Updated Sep 10, 2017
IELTS Part 2 and Part 3 Topics and Questions
Page 157
781.
A Plan (not work or
study related) (Jan. 2017)
782.
A Time When You Had to Wait
(Jan. 2017)
783. Good
Customer Service (Jan. 2017)
784. A
Famous Person (Jan. 2017)
785.
A Quiet Place (Jan. 2017)
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 plan that you have (not related to work or study).
You should say:
what the plan is
when you want to achieve it
what preparation is (or will be) needed
and explain why you want to achieve this plan.
Notes
See also the Part 3 of
the following topics:
Possibly some of the
previous Part 2 topics about "Success" also have similar Part 3 questions to
those below. These are at
Planning in General
What sorts of (everyday) plans do average people make? FQ
Who needs to (or, should) make plans?
Do you think that people should have plans in their lives?
What do you think are the
benefits of having plans
Do you think it's a good idea
to make a plan for each day?
Do you think most people actually implement their plans (= put their plans into action)?
What do you suggest people do when their plans turn out to be unsuccessful?
Do you think it's possible to be successful without a plan?
Some people think success is more a question of luck than a question of planning. What do you think?
What would you say is the
difference between those who plan, and those who don't
(Similar to above) What
sorts of people don't make plans
D
The Plans of Young People
See Note 1
Would you say most young people (or, teenagers) have career plans?
How do (young) people in your country make career plans?
Would you say it's a good idea to seek the help (or, advice) of others when making important plans?
In general, would you say young people like making plans for their future?
How important do you think the opinions of parents are when it comes to the future of their children?
Do you think
parents should make plans for their children
What do you suggest
people should do when parents and their children cannot agree on a plan
Do parents in your country often have (career) plans for their children when the children are still very young?
How could parents teach their children the skills of making their own plans (decisions about their futures)?
The Plans of Governments and Organizations
Can you give any examples of the plans that governments make?
What could governments do to plan better?
Describe an experience when you had to wait for something.
You should say:
and explain why you waitedwhat you waited for
what you did while waiting
how you felt while waiting
Notes
There is a difference between a situation when someone "needs to" (= must = has to) wait and a situation when someone chooses to wait. When someone "needs to" wait, there is usually no choice.
See also the Part 3 of
Waiting
What are some
things that people need to wait for
Do you think people
generally like waiting
(Similar to above)
Can you explain why people
generally dislike waiting (for some things)
Are there any people who often have to wait for other people? (Hint: waiters and waitresses!)
Does everyone wait for something?
Patience
Is patience a good characteristic?
Would you say
Do you think
children have more patience than adults
Can you explain why elderly people are more patient than young people?
What are some situations when some people become impatient?
Do you think it's always good for people to be patient?
Children and Patience
Can you suggest how children can be taught to be patient?
Describe a time when you experienced good customer service (e.g., in a shop or restaurant).
You should say:
who offered the service
when and where it happened
how you felt about it
and explain why the service was good.
Notes
Topic 600 was similar or identical to this topic.
See also the Part 3 of
Topic
Good Service
What do you think, "good service" (or, "good customer service") means?
What are the
differences between the service in large shops and small shops
Do you like it when a department store follows
you when you are looking at things in the shop
Do you think the
quality of service is important
(Similar to
above)
(Possibly) What personal qualities do service people need to display in order to give good service? *
What types of people do you think are not suitable for working in the service industry?
What is the difference between the service in small stores and hotels?
What do you think are the difficulties that hotels experience when offering service?
Which do you feel is more important in a restaurant, the quality of the food or the quality of the service?
What do you think about giving tips?
Do you think tips improve the quality of service?
Is after-sales service important?
Do you think government officials, police and other similar government employees should give good service to citizens?
Bad Service
Have you ever received bad customer service?
What should people do when they get bad service?
Do you think they should complain
Who can (or, do) they complain to
Do you usually forgive the other person when you receive bad service?
Describe a famous person you are interested in.
You should say:
who he or she is
when you first learned about (or, heard about) this person
why he or she became famous
and explain why you are interested in this person.
Has this person been famous for a long time?
See also the Part 3 of
Topics
627,
See Note 5
Famous People and Celebrities
What sorts of people become famous in your country?
How (or, why) do some people become famous?
Through what types of media can people become famous?
What are the differences between celebrities in the past and nowadays?
Do you think
it's easier to become famous now compared to the past
What kinds of people were famous in the past?
Are the kinds of people who become famous today the same as the kinds of people who were famous in the past?
Can you think of any famous people from the past (or, from history) who still have an influence today?
Can you explain why famous people sometimes become forgotten after a few years or decades?
Do you know any people who have become famous for bad (or, the wrong) reasons?
Do you think there are too many famous people nowadays?
Can ordinary people become celebrities?
Do you think only good looking people become celebrities?
Can people who save the lives of others become celebrities?
Should newspapers focus (only) on famous people?
Do you think
that famous people lose privacy from being in the news
Can you explain why many people are interested in gossip about he personal lives of celebrities?
Do you think the privacy of celebrities should be respected?
What are the advantages of having media reports about famous people?
Do you think
people need a particular talent to become famous
Can wealthy people easily become famous?
Do the children of famous people easily become famous?
Do people nowadays focus too much on entertainment stars? See Note 7
Describe a quiet place you like to go to.
You should say:
where it is
when you go there
what you usually do there
and explain why you like the place.
See also any similar
questions at the Part 3 of the following topics:
313,
Quiet Places
(Similar to
above) What are some
quiet places in your hometown
Is it easy to
find quiet places
(Similar to
above)
Which would you say is quieter (in your country), big cities or small towns?
Would you say
it's easier to
find quiet places now than it was in the past
Why do people go
to quiet places
(Similar to
above) In what circumstances do people often want to be in (or, go to) a
quiet place
Are there any
places that are completely quiet
Do you think completely
quiet places make people uncomfortable
(Similar to
above) Can you explain why old people like quietness more than young people
do
Do you think a quiet place is good for studying?
What are the benefits of working in a quiet place?
Can you suggest
why some
people don't like quiet places
Do you think it's possible that cars in the future will be completely quiet?
If that happens, do you think it will be good?
Noise
Do you like noise?
When do people hear noise?
Where do people hear noise?
Is there any noise that cannot be avoided?
Why do some
people like to go to noisy places
Background Music
Do you like to
listen to music while you are studying
(Similar to
above) Do people like
to listen to background music while working or studying
What kind of music do they listen to while they're studying?
Can you explain why some people like to listen to music while studying while other people don't like it?
Do you think background music can improve a person's work efficiency?
Do you think
it’s good for libraries to play background music
What do you think of
listening to songs being played as background music in the library
Many department stores and supermarkets play background music while people are shopping. Why do you think they do that?
It is not clear whether this sub-topic (this conversation) focuses mainly on plans in general or specifically on career plans. One example of non-career plans involving young people and their parents is marriage plans.
It is also not clear whether come questions are about 'young people' (e.g., 13 to 25 years old) or about 'children' (3 to 12 years old).
For both of these points above, the real situation is probably a mixture.
One source of confusion could be the meaning of 'children' in the phrase, "parents and their children". In that phrase, "their children" means, "their sons and daughters". Even for parents who are 80 years old with sons and daughters aged in their fifties, those sons and daughters are sometimes referred to as, "their children".
For this sub-topic, the word. "decision" could be used instead of "plan" for some questions.
This question (whatever the exact wording is) is probably asking you to explain the 'parts' of a plan. For example, a plan needs a final gaol, sub-goals (or steps) in logical or sequential order that need to be reached before reaching the final gaol, proposed actions to be taken to reach each sub-goal, an assessment of the recourses that will be needed to reach each sub-goal, and proposals for how to obtain these resources if they are not already available.
A useful word for an answer to this is, "spontaneity" or "spontaneous".
The words, "look forward to" and "anticipate" apply here.
It seems that the word, "celebrity" has been reported for many of the questions here. But it is possible that the examiners actually used the words, "famous person", not "celebrity" for some or even most of these questions. It is important for you to understand that a "celebrity" is a certain type of famous person but other types of famous people are not "celebrities". That is, all celebrities are one type of famous people but it is not suitable to describe all famous people as celebrities.
Well-known entertainers such as movie stars, well-known pop singers, TV hosts and sometimes sports stars can be called "celebrities". Other examples of celebrities are fashion models or super rich people who are frequently featured in the media, such as in magazine articles. This is especially true if the media articles focus on their personal lives, or their personalities, and the articles are written in popular magazines as opposed to "serious" magazines, or if they give interviews on talk shows on TV that are more for entertainment rather than the more serious talk shows that focus on current events, news etc. Many people recognize the faces of celebrities because we have seen photographs of them quite often.
However some people are famous for more serious reasons, such as being a high-level political leader, a leader in business, a renowned academic, an author of a serious but well-known book, or someone who has done a great deed such as being an inventor or scientist who made a great discovery. In most cases, it is not very suitable to describe these people as "celebrities", especially if people only know their names but generally do not recognize their faces, and if people do not know much about their personal lives or their personalities because these well-known people have never been interviewed by the media.
In some cases people become famous because they have a talent for self-promotion and very few other talents that are out of the ordinary.
I suggest you avoid calling someone a "star" unless the listener or reader knows what field this person works in, such as acting, singing, playing football etc. It is much better to use a phrase such as, "film star", "sports star" or "entertainment star".