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Updated Jul. 25, 2017　

 

IELTS Part 2 and Part 3 Topics and Questions

Page 146

726.  Good News  (May 2016)   (May 2016)  (Probably no longer used)

727.  A Way of Saving Money  (May 2016)  (Probably no longer used)

728.  A Positive Change in Your Life  (May 2016)  (Probably no longer used)

729.  A Tradition in Your Country  (May 2016)  (Probably no longer used)

730.  A Skill Learned in Childhood  (May 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

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726.  Good News  (May 2016)  (Probably no longer used)

Modified Copy of Topic 193

Describe a piece of good news that you received.

You should say:

               what the news was

               where you were when you received this news [Or: What you were doing when you received this news]

               who gave you this news [Or, how you received this news]

          and explain why you felt this was good news. *

                                or

          and explain what you did after (when) you received this news. *

 

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Possible follow-up questions:

  • Have you shared that good news with others?

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Part 3

See also the Part 3 of Topic 193, Topic 46 and Topic 606

Good News

Broadcasting the News (or, Information) in The Media

        The Media and Business

Communication

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727.  A Way of Saving Money  (May 2016)  (Probably no longer used)

Describe something you do to save money.

               You should say:

 what you do

 when you started doing it

 what gave you this idea

and explain how it saves money.

 

Notes

  • I believe this topic has never been used before as Part 2 although it has appeared before as a Part 3 topic.

  • You need to understand that the term, "save money" has two usages in English:

a) To economize; to spend as little as possible; or to not spend money at all. For example, you might choose to walk the 2 kilometres from the subway station to you university every day instead of taking the short bus trip in order to save (save spending) the bus fare.

b) To put money aside and, over time, gather an increasingly large pool of money. This is what we do when we put coins into a money box or a "piggy bank", or when we deposit money into a bank account with the intention of not using it for a while. There are also other, more complex ways of saving money such as depositing it into a superannuation fund for your retirement. Buying stocks and shares is not a good example of "saving money" but is instead, an example of investing money.

  • I believe this Part 2 question is focused more on a), i.e., economizing. On the other hand, it might be written in such a way that either a) or b) would be applicable. However, if the last line is something like, "explain how it saves money" then b) would not be very suitable, especially if the example of b) was as simple as putting coins into a money box or depositing and keeping money in a bank account because "how" the money is saved would be the same as, "what you do".

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Possible follow-up questions:

  • Would you say it's easy to save money that way?

  • Do you know anyone else who saves money that way?

  • Have you shared this way of saving money with anyone?

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 Part 3

See also the Part 3 questions for Topic 535 & Topics 283, 216, & 48.

Saving Money

  • Is saving money important to you?

  • (Similar to above) Do you think it's important to save money?  FQ

  • What ways do people use to save money? FQx2

  • Have there been any changes in the past few years (or decades) concerning how people save money?

  • Do you try to save money in your home?  See Note 8

  • Do you think it's easy for people to save money?

  • Do you think elderly people and young people have the same attitudes about saving money?

  • How do you think countries could save money?

Consumption & Waste

See Note 6

  • What kinds of things do people (like to) buy in your country?

  • Do you think people are encouraged more to spend money, or to save it?  FQ

  • Would you say many people in your society have an extravagant lifestyle?  FQ

  • Do you feel that you (sometimes) waste money?

  • Do you think the government should encourage people to save more, or to spend more?  FQ

  • Do you think you should spend more?

  • In what ways do you think some (young) people waste money?  FQx2  See Note 3

  • (Similar to above) What are some examples of everyday behaviour that results in people wasting money?  FQ

  • Do you think young people today waste more money than they (young people) in the past did?  FQx2

  • Do you think people like wasting money?

  • Do you think the government should discourage people from wasting money?  (If yes, how?) FQ

  • Do you think people should be banned from wasting money?

  • Do you think the government really has a right to interfere in people's private lives that way?

  • Do you think the government can help people to save money?  FQ

  • Besides money, do you think any other recourses in your country are constantly being consumed (or wasted)?

  • What natural recourses do you think are wasted (or, overused) in your country?  See Note 7

  • How do you think the loss of this resource (or, this waste) could be reduced (or, avoided)?  FQ

  • Do you think technology could be used to help save this resource?

  • What will happen if people don’t change their habits of wasting this natural resource?

Children & Teenagers Managing Their Money

  • Do you think it's important for children to learn to save money?  FQx2

  • (Similar to above) Do you think it's important for children to learn to manage their money?

  • At what age do you think they should start learning how to save money?

  • Who teaches children how to save money?

  • Who should teach children how to manage money, the parents or the teachers at school?  FQx2

  • What can parents do to teach (or, encourage) their children to save money?  FQx2

  • How can parents teach their children to spend their money wisely (= to manage their money)?  FQ

  • How do parents give pocket money to their children in your country?

    •

  • Do you think young people, such as teenagers, tend to waste money?  FQ

  • Can you suggest why young people tend to waste money?  FQ

  • Do you think it's important for teenagers to learn to manage money?

  • Do schools in your country teach anything about managing money?

  • What do you think schools should teach concerning financial management?

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728.  A Positive Change in Your Life  (May 2016)  (Probably no longer used) 

Copy of Topic 47

                   Describe a positive change that occurred in your life. *

                                         You should say:

                                                    when it happened

                                                    where it happened

                                                    what the change was

                                         and explain how you have benefited from this change *

 

 

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Possible follow-up questions:

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Part 3

On the topic of "change", see also Part 3 for Topic 47, Topic 92, Topic 148, Topic 194, Topic 266, Topic 354, Topic 523 and Topic 653

Changes in Society

  • Do you like change?

  • (Similar to above) Do you think people in general like change?

  • Was life for people in your country very different to what it is today?

  • (Similar to above) Have there been many changes in your country over the past few decades? FQ

  • (Similar to above) Have there been many changes to people's lives in your country over the past few decades? FQ

  • (Similar to above) Have there been many positive changes to people's lives in your country over the past few decades? FQ

  • Would you say that people working longer hours than they did in the past is a positive change?

  • In your country, what changes have taken place in people's housing over the past few decades?

  • Have you noticed any changes in the roles of family members?

  • Would you say these changes have influenced the communication between parents and children?

Technological Change

  • What technological (and / or scientific) changes have we seen in the past few years?

  • How have these changes influenced (or affected) people's lives? FQx2

  • Would you say these changes have all been good?

  • Have there been positive changes in people's homes in the past few years (or decades)?

  • Do you think manual labour will be replaced by advances in technology in the future?

  • Do you think the pace of life has increased (or, is increasing)? FQ

  • (Similar to above) Do you think it's good that (the pace of) modern life seems to be getting faster and faster? FQ

  • What can smartphones be used for?

  • If someone doesn't finish his or work at the office, can they finish it at home, on a computer?

  • What impact do you think technological change will have on people, (in the future)? FQ

  • Do you think there will be fewer people doing manual work done in the future?

  • In the future, do you think more people will be working in (the areas of) science and technology?

Changes to Work

  • In what ways do you think the way people work has changed in the past several decades? FQ

  • Do people today work more hours per week than people did a few decades ago?

  • In general, do you think young people today work he same way that their parents did at the same age? FQ

  • How has modern technology changed the ways people work? FQx2

  • Do you think working on a computer all day is good for the health?

  • If someone has not finished their work at the end of the workday, do they usually take the work home with them? FQ

  • (Similar to above) Since many people use computers in their work, can you explain why they can't do this work at home? FQ

  • Do you think taking work home is good for the health? FQ

  • (Possibly) Do you think doing overtime is good for the health?

  • Do you think there will be many more changes to the way people work in the future as a result of changes in technology?

  • Do you think people in the future will be changing jobs less often than is the case today, or more often?

        Robots

  • How do you think we should treat the topic of robots taking the place of workers, for example, in factories?  See Note 4

  • Do you think the usage of robots in the future will be widespread?

  • Would you say people won't need to work in the future because they'll have robots to do the work?

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729.  A Tradition in Your Country  (May 2016)  (Probably no longer used) 

Describe an interesting tradition that you have in your country.

               You should say:

what it is

where this tradition came from

who follows this tradition

and explain why you think it is interesting.

 

 

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Possible follow-up questions:

  • Do you follow (or, adhere to) this tradition?

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 Part 3

See similar Part 3 questions at Topic 677

Traditional Festivals (or holidays or celebrations)

  • In addition to the festival that you just spoke about, what other traditional festivals do you have in your country? FQ

  • In addition to the tradition that you just spoke about, what other interesting customs or traditions do you have in your country? FQ

  • Which of those festivals is most popular among young people?

  • What is the importance of (or, value of) traditional festivals? FQ

  • Have there been any changes in recent years to the ways that traditional festivals are celebrated in your country? FQx2

  • Do you think it's important for people to follow tradition?

  • Do people today in your country still have the same attitudes towards traditional festivals that they had in the past?

  • (Similar to above) Do you think people's attitudes towards traditional festivals have changed? FQ

  • Are traditional festivals important to you?

  • Do you think traditional festivals in your country will become more important in the future, or less important?

  • Do you think people will one day forget about these traditional festivals?

Traditions in General

  • What are some examples of the most important traditions in your country (or culture)?

  • Can you think of any traditions that have disappeared from your society?

  • Do you think it's important to protect (or, to maintain) traditions?

  • Please explain some of the differences between traditions, and new (or, modern) ideas in your country.

  • Can you explain why many young people don't seem to follow traditions very much? FQ

  • Why do different people in society have differing attitudes towards tradition? FQ

  • Do rural people and urban people have the same attitudes towards tradition?

  • Do you think it's important to teach traditions to children?

  • What could governments do in order to protect (or maintain) traditions?

Traditional Lifestyles

  • Do people in your country generally like change? FQ

  • In general, which do you think is more important, progress or tradition?

  • In your country, is the lifestyle today the same as the traditional lifestyle? FQx2

  • What caused people's attitudes towards traditional lifestyles to change?

  • Would you like to live a traditional lifestyle?

  • (Similar to above) Which lifestyle do you think is better (or which would you prefer to live), a traditional lifestyle or a modern lifestyle? FQx2  See Note 1

  • Would you say there are any differences between the traditional family in your country and the modern family? FQ

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730.  A Skill Learned in Childhood  (May 2016)  (Probably no longer used)   

Describe a skill you learned when you were a child.

            You should say:

                          what skill it was                    

                          who taught you this skill

                          where you learned it

            and explain how you use this skill.

 

Notes

  • It would not be wrong to talk about the skill of learning to talk! (although you started to learn that skill when you were a baby, not as a "child")

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Possible follow-up questions:

  • Do you still use this skill?

  • Would you recommend that other people learn that skill?

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Part 3

See also the Part 3 of Topic 708

Learning Skills

  • What do you think are some of the most important skills that children need to learn?

  • What are some differences between the skills that children learn and the skills that adults learn?

  • What do you think are some of the differences between an adult learning a new skill and a child learning a new skill?

  • Who do you think learns new skills faster, children or adults?  FQ

  • (Similar to above) Which age do you think is better for learning a new skill, 5 or 20 years old?  FQ

  • Why do you think a child's ability to learn is so strong?

  • Is there an age when it is (or, when it starts to become) difficult to learn a new skill?  FQ

  • Do you prefer to learn skills from friends, family or teachers?  FQ

  • What skills do people learn from others, and what skills can we teach ourselves?

  • What skills do parents need to learn?

Academic Skills and Life Skills

  • Which do you think are more important, academic skills or "life skills" (practical, everyday skills)?  FQ

  • Who do you think is most suitable for teaching "life skills" (practical skills), parents, school teachers or friends?

  • Do teachers at school in your country teach the students many practical skills?

The Education of Children

  • Who do you think has (or should have) the responsibility for the education of a child, the parents or the teachers?

  • Who do you think is most suitable for teaching a new skill to a child, the child's parents, the child's teachers or the child's friends?  FQ

  • What difference do you think it would make to have the child choose what skills he or she would like to learn?  FQ

  • Do you think it's important to allow (or encourage) children to take the initiative in their own learning (to allow children to explore, to follow their curiosity or their interest)?

  • What do you think is the difference between a child learning a skill because he or she has to, rather than learning a skill because they are interested in learning it?

    •

  • What skills can friends teach each other?

  • Do you think it's important for someone teaching a child to show enthusiasm for (or interest in) what they are teaching?

  • Who do you think is more important in the development of children, their teachers or their parents?

  • Do you think all children should learn the same skills?  FQ

  • Do you think language learning is important for children?  See Note 2

  • How does a child benefit from mastering a difficult task?

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Note 1

If that question was accurately reported, then you need to consider what a "traditional lifestyle" really is. I would say that it is a lifestyle that hasn't changed much for hundreds of years. That would mainly be a farming lifestyle because the vast majority of humanity were farmers until the 20th century. In the "developed" Western countries, agricultural lifestyles started to change in the early 1900's as mechanized farm equipment started to be developed and as factories became more common, which drew some of the population from the rural area into urban areas. The mechanization of farming happened in the less developed countries too, more or less, but later in the 1900s.

Possibly some urban lifestyles could also be called "traditional" if they have remained more or less unchanged for hundreds of years.

The main point is that a "traditional lifestyle" did not include modern discoveries such as electricity or inventions such as machinery to replace human physical labour. It did include large families (e.g., an average of more than 5 children) plus a rather large death rate for babies, and the death of many more women in childbirth than is the case in the "developed" world today.

Note 2

If the question is worded that way, without using the word "foreign" to describe "language", then it can include children learning their own native language. It is difficult (or impossible) to think logically without the use of language.

Note 3

Hint - gambling

Note 4

"Robot" has two pronunciations in English.

Note 5

The examiner might say, "bad news" or, "good news" in place of the more general, "the news".

Note 6

Think about what "waste money" really means. What is the difference between "spend money" and "waste money"? If you can express in words some form of definition of "waste money" then all your answers to questions about wasting money will be much better, and will give you more points.

Note 7

What natural recourses do you think are wasted in your country?  

In every country there are people who waste water, and almost everyone does it to some degree.

Note 8

The most common answer for this question is to turn off lights when they are not needed, to save on your electricity bill. The second most common answer is to conserve water by various ways such as having showers instead of taking a bath.