for example cigarette and alcohol advertising? ? FQx2

• (Similar to above) Do you think that advertisements for products that harm the health, such as cigarettes, should be allowed? FQx2 (Or, ... should be banned?)

Information

• What are the various ways that people use to obtain information, such as the news?

• Do you often read the newspaper?

• Do you think newspapers are obsolete?

• How do you think people will obtain information and news in the future?

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