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Written May 16, 2018

IELTS Part 2 and Part 3 Topics and Questions

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786. A Big Company (May. 2017) (Probably no longer used)

787. A Cake (May. 2017) (Probably no longer used)

788. A Town or City (May. 2017) (Probably no longer used)

789. A Crowded Place (May. 2017) (Probably no longer used)

790. Arrived Early (May. 2017) (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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786. A Big Company (May. 2017) (Probably no longer used)

Describe a company or organization in your area that employs many people.

You should say:

what it is

.how you know about it

what it does

and explain how you feel about this company. *

and explain why it employs many people. * .

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Possible follow-up questions:

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Part 3

See also the Part 3 of Topics 37, 79, 98, 306, 378, 398, 508, Topic 615, Topic 651 & Topic 720

Companies

What are some differences between big and small companies?
Are there many big companies in your country?
What would you say are the benefits of working in a big company?
How do small companies grow into big ones?
Do you think big companies should donate to charities?
Do you think big companies should be punished if they break the law?

Work in Your Country

What kinds of jobs are most popular in your country? FQ See Note 1
Why do so many people want to do that job? FQ
If too many people are working in that (or a particular) industry, what do you think the results will be?
What (kinds of) jobs do parents in your country prefer for their sons and daughters (their children)?
Is it easy to find a job in your country at the moment? FQ
(Similar to above) Is the job market very competitive in your country?
Do you know what the unemployment rate is in your country at the moment?
Do you have any suggestions on what the government could (or should) do to improve this situation? (= to decrease the unemployment numbers)
In your country, is it easy for recent university graduates to find a job?
Do you think many people who are not university graduates have good jobs?
Do you think it's easy for people who are not university graduates to find (good) employment? FQ
Do many young people in your country want to be self-employed?
Why do so many young people want to set up their own business? FQ
Do you think it would be best for them to work as employees first, before setting up their own business?
What would you say are the criteria (the factors, the qualities) that make a job a "good" one?
Which do you think is more important, a good salary or a good team to with in?
Do you want (or, would you like to have) a high-paying job? See Note 3
Would you say money (salary, income) is the most important thing about a job?
Would you say that the best jobs are those with the highest salary?
Can you explain why people such as doctors and lawyers are paid such high salaries?
Do many people in your country have part-time jobs?
What are the benefits of having a job? See Note 4

Retirement

When (or, at what age) is the best time to retire, in your opinion?
Do you think early retirement is good?
Do you think older people should (be compelled to) retire at a fixed age in order to give the younger generation opportunities to work?
Do you think everyone she receive retirement benefits? See Note 4 for the meaning of "benefits"

Work Experience

How do (or how can) recent university graduates get work experience?
Do you think low-paid (or unpaid) internships are a good idea?

Education for Work

Are high schools in your country all the same, or do some specialize in a certain area?
Do you think high school graduates should continue with study and/or training or should they get a job immedately after they leave school?

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787. A Cake (May. 2017) (Probably no longer used)

Describe an occasion when you had a special cake.

You should say:

what the occasion was

where you had this cake.

who you were with

and explain why you think this cake was special.

Notes

"A cake" is a whole cake, not a piece of cake. But a "whole cake" does not necessarily mean a big cake. It could be a small cake for one person to eat.
To "have" a type of food usually means, to "eat" it.
The first line might simply be, "Describe a special cake that you had once". Here, "once" does not really mean that it was the one and only time you ever had this type of cake. "Once" here means, "one particular time".

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Possible follow-up questions:

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Part 3

Food on Special Occasions

On what occasions do people in your country spend a lot of money on food? FQ
Why do they spend a lot of money on food on those occasions?
Do people in your country usually eat special food on certain (traditional) holidays (festivals)? FQ
(Similar to above) n your country, what are some examples of specials food that people have during traditional festivals? FQ
Why do you have different foods on different holidays?
What are the differences between these foods and the foods that people generally eat (everyday food)?

Meals

Would you say family meals are important?
(Similar to above) Would you say it's important for families to eat together? FQ
When is it most important for family members to eat together? See Note 2
Do you think people eat with their family less often than they (people) did 20 or 30 years (a generation) ago?

Cooking / Diet

Do people today do the same amount of cooking at home as people did 20 or 30 years ago?
Do they still cook the same (types of) food or is there a greater choice of (variety of) foods that people cook (eat) at home?
In your country, do people in different parts of the country, such as in the north and in the south eat different food?

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788. A Town or City (May. 2017) (Probably no longer used)

Describe a town or city that you have been to.

You should say:

what town or city it was

where it was

what you did there

and explain whether or not you liked this place. .

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Possible follow-up questions:

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Part 3

See also the Part 3 of Topics 24, 122, 235, Topic 195 & 570

See also any related questions in the Part 3 of Topic 620, 532, 383, 327, 243, 314, 71, 35, 13 & 713

Topic 653 also has some questions related to public facilities.

Tourism to Cities / Well-known Cities

What makes a city famous (or, well-known)? FQ

What benefits does being famous bring to a city?

Can you suggest how the buildings in a city influence that city?

Are there any famous buildings in your city?

Some cities are well-known for their buildings. What other things make a city famous?

Does the history of a city influence how famous the city is today?

In your country, what sorts of cities do tourists like to visit?

What sorts of things to visitors to cities buy while they're in the city?

Development in Cities

Is the geographic location a city a factor in how well (or how fast) the city develops? FQ
Do you think city development requires planning?
Do you know any city that was planned in advance before it was built?
What would you say are the advantages and the disadvantages of living in a city? FQ
What facilities does a city need to have in order to be a good place to live?
Do cities usually have traffic problems?
Do you it's think good to have advertisements on buildings? FQ
What are the effects of having advertisements on buildings?
Can you suggest why the centre of a city is usually a business centre?

Living in Cities as Opposed to Living in the Countryside

Can you explain why many people choose to live in a city?
Would you like to live in the countryside?
What do you think are the advantages and disadvantages of living in the countryside?

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789. A Crowded Place (May. 2017) (Probably no longer used)

Describe a time when you went to a place that had a lot of people.

You should say:

where it was

what you did there

who you went there with *

and explain how you felt in that place. * .

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Possible follow-up questions:

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Part 3

Crowded Places

How do you feel about crowded places? (= Do you like crowded places?) FQ
What places are typically (or often) crowded?
What sorts of events result in big crowds of people being in one place?
When you are buying something to eat in a place where many other people are buying food, do you like to line up? FQ See Note 5
Can you explain why some people like to go to crowded places?
Can you also explain why other people avoid going to crowded places?
Which do young people prefer to go to - lively, crowded places, or quiet places?

High-rise Apartment Buildings

Do you think it's a good thing for people to live in high-rise apartment buildings?
What do you think are the pros and cons of having high-rise apartment buildings near entertainment facilities?
Can you suggest how people's living standards could be improved?

Groups

What sorts of work are best done by (or in) a group (or team)?

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790. Arrived Early (May. 2017) (Probably no longer used)

Describe a time when you arrived early, (for example, for a meeting or appointment)

You should say:

what the occasion was

where it was

how early you were *

and explain why you arrived early. *

and explain what you did while waiting. * .

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Possible follow-up questions:

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Part 3

See also any relevant Part 3 questions at Topic 734, Topic 638, Topic 465 & Topic 289

Punctuality

Can you think of other times when a person needs to (or should) arrive early? FQ
What do you think are the benefits of being early?
In your country, what happens to people when they arrive late for a class or for work? *
How important would you say it is to be punctual? = In your opinion, how important is punctuality? FQ
What can a person do to ensure they are punctual when (they have to be somewhere at a certain time)? FQ
Would you say there are occasions when being on time is more important than other occasions?
Which would you say is worse, being late for work or being late for a meeting with a friend? FQ
What are the results (consequences) when someone is late?
Do you think young people and older people have the same concept of (the importance of) time? FQ
(Similar to above) Which group of people do you think manage their time better, children or adults? FQ

(Similar to above) Who is more careful with their time, old people or young people? FQ See Note 6

Can you suggest why people are sometimes late?
What is the main reason why people are late in your country?
(Different to above) Can you suggest why some people are (habitually) late?
What sorts of people are habitually late?
Do you think that being late is an example of irresponsibility?
(Similar to above) Do you think that being late gives the impression that a person has no sense of responsibility?
Do you think doing nothing while waiting is a waste of time?

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Note 1

The question might be, "What kinds of jobs are most popular among young people in your country?" The words, "What kinds" or "what kind" can be understood in two different ways: a) "What kinds" = "What are the general types or classifications" or, b) "What kinds" = "What are some examples of". Both interpretations are suitable for your answer.

Note 2

When is it most important for family members to eat together?

"When" might mean "on what occasions", or it might mean, "what time of the day = which meal, breakfast, lunch or dinner", or it might means, "what part of the week" such as weekdays or weekends." The words, "most important" might really be, "the best". Those two are not exactly the same in meaning.

Note 3

"Do you want?" is more emphatic than, "Would you like?" "Would you like?" can sometimes refer to hypothetical situations such as, "Would you like to be the president of your country?" whereas, "Do you want?" is only used for real situations.

Note 4

"What are the benefits of having a job?" This is the wording of the question that was reported. If that wording is accurate, then the question means something like, "What are the advantages of having a job?"

On the other hand, the examiner might have asked the following question: "What benefits do employees get in your country?" Here, the word "benefits" has a special meaning. It actually means, "extra benefits, in addition to the salary". In many countries, the law states that employees should get certain extra benefits in addition to their salary, such as 2 or 3 weeks of paid annual and a certain number of days per year that the employee may take off work as "sick leave" without losing pay. Other benefits might be - a superannuation scheme in which the employer must contribute a certain amount each month in addition to the employee's contribution, free health insurance (paid for by the company), free company uniforms, company-subsidized housing etc. Upper management might get benefits such as the free use of a company car, opportunities to buy shares in the company at a low price, free housing if the manager must live away from his or her normal home (such as being posted overseas) , etc.

Note 5

"line up" = "queue up" = 排队

Extra expression: "wait your turn" or, "wait one's turn".

Note 6

If this wording is used, you can consider "old people" to be people over the age of 60 and "young people" to be between the ages of about 15 and 30. If the wording is, "old people and younger people" then "younger people" means "younger than the old people".