Updated Mar. 6, 2019
IELTS Part 2 and Part 3 Topics and Questions
Page 175
881.
A Magazine
882.
A Party
883.
Primary School Maths
884.
Public Transportation
885.
A Quiet Place
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 magazine you enjoy reading.
You should say:
what magazine it is
how often you read it (or, when you read it)
what kinds of people generally read this magazine *
and explain why you like to read it
Notes
Magazines
Do you read a lot?
What do you like to read?
Do many people read magazines in your
country
Do you remember what was the first magazine you read?
Which do you think people prefer reading, magazines, or newspapers?
How can we know what the content of a magazine is?
What are some of the most popular types
of magazines in your country
Why do some people like to read a particular type of magazine and other people choose a different type?
Do you think males (men / boys)
are very interested in reading fashion magazines
Do you think people mainly read
magazines just for enjoyment, or do they read them in order to learn
something
Why do you think people enjoy reading news about celebrities?
Do you think the information in magazines is always accurate?
Would you like to write articles for a magazine?
Journalism
Are you very interested in the news? *
Are you more interested in national news, or international news?
What
are the differences between national (or, local) and international news
(Similar to above) Are people in your country more interested in the national news, or international news?
Do you
think the news reports are always accurate and truthful
Would you
say that what journalists (or, reporters) write is always subjective
How does someone become a journalist?
What skills are needed to be a (good) journalist?
What kind of person becomes a journalist?
Do you
think it would be interesting to be a journalist
Would you like to be a journalist (or, reporter)?
The Media Today
What do you think is the difference between the traditional media, and the media today?
What role do you think mobile phones play in the spread of information?
Do you think that information is always accurate and true? *
Do you think newspapers and magazines will disappear one day in the future?
Notes
Two previous "party" topics, different to above, were Topics 502 and 204.
"Recently" can be within the past year or two. Basically, the question refers to a party that you attended as a young adult.
In English, we don't usually say, "take part in a party" or "participate in a party". We usually just say, "go to a party", which is the same as the slightly more formal, "attend a party".
This question is not about about "you had", which means a party "you held". It is about a party that was held or organized by others.
Sometimes a party can be called a "get together" (= a occasion when people "get together" socially.) But you should be careful of using that expression in in order to avoid using it unsuitably.
Parties
Why do people hold (or, go to) parties?
In your country, what are the
differences between what adults usually do when they are at a party,
compared to what children do at a children's party
(Similar to above) What do adults do at (adult) parties?
What do people generally eat at a party?
Do many parents in your country hold birthday parties for their children?
Do you think parents should spend a lot of money on parties for their children?
When (on what occasions) do people in
your country hold a party
Are those parties all the same?
Do you think there are more parties (or,
people are holding more parties) today than in the past
Do you think that people sometimes spend too much money on a party? See Note 8
Do wedding receptions (festivities, dinners) cost a lot of money
Can you explain why many (or, most) people spend so much money on weddings?
What are the differences between poor people and rich people when they celebrate a wedding?
Do you think it (always) takes a lot of money to have a party?
What do those people prefer doing, instead of going to parties?
Do you think it's good for young people to socialize with other young people?
Some people think a party is a good occasion to make news friends or possibly find a girlfriend or boyfriend. Do you agree?
Festivals (Festive Occasions)
Possibly the words, "traditional holidays" are used for some questions here.
What festive occasions in your country
are usually celebrated by holding a "get together" or party
Do you like those occasions?
Do you think there should be more of them?
What do people generally do on those occasions?
Do you think foreign culture has had (or is having) any influence on the festive occasions that people celebrate in your country?
Do you think
family gatherings (celebrations, parties) are important
Do families in your country come together very often?
What would you say is the most famous traditional festival in your country? (Why?)
Do you know much about the meanings of (or, behind) your traditional festivals?
Do you know any of the legends behind some of these festivals?
Do you think everyone in your country knows about those legends?
Can you explain how everyone remembers (or knows) how to celebrate these festivals?
Do you think they will still be celebrated in the same way in the future?
Do you think
foreign tourists are (or, would be) very interested in (or, attracted by)
these festivals
Do you think any
of these festivals are important for the tourism industry
Leisure Activities
(Similar to
above)
Describe some mathematics (a mathematical skill) you learned in primary school. *
You should say:
what you learned
how you learned it
who your teacher was *
how difficult is was to learn
and explain how useful you think that mathematics is in your life today.
Notes
This was previously used as Topic
To prepare for this, you should learn the words, "arithmetic", "arithmetic operations (or functions)", "addition", "subtraction". "multiplication", "division", "long division" and "the times table".
Asian candidates could possibly include a few words about using an abacus and all candidates could possibly include a few words about using a calculator.
Americans and most Canadians say, "math" while British English speakers say "maths". All English speakers say, "mathematics". If you are sure your examiner is from North America, it is perfectly suitable to say, "math" instead of "maths".
A couple of people have reported that this topic is about a "maths class" but most people have reported that the topic is about a mathematical skill.
Mathematics in Society
(Similar to above)
Do you think everyone needs to learn maths?
Mathematics Education
Is it easy for you to remember (now) the
maths you learned at school
Was it easy for you to learn (or,
remember) mathematics at school
(Similar to above) When you first
started school,
Do you have any ideas about how mathematics (at school) could be made easier to understand?
Do you think maths classes at school
could be (or, should be) made more interesting
Calculators, Computers & Similar Electronic Devices See Note 3 and Note 4
Do students use calculators at school in
your country
Do you think school children should (be
allowed to) use calculators when they are first learning mathematics
What are the benefits of using a calculator?
Would you say calculators and computers are affecting our maths skills?
What do you think would happen if all
computers stopped working?
Would you say computers are more intelligent than humans?
884. Public Transportation
Describe a trip you recently took by public transport.
You should say:
what kind of public transport it was
where you were going
what you did during the trip
who you were with on this trip
and explain how you felt during this trip.
Version B
Describe a type of public transport that you use regularly (or often). *
You should say:
what kind of public transport it is
where you use it
when you use it
and explain how you feel about using this form of transport.
Notes
Information about this topic is a bit sketchy but it might be like Topic 503, as shown in Version A.
However, a candidate in Myanmar has recently reported his or
her topic as Version B, which is quite different to Version A. I think
Version B is more likely to be correct. After all, people use public
transport regularly and there's usually nothing special, or especially
memorable about those daily trips, so Version A would not be very suitable
as a topic to talk about. Quite possibly
The topic of Public Transport is used as a Part 3 topic for the Part 2 Topic, 856. A Public Place that Needs Improvement. A large number of people have reported this as a Part 3 topic, and a large number of people have also reported it as a Part 2 topic. Therefore, it does look like this topic is being used twice in the same testing period. That is, it does look like neither this Part 2 nor the Part 3 in Topic 856 are mistakes, even though some of the same questions appear in both sets of Part 3 questions.
Public Transport in Your Hometown (or, Country)
What are the
commonly used means of public transport in your hometown
Do you, yourself, often take (or, use, or ride on) a bus (or, the subway)?
Why do you (choose to) use that
form of transport
(Similar to
above)
What do you
suggest could be (or, should be) done to solve these problems
How do you think public transport can be
(or, could be) promoted
(Similar to
above)
Private Cars
Is private car ownership very common in your hometown (or, city)?
What do you
think are the
(A bit
different to above)
Can you explain
why some people use their car just to go a short distance
Do you think some
people buy a car mainly because they think it's a status symbol
(Similar to
above) Do people think
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.
Notes
This is probably a repeat of Topic 785 but there are also other previous topics, such as those about "A Peaceful Place" or "A Relaxing Place" that might also be essentially the same as Topic 785.
People's Feelings about Noise
Can you explain why people usually
prefer quiet places to noisy places
Who do you think prefers quiet places
more, young people or old(er) people
Do you think living in a quiet place, such as a village, is more suitable for old people than young people?
Which do you prefer, a quiet place or a place that has noise and vitality? See Note 6
Noise at Home and Work
Do you think there's more noise in
society nowadays, compared to before
Would you say people's living
places are noisier today than in previous years
What would you do if a neighbour was making too much noise?
Do you think it is possible to study very well in a library that's full of people?
Noise in Cities
Is it easy to find quiet places in the
cities
(Similar to above) How can someone
find a quiet place in the city
Do you think cities today are noisier than in the past?
Can you explain
why cities are noisier than the countryside
How do people in your country feel about noise in the cities?
Where would you prefer to live, in a city or in a village in the countryside?
Do you think the government needs to do something about reducing noise levels in the cities?
If, in the previous question, you say that people do (sometimes) read magazines in order to learn something, then it looks like the examiner might ask this general question.
The examiners also seem to have asked this
question about a specific type of magazine that the candidate has already
mentioned. For example,
Most of us only occasionally or momentarily forget the rather simple maths (the arithmetic) we learned in primary school but what we learned in high school is a different matter. It's not clear whether the examiners just say, "school" or if they ask specifically about primary school.
If you are a Chinese or other Asian candidate, you might find it suitable in one of your answers here to mention using an abacus (算盘), even though it is not an electronic device. Examiners will be interested to learn about using an abacus since we don't learn that in the West.
It seems that both "calculators" and "computers" are used in questions for this topic and that sometimes the same question that uses "calculators" is also sometimes asked using the word, "computers". Computer operating systems actually incorporate a calculator but computers can be programmed to do much more powerful calculations than simple calculators. In other words, you can think of a computer as a more advanced version of a calculator (when considering the mathematical usage of computers, or, more specifically, computer programs).
A "short distance" is something like 500 metres, or the distance a person could walk in 10 minutes.
Possibly this question is worded this way:
Of course, many young people like to go (sometimes) to places such as discos or amusement parks that have a very high noise level. And most people in cultures such as in China like the vitality of noisy restaurants. It signifies people enjoying themselves. (热闹)
You might need to explain to the examiner that the "countryside", such as farmland or the wilderness has no people or very few people, so obviously there is little or no human-produced noise. This is obvious!
But if you talk about small towns or villages in the countryside, that is a different question. In my experience in China, the big cities such as Beijing have laws restricting the random use of car horns but this is not the case in the small places, where you can hear people honking their car horns almost constantly from early morning to late at night. In other words, sometimes the the big cities are actually quieter than the small places! Many more vehicles in the city does not necessarily result in much more noise. This may or may not be the case in other countries.
The points in this Note 7 and in Note 6 are good material for you to use to discuss these questions. When the situations are not simple (or, "cut and dried") then you have more material to talk about.
This is probably hinting at wedding receptions (= wedding dinners), which many people spend a lot of money on/.
This is referring to treating other people to a meal in a restaurant, taking them out to places such as karaoke bars etc. Of course, most of that is done to form business relations.
The term, "wedding party" is not used for this activity or occasion because we already have another meaning for "wedding party", which is the group of people who attend a wedding ceremony. These same people, the bride & groom, the bridesmaid and the best man and any other guests probably also attend the wedding reception but not all weddings necessarily have a wedding reception (a dinner).