Updated Apr. 29, 2007
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IELTS Part 2 and
Part 3 Topics and Questions
Page 3¡¡
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Part
2
11.
A
Work of Art
(Probably no longer used)
Describe
a painting or work of art that you have seen.
You should say:
when you saw this work of art
where you saw it
what it looked like
and explain your impression of it.
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Part
3
Art
- Do schools in China have art
classes?
- Do you think art classes are
necessary? (Why?) (=
Should painting (arts education) be part of the school curriculum? Why?)
- How do you think art classes
affect children¡¯s development?
- What kind of paintings do Chinese people like?
- What can you learn from western paintings?
- Some paintings are very expensive, but people still want to buy them.
Why do you think they think this way?
- What benefits can you get from painting as a hobby?
Part
2
12.
Your Childhood Room (Probably
No Longer Used) (See topic # 45)
(Most probably this means your
bedroom.)
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Describe
your childhood room.
You should say:
what it looked like
what was in it
what you did in the room
and explain why you liked it *.
(or, explain what you liked about the room.)*
(See
also Topic 45.)
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Part
3
Rooms
- Do you think children should
have their own rooms?
- How do children benefit from
sharing a room with others?
- In China, do parents usually
have rules about how children keep their rooms?
- Do you think it's important
for parents to have rules for how children keep their rooms?
- Do you think people have
enough privacy today?
- What do you think of people
who decorate their houses in a very flamboyant manner?
- Have the rooms in people¡¯s
houses changed much compared to the rooms of your parents¡¯ time? *
- How do you think rooms will
change in the future? *
Places
for Public Use
- What kinds of places for
public use does your hometown have? (parks, children¡¯s playgrounds, etc)
- Do you think it¡¯s
important to have such facilities as public parks and children¡¯s
playgrounds?
- Compare public facilities
(such as parks) in China today to those of the past.
- In your opinion, how will
public facilities change in the future?
Grandparents
- Did your grandparents live
far from you when you were a child?
- How did you feel when you
stayed with them (or, when they stayed with you)?
- What did you used to do with
your grandparents when you were a child?
- What did you learn from (how
did you benefit from) your grandparents?
Describe
an important building in your hometown.
You should say:
where this building is
what it looks like
what it is used for (or, the original purpose of this building when it
was first built = why it was built)
and explain why it is important.
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Possible
follow-up questions:
- Do many people visit this
building?
- Do many tourists visit this
building?
- Do you think you will visit
this building sometime soon?
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Part
3
Old
Buildings
- How do
people in China feel about old buildings? FQ
- Do old
people and young people in China have the same attitudes towards old
buildings? *
- Is it
important to preserve old buildings? (Why?) FQ
- What
aspect of culture do old buildings reflect?
- How
do old buildings affect the appearance of a place? (Hint: Well designed and
well maintained old buildings are visually attractive and add a touch of
elegance to a location.)
- What
benefits can people get from old buildings?
- Would
you say buildings in the past were better than those of today, or those of
today are better than those in the past?
- Do you
think it¡¯s worth the money to preserve old buildings?
- How
have buildings changed in the past few years?
- What
has been the biggest change in your hometown in recent years?
Housing
- Compare
old houses and modern houses. Which do people prefer to live in? (Why?)
- How has
housing in China changed, (e.g., compared to your parents¡¯ time)? FQ
- What
changes to housing do you think will occur in the future? FQ
- Are
people in China satisfied with their housing today? (What changes would they
like to see?) FQ
- (As
above) What kind of house do people in China dream of living in? (= What do
Chinese people consider to be an 'ideal house'?)
- If
everyone in China wanted to live in a big house with a garden, there would
not be enough space for everyone. What is the solution to this problem?
- Compare
housing in Chinese cities and housing in villages.
- What
factors do people consider when deciding where to live?
- Do
young people and old people like to live in the same kind of place?
- Describe
the kind of housing you would like to live in, in the future. FQ
- How do
you think the climate of a place effects the way buildings are constructed (or
designed)? FREQUENTLY ASKED & DIFFICULT QUESTION!!
- How do
you think modern architecture (modern building design) benefits people?
- Do
you think that, when a large housing development is being planned,
environmental factors should be taken into account? (Why? What factors?)
You should say:
what the book was
what was in this book
why you read it
and explain what effect the book had on you.
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Part
3
Reading
in China
- How often
do you read?
- Do you
have many books at home?
- Do
Chinese people do enough reading?
- Do
Chinese people like to read?
- What kind
of people like reading and what kind of people don't like reading very much?
- (As
above) Why do you think some people do not read much? (What kinds of people
don't read much?)
- Do people
with different reading levels all buy the same kinds of reading materials?
- What do
Chinese people like to read?
- What
kinds of materials do think people should read?
- What
benefits do people get from reading?
- (As
above) Do you think reading is important? (= How important is reading?)
- Do young
people and old people like to read the same kind of materials? (Why?)
- Do men
and women like to read the same kinds of things?
- What
choices of newspapers and magazines are available in China now?
- What
kinds of books are most popular in China?
- What's
the most popular novel in China right now?
- What
kinds of magazines are most popular in China?
- Compare
books and magazines. (How are they similar and how are they different?)
- Compare
newspapers and novels. What different kinds of information can can we get
from these two?
- Compare
people¡¯s reading habits (or tastes) today to those of the past.
- How do
you think people¡¯s reading habits will change in the future?
- Compare
reading and watching TV.
The Internet
- Do you
think the internet has changed people¡¯s reading habits?
- Compare
internet reading materials (such as news and opinion) to traditional media
(TV, radio, newspapers) content. *
- Have you ever read books on
the internet?
- Do you think e-books
(electronic books) will ever replace traditional books?
Children and
reading
- Do you think it¡¯s a good
idea to teach children to read before they start school?
- What kinds of things do children like to read?
- What
about teenagers - what do they like to read?
Describe
a meal you would like to invite your friends to eat with you.
You
should say:
who you would invite
where you would eat this meal
what you would eat
and explain why you would choose to eat this food.*
(or, explain why you would like to invite these friends to eat with
you.)*
(or, explain what preparations you would make for this meal.) *
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Part
3
Diet
- Do you
like cooking? (Why?/Why not?)
- What
kinds of food do Chinese people like to eat?
- Would
you say that eating a healthy diet is important? (Why?)
- Describe
what you think is a healthy diet.
- Are
there many vegetarians in China?
- Why do
you think some people choose to be vegetarians?
- Is the
food that people eat today in China different to the food that people used
to eat in the past? (If yes, in what ways has it changed?)
- How do
you think the way we eat will change in the future?
- Is
American-style 'fast food' popular in China? (Why? Popular with whom?)
- What do
you think of this popularity ¨C is it as good thing?
Dietary
Problems
- More
and more people are becoming overweight nowadays. What do you think might be
the causes of this?
- What
can be done about this problem?
- On the
other hand, millions of people in the world don¡¯t have enough to eat. Why
do you think that is?
- What
can be done about it?