Page 193

ielts-yasi.englishlab.net

Updated May 10, 2020

IELTS Part 2 and Part 3 Topics and Questions

Page 193

971. A Childhood Toy (Sep 2019)

972. A Person Who Usually Travels by Plane (Sep 2019)

973. Meeting Someone For the First Time (Sep 2019)

974. Someone Good at Their Job (Sep 2019)

975. A Memorable Holiday (Sep 2019)

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

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

971. A Childhood Toy (Sep 2019)

Version A

Describe a toy you got in your childhood.

You should say:

What it was

When you got it

How you got it

and explain how you felt about it.

Version B

Describe a toy you enjoyed playing with in your childhood.

You should say:

What it was

When you got it

How you played with it

and explain why you enjoyed playing with it.

Notes

This looks very similar to Topic 863 and several earlier ones.
We say, "play with a toy", not "play a toy".
Version B is probably the most likely wording.

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

Possible follow-up questions:

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

Part 3

Toys

In general, what kinds of toys do children enjoy playing with? See Note 2
(Similar to above) In general, what are some examples of toys that children enjoy playing with?
In what ways are toys today different to those of the past? FQ
Which do you think are better, traditional toys or modern ones?
What do you think children can learn from (playing with) toys? FQ
Do you think children actually need to have toys? (If so, what kinds of toys?)
What kinds of toys would you say are best for children to play with?
Do you think some parents give toys to their children as a substitute for spending time with their children? FQ

Children's Play

What benefits do you think children get from play(ing)? FQ
What do you think are the benefits for children who play with other kids?
(Similar to above) How do you think children benefit by playing with other children?
Do you think children should play outside?
What are the benefits of children playing outside?
What can they learn from playing outside?

Advertising Aimed at Children

How do think advertisements influence children? FQ
(Similar to above) What kinds of influence do you think advertisements have on (young) children? FQ
Do you think advertising aimed at children is a good thing?
In your opinion, should advertising aimed at kids be prohibited (= banned)?

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

972. A Person Who Usually Travels by Plane (Sep 2019)

Describe a person you know who usually travels by plane.

You should say:

who the person is

what the person does (job/student etc.)

how this person feels about flying

and explain why they (= he or she) usually travels by plane.

Notes

Some people have reported that the first line is, "Describe a person you know who often travels by plane". But I think that is a mistake. "Often" would apply to someone who, for example, travels by plane once a month or even more frequently than that.

On the other hand, "usually" can be used to describe a person who may not travel by plane very frequently but when this person does travel to a place that is, say, more than 250 km away, they usually go there by plane instead of by train, bus or car.

"Usually" means something like, "more than 70% of the time". A more stringent word would be, "always", which means "99% or 100% of the time". I doubt that "always" is the word used here, but it's possible.

You should choose to talk about someone you personally know, that is, someone who you have spoken to at least once.

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

Possible follow-up questions:

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

Part 3

Aeroplanes

Do you like travelling on planes?

What are the differences between travelling on aeroplanes (airplanes) and on trains or other forms of transport such as long-distance buses? FQ

Can you explain why people travel by plane?

Would you prefer to buy a cheaper (Economy Class) plane ticket or a more expensive but also more comfortable (First Class) ticket?

What do you think are the effects of aeroplanes on the environment? FQ

Airports

What would you say are the advantages and disadvantages if an airport is far away from a city centre?
(Similar to above) What do you think are the advantages and disadvantages of living near an airport?
Would you like to work at an airport?

Other Forms of Long-Distance Transport

Do you know if any trains in your country can take you to another country?
Have you travelled on this train?
Some people enjoy spending time on train a train trip, and once they arrive at the destination, they return back (immediately). What do you think of doing that?

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

973. Meeting Someone For the First Time (Sep 2019)

Describe an occasion when you met an interesting person for the first time.

You should say:

who this person was

when and where you met them

what you did or talked about

and explain why you think this person was interesting.

Notes

It is possible that this topic does not exist (at the moment) and, instead, the Part 3 questions below are used for Topic 984. A Conversation With a Stranger

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

Possible follow-up questions:

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

Part 3

Public Speaking

Can you suggest why many people lack confidence when they have to give a public presentation, such as at work?

Making Friends

In your country, how do people make new friends nowadays?
Has this changed, (compared to a few decades ago)? FQ
Do you think there are any differences between people in the countryside and city people when it comes to making friends?
Do you think it's more important to meet (or make) new friends, or to maintain your relationships with your current friends?
How do you judge whether people on social media websites or apps are telling the truth?
how to make friends with them?

The Workplace

What do you suggest could be done to encourage employees to do their work?
How do you think a person could make friends with both their supervisor and and their colleagues at work? FQ

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

974. Someone Good at Their Job (Sep 2019)

Describe a person you know who is good at their (= his or her) job

You should say:

who the person is

where the person works

what the person does

and explain why you think this person is good at their job.

Notes

This is probably a repeat of Topic 139.
"Why you think this person is good at their job" can be interpreted in two ways: a) explain how you think this person became so good or, b) explain what it is about the way this person works that causes you to think they do their job well. Meaning b) is the best thing to talk about although you can include a little of a) as well.

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

Possible follow-up questions:

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

Part 3

Skills

What do you think are some of the important skills that a manager needs to have?
Are any of those skills taught at schools in your country? See Note 1
(Possible follow-up question) Do you think schools should teach these skills? *

Adapting to Change

Can you suggest how people and companies can adapt to change?
Can you give an example of a company that failed by not adapting to change, or succeeded at adapting to change?
How do you adapt to change?
Would you say you are a quick learner?

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

975. A Memorable Holiday (Sep 2019)

Describe a memorable holiday you had.

You should say:

when and where you went

who you went with

what you did there

and explain why it was memorable.

Notes

"Holiday" = "vacation" in this case, especially but not necessarily a vacation spent away from home. A holiday does not necessarily involve going somewhere but it seems that this Part 2 wants you to talk about a trip.

Some people have reported the adjective as, "unusual" instead of "memorable". Although it is true that an unusual holiday is probably one that you remember well, there are other reasons for having a strong memory of a holiday.

On the other hand, if you plan to talk specifically about an "unusual" holiday then that would also satisfy the requirement of it being "memorable".

To be "unusual" does not necessarily mean that it's something that very few people do. You can say it was unusual for you, i.e., it was not what you usually do when you have a holiday. An example of that could be a trip abroad, which you usually don't do when you have a holiday.

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

Possible follow-up questions:

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

Part 3