Written July 23, 2020
IELTS Part 2 and Part 3 Topics and Questions
Page 208
1046.
A Large Company
1050.
A Place You Go To Relax
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 large company that you are interested in.
You should say:
what it is
what business it does
how you know about it
and explain why you are interested in it. .
Notes
See also the Part 3 of
Apart from the company you just spoke about, are there any other big companies you’ve heard of?
What advantages does a large company usually have, compared to a small company?
What difficulties do you think a small company might have when it is growing in size?
Can you explain why large companies
usually pay their employees higher salaries than small companies?
Describe a film that made you think a lot.
Notes
This is a new variation on the Part 2 topic of A Film.
Also see the often-used Part 3 questions for the Part 2 topic, "A Film" by searching COMPLETE_P2_LIST.htm
Films in Your Country
What do you think makes a good film?
The Movie Industry
Would you say a country's film industry is important for that country? See Note 1
Why are special effects used in some movies?
Describe an enjoyable time when you spent time with a lot of people
Notes
This seems to be a new topic.
Someone has reported this as, "Describe an enjoyable time when you stayed with a lot of people" but, to "stay with" someone or some people usually means, "to spend at least one night sleeping at their place", just as we say, "I stayed in a hotel for a week" or "I stayed in hospital for two nights". I think the question most likely just asks you to talk about being with or spending time with a large group of people. Examples: a party, a camp, or a group outing such as going to a football match as a large group, or a picnic, or a hike in the mountains . . .
What are some examples of group events that people go to?
Do you think people today gather together (in rather big groups) more often than before?
Describe a city you have visited and would like to go back to again.
Notes
The words, "
Most likely, "was" is used in those sub-questions and you should use the past tense when talking about what city it was and where it was, even though the city has not changed its location - it is still in the same place. Only use the present tense if the wording is, "what city it is" and "where it is".
Cities versus The Countryside
What are the differences between cities and the countryside?
Some people say large cities are suitable for old people as places to live. What do you think?
Do you think it's possible for all the population of a country move to cities?
Would you say people in the countryside are friendlier than people in the city?
Describe a place (other than your home) where you sometimes go to relax.
You should say:
where it is
what you do there
how often you go there
and explain why it is a relaxing place
Notes
This is probably a repeat of Topic 745 ( and the earlier versions of that topic shown on that page).
The verb, "to relax" has two slightly different meanings, or usages.
a) A person relaxes when the muscles of their body become very loose and soft and their mind is at ease. For example, lying down on a soft bed or being massaged by someone.
b) "Relax" can sometimes mean, "To take a break from work, or study; to engage in a pleasant non-work activity, such as a recreational activity. In many workplaces, there is a "break room" where the employees go for a 15-minute break in mid-morning. When they take a break there, they usually sit down, have a cup of tea or coffee or a snack, chat with their colleagues possibly do something like play a game of cards, read the newspaper or a magazine, or even play a game of ping-pong. They are not working at this time, during their break.
Some vocabulary - http://ielts-yasi.englishlab.net/vocabulary_lists.htm#13.%20Leisure%20Time%20&%20Relaxing and http://ielts-yasi.englishlab.net/vocabulary_lists_3.htm#Relaxing
Relaxing in Your Country
In your country, what do student do to relax? See Note 2
Do you think people nowadays have more ways to relax than in the past?
Would you say looking at natural scenery is more relaxing than engaging in indoor activities?
(Similar to
above)
Is there any natural scenery near your home that makes you relaxed (= that relaxes you)?
Why do you think natural scenery is relaxing to people?
Relaxing at the Workplace
Of course, most small countries don't have a well-developed film industry, or they might just have a few amateur film makers. This question is asking you to say what you think is the value (the benefits etc.) of a film industry for a country.
The question is giving you an opportunity to use an "if" sentence and get some points for grammar. For example, "Of course, most small countries don't have a well-developed film industry, or they might just have a few amateur film makers. But if a country DID have a film industry, it would enable that country to produce films in its own language, expressing the culture and the values of that society. As well as that, it would, . . . " Or, "If a country DOES have a film industry, it will enable . . .
In English there are many verbs that can be used as, "reflexive verbs". These are verbs that can sometimes be (or usually are) followed by the word, "oneself" or variations of that word such as "themselves", "herself", "myself" etc. Examples of these reflexive verbs are: enjoy oneself; amuse oneself; introduce oneself; express oneself; prepare oneself; control oneself; apply oneself; stop oneself, forgive oneself; excuse oneself , respect oneself, teach oneself . . . And of course there are words such as wash oneself; feed oneself; heal oneself; hurt oneself; cut oneself; burn oneself; dress oneself; etc.
But English does NOT follow the word, "relax" with any variations of the word, "self". In other words, the verb, "relax" is NOT used reflexively in English. We do not say, "relax myself", "relax themselves" etc.
This means, "taking a break from work" for longer than just a few minutes. These activities are done as a group, to help the employees socialize together and to increase a sense of company solidarity.
. . . a company picnic; a sports competition among the employees such as a football match; going on a hike or camp as a group; a "games night" where the employees engage in games, often in teams; a meal in a restaurant, plus drinks, for a group of employees paid for by the company; a night out at a KTV (karaoke bar) paid for by the company; on overseas vacation paid for by the company . . .