ielts-yasi.englishlab.net

Updated Aug. 1, 2017

 

IELTS Part 2 and Part 3 Topics and Questions

Page 131

 

651.  A Successful Small Business  (May, 2015)    (Probably no longer used)

652.  A Disagreement with a Friend  (May, 2015)   (Probably no longer used)

653.  A Change that Would Improve Your Local Area  (May, 2015)   (Probably no longer used)

654.  An Activity You Do that Keeps You Fit  (May, 2015)   (Probably no longer used)

655.  A Surprise Encounter with Someone You Know (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

*********************************************************************** 

651.  A Successful Small Business  (May, 2015)  (Probably no longer used)

Describe a successful small business that you know. *

               You should say:

what the business is

 where it is

 who runs the business * / how you know about this business *

and explain why you think it is successful.

 

Notes

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  

Possible follow-up questions:

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  

Part 3

See also any relevant questions in the Part 3 of Topics 37, 79, 98, 306, 378, 398, 508.& 615

Businesses / Companies in General

Success and Failure in a Small Business

Family Businesses

Employees & Employers

***********************************************************************

652.  A Disagreement with a Friend  (May, 2015)   (Probably no longer used)

Describe a disagreement that you had with a friend.

               You should say:

what the disagreement was about

 why you disagreed

 what happened after that (or, how this this disagreement was resolved) *

and explain how this feel about it now.

 

 

Notes

Another type of example would be to describe a disagreement that the two of you had once but is no longer discussed because the disagreement was resolved in some way. For example, maybe the two of you once went to a nearby city together but you disagreed which would be the best form of transport to take, train or bus. The two of you ended up taking the bus because it was a little cheaper but the bus trip turned out to be not so good, for example, because the bus broke down. After that happened, the two of you agreed that the train would have been the better choice, after all.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  

Possible follow-up questions:

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  

Part 3

Conflict Resolution / Avoidance of Conflict

Children, Young People and Disagreements

Friends

*********************************************************************

653.  A Change that Would Improve Your Local Area  (May, 2015)   (Probably no longer used)

Describe a change that you think would improve your local area. *

               You should say:

what local area *

why you think this change is necessary

what the change would be

 how the change could be made

and explain how this change would be an improvement (or, would be a benefit) to your local area. *

 

 

Notes

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  

Possible follow-up questions:

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  

Part 3

On the topic of "community" see also the Part 3 of Topic 455.

On the topic of "change", see also Part 3 for Topic 47, Topic 92, Topic 148, Topic 194, Topic 266 & Topic 354

Change in General

Changes in Neighbourhoods

This sub-topic is more about changes in physical neighbourhoods than about changes in inter-personal relations.

Don't forget, a "neighbourhood" is a place and a "neighbour" is a person.

Changes in Communities (= Changes in Relationships between Neighbours)

This sub-topic is more about changes in inter-personal relations in neighbourhoods than about physical changes in the neighbourhood .

***********************************************************************

654.  An Activity You Do that Keeps You Fit  (May, 2015)   (Probably no longer used)

Describe something you do that keeps you fit. * (or, that helps to keep you fit)

               You should say:

what it is

when you started doing it

how often you do it

how easy or difficult it is to do

and explain how it helps to keep you fit. *

 

 

Notes

What is the difference between "healthy" and "fit"? The word, "fit" emphasizes physical fitness, i.e., the ability of the body to do things, whereas "health" refers more to the inside of your body, although the meanings of "fit" and "healthy" do overlap to some extent. For example, if you can walk up, say, ten flights of stairs in a tall building without the need to sit down and take a break part-way through this walking, then you are quite fit. Endurance (stamina) is probably the most important aspect of physical fitness but strength and suppleness are also important aspects. The speed at which you can run, swim or do other physical acts are also measures of fitness but speed is actually related to muscular strength.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  

Possible follow-up questions:

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  

Part 3

Make sure you know the differences between the two words, "sport" and "exercise".

The Importance of Physical Fitness

Sports and Physical Exercise

Physical Fitness and Schools

**********************************************************************

655.  A Surprise Encounter with Someone You Know (May, 2015)   (Probably no longer used)

Describe an occasion when you were surprised to meet a friend (or, someone you know). *

                                                 or

Describe an occasion when you unexpectedly met a friend (or, someone you know). *

               You should say:

 who it was

 where you met this person

 what you were doing when you met

and explain why you were surprised to meet this person.

 

 

Notes

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  

Possible follow-up questions:

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
Part 3

See also the Part 3 of Topic 529 and Topic 412.

Friends

Foreign Friends

International Relations

***********************************************************************

Note 1

Are online businesses new or old models of doing business?

Note 2

This question would be related to the topic of "experienced employees" or "employees with expertise". So, although it may not be absolutely necessary to state an age, it would be a good idea. Probably employees over the age of, say, 35 or 40 could be called "older employees" for this question.

Note 3

I am not exactly sure what the wordings of these "difficult questions" are - these are my best guesses, based what Chinese candidates have written (in Chinese). But you can get the general idea of what the discussion is about here.

Note 4

This question is referring to the internet when the term, "modern technology" is used. The internet has allowed people to feel that they belong to different groups or "communities", besides the old meaning of "community". The old meaning was, "that group of people who live around you" and / or "that group of people who you feel you are part of".  Now people join online groups, not so much  based on where they live but on common interests. This is resulting in a better, and more specialized, exchange of information between people.

Note 5

This is an obvious reference to "online communities".

Note 6

There are two useful expressions in English: a)  a change (or changes) "for the better" and, b) a change (or changes) "for the worse".

Note 7

This question is probably asking you more about the sport you played than about your general interest in sport, for example, your interest in certain famous basketball or football teams. But you could include that second idea in your answer.

Note 8

How much time do school students in your country spend on physical exercise?  

Since the topic is about schools, the question is most likely to be, "How much time do school students in your country spend on physical exercise at school?"

Of course, most primary school kids run around quite a lot during their recess and lunch breaks, in addition to any exercise they might do in actual planned classes.

Note 9

In this type of question, you will give a better impression and score more points if you include the names of at least one team sport and one individual sport in your answer.