ielts-yasi.englishlab.net

Updated Oct. 10, 2019

 

IELTS Part 2 and Part 3 Topics and Questions

Page 180

906A Time You Searched for Information  (Sep 2018)  (Probably no longer used)

907.  A Complaint You Made  (Sep 2018)  (Probably no longer used)

908.  Someone who Tries to Protect the Environment  (Sep 2018)  (Probably no longer used)

909.  An Interesting Person You Would Like to Meet  (Sep 2018)  (Probably no longer used)

910A Gift You Made Yourself  (Sep 2018)  (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

***********************************************************************

906A Time You Searched for Information  (Sep 2018)  (Probably no longer used)

Describe a time you looked for (= searched for) information on the internet. *

               You should say:

 when it was

 what you searched for

 how long it took you

and explain why you searched for (or, why you wanted) this information.

              .

Notes

  • This seems to be a new topic.

  • It is not certain that the words, "on the internet" are included in the first line.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  

Possible follow-up questions:

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  

Part 3

Note: "Information" is a non-count noun.

Information in General

  • Do you think it is important to retrieve information?

  • What are the various ways to get information FQ

  • Do you like searching for information or is it troublesome FQ

  • Which methods do you usually use to get information FQ

  • Has the way people get (or, find) information changed in the past few decades FQ

  • Are there people who can't use the internet?

  • How can people who can't access the internet get information?

  • What information can be found in a library?  

  • Do you often use a library to find information?

  • Why do people go to a library?

  • Can you explain why some people spend a lot of time in a library?

  • Do you think you will continue to use libraries in the future FQ  

  • Do you think libraries will eventually be closed?

Information on the Internet

  • What kinds of information can you (= we) find on the internet?

  • What would you say are the advantages of searching for information on the internet?

  • Do you think there are any disadvantages from searching the internet for information?

  • Are there any people you can't use the internet FQ

  • What disadvantages do those people experience by not using the internet FQ

  • What would you say are the differences between getting information from a library and getting it from the internet FQ 

  • (Similar to above) Which would you say is better, searching for information on the internet or searching for it in a library FQ 

  • (Similar to above) Which would you say is better, searching for information on the internet or searching for it in books made of paper?  FQ 

  • Is there any information on the internet that is not usually available in libraries?

  • Do you think free internet access should be available for everyone, everywhere?

  • How would you assess the quality of the information on the internet FQ

  • (Similar to above) Do you think the quality of the information on the internet is good FQ

  • Do you think you (or, people) can always trust the information on the internet FQ

  • (Similar to above) Do you think the information on the Internet is credible FQ

  • How do you know if it is good or bad FQ

  • (Similar to above) How can you know if it is good or bad FQ

  • Do you think the news online is always correct?

  • Which do you think is better, the news on TV or the news on the internet?

  • Can you explain why fewer and fewer people read newspapers nowadays?

  • How can people distinguish between false (or mistaken) information on the internet and true (or accurate) information FQ

  • What do you think is (or, can be) the result of incorrect information on the internet?

  • Do you think it's good to check the information on the internet?

  • Do you think some people can be harmed by incorrect information on the internet FQ  

  • How should people treat rumours that are on the internet?

  • Do you think the government controls what is available on the internet in your country?

  • Do you think some people are better than others at finding information on the internet?

  • (For candidates in China) Do people in China have difficulty using Google?

  • (For candidates in China) How do you get Google? (If you say you can get it.)

  • (For candidates in China) Do many people use a VPN service?

Research

See also the Part 3 of Topic 498 & Topic 208

***********************************************************************

907.  A Complaint You Made  (Sep 2018)  (Probably no longer used)

Describe an occasion when you made a complaint.

               You should say:

 what you complained about

 why you complained

 who you complained to

   and explain whether you were satisfied with the result.

              .

Notes

  • This seems to be a new topic.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  

Possible follow-up questions:

  • Do you often make complaints?

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  

Part 3

See some vocabulary here

Complaining in General

  • Would you say you are the type of person who likes to complain?

  • Would you say people in your country often complain about things, or are they reluctant to complain?  See Note 2

  • What do people in your country generally complain about FQ  

  • Who would you say complains more, young people or old people FQ  

  • Do you think complaining works?

  • Which do you think is better, to make a face-to-face complaint, or to complain by letter (or email) FQ  

Customer Service

  • What sorts of products and services do people in your country sometimes complain about?

  • Do you think that businesses are good at handling complaints?

  • Do you think businesses should respect their customers?

  • Do you think companies should respond to customer complaints quickly?

  • Do you think it's important for companies to have a customer service (or, after-sales service) department FQ

  • What do you think are the benefits of having such a department in a company?

  • Do you think it's helpful to read the comments made by consumers on the internet when you do online shopping?  

  • How do you think businesses can benefit from collecting information about their customers' complaints?

  • Do you think having such a department in a company would improve the quality of the products that it sells?

  • Would you continue to buy things in a shop where you had previously made a complaint?

***********************************************************************

908.  Someone Who Tries to Protect the Environment  (Sep 2018)  (Probably no longer used)

Describe a person you know who tries to protect the environment. *

               You should say:

 who this person is

 how you know them

 what they do to try to protect the environment

 and explain why you think they do this. *

              .

Notes

  • This seems to be a new topic, i.e., a topic that has not been used before.

  • Even if you personally do not think what this person does has any effect on the environment, the key point here is that this person thinks he or she is helping to protect the environment. See some examples at Note 3.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  

Possible follow-up questions:

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  

Part 3

See some vocabulary here

Protecting the Environment

Education about Protecting the Environment

***********************************************************************

909.  An Interesting Person You Would Like to Meet  (Sep 2018)  (Probably no longer used)

Version A

Describe an interesting person who you would like to meet. *

               You should say:

 who this person is

 how you know about them

 what you would say to this person * (or, what you would talk about) *

 and explain why you would like to meet this person.

              .

Version B

Describe a person you have never met (but) who you would like to get to know. *

               You should say:

 who this person is

 how you know about them

 what you would say to this person * (or, what you would talk about) *

 and explain why you would like to get to know this person.

 

Version C

Describe a person you know but who you would like to get to know better. *

               You should say:

 who this person is

 how you know them

 what you would say to this person * (or, what you would talk about) *

 and explain why you would like to get to know this person better.

 

 

Notes

  • I think Version B is more likely.

That version is similar to Version A but Version B means you would like to become closer to this person, even make friends with them.

The first line might or might not include the word, "interesting" but obviously this person is interesting to you.

The words, "who you would like to meet" mean you have never met this person yet.

To "get to know" someone means to "become familiar with them". This means, "learn more about them" and is similar to, "make friends with them".

This would suit someone who is on your social media list of contacts but someone who you don't really know very well.

  • "Interesting person" means interesting to you. This person might not be so interesting to other people.

  • Using "will" is not suitable here. For example don't say, "I will ask". Use "I would ask" ("I'd ask").

  • "Would like to meet" is a less emphatic way of saying, "I want to meet". That is, your expression of desire to meet this person is not as strong when you say, "would like to" as it is when you say, "I want to". "I want to" is more suitable when talking about a goal or plan or strong desire. However, for this topic, it is possible for you to develop your answer from, "I'd like to meet" to, "I want to meet". Most people "would like to" meet the leader of their country (= would be happy to meet this person) but not many people would say they, "want to" meet this person.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  

Possible follow-up questions:

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  

Part 3

Making Friends

People's Personalities

***********************************************************************

910A Gift You Made Yourself  (Sep 2018)  (Probably no longer used)

Modified copy of Topic 588

Describe an occasion when you gave a gift that you had made yourself.*

               You should say:

what it was

who you gave it to

how you made it

and explain why you gave a self-made (or, handmade) gift *

                  or

and explain how the other person reacted on receiving this gift. *

              .

Notes

  • There is a small possibility that the first line just says, "a handmade gift", not a gift you made yourself. For example, you could have bought a handmade gift that was made by someone else. However, it would be safer to assume that it does say that you made it.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  

Possible follow-up questions:

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  

Part 3

See also the Part 3 of Topic 588 and other past topics about a gift.

Make sure you know how to pronounce "create", "creative" & "creativity".

Gift-Giving in Your Country

  • What kind of gifts do you usually give to others in your country?

  • Do you think people generally prefer handmade gifts or gifts bought in a shop?

Handmade Products

  • Have you yourself ever received a gift that someone else had made?

  • Which do you prefer, a gift that was made by the gift-giver or a gift that was bought in a shop?

  • Which do you think is better, food that you make yourself or food that you buy?

  • Which do you think is more creative, making a product by machine (or, in a factory), or making it by hand?  See Note 6

  • Did you ever make anything yourself when you were a child?

Art in Schools

  • In your country, are art lessons in school considered to be important?

  • Do you think they should be given more importance? *

  • Do you think creativity should be encouraged (or, taught) in schools?

***********************************************************************

Note 1

The examiner might use easier-to-understand language and several questions to ask this.\For example, "Are students usually eager to welcome a new student to their class or school?" and,  "What can be done to make the new student feel comfortable at the new place?"  

The question is basically asking what people can do to welcome a newcomer.

Note 2

The general meaning of, "to complain" is to express dissatisfaction to another person about a thing or a situation. For example, a student might complain to someone about the amount of homework he has to do; a person might complain to someone else about the traffic jam he or she is stuck in; someone might complain about a product he bought recently that suddenly stopped working.

Then there are the complaints that people make to shops or other businesses when they believe the quality of product or service from that business is not satisfactory. In this case, the person making the complaint usually expects the problem to be resolved, such as having a defective product replaced, (or fixed) or getting a refund on what they paid.

Note 3

Most examples of "protecting the environment" are either, a) avoiding pollution of the air, water or soil or, b) preserving the natural environment, especially the native forests.

Some examples of helping to protect the environment:

Note: There are some people, especially in the English-speaking countries, who believe that doing things that reduce their personal contribution to man-made carbon dioxide, CO2, (= their "carbon footprint"), is helping to protect the environment. However, there is considerable scientific disagreement about whether man-made CO2 or even naturally produced CO2 is a "pollutant". Carbon dioxide is, after all, "food for plants". This is related to the topic of "man-made climate change" or "man-made global warming". The main examples of what these people do are: avoiding travel in cars and planes in order to reduce the production of CO2 from the burning of petroleum products; and reducing their personal consumption of electricity because most electricity is produced by burning coal, which results in more CO2 being added to the atmosphere. Installing a solar power or wind power system for a house, and insulating one's house are other examples of reducing electricity usage from the public electricity system. Another example is not eating meat because beef cattle and other animals produce methane, another greenhouse gas.

Some people are active in groups that plant trees in places where trees used to exist (possibly hundreds or thousands of years ago) but do not exist there now. This includes deserts. This is more a case of "restoring the environment" rather than protecting it. However, some people who believe in the "carbon footprint" idea also do this because trees consume some of the CO2 in the atmosphere, as well as produce oxygen, O2. This example would be suitable to use in Part 2 here.

Note: Avoiding the use of, or purchase of protected animal products, such as ivory from elephants, is a question of protecting the ecology, rather than protecting the environment. The two are not exactly the same thing, although some examiners would probably accept it as a suitable example of protecting the environment, especially if you say it is protecting the, "natural balance of that part of the environment that involves the living things" (= the ecological balance).

Note 4

In addition to your example from Part 2, what are some other things that can be done to protect the environment?

If the examiner uses words such as, "other things that can be done to protect the environment" then your answer can, and should include things that governments and companies can do, as well as what individuals can do. On the other hand, if the examiner uses words such as, "other things that people can do to protect the environment" then your answer should focus on what individuals can do.

Note 5

Teaching about this topic in schools does not mean having a whole subject for this topic, like the subjects of mathematics, history etc. It could be done in just one or a few lessons within the science class, or social studies class, for example.

Note 6

Which do you think is more creative, making a product by machine (or, in a factory), or making it by hand?

"Creativity" refers to creating ideas (in your mind), not simply producing or making something. These might be ideas for solving a problem, in which case no product or piece of art is made.

It is rare for people to make anything by hand without using any tools at all. For example, a needle (in "needle and thread") is a tool. So whether a machine (a type of tool) is used or not is not relevant. However, it is a fact that when products are made in a factory they are usually mass produced using machines, which means they are all copies of the same model or template. When something is handmade, it is usually unique and inspired by the ideas that the maker created in his or her mind.

On the other hand, it is theoretically possible for someone to mass produce something by hand, i.e., make identical copies. of the same thing. And it is theoretically possible for someone to use creative ideas to produce different variations of a product in a factory, using a machine. But these are exceptions to the rule.