ielts-yasi.englishlab.net

Written Jun 11, 2018

 

IELTS Part 2 and Part 3 Topics and Questions

Page 165

821.  A Happy Purchase (Sep. 2017)   (Probably no longer used)

822.  An Interesting Foreigner (Sep. 2017)   (Probably no longer used)

823.  How You Stay Healthy (Sep. 2017)   (Probably no longer used)

824.  A Knowledgeable Person (Sep. 2017)   (Probably no longer used)

835.  A Leisure Facility in Your Hometown (Sep. 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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821.  A Happy Purchase (Sep. 2017)   (Probably no longer used)

Modified copy of Topic 688

Describe a product you (recently) bought that you were (or, are) happy with. *

               You should say:

what you bought

how you bought it

why you bought it

and explain why you were (or are) happy with it.

              .

Notes

  • It is not certain that the word, "recently" is included in the first line, although it probably is. If it is used, the meaning of "recently" can be understood to mean, "within the past year or so". If "recently" is used then the card wants you to speak about something you bought as a young adult, not something you bought when you were a child.

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Possible follow-up questions:

  • Have you recommended that product to anyone else?

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Part 3

See also the Part 3 of Topic 688

Shopping in Your Country

The Quality of Products

Consumerism

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822.  An Interesting Foreigner (Sep. 2017)   (Probably no longer used)

Describe an interesting person you know (or know about) from another country. *

               You should say:

 who they are (= he or she is)

 how you know )or know about) them

 what they look like (or, what sort of person they are)

 and explain why you think this this person is interesting.

              .

 

Notes

  • Remember, if something is "interesting" it causes you to think; it does not primarily appeal to your emotions. For this topic, "an interesting person" is someone who is somewhat unique or even unusual, (which comes from comparing this person to other people, which is a "rational thinking process", not a "feeling process"). The person might cause you to be curious about something such as, "How did he achieve what he did at such a young age?" or any number of other questions. Choosing to talk about someone such as your favourite NBA basketball player in the USA might not always be the best choice because "favourite" is more related to your emotions than your rational brain.

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Possible follow-up questions:

  • Have you told others about this friend?

  • Have you ever met anyone like that (before)?

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Part 3

See also any related questions in the Part 3 of 49.  Meeting Someone Who Spoke A Different Language,  280.  Someone Who Spoke a Foreign Language & 245.  A Famous Foreign Person

 Going Abroad      

    Preparations Before Traveling Abroad

     Foreign Tourism

    Living and Studying Abroad

Multinational Companies

International Relations

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823.  How You Stay Healthy (Sep. 2017)   (Probably no longer used)

Copy of Topic 485

Describe something you do to (help you) stay healthy.

You should say:

        what you do

        when you started doing this

        how much time you spend doing this (or, how often you do this)

and explain what benefits you get from this activity.

                        or

and explain how this activity helps you stay healthy.

 

              .

  • This topic has been used many times over the years. However it is possible that sometimes the word, "fit" is used instead of "healthy".

They both mean more or less the same thing, but being "fit" is related more to how well you can do something using the (muscles of the) body, such as how fast you are, how strong you are, how much endurance you have and how flexible your body is. On the other hand, being "healthy" just means, "in good health" = "not ill" and is more related to the state of your whole body, not just your musculature and those organs important for endurance such as the heart and lungs.

Exceptionally good health, maintained over many years, tends to lead to a long life. However although a person, especially a woman, who cannot run or swim very fast or for a long time, or who cannot lift heavy weights might be described as "not very fit", such a person might still be in perfect health and might live to be an old age.

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Possible follow-up questions:

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Part 3

See also any relevant questions at:

485.  Something You Do to Stay Healthy,       654.  An Activity You Do that Keeps You Fit
717.  An Activity You Do for Health or Fitness,      184.   A Healthy Habit
585.  A Healthy Activity,       262.  Something Healthy You Would Recommend, 
309.  A Lifestyle Change to Improve Your Health or Fitness,      350.  Someone You Know Who Has a Healthy Lifestyle
668.  An Article You Read about Health

Ways to Stay Healthy

        Children

Sports

Educating People About Healthy Living

    Schools

     Government

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824.  A Knowledgeable Person (Sep. 2017)   (Probably no longer used)

Describe a person who knows a lot (in one particular area) and who taught you something. *

               You should say:

 who they are

 what area they know about

 what they taught you

 and explain why you think they know a lot.

              .

 

Notes

  • This seems to be a new topic, one never used before.

  • "They" is a way to say or write, "he or she". Of course, this is asking about one person only, not more than one.

  • It seems this topic is looking for an example from your life such as a teacher or university lecturer, but it could also be a knowledgeable person who is not a formal (qualified) teacher or university lecturer.

  • The fist line might be this - "Describe a person who knows a lot in one area and who taught you something" or, "Describe a person who knows a lot in a particular area and who taught you something". The question of specialization is in Part 3 but it is also probably included in this Part 2.

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Possible follow-up questions:

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Part 3

See also any related questions at:

214.  An Intelligent Person      534.  An Intelligent Person     224.  A Skill You Recently Learned
325.  Something You Recently Learned          154.  Something You Would Like to Learn

803.  A Clever Solution

Knowledge

Learning

Learning Using Computers & The Internet   See Note 3

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835.  A Leisure Facility in Your Hometown (Sep. 2017)   (Probably no longer used)

Describe a leisure facility you would like to have in your hometown. *

               You should say:

 what it is (or would be)

 what types of people would use it

 what people would do there

 and explain why you would like to have this facility in your hometown.

              .

 

Notes

But since there's not a lot of information available, there is still the possibility that this topic says, "Describe a leisure facility you have in your hometown", which would be.a repeat of Topic 326 or Topic 26, more or less.

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Possible follow-up questions:

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Part 3

See also any relevant questions at the Part 3 of: Topics 326, 26, 202 & 42

Entertainment & Leisure  See Note 4

Recreational & Entertainment Facilities

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Note 1

A "street stall" is a small, temporary structure that is set up on (= the side of) a street for selling something. It's not the same as a "shop on the street", which is in a building. When several street stalls are set up close together on the same street, that is called a "street market". Sometimes street markets are set up in the middle of the street, in which case the street is closed to traffic, and this might be a permanent situation, especially in popular tourist locations.

Note 2

Who do you think are doing more physical activities to keep themselves fit, young people or older people?

The correct answer for a question that is worded this way is probably older people. Why? The key to understanding the question is the words, "to keep themselves fit". This is referring to the intention or purpose of doing the physical activities. It's true that young people (e.g., aged 15 to 30) are usually more physically active than people older than that but most young people are doing these activities because they simply love the activity and are having fun. An example of that is a bunch of 18-year-old boys playing basketball. Most of them would not be doing that primarily with the intention of keeping fit. But if you see a 50-year-old or a 70-year-old doing some physical activity such as playing badminton in the park, they might be having fun but primarily they are doing it with the intention of keeping fit.

Note 3

A couple of points on this sub-topic:

a) Not all learning "using a computer" is done on the internet. People can learn using educational software (e.g., a CD) that is loaded into a computer without being connected to the internet.

b) Not all learning on the internet for example, by reading webpages, viewing videos or listening to audio recordings, is done without teachers. Very often people are learning (or studying something) by using the internet to connect in "real time" to teachers or tutors who are far away, such as on Skype or Wechat, or connecting to them by email.

Note 4

The three words, "entertainment", "recreation" and "leisure" each have their own meaning, although there is some overlap (intersection) between them. See here for notes on the word, "entertainment".

The word, "to relax" is also related to those three words but "to relax" has two somewhat different meanings. The first meaning is to "to rest" or "to relax the muscles of the body". For example, if you are doing something physically strenuous and then sit down or lie down to rest, you are "relaxing".

The second meaning is something like "to do something enjoyable that is a break from working". This usage is loose and not very accurate but it is still used this way. For example, a bunch of boys who take a break from studying to play a little basketball are certainly doing something that is physically strenuous but someone might ask, "Why aren't they studying?" and another person might answer, "Well, they were studying before but they're relaxing for a little while now." That means they are relaxing the brain from the strenuous mental activity (the work) of studying. See here for words related to "relaxing".

Note 5

Should the government be responsible for people's health?  

This question is quite different to the questions about government educating people about a healthy lifestyle.

"People's health" includes healthcare, such as hospitals and doctors. Many countries have free or almost free healthcare but for some people in the West, such as in Britain & the USA, government-funded healthcare is an example of "socialism" and they oppose it. Usually the people who oppose it are wealthy people who object to having the high taxes they pay to the government being used to pay for free or almost free healthcare for those people who are not so wealthy. These wealthy people want to pay less tax and, in addition, they want all, or almost all, government services to be privatized because it is they, the wealthy people, who would then own or invest in the private companies that would provide these privatized services, for a profit.

Note 6

Know the difference between "sport" and "(physical) exercise".

Note 7

Know the difference between "fun" and "funny".