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ielts-yasi.englishlab.net

Updated May 30, 2020

IELTS Part 2 and Part 3 Topics and Questions

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996. A New Building (Sep 2019) (Probably no longer used)

997. A Leisure Activity with Family (Sep 2019) (Probably no longer used)

998. A Person Often in the News (Jan 2020)

999. A Family Member You Spend Time With (Jan 2020)

1000. A Crowded Place You Went To (Jan 2020)

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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996. A New Building (Sep 2019) (Probably no longer used)

A) Describe a new building you would like to visit.

B) Describe a new public building you would like to visit.

C) Describe a building you would like to visit.

You should say:

where it is

when it was built

what it looks like

how you know about it *

and explain why you would like to visit it.

Notes

What is the difference between A & B? Not much. A public building is basically one that you can enter, unlike a private building such as someone's home. If the card just says A then it would be possible to say that you would like to visit a new private home or building but just look at it from the outside, without entering it. In fact, it might be Version C.
"New" could be any building that was built in, say, the past 5 years. That's relatively new. It doesn't have to be a building that was built this year, but it could be.
Although it is possible to "visit" a building by just standing outside it and not going inside, it might be best to describe a building that you would also like to enter.
This refers to a building that you have not actually visited or entered yet. However, it might possible to say that you have been there (visited it) before and would like to visit it again. If you say that. mention why you'd like to visit it again.
This topic is strongly testing your ability to accurately make sentences of the type, "If + past tense + would + verb". For example, "If I went there I would certainly take many photographs." Understand that, "would + verb" is more than, "would like to + verb".
The term, "public building" does not only refer to government buildings that the general public can enter to conduct business with the government such as applying for a passport or applying a driver's licence. A train station, for example, could be called a "public building". These are examples of buildings that are publicly owned (owned by the government)

Even a public toilet could be called a public building! You could even tell the examiner that you would like to visit (use) that building right now! :)

A privately-owned building such as a cinema that the public pays to use is also a "public building" in the sense that it is used by the public. Assuming that the word "public" is actually used in the question wording, it would be a good idea to say a few words (not too much) in your answer to explain how your choice of a building is a "public building".

I have a suspicion that "public" is not included in this Part 2 wording, but is included in some Part 3 questions.

A "structure" is something that is built, or constructed. All buildings are structures, but not all structures are buildings. For example, walls and bridges are structures but are not buildings. The Great Wall of China is a structure but not a building. A building has one or more doors that allow people to go inside it. The Eiffel Tower in Paris is a structure but not a building. The Forbidden City in Beijing is not a building - it's a group of buildings!

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Possible follow-up questions:

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Part 3

See also the Part 3 of Topic 956

(Public) Buildings in Your Country

What types of buildings are there in your hometown?
What kinds of public buildings are there in your country (or hometown)?
(Similar to above) What are some examples of buildings that are used by the public (i.e., not private homes)?
Which cities have the most modern buildings in your country?
(Possible question) What kinds of cities have modern buildings?
What do you think is the most representative building in (or, of) you country? See Note 4
Which do you think is more important for a building, the exterior appearance or the interior facilities?
Which do you think is more important for a building, the exterior appearance or the location of the building?
There are lots of skyscrapers in many countries. What are they used for?
Do you think it's a good thing (a good idea) to have skyscrapers? FQ See Note 5
(Similar to above) Why do we have skyscrapers?
Do you think the design of buildings (e.g., their shape and structure) will change in the future?
What shaped building would you prefer to live in, a round one or a triangular one?

Old & New Buildings

In general, do you prefer old or new buildings? See Note 3
Do you think it’s necessary to rebuild old buildings? See Note 1
Should the government build more new buildings, or should they preserve more historical buildings? See Note 2
Do you think if the new buildings in a city should be consistent with, or distinct from the current ones in appearance?
How important do you think old (or, historic) buildings are in attracting tourists to a certain location?
(Similar to above) What role do you think old (or, historic) buildings play in attracting tourists to a certain location?

People's Homes

Would you say people (in your country) prefer living in new houses, or old ones?

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997. A Leisure Activity with Family (Sep 2019) (Probably no longer used)

Describe a leisure activity you enjoy doing with your family. *

You should say:

what activity

when you do it

where you do it *

and explain why you enjoy it. *

Notes

This wording is my guess at the most likely wording.
Speak in the present tense. You should not use the past tense unless you mention a particular example of when you did this activity, at a particular time in the past.
The words, "your family" mean "all of your family members", not just a leisure activity with one member of your family.
Possible examples – watching TV or movies together; going for walks together, such as a walk in the park every Sunday or hiking in the countryside; playing games together such as cards, majiang or other games; playing a recreational sport together such as badminton or table tennis; going fishing together; gardening together; singing or playing music together; engaging in some hobby together . . . .
Going shopping together is not a very good example because people go shopping to fulfill a practical need rather than for recreation. Simply "chatting" together is also not a very good example of a leisure activity because "leisure activities" are more examples of "recreational activities" than just "non-work activities" or "at-home activities".

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Part 3

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998. A Person Often in the News (Jan 2020)

Describe a person who is often in the news, and who you would like to meet.

You should say:

who this person is

how you know about him/her

why he/she is often in the news

and explain why you would like to meet him/her.

Notes

Although I have limited information from outside China, I have noticed that a few people outside of China have reported this as, "Describe a famous person from another country (= a foreigner) who you would like to meet" followed by a Part 3 topic of, "The News". That topic has been used several times in the past.
If you use the words, "want to meet" then that means you have an active, quite strong desire to meet this person. "Would like to meet" can also be a more "genteel" way to say, "want to meet" but it is also used to mean, "Well, I've never thought about this before but now that you ask me, I'd like to meet . . . ". That is, someone who you would like to meet if the opportunity arose.
To answer, "why you would like to meet him/her", just saying, "because he/she is famous" is a weak answer. You should include what you would say or ask this person. After all, if you met this person, you would not just sit there and smile unless you just met them briefly, shook hands and said, "Hello, nice to meet you".

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Possible follow-up questions:

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Part 3

See also the Part 3 of Topic 672 and the several instances of topics about a 'famous person" on the page, http://ielts-yasi.englishlab.net/COMPLETE_P2_LIST.htm

Famous People

What kinds of people are usually in the news in your country?
Why are famous people often on the news?
Do foreigners ever (or, often) appear in the news in your country?
(Similar to above) Is there much news in your country about foreigners?
Can you explain why many companies use celebrities for advertising their products?
How can famous people have an influence on children and young people?
What are the advantages and disadvantages of being famous?
How can they encourage people to do good things?
Can they (help to) solve global problems?
Why do people want to know facts about famous people?

The News (especially in your country)

Do you like reading the news?
Do you think the contents of newspapers are always reliable (or, trustworthy)? FQ
(Similar to above) Do you think the news reports (or, news articles, or news stories) are always true (or accurate)? FQ
Would you say the news in your country is mostly about positive news, or negative news?
Do you think it’s important for people to watch foreign news?
What are the differences between news in the past (e.g., 20 years ago) and news now? FQ See Note 6
Would you say the quality of the news today is better than it was in the past?
How does the way people receive news differ from 20 years ago？
What would you say are the differences between receiving the news by text (= in writing) as compared to receiving it in the form of video?
Do you think old people and young people are all interested in the same kinds of news?
Which do you think is more important, international or national news?

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999. A Family Member You Spend Time With (Jan 2020)

Describe a family member you spend a lot of time with.

Describe the family member you spend the most time with.

You should say:

who this person is

what you usually do together

what kind of person he/she is

and explain why you spend the most time with him/her.

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Possible follow-up questions:

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Part 3

The last time this topic was used was Topic 680

Family Life in Your Country

In your country, how many generations are usually living under one roof today?
What are the benefits, and drawbacks of a family of several generation living together?
What are the advantages and disadvantages of strong family relationships?
What are some of the differences between the advice (or help) that friends give compared to what families give?
Do parents have equal responsibilities in taking care of their children?
Which do you think is more important, the support from one's family, or the support from one's friends?
When taking care of a baby (or young child), what do you think are the differences between a father and a mother?
Do you think there's any difference between what mothers and fathers teach their children?

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1000. A Crowded Place You Went To (Jan 2020)

Describe a crowded place you’ve been to

You should say:

when you went there

where the place is (or, was)

who you went there with

and explain how you felt about the place.

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Possible follow-up questions:

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Part 3

See some vocab

See the previous times this topic was used - Topic 789 & Topic 467

Crowded Places in General

Do you think people enjoy going to crowded places?
Do you think the traffic situation today is more serious than in the past?
How do you think people should deal with traffic congestion?
Where (or what) would you say is the most crowded place in your city?
What do you suggest the governments could do to solve the problem of crowding (and/or traffic congestion)?

City Life

Would you say it's important for a city to have amusement (and/or recreational) facilities?
Why do you think people choose to live in big cities (despite the problems)?
How do you think cities overseas are different to those in your country?
Would you say urban planning is important? *

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Note 1

Do you think it’s necessary to rebuild old buildings?

The word "rebuild" has been reported for this question but that might be a mistake. A building is only rebuilt after it has been demolished. Sometimes buildings are dismantled and moved to another location and rebuilt there, to look exactly like they did originally.

Instead of "rebuild", the word, "maintain" might be used in this question. "Repair' could be used when you are talking about a building that has not been maintained – we "repair" something that is damaged, or broken or, in the case of buildings, we often use the word, "dilapidated".

Note 2

Should the government build more new buildings, or should they preserve more historical buildings?

For questions such as this that only ask about the responsibilities of government (i.e., preservation), it is very possible to include in your answer the fact that private companies can (or might be able to) do what the question asks (preservation).

Although you should answer the question, it would also be suitable for you to include a general statement about what you think the responsibilities of government are, and are not. "Government", of course, can refer to local government (town or city), provincial government or national government.

A key point in this question is that "historical" buildings more or less "belong to" all the citizens of a country or a particular location. In this case, governments would probably be more suitable for assuming the responsibility of preserving these buildings than private enterprises, although a government could assume a lot of responsibility by having a large amount of control over what any private company does when preserving an historical building.

Of course, there are differences between simply "an old building" and, "an historical building".

Note 3

In general, do you prefer old or new buildings?

For any "prefer" questions, avoid simply using the word, "like" to directly answer this question, such as, "I like new buildings". Use "prefer". You can "like" both old & new buildings but which do you like more (= prefer)?

Note 4

The building that is most representative of your country to people in your country might be different to the building that most represents your country to foreigners (= people living in other countries). You might not be able to make a guess at the latter but you should be able to make some suggestions for the former.

Note 5

Another word for " a skyscraper" is "a high-rise building".

Note 6

What are the differences between news in the past (e.g., 20 years ago) and news now?

Would you say the quality of the news today is better than it was in the past?

These two questions, especially the second question, are not so much asking you about events that are reported as news, but more about the news media i.e., the news broadcasts on TV, the radio, the internet and news reports in newspapers.