Updated Aug 1, 2017
IELTS Part 2 and
Part 3 Topics and Questions
Page 139
691.
A Good Friend
(Jan. 2016) (Probably no longer used)
692.
A Family You Know
(Jan. 2016) (Probably no longer used)
693.
A Sport
You Would Like to Try
(Jan. 2016) (Probably no longer used)
694.
A Photograph of You
(Jan. 2016) (Probably no longer used)
695.
A Childhood Toy
(Jan. 2016) (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
***********************************************************************
Notes
-
This might be a return of a previously used
topic such as,
Topic 359,
Topic 177 or
Topic 288.
However, The Part 3 might not be exactly the same as a previously used
topic.
-
The first line might be simply, "Describe one
of your friends".
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Part 3
See also the Part 3 of
Topic 359,
Topic 177 and
Topic 288.
The topic of "a friend" is almost always in the test so there are many past Part
3 sections to look at, if you want. For example,
Topic 8,
Topic 30,
Topic 91,
Topic 106,
Topic 123,
Topic 162,
Topic 223,
Topic 412,
Topic 480,
Topic 529,
Topic 571 &
Topic 596
Friendship in General
-
How do people in your country make friends these days?
-
Do you think you can trust friends who you make on the
internet?
-
Would you say it's easy to make friends?
FQ
-
(Similar to above) Do you think it's easy to become friends with someone?
-
Would you say using social media (apps & websites) is a good way to make
friends?
-
Can you suggest why some people find it hard to
maintain (or, keep) friendships?
-
Would you say some people have more ability to make
friends than other people?
-
What kinds of personality do people have who can make
friends easily?
-
Which do you think is better, to have many friends or
just one to two close friends?
FQx2
-
What do you think would be the advantages of having
many friends?
-
Which is more important (to you), friends or family?
FQx2
-
What do you think are the differences between a friendship and a family
relationship?
FQ
-
Can you explain why most people's friends are all about
the same age as themselves?
-
Which do you think is more important, (a friendship
with) your neighbours or (with) your relatives?
-
How do people choose who to be friends with?
-
Which do you think is more important (or, better), a
friend who is useful to you, or a friend who you simply enjoy being with?
FQ
-
Would you prefer to make friends with someone who is
similar to you, or someone who is quite different to you?
-
What do you think are the advantages of having a close
friend (a good friend)?
-
What are the advantages for students, or for working
people, in having friends at their study places or at work?
-
What would you say are the qualities (or characteristics) of a good friend?
FQ
-
(Similar to above) How can you know (or, judge) if someone is a good friend?
-
Do you think co-operation is important in a friendship?
-
Do you think it's important for mothers of babies or
young children to have friends?
-
In what ways do you think having an outgoing
personality helps people in their studies, or at work?
FQ
-
In general, how do you think a person could get along
with someone who they don't like, for example, in the workplace?
Friendship and Gender
See Note 10
-
Do you think
friendships between males are generally the
same as friendships between females?
FQx2
-
(Similar to above) would you say there is much
difference between men’s friendships and that of women?
FQx2
-
What do you think are the differences between men and women when they are
chatting with each other?
-
Which group, males or females, tend to have
longer-lasting friendships?
-
Do males generally make friends with other males the
same way that females make friends with other females?
FQ
-
What do you think are the differences between a male
friend and a female friend?
-
What do you think are the differences between a
non-romantic friendship with a member of the opposite sex, and a romantic
relationship?
See Note 10
-
What do you think are the
benefits of having friends of the opposite sex?
Friendships Between Unequals
-
Do you think it's necessary (or, important) for people to become friends with the people
they work with?
-
Do you think it's possible for an employee and his or
her supervisor (or, manager or boss) at work to become genuine friends?
FQx2
-
Do you think it's possible for a student and his or her teacher to become friends?
FQ
-
Do you think such friendships could have both negative
and positive results?
Friendships Between Nations
-
Do you think modern methods of communication are
influencing international relations?
-
How do you think sporting and cultural relations
between countries can promote friendship between these countries?
-
What are the benefits for nations from holding or
attending an event such as the Olympic Games?
FQ
-
(Similar to above)
What affects do international events such as the Olympic Games have on
people?
FQ
-
Do you think international events (or competitions)
such as the Olympic Games can help promote international unity?
***********************************************************************
Notes
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Part 3
See also the Part 3 of
Topic 146,
Topic 301 &
Topic 257. Many other past topics related to the topic of
"family" have also been used.
Families in Your Country
-
What do you understand the word, "family" to mean?
-
(Similar to above) What does the word, "family" mean?
-
In your country, what family members typically live
together in one home?
-
If you had the choice, who would you prefer to live
with?
-
Is it common for an extended family to live under one
roof in your country?
-
What are the advantages and disadvantages of this?
-
In your country, do most people usually live in the same city as their
family members?
-
In your country, what is the traditional model of
a family?
-
In your country, what people most commonly live
together as a family today?
-
Do you think the number of children in a family should be limited, for example,
limited to two children?
-
In your country, who is usually the most important
member of a family?
-
In your country, who is usually the head (the leader) of the family?
FQx2
-
Who makes (the major) decisions in your family (or, in families in your
country)?
-
Do grandparents still have the opportunity to make family decisions?
-
Can you compare family decision-making in the past and today?
-
Do you think this will stay the same in the future?
-
Would you say that, in most families, there is gender
equality between the mother and father (or, wife and husband)?
-
Would you say the status of men in your country today
is different to the way it was in the past?
-
In a traditional family in your country, does every
family member have an equal right to speak?
-
(Similar to above)
In a traditional family in your country, is the opinion of every family
member given equal weight?
-
Do you think this will change in the future?
-
What do you think are the advantages (and possible
disadvantages) of having close family ties?
-
What would you say is the effect of media such as TV, radio and newspapers
on families?
FQ
-
Do you think the popular media has changed the way people think about
family?
FQ
-
In what way do digital devices influence family relationships?
-
What are the effects of change in working conditions on families?
-
Do you think the government should provide more help to families?
Grandparents
-
What role do grandparents traditionally have in families?
-
In your country, do most children grow up with their
grandparents living in the same house?
FQ
-
(Similar to above)
Do grandparents usually live with their grandchildren?
FQ
-
Who do you think young children prefer to live with,
their parents or their grandparents?
-
Are grandparents today considered to be important family
members in your country?
FQ
-
What role do grandparents play in family life in your
country?
-
Are grandparents (or, old people) today given the same
respect (or, enjoy the same status) as they used to be given, or has it
changed?
FQ
-
What are the advantages (and possible disadvantages) of
grandparents living with the family?
-
What are the differences between the relationships (or
roles) of parents and grandparents to children in the fami9ly? *
-
Can (or, do) grandparents help with bringing up their
grandchildren?
FQ
Parents
-
In your country, what are the roles of the mother and
the father in a family?
FQ
-
(Similar to above)
In your country, what are the different responsibilities of the mother and
the father in a family?
FQx2
-
Would you say that most parents in your country are
good parents?
-
What makes a good parent? FQx2
-
(Similar to above) What personal qualities do parents need to have?
FQ
-
How can a person learn to become
a good parent?
-
Do you think it's easier today
to raise children than it was in the past?
-
Would you say that parents
in your country have different attitudes towards their sons, and towards their
daughters?
-
What do you suggest parents
should (or, could) do in order to avoid having their child grow up to be selfish
(or spoiled)?
***********************************************************************
693.
A Sport You
Would Like to Try
(Jan. 2016) (Probably no longer used)
Notes
-
This might be a return of Topic
265. That topic was, "A sport you would like to be good at" but
that wording might have been inaccurate.
-
Most people are reporting Version A but a few people have reported Version
B.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Part 3
See also the following Part 3 of Topics
related to sport:
611,
572,
599,
516,
Topic 395,
Topic 343,
265,
Topic 209,
128,
176,
Topic 6,
Topic 572,
Topic 64,
Topic 516
Sport and Exercise in Your Country
See Note 13
-
What sports are most popular in your country?
FQx2
-
(Similar to above) What is the most popular outdoor sport in your country?
FQx2
-
(Similar to above) What sport is most popular in your country?
FQx2
-
Do you think media plays an important role in the popularity of sports?
-
(For Chinese candidates) Can you explain why table tennis (or, ping pong) is so
popular in China?
-
Is there any sports in your country that was the most popular years ago but
isn't the most popular today?
-
Do boys and girls like the same sports?
-
Who plays these sports?
-
Can you explain why some people like to play a sport?
-
Would you say sport is important?
-
Which do you think is better, as a spectator, to attend an outdoor sports
match or to attend a match held in an indoor stadium (or a gym)?
-
Do you like to go to sports matches that have very large crowds of spectators?
-
Which do you think is better, to play a sport outdoors
or to play a sport in an indoor stadium (or gym)?
-
Which do you think is more important, study or sport?
-
What do you think are the benefits of playing a sport?
-
How would you suggest those people who don't like sport could keep fit? FQ
-
What do you think are the differences (or advantages
and disadvantages) of team sports as opposed to individual sports?
FQx2
See
Note 1
-
What do you think are the differences (or advantages and disadvantages) of
competitive sports as opposed to non-competitive sports?
FQ
-
What do you think are the benefits of doing exercise? FQx2
-
Do you think exercise is important for good health? FQ
-
What forms of exercise do you think are best for losing
weight?
-
Do you do much exercise?
-
Which do you think is better, to exercise outdoors or
to exercise in a gym?
-
(Possibly) Which do you think is better, to
exercise outdoors, or indoors? *
Is it expensive to use a gym?
Do you think elderly people also need to do regular
exercise?
Do you think governments (local and / or
national) should invest more in sports?
Can you suggest why some people spend a lot of money on
sport? See Note 9
Are you interested in any extreme sports? *
Children and Sport
-
Did you do (or, play) any sports when you were a child?
-
Did you enjoy it?
-
Do you think children today do enough exercise? FQx2
See
Note 12
-
(Similar to above)
Do you think children
should play more sport than they do now?
-
(Similar to above)
Do you think school students today spend enough time on sport and exercise?
-
Are there any significant benefits to playing sports?
-
(Similar to above) What do children learn from taking part in sport?
-
(Possibly) Do you think children need to play sport, or would it be good enough
for them just to do exercise? *
-
Can you suggest how students could be encouraged
to play more sport?
-
Do you think children should be taught sports in schools?
-
Do you think children should be forced to take part in sports in school?
-
Do you think small children should play sport? See
Note 11
-
Which do you think is better for children, individual
sports or team sports? FQx2
-
Which do you think is better for children, individual physical activities or
physical activities done in a group? FQx2
-
Which sports are the best for children, indoor or outdoor ones?
-
If you had children,
what sport would you like your them to do?
-
Do you think children should be encouraged to be
competitive?
-
Do you think that a child who is a member of a sports
team that never wins can be negatively affected by that?
Other Sports Questions
***********************************************************************
Describe a photo of
yourself that you took
You should say:
when you took this photo
how this photograph was taken
where the photo was taken
and explain how you feel (or felt) about this photo. *
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Part 3
See also the Part 3 of
Topic 551,
Topic 644,
Topic 33,
Topic 110,
Topic 161,
Topic 219 ,
Topic 393 and
483
Personal
Photography
-
Do you like to take (like taking) photos?
FQx2
-
Do people in your country like taking photos?
FQx2
-
Why do people take (or, like taking) photographs?
FQx2
-
Can you suggest why some people dislike taking photos?
-
On what occasions do people take photographs?
-
What do young people like to photograph?
-
What would you say are the main differences between taking photos today, and
taking photos in the past?
FQ
-
Do you think it's easier to take photos today than it was in the past?
FQ
-
Are people today taking more photos than they did in
the past?
FQ
-
(Different to above)
Are more people today taking photos than in
the past?
-
In your country, what do people usually take photos of
(= take pictures of)?
-
Who do you think likes taking photos more, men or women?
-
Do you prefer to take photos of natural scenery, or
photos of people?
FQ
-
On what occasions do people take photos of their family
or friends?
-
Do you prefer to take photos of natural scenery, or
photos of yourself?
-
If you want to be in a photo, do you prefer to ask
someone to take the photo, or to use a self-timer?
-
Do you often take a photo of yourself?
-
Some people don’t like to take photos of themselves,
why?
-
Do you think taking photos is important?
-
What are the benefits of having photographs?
-
Do you think photographs can ever be used to harm people?
-
People like to take photos of their life's events,
celebrations and so on. Why do you think that is so?
-
Do you think (some) people today are spending too much
time taking photographs? FQ
-
(Similar to above) Do you think people today are overly
dependant on photos (as a way to record their lives)? FQ
-
Some tourists spend most of their time taking photos
when they visit places, with the result that they spend little time actually exploring
and enjoying these places. Which do you prefer, to take many
photos when you are a tourist, or to take fewer photos and spend more time
experiencing these places?
-
How do people save their photos? FQ
-
Which do you think is better, to save photos on a computer or to save them in a
photo album?
-
Why do people store (keep) their photographs? FQ
-
(Similar to above)
Can you explain why people like to save their photos? FQ
-
Why do people store (keep) some photographs and delete (or throw away) others? FQx2
-
Can you suggest why some people save some photos that are not good quality?
-
What would you say are the differences between a "good photograph" and one that
is, "no good"? FQ
-
How do you keep (or save) your photographs?
-
Some people don't like taking photos. Can you suggest
why? FQ
-
Some people don't like to have their photo taken (= to be in a photo). Can you suggest
why? FQ
-
Do you like other people taking photos of you?
-
Do you think photos (or, taking photos) can help
students (with their study)? FQ
-
Do you think people need to learn how to take a
photograph from a book?
FQ
See Note 7
-
(Similar to above) What role do you think books play in
teaching people about photography (or, teaching people how to take good
photos)?
FQ
-
Some people post their photos online for others to see.
Do you think they should post ugly photos online?
The Uses of
Photographs
-
Do you think photography is important?
FQ See
Note 6
-
What are the different purposes (uses) of
photographs?
-
What types of photos make the strongest impression on
you?
-
Can you suggest why photographs are often used in
advertising?
-
Why do you think the news media often shows powerful
photographs of events?
Photographic
Technology
-
What equipment does one need in order to take
photographs?
-
What are the differences between how people take photos
today and how it was done in the past? FQx2
-
What has been the effect of these differences?
-
Do you think it's easier to take photos today than it was in the past?
-
Why do many people like to use their cell phone for
taking photos?
-
Can you suggest why some people prefer to use
traditional cameras to take photos?
-
Do you think it's suitable to use a mobile phone to
take a picture of a formal occasion?
-
Which do you prefer, taking pictures with a camera or
taking pictures with a mobile phone? FQ
-
(Similar to above)
How (what method) do you prefer for taking photographs?
See Note 2
-
Which do you think is more convenient to use for taking pictures, a cell phone
or a digital camera?
-
Is it always necessary to print photos in order to view them?
-
Do you ever use any software to change your photos? FQ
***********************************************************************
Describe one of your childhood toys that was special to you.
Notes
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Part 3
See also the Part 3 of
Topic 187,
Topic 273,
Topic 477,
Topic 427 and
Topic 623
See Note 8
Children and Toys in Your Country
-
What kinds of toys do kids in your country usually play
with (or, have)? FQ
-
(Similar to above)
What kinds of toys do kids in your country like to play with today? FQx2
-
Can you explain why children like to play with toys?
-
Do you think preferences for toys change with age?
-
What are the differences between children's toys today
and those of the past? FQ
-
Do you think toys were better in the past than they are
today, (or are the toys today better)?
-
What kinds of toys do you think are best for children?
-
Do you think puzzles are good toys for kids?
-
Do you think toys are just for play (entertainment) or do they also
have educational value? FQx2
-
(Similar to above) Which do you think are better, toys
that provide fun for children, or educational toys? FQx2
-
Can you give some examples of entertainment toys and of
educational toys?
-
Would you say a toy gun is educational?
-
How do you compare children playing with toys, and
children playing games on an ipad or a similar electronic device?
-
Do you think it's suitable to give children electronic
toys?
-
What are the benefits of parents playing with toys
along with their children?
-
What can children learn by playing with toys with their
parents?
-
-
Can you explain why some parents buy a lot of toys for their children?
-
Some parents don't spend much time with their child
but, instead buy the child a toy as a way to show their love. Do you think
this is good enough?
-
Do you think it's important for parents to communicate
with (or, spend time with) their children?
-
Can you explain why children often have a favourite
toy?
-
Do you think children learn any good habits from playing with toys?
-
How do children play with their toys when they are with other
kids? See Note 4
-
What benefits do you think children can gain by playing
with their toys with other kids, for example, kids from other
families?
-
Do boys and girls generally play with the same types of
toys? FQ
-
Can you explain why boys usually prefer toys such as
toy cars or toy weapons while girls prefer dolls or toy household items? See
Note 5
-
Are there any toys that young people (such as
teenagers) like to play with?
-
Do you think the topic of "toys" is an important topic?
-
If you were going to give a toy to a child, what toy would you choose to give
them?
-
What sorts of toys do you think will be most popular in the future? FQ
Collecting Toys
-
Do you think it's good for children to collect toys?
-
Can you suggest why children like to collect toys?
FQx2
-
What (types of) toys do some children like to
collect? FQ
See Note 3
-
How do some companies encourage children to collect
these toys?
FQx2
-
(A bit different to above) Why do some companies encourage children to collect
these toys?
-
Can you suggest why some adults collect certain toys?
-
What are the differences between children collecting
something, and adults collecting something? See
Note 14
The Marketing of Toys
***********************************************************************
Note 1
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.
Note 2
The main choices are:
using a mobile phone, using a digital camera, or using the older style of camera
and a roll of film?
Note 3
When people collect things, the
things are usually of a similar
type, or they form a set. For toys, examples are toy animals, toy cars, dolls, toy
soldiers, toy characters from a well-known children's film etc.
Some (older)
children might collect them in a similar way that adults collect stamps, i.e.,
just to look at them and compare them. Others like the challenge of collecting
the full set that a toy manufacturer makes. These collectable toys are often
small toys, (gifts) that come with candy or snacks. Or companies like
McDonalds give these little toys along with their junk food.
On the other hand,
"to collect toys" can simply mean, "to add to the toys that they already have".
In this case, the "similar type" mentioned above is the fact that all toys are
similar types of things. But of course children usually add any new toys to
their toy box (or wherever they keep their toys) – they don't usually
throw away their older toys and just keep one newer toy. Therefore the most
likely meaning of "collect toys" is the meaning in the first paragraph, above.
Be careful not
to repeat these words verbatim in the test because some examiners might get a
copy of these notes, or they will know that your answer is memorized if they have
heard almost exactly the same words before. Memorized answers can cause you to
lose points if the examiner realizes an answer is memorized.
Note 4
Role playing such as
pretending to be different members of a family;
competing soldiers in a war; competing racing car drivers etc.
Note 5
When children play, they are often role-playing what they
imagine their future adult role will (or might be) or what they would like it to
be.
Therefore, little girls
traditionally imagine themselves as mothers & housewives or doing womanly things
such as dressing in different clothes or putting on makeup while little boys
imagine themselves in male roles such as fighters, car drivers, tool users,
construction engineers etc. This is normal, healthy development (possibly with
the exception of toy weapons, since warfare is negative.)
Note 6
The two questions, a) "Do you think photography is important?"
and, b) "Do you think taking photos is important?" seem to have both been
reported. Maybe both are being used or maybe just one of them is used. There are
differences between these two questions.
a)
"Do you think photography is important?" is similar to,
"Do you think photographs are important?" It is a general question and you
should
refer to
the usages of photographs in society.
You could also add something about the importance of photography as an example
of technology, or the importance of the business of photography.
b)
"Do you think taking photos is important?" is similar to, but
not exactly the
same as, c)
"Is taking photos important to you?" You could begin an
answer to b) by saying, "Yes, for me, it's quite important." Or, "No,
for me it's not very important." But you could also begin with, "Yes, for most
people it's important". Then you need to add why it's important. Usually it's
important for personal reasons.
In other words, although b) is not directly asking if it is important to
you personally, it would be suitable to include a reference to yourself as well
as to people in general. However, it would be best not to only refer to
yourself in your answer, although that might be acceptable for some similar
questions. This applies to most questions in the speaking test about the
importance of something.
Note 7
a) "Do you think people need to learn how to take a
photograph from a book?"
is a completely different question to, b)
"Do you think people need to learn how to take a
photograph of a book?"
"Do you think people need to learn how to take a
photograph from a book?"
means the same as,
"Do you think people need to learn from a book how to take a
photograph?" Or it could mean,
"Do you think people need to learn from a book how to take good photographs?"
In the question,
"Do you think people need to learn how to take a
photograph of a book?"
the meaning is that a book is the subject of the photo. Many students nowadays
use their mobile phone to take pictures of a page or two in a book. To
photocopy a whole book requires the use of a scanner or a photocopy machine.
Note 8
In English we say, play
with a toy", not "play a toy".
But we say, "play a game".
Note 9
Some people spend a lot of money gambling on
sports outcomes. Others might spend a lot of money attending sports matches.
Spending a lot of
money going to an expensive gym is NOT spending a lot of money on sport because
what we do in a gym is exercise, not sport.
Note 10
Learn the pronunciation and meaning differences between "boyfriend" and "boy
friend" or, "girlfriend" and "girl friend".
"Boyfriend"
is pronounced with "boy" stronger than "friend" and it means a male who you have
a romantic relationship with.
"Boy friend" is pronounced with the
word, "friend" spoken with slightly more stress than the word, "boy" and it simply means
a male friend, with no romantic relationship. Same for
"girlfriend" and "girl friend". Go to
www.howjsay.com to hear these words spoken.
However, you should also understand that
"boy friend" is almost only used when the speaker wants to express
a contrast with, "boyfriend". For example: "He's not my boyfriend!
He's just a boy friend!"
Another point – English speakers do quite
often use the plural, "girlfriends" to mean, "female friends"
of a female. For
example: "She likes to go out on Saturday nights with her girlfriends."
On the other hand, I think we don't often use. "boyfriends" in the same way
(unless we are referring to male homosexuals). When referring to heterosexual
males, we use words such as "buddies" (U.S.), "pals" (U.S.) or "mates" (Br. &
Aust. English) to mean, "male friends". For example: "He likes to go out on
Saturday nights with his mates."
Sometimes, females also use, "buddies",
"pals", "mates" etc. to refer to their female friends because "buddy", "pal" and
"mate" really just mean, "friend" even though these words are usually used to
refer to the male friends of males.
See also the term, "platonic friendship"
in a dictionary.
Note 11
In Chinese (and
probably also in several other languages), "small child" is used mainly to mean,
"young child". For example, in Chinese a 5-year-old child is more likely to be called, "a
small child" than a 12-year-old child. However, in English, "small"
or "little" only refers
to size, even though there is usually a correlation between age and size.
If a child is smaller
than others of his or her age, then there might be disadvantages in playing
sport against the others. For example, in contact sports, a smaller opponent is
more likely to get hurt by bigger opponents than a bigger child getting hurt by the
smaller child. Smaller children competing against bigger ones are also more
likely to lose the contest (in many but not all sports), which is not good for a
child's self-confidence.
Note 12
It is possible that for some of these
questions about "children" the examiner really used the words, "young people"
instead of "children". "Children" are between the ages of about 3 and 12
years old but the term, "young people" has a rather inexact meaning. Most
English speakers mean people between the ages of about 13 and 30 when they say,
"young people" but some people include children in their definition of, "young
people".
Note 13
Some of the questions in this Part 3 are
worded in a way that could either refer to players of a sport, or to spectators.
The question. "Which sport is most popular in your country?" is the best example of
that. Since Part 3 is supposed to simulate a natural discussion, you should seek
clarification from the examiner about which of those two the examiner means.
Seeking clarification is one of the skills of having a discussion and the
examiner will consider that when awarding your score.
Note 14
"What are the differences between children collecting
something, and adults collecting something?"
This question might actually be,
"What are the differences between children collecting toys,
and adults collecting toys?"