Updated Sep 3, 2017
IELTS Part 2 and Part 3 Topics and Questions
Page 154
766.
A New Shop (Jan. 2017)
767.
Two People From the Same
Family (Jan. 2017)
768.
A
Café
(Jan. 2017)
769.
Not Allowed to Use Mobile
Phone (Jan. 2017)
770.
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
Describe a shop that recently opened in your city or town.
You should say:
where it is
when it opened
what it sells
what people go to this shop *
and explain if you think it will be successful in the future. *
Notes
This seems to be a new topic, one that has never been used before.
"Recently" can be any time within the past year, or even the past two years.
A shop opening for business is not the same as a new building, housing a new shop, being built. For example, maybe there was a clothes shop for 15 years until last year and maybe this was in a building that was built 100 years ago. Then last year the clothes shop closed and a flower shop opened where the clothes shop used to be. The flower shop, as a business, is recently opened but the flower shop, as a building, is 100 years old.
The last line is not clear.
For "Shop", see also Topics 497, 347, 216, 121, 38 and 9
For "Small
Business", see also Topics
744,
Shops in Your Country
What types of shops are popular in your country?
What kinds of shops are there near your home?
Are there any foreign shops in your city?
What can (or,
do) shops
do to attract customers
Are there differences between advertisements aimed at young people and those aimed at old(er) people?
Do you think the cost of advertising affects which shops spend money of advertising?
What would you
say is the key to success of a shop
Is the location
of shops important when people are choosing where to go shopping
Which locations are most popular for selling everyday products?
Should shops be located in city centres, or in the suburbs?
What do you think are the best locations for bookstores?
Big Shops versus Small Shops
What are the
differences between small shops and large shops
Do big and small shops both tend to sell the same kinds of products?
Do you think small shops are important?
Do you think big shops tend to
drive small shops out of business
Do you think it's a good thing that big shops are becoming more common while small shops are going out of business?
(Similar to above) Should governments encourage the growth of big shops, or small shops, or should the free market decide
Shopping in the Future
Do you like to buy things online?
What do you think will the affect of online shopping on 'normal' shops 20 years from now?
Describe two people from the same family.
You should say:
who they are
what their relationship is
how they are similar
and explain how well the two people get along with each other. * .
Notes
The last line is not clear, and was also not clear the previous two times this topic was used.
The Family in Your Country
(Similar to
above) Would you say the
structure of families in your country has changed in the past few
decades (or, years)
Are people today having more children than in previous generations, or fewer children?
How does the number of children in a family
affect the family
Do you think it's good (or bad) for relatives to live with a family?
Are people in your country close to their extended families?
Why did extended families tend to live together, or close to each other in the past?
People's Personalities
Note: Some of these questions might be about people's "character" and "attitudes" rather than their "personalities".
Do you think children tend to have similar personalities to their parents?
Would you say your personality has been influenced by your friends?
How much do you think teachers influence the development of the personality of their students?
Children and Young People
Do children (&/or young people) prefer to spend time with their parents, or with their friends?
What should parents teach their children concerning the friendships their children form?
In general, would you say young people today get along well with their parents?
Would you say young people today have a different lifestyle to the lifestyle their parents had when they were young?
Version A (past tense)
Describe a café you have been to.
You should say:
where it is
when you went there
what you drank and ate in the café
and explain why you like or dislike this café.
Version B (present tense)
Describe a café you like and visit often.
You should say:
where it is
when you usually go there
what you like to drink and eat in the café
and explain why you like the café.
Notes
It is very important to understand that a "cafe" is not the same as a "coffee shop" (although the origin of the word "cafe" is related to coffee).
Both versions have been reported. I suggest you be prepared for either version.
See also Topics
647,
Cafes
Note:
A
Why do some people go to cafés?
What kinds of people like going to cafés?
What are the
differences between a café and a restaurant
Which do you prefer to go to, cafes or restaurants?
Do the same kinds of people tend to go to both cafes and restaurants?
(Different to above)
Why do some young people go to cafés?
Coffee
Do people in your country like drinking coffee?
In your country,
who is more likely to drink coffee, young people or old(er) people
(For Chinese candidates) Do you think coffee shops will one day replace traditional Chinese teahouses?
Why do some young people go to coffee shops?
What do you think are the social benefits of going to coffee shops?
Do you think coffee will become more popular in your country in the future?
Socializing
Do you think people are "meant" to live in big
cities, surrounded by strangers
Do you think it's
Do you (or,
people in your country) like to
invite people (friends) to your home
(Similar to above) Some people say that unless
you have been to the home of another person then you have no way to really
know (or, understand) that person. Do you agree
In general, do people in your country prefer to entertain guests at home, or in a restaurant?
Are there any benefits of being alone sometimes?
Can you explain why scientists tend to spend a lot of time alone?
Describe a time when you were not allowed to use your mobile phone.
You should say:
where it was
what you were doing at this time (what the situation was)
when it was
and explain why you were not able to (or, allowed to) use your mobile phone. *
or
Notes
If the wording above is correct, you must talk about one specific time when you were not allowed to use your mobile phone, not a general situation in the past such as, "in the classroom at school". But if you talk about the first time you (or someone in your class at school) tried to use a mobile phone and the teacher told you (or the whole class) that it was not allowed, then that would be a specific time.
"Using a mobile phone" including sending text messages, reading a message, viewing a website, or playing a game on a phone. It is not restricted to talking on a phone.
See also the Part 3 of
Topic 553, Your First Cell-Phone, and any relevant
questions in the Part 3 of the following topics:
Topic 193 ,
Topic 256,
716,
436,
329,
Mobile Phones
Do you take your mobile phone with you everywhere you go?
What do you do with your mobile phone?
Would you say mobile phones are important?
When do people usually (or most often) use mobile phones?
What are the benefits of using mobile phones, (compared to the alternative ways of doing things)?
What are the functions of mobile phones?
What are the
differences in mobile phone usage between young people and old people
The Social Impact of Mobile Phones
When people use their mobile
phone in public, what effects does it (or, can it) have on surrounding
people
(Similar to above) If someone is
talking loudly on a mobile phone in public, how does that affect the
surrounding people
Can you explain why some people can't seem to separate themselves from their mobile phones?
Do you think taking photos with mobile phones is useful?
Do you think
taking photos on a mobile phone is sometimes a waste of time
Are the photos taken on mobile phones usually good quality photos?
What would you
say has been the
social impact of the introduction of mobile phones
Would you say mobile phone usage has more a positive, or more a negative impact on people's friendships?
Do you think mobile phone usage by children can be harmful to the children?
Do you think more people will be using mobile phones in the future?
Describe a foreign food you have eaten.
You should say:
what it was
when you ate it
where it was
and explain why you liked or disliked it.
See also the Part 3 of Topic 320
Eating Foreign Food in Your Country
Can you suggest why people generally prefer one type of food to other types of food?
Can you suggest
why some
people like to eat foreign foods
Do people in big cities and people in villages and small towns have the same attitudes towards foreign food?
Which foreign foods are most popular in your country?
(For Chinese candidates) Do you think food from Asian countries are more popular than food from other countries?
Is foreign food more expensive than local food?
Buying Food in Supermarkets (and in other shops & markets)
When buying a
food product, do people pay much attention to its origin
What are the main differences between local food products and imported (=foreign) food products?
Why is imported food more expensive than local food?
Do you think imported foods will become more important in your country in the future?
Food in Different Countries
This question has two possible meanings:
a)
or,
b)
I think the meaning here is most likely to be version a). But the questions in this Part 3 that touch on the topic of "strangers" indicate that version b) might be a suitable understanding of this question in some cases.