Page 130

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Updated Aug. 1, 2017

IELTS Part 2 and Part 3 Topics and Questions

Page 130

646. A Place Where You Can Read or Write (May, 2015) (Probably no longer used)

647. A Café or Restaurant that You Like (May, 2015) (Probably no longer used)

648. A Place to Relax (May, 2015) (Probably no longer used)

649. A Time When You Were a Member of a Team (May, 2015) (Probably no longer used)

650. An Historic Building (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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646. A Place Where You Can Read or Write (May, 2015) (Probably no longer used)

Describe a place where you read and write (not your home) *

You should say:

where it is

how often you go there *

what you read and write there / who else goes there *

and explain why you read and write at this place. *

Notes

The point, "what you read and write there / who else goes there **" is just suggesting two possible items that might be used as the third point. So far, no-one has reported this Part 2 in much detail.
Of course, the most common public place for reading and writing is a library but you should not simply say, "a library" here because that is too general – in Part 2 you should be more specific. In other words, you should say something such as, "the library at my school", "the library at my university" or "the public library in my hometown".
It seems that the words, "not your home" are written on the card. In some countries, such as China, many students who live at their school or university do their study at their classroom desk, after class hours. This is not in your home, even if your dorm room is in the same building as the classroom.
[If you you could talk about doing it at home, you could choose your bedroom, your "study" at home, your desk in your shared dorm room etc. A "study" is a room in some people's home that has a desk and chair, usually a bookcase, computer etc. and is used for studying etc. - it might be a bit like a home library or a home office.]

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Possible follow-up questions:

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Part 3

See also the Part 3 of 463, 189 and 52. There are also many pages that have questions related to education but these are simply too numerous to list here.

Places to Read and Write

What are some other places where people read and write?
Which do most people prefer as a place to read and write, their home or a public place? FQ
(Similar to above) What do you think are the differences between studying at home and studying in a public place? FQ
What are the differences between reading and writing in a quiet place, and doing it in a noisy place? FQ
(Similar to above) What are the differences between reading and writing at home, and doing it in a noisy coffee shop? FQ
What are the advantages and disadvantages of reading or writing in a public place, (compared to doing it at home)? FQ See Note 1
Why do some people like to read in places such as a coffee shop (or McDonalds)? FQ
What do you think are the advantages and the disadvantages of reading & writing (or, studying) at a place such as a coffee shop, as compared to doing it at home?
Do coffee shops, tea houses and similar places in you country generally allow customers to stay for a long time, reading?
What sort of environment would you say is best for reading and writing?
Is it very important where people can go to read and write?

Childhood Reading

What sorts of books do children in your country like to read?

Do they only read entertainment materials or do they also read other things?

Do you think they should read more educational materials?(= materials from which they increase their knowledge)

Who do you think has the greater influence on the reading habits of children, their teachers or their parents? FQ

(Similar to above) Who do you think has the greater influence on children when they are learning to read and write, their teachers or their parents? FQ

How could children be encouraged to read more?

What do you think is the most suitable age for a child to start learning to read and write? FQx2

Please compare childhood literacy and adult literacy in your country today.

Reading and Writing in Your Country

Do you think it's difficult to (learn to) read and write?
How do people in your country learn to read and write?
In their spare time, do adults in your country prefer to read or do other things?
Who do you think likes to read more, young people or old people?
What books (or reading matter) do they read?
Can you suggest why some people do not read much nowadays?
Are there many libraries in your country?
Do you think e-books are having an effect on people's reading habits?

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647. A Café or Restaurant that You Like (May, 2015) (Probably no longer used)

Describe a café restaurant that you like (to go to). *

You should say:

where it is

how often you go there

what types of food it has

and explain why you like it.

Notes

It is not certain that the word, "café" is used but several people have reported that word being used now, and it was used in a previous Part 2, similar to this one. Make sure you understand that a "café" is not a place where people mainly drink coffee and eat small snacks. That was the original meaning but it has changed. Now it means a small, cheap restaurant. And make sure you know how to pronounce that word.
A school or university cafeteria (dining room) would be suitable to talk about.
Someone has reported this as, "A Restaurant that Impressed You". If it is in the past tense, it would be best to talk about a place that you went to at least once in the past but do not go to now. For example, it could be suitable for describing a restaurant in a foreign country that you visited when you were there as a tourist. You do not go there habitually now and are unlikely to go to that place again in the near future so past tense would be suitable for that. But if it is written in the present tense ("impresses you", "you like") then you should talk about a place that you go to now from time to time, or habitually.

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Possible follow-up questions:

(Possibly) Are there many restaurant around where you live?

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Part 3

Many of the questions below were used before when this Part 2 was used. See also the Part 3 of 551, 474, 226 and 117. There are many more pages that have some of the questions similar to those below. I have not listed them all here because there are simply too many of them..

Restaurants

Are there many restaurant around where you live?
What sorts of restaurants are most popular in your country?
Are all cafes & restaurants the same in your hometown?
What choices of restaurant food are available in your hometown? FQ
In your country, what do you think are the differences between restaurants that sell your native food (native dishes, native cuisine) and those restaurants that sell foreign food?
(Similar to above but different) What do you think are the differences between restaurants in your country and those in foreign countries?
Do young people prefer to go to coffee shops, or to restaurants?
Do coffee shops play a big part in the social life of your country?
Do you prefer to eat in a restaurant or at home? FQ
Would you say that more people today are eating out, and doing it more often, than was the case in the past?
What are some reasons why people choose to eat out? FQ
Do restaurants play a big part in the social life of your country?
Does it give people more status to eat in a restaurant rather than eat at home?
Do you think people feel happier eating out than when they do eating at home?
What factors make a favourable impression on restaurant customers? FQ
(Similar to above) What makes a restaurant popular? FQ
(Similar to above) What factors do people consider when choosing which restaurant to go to? FQ
(Similar to above) What can a restaurant owner do to improve the quality of his or her restaurant? FQ
Which do you think is more important for a restaurant to focus on, the decor of the restaurant or the taste of the food?
Do you think marketing (or advertising) influences people's choices on where they eat?

Food Nutrition & Safety

Diet / Nutrition

What do people in your country usually eat?
Do you think that the usual (or, typical) food that people eat in your country is nutritious? FQ See Note 10
Do you think the most popular food (i.e., the food in the most popular restaurants) is also the most nutritious?
(Similar to above) Would you say that popular food is also healthy food?
In your opinion, what is a nutritious diet (a healthy diet)?
Who is more likely to eat nutritious food, old people or children (and young people, such as teenagers)?
What types of people (like to) eat fast foods?
Do you think we should let children eat fast foods? See Note 4
Do you think unhealthy food should be banned?
Do you think governments should play a role in how fast food restaurants are managed? See Note 5
Should the government ban the advertising of "junk food"? FQ
Do you think schools should teach students about nutrition (and food safety)?
Do you think that there are some people today who attach too much importance to this question?
How do you think the public could be encouraged to eat a healthy diet?

Food Safety

What food safety problems exist in your country? (both in restaurants and in markets, food shops & supermarkets)
Why do these problems exist?
Do you believe it is one of the responsibilities of government to make sure our food is safe to eat?
What should government (both national and local governments) do to ensure that the food we buy is safe?

Food Globalization

See Note 2 and Note 3

No questions yet but the topic has been reported as in use.

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648. A Place to Relax (May, 2015) (Probably no longer used)

Describe a place where you (usually / often / sometimes) go to relax. (Not your home)

You should say:

where this place is

how you found this place

what you do there

and explain why you choose to go to this place to relax. *

Notes

Try to understand the difference between "usually" and "often". It is not clear which of those words are used here but it seems one of them is used.
Not a lot of people have reported this in any detail. One person has reported it as, "A place that makes you feel relaxed". That is different to what is written above because what is written above emphasizes your choosing to go to a place in order to relax, but "a place that makes you feel relaxed" is more involuntary, i.e., whenever you happen to be at that place, you feel relaxed. Of course, if you choose to go to a certain place in order to relax, such a place would tend to make you feel relaxed. So the wording above covers both situations.

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Possible follow-up questions:

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Part 3

See also the Part 3 of Topics 449, 374, 248 and 94

Places and Ways to Relax

Do people in your hometown (or, community, or country) all relax the same way?
Besides people's homes, what are some other places where people go to relax? FQ
(Similar to above) How (or, where) do people in your hometown relax? FQ
Does everybody relax in the same way?
In general, do adults and children relax by doing the same kinds of things? FQ
Do you think children and adults (or, young people and elderly people) do the same things when they are relaxing in a garden?
Are there any places where people usually don't go to relax (i.e., can't relax there)?
What are the main differences between indoor places to relax and outdoor places to relax? FQx2
Why do people like to relax at places such as a lakeside?
Do schools (and universities) in your country have places (or, facilities) where people can relax? FQ
Do you think those facilities are good enough?
Do workplaces in your country generally have places where the employees can relax? FQ
What are some good ways for working people to relax? See Note 7

The Importance of Relaxing

How important is relaxation for you? FQ
(Similar to above) Do you think that relaxation and recreation is important in people's lives? FQ
How important is it for students to have periods of relaxation? FQ
Do you think students need to relax more than others?
(Similar to above) Do you think students need to relax more than working people? FQ
What do students do to relax?
What can employers do for their employees to help them relax?
In your opinion, how important is it that employers do that?

Old People ('Senior Citizens') and Relaxation

Do you think old people also need to relax? *
Do you think old people also need to relax more than young people?
Where do elderly people usually go to relax and what do they do to relax?
In your opinion, who is (or, who should be) responsible for providing facilities for old people to relax? FQ
What do you think the government could do in order to provide more relaxation places for the elderly?

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649. A Time When You Were a Member of a Team (May, 2015) (Probably no longer used)

Describe a team that you were a member of.

You should say:

what team it was (or, where it was) *

who was on the team

what you did together in this team (= the purpose of the team)

and explain why you became a member of this team

Notes

This seems to be similar to previous Part 2 topics about a "group" or "a group activity". What's the difference between a "team" and a "group"? The members of a team co-operate and work together in order to achieve a common goal, for example, a football team. On the other hand, although a "group" sometimes functions as a "team", at other times "a group" has the more general meaning of simply, "a few people together at the same place". For example, a group of people on a street corner might have different reasons for being there and there might be little or no interaction between the individuals in the group.

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Possible follow-up questions:

Did you enjoy being in that team?

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Part 3

For the topic of 'Groups' see also any relevant Part 3 questions at: 578, 511, 448, 402, 225 and 290

For the topic of 'Leaders' see also any relevant Part 3 questions at: 371, 323, Topic 60 and Topic 2

For the topic of 'Success' see also any relevant Part 3 questions at: 595, 571, 379, 344, 296, 173, 109 and 43

Teams and Teamwork

Do you think teams are important?
Do you prefer success as a (member of a) team, or as an individual? FQ
(Similar to above) What's the difference between individual success and team success? FQ
(Similar to above) Do you think most people prefer to experience individual success, or success as a member of a team? FQ
For most people, do you think individual success is more important to them than the success of a team that they are a member of?
What is needed if a team to be successful?
(Similar to above) What qualities does a team need in order to be successful?
Can you suggest why some people don't like to join teams? FQ
What kind of people don’t like working in (or joining) a team?
What is the importance of teamwork within a team?
Which do you think is more important in a basketball team, competing or co-operating?
In what ways can a member of a team contribute to the team?
Which do you think is more better, doing things individually or doing things as a member of a team?
Do you think it's good if members of a team don't agree with each other?
What can be done if team members don't agree?
What kinds of work (or, what are some examples of jobs) in which teamwork is essential?

Team Leaders

Do you think the leader of a team is important? FQx2
Do you think a team always needs to have a leader? FQ
Do you think everyone (in a team) wants to be a team leader?
What types of people want to be a team leader?
Have you ever been a team leader?
Would you like to be a team leader?
How would select a team leader? FQ
In the workplace, how are managers selected? FQ
What qualities do you think a team leader needs to have? FQx2
Who do you think would be a better team leader, someone who speaks a lot and has a loud voice, or someone who is generally quiet?
Do you think a quiet person could be a good team leader?
Which do you think is more important in a team leader, speaking or listening?
If you were a leader and your teammates didn’t respect you, what would you do?
How big should a team be with just one team leader?
Do you think a team leader is more important than the overall goal of the team?

Children and Teams

Do you think children work well in a team?
What kinds of teams do (or, can) children join? FQ
What are the benefits of children having the experience of being on a team?
What are the benefits for children of taking part in team sports? FQ

Which do you think is better for children, to take part in team sports, or individual sports? FQ

Why do you think some children don't like being on a team? FQ

(Similar to above) What kind of child doesn't like joining a team? FQ

Do you think it's good for shy children to be on a team?

How could parents encourage their children to have the experience of being part of a team?
Do you think schools should make certain team activities compulsory?
What classes would suit having team activities at school?

International Collaboration

Do you think international collaboration is important?
Do you think there will be more, or less, international collaboration in the future?

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650. An Historic Building (May, 2015) (Probably no longer used)

Describe an historic building that you have visited.

You should say:

what it was

where it was

why you went there

and explain what features of the building you found interesting. *

Notes

Beginning in May, people stopped reporting "A Historic Place" (Topic 603) and started reporting the words, "A Historic Building".
However, you definitely should look at the Part 3 questions for Topic 603, in additional to the Part 3 questions below. Note that a "historic place" (or historic site) can include a building but not necessarily so. For example, the site of a famous historic battle might not have any buildings. But a "historic building" is always both a "historic place" and a "historic building".

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Possible follow-up questions:

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Part 3

On the topic of historic buildings and buildings in general, see also the Part 3 of 532, 383, 327, 243, 314, 71, 35 & 13

On the topic of history, see also the Part 3 of Topic 603, Topic 188, 264, 411 & 491

See Note 6

Historic Buildings

Do you like (to visit / to see) historic buildings?
Are there difference types of historic buildings?
What types of historic buildings do people in your country like to visit?
(Possibly) What are some examples of the most famous historical buildings in your country? *
What do you think is the most important historic building in your country?
Why do people visit these buildings? FQ
(Similar to above) Why do you think historical buildings have significance for people? FQ
What types of people are most likely to visit historic buildings?
Do you think young people are more interested in modern buildings, or historical buildings?
In what ways is modern architecture different to the architecture of buildings that were built several decades ago?
Do you think visiting historic buildings could help children develop an interest in history? FQ
How do you think more people could be attracted (or, encouraged) to visit historic buildings? FQx2
How do you think historic buildings should be (could be) protected? FQ

Do you think we should repair (or, maintain) old buildings? FQx2 See Note 9

Do you think there are any possible disadvantages from preserving an historic building?

Would you prefer to see historic buildings (or simply, old buildings) renovated or would you prefer to see them demolished and new buildings build in their place? FQ

Why do you think come countries choose to maintain historic buildings more than other countries?

Do you think people should be charged an entrance fee to go inside an historic building? FQ

Who should take responsibility for maintaining (or, repairing) historic buildings, the government or individuals? FQx2 See Note 8

(Similar to above) Should governments pay for the maintenance and repair of historic buildings? FQx2

In what ways is visiting an historic building different to reading about it in a book or seeing a picture of it? FQ

What do you think of people who put (or, write) graffiti on the walls of historic buildings or historic places?

History

Do you think history is important?
How do you think more people could be encouraged to visit history museums?

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Note 1

I used to see some high school students in China spending a long time in McDonalds doing their homework, or studying. Maybe those places were cooler in summer or warmer in winter than other places to study.

Note 2

The meaning of "globalization"

If you look in different dictionaries and at different places on the internet, you will realize that there are two, somewhat different definitions, or usages, of the word, "globalization". This is a political question and different places on the internet (and different dictionaries) define the word according to the political ideology that the website (or dictionary) endorses.

Definition 1

The first paragraph of the Wikipedia article on this topic defines, "globalization" as a general integration of the cultures of the world so that the peoples and countries of the world become more interdependent and, implicitly, more unified. Below is that first paragraph.

"Globalization (or globalisation) is the process of international integration arising from the interchange of world views, products, ideas, and other aspects of culture.^[1][2] Advances in transportation and telecommunications infrastructure, including the rise of the telegraph and its posterity the Internet, are major factors in globalization, generating further interdependence of economic and cultural activities.^[3]"

This definition is favoured by those who endorse capitalism or, more specifically, "corporatism", which is the growth of multi-national corporations and the increase in the political power of these corporations. They favour this definition because it deflects attention away from the negative international activities of, and the increase in political power of many multinational corporations.

Definition 2

The second definition focuses almost completely on multinational corporations. This definition is favoured by socialists and others who oppose what they see as the negative activities of multinational corporations. The most prominent of these negative activities is the privatization of state-owned assets, especially but not exclusively in the poorer countries, with ownership of these assets passing into the hands of multinational corporations. The negative results of this privatization include the formation of monopolies, such as electricity producers or phone companies, the increase in prices charged to consumers, the laying-off of some workers, and the exporting of wealth (the profits) from these countries to overseas destinations, i.e., to the multinational corporations, especially if little or no company tax is paid to the host government.

This second definition is mentioned in the third paragraph of the Wikipedia article, although it expresses it more in terms of "business" and "trade" rather than specifically mentioning "privatization", which is not mentioned at all -

"The term globalization has been increasingly used since the mid-1980s and especially since the mid-1990s.^[6] In 2000, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) identified four basic aspects of globalization: trade and transactions, capital and investment movements, migration and movement of people, and the dissemination of knowledge.^[7] Further, environmental challenges such as climate change, cross-boundary water and air pollution, and over-fishing of the ocean are linked with globalization.^[8] Globalizing processes affect and are affected by business and work organization, economics, socio-cultural resources, and the natural environment."

If you are interested in knowing more about this topic, you can search the internet for a book, "CONFESSIONS OF AN ECONOMIC HIT MAN - JOHN PERKINS", including several Youtube interviews of John Perkins, or videos based on his book.

Confessions Of An Economic Hitman (1 of 3) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AynGBMUgdmg

Confessions Of An Economic Hitman (2 of 3) = https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1sNV6h7DOyY

Confessions Of An Economic Hitman (3 of 3) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kOwE0nGLvR4

Note 3

People have reported that this is a Part 3 topic here but so far no actual questions have been reported. The most obvious questions that you should be prepared to discuss are, "Do you think the globalization of food is important?" and, "Do you think the globalization of food is good?"

Of course, if you can buy imported bananas and pineapples when you are living in a country that is experiencing a freezing, snowy winter, then that is good. But there is more to this topic than that.

The globalization of food production and marketing is now a major issue (a serious issue) and will become even more important in the future. This is especially the case now that the TPP and TIPP international trade agreements are (possibly) on the verge of coming into force. You should try to make yourself familiar with at least some some of the issues involved here.

Two of the most important aspects of food globalization are: a) The growth of industrial scale farming, especially in Third World countries such as in Africa and, b) The production and sale of GMO foods. Another important issue is the fact that the livelihoods of farmers in one country would be adversely affected if food was imported from where it is grown cheaper. A good example of that is the rice farmers of Japan. At the moment, and in the past, Japanese rice farmers have been protected because the Japanese government imposes heavy tariffs on imported rice.

On the topic of industrial scale farming,

1) Watch the video, 'Planet for Sale' at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IU1-PpxqeZc

2) Watch the video (preview only) , 'No Land, No Food, No Life' at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qhwXk9svEX8 and see the website, http://nolandnofoodnolife.com/. You can view the whole film by paying a small fee.

3) Read about the contents of the film, 'No Land, No Food, No Life' at https://jman.tv/film/5249

On the topic of GMO foods,

1) Watch the video, 'Seeds of Freedom' at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C-bK8X2s1kI

2) Watch the short video, 'Monsanto Caused 291,000 Suicides In India' at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PoXTzhfpDQw

3) Watch the video, 'The World According to Monsanto' at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N6_DbVdVo-k

4) Watch the video, 'Seeds of Death' at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eUd9rRSLY4A

On the topic of the so-called "trade agreements", TPP and TTIP,

5) Watch the short video, 'TPP: The Dirtiest Trade Deal You've Never Heard Of ' at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MfI8HLvQ3s4

6) Watch the short video, 'The truth behind the secret TTIP trade deal' at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AAp6cD5i8O0

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Note 4

The wording reported was, "Do you think we should let children eat fast foods" but that might be inaccurate. If it is accurate, then it means, "Should society let children eat fast foods?", = "Should society permit children to eat fast foods?"which of course means, "Should the government let children eat fast foods?" This question would be testing your understanding of the word, "let". "Let someone do something" means "allow someone to do something". Obviously, for the government to ban children from eating fast food would be much too authoritarian, much too totalitarian. Few people would say that it is one of the responsibilities of government to do that, or that it would be a positive thing.

On the other hand, most people would say that it is reasonable for parents to place such bans on the behaviour of their own (young) children, if the parents so choose.

Note 5

This question (if it accurately reported) is probably not expecting people to talk about direct involvement of governments in the management of such restaurants (such as KFC & McDonalds) but it might be reasonable to say that government should place some controls on how these restaurants are advertised (marketed). That is, some controls on how much and in what ways the restaurants aim their advertisements at children.

Note 6

See any notes I wrote for the previously used topics, listed above. The most important point to note is that not all old buildings have historic significance, meaning not all old buildings can be called, "historic", especially if the buildings are only a little old and if many other buildings of the same type still exist.

Note 7

This might mean, "How do working people relax after work?" But it might be referring to break time at work.

Note 8

As I wrote in a note once when this question was used before, there is a third choice besides governments and individuals - companies. As well as that, groups of local citizens (individuals forming a group) who value historic buildings sometimes volunteer to do this work, for free.

Note 9

Everybody who reports this questions reports that the words, "old buildings" are used, not "historic buildings". Obviously not all old buildings are historic (= have historic importance) so the examiner is giving you the opportunity to clarify his or her question.

Note that a building does not necessarily have to have played a role in an important historical event to be called a "historic building", although I think that is the case for most historic buildings. A building could be considered "historic" simply because the style of the building represents a certain era, especially if there are not many buildings of that style (or, of that era) still in existence.

Note 10

Some people are reporting that the word, "healthy" is used for that question instead of "nutritious". "Healthy" implies both nutritious and safe to eat.