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ielts-yasi.englishlab.net

Updated Mar. 6 , 2011

IELTS Part 2 and Part 3 Topics and Questions

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261. No topic

262. Something Healthy you Would Recommend (2) (Jan. 23, 2010) (Probably no longer used)

263. A TV Program You Like (Jan. 30, 2010) (Probably no longer used)

264. A Place Where You Learned about the Past (Jan. 30, 2010) (Probably no longer used)

265. A Sport You Would Like to be Good At (May 2010) (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

* = a guess at the correct wording or a guess that this question exists

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261. No Topic

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262. Something Healthy you Would Recommend (2) (Jan. 23, 2010) (Probably no longer used)

Version A

Describe something you do (or have done) that is good for your health and that you would recommend to others.*

You should say:

what it is

when you do it

who you do it with

[what equipment you use *]

and explain why you think it is good for your health.

Version B

Describe something good for the health that you would recommend to others.*

You should say:

who you would recommend it to *

what it is (or: what it would be)

what equipment is needed for this (or: what equipment would be needed) *

and explain why you would recommend it to this person. *

Notes

This might be Topic 184 continuing in the test with a "second life". (This is Version A.) But it also might be a slightly different topic, with some words changed in Part 2 and/or some different questions in Part 3. Note that Version A asks you to describe an activity that you habitually or occasionally do.
In Version B, the "something" you would recommend could be either a thing, an activity or it could be a lifestyle. (In fact, the wording might be, "Describe a healthy lifestyle you would recommend to others.") This wording does not explicitly say that you have used this thing or done this activity yourself, but it would be unusual to recommend something when you haven't used it or done it yourself. It seems that some variety of Version B is the topic being used right now.
If the wording is "a healthy lifestyle", then you have to describe several different aspects that make up this lifestyle, not just one aspect.

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Possible follow-up questions:

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Part 3

Below are questions that have been reported from January 23, onwards.

See also the Part 3 questions for Topic 184. (The questions below look very similar to those of Topic 184.)

Healthy Living

In general, what do people mean when they say, "good health"?
In general, what would you say is a "healthy lifestyle"?
Would you say that people in your country pay much attention to healthy living?
What do people in your country do to stay healthy?
Have there been any changes in the past few years (e.g., 20 to 50 years) concerning people's health habits? FQ
(Similar to above) Have there been any lifestyle changes in the past few years (e.g., 20 to 50 years) that affect people's health? FQ
(Similar to above) Have there been any changes to the state of public health in the past few decades? FQ
(Similar to above) Have there been any changes in the past few years to the ways that people stay healthy?
What would you suggest people do to make their lifestyle healthier?
If people pay attention to the health of other members of their family, do you think this can have any effect?

Gender Differences

Is there much difference between mean and women when it comes to the question of having a healthy lifestyle? FQx2
(Similar to above) Do you think men or women have the same perception of what makes a "healthy lifestyle"?
(Similar to above) Which group is generally healthier, men or women? (Why do you say that?) FQ
(Similar to above) Who do you think places more emphasis on good health habits, men or women?

Old People

How do you think old people can maintain their health?

Food

Do you think the food we eat has an effect on our health?
What would you say is a healthy diet?
More and more children today are becoming overweight. What do you think are (or might be) the causes of this?

Exercise

Why do you think people exercise less today than they used to?
Do you think there are any differences between exercising in the morning, or in the middle of the day or in the evening?

Stress

Do you think the pace of life has increased (compared to a few decades ago)?
Do you think stress is a factor in people's health?

Pollution

Do you think pollution is having an effect on people's health?

People's Knowledge about Healthy Living

Would you say people in your country have a good understanding of the topic of "healthy living"?
Do you think people's understanding of (or knowledge about) health has changed in the past few years?
How can people learn about how to have a healthy lifestyle?
(Similar to above) Where can people get information about what is a healthy lifestyle? FQ
There are many sources of information about health. How can a person judge what information is good or correct and what information might not be so good?
How can children and young people learn about good health habits? FQ
Do you think schools should have some classes on the topic of health (or, a healthy lifestyle)? FQ
(Similar to above) Do you think it should be one of the responsibilities of schools to educate children about healthy living? FQ
Do you think schools should include more physical exercise in the activities that school students do?
Do you think the government (or, the community) has a responsibility to provide facilities that people can use to help them maintain good health? FQ
How would you describe the difference between the government's responsibility and each individual's responsibility?
How can the government help people make healthy lifestyle decisions? FQ

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263. A TV Program You Like (Jan. 30, 2010) (Probably no longer used)

Describe a television program you enjoy.

You should say:

what the program is (including the contents of the program)

where you watch it

when you watch it

who you usually watch it with *

and explain why you think it is interesting.

Notes

It seems that the present tense is used so you should talk about a program that you watch often, or sometimes. (If you say, "I always watch it" that means, "I never miss this program when it is on TV". Only use the past tense if you say some specific details about a particular episode (= a particular time) of this program that you watched.
It is possible that it is a past tense topic because some people report the question, "who was with you" for this topic. In this case, it is like the reverse of Topic 254.

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Possible follow-up questions:

Would you say this program is suitable for everybody?

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Part 3

Note: It seems that many of the questions being used in Part 3 are the same as those for Topic 213 and Topic 254. So, even if Topic 213 has been retired, pay attention to the Part 3 questions for Topic 213. See also Part 3 of Topic 178.

Television in Your Country

Do many people in your country watch TV?
Why is watching TV so popular?
What sorts of TV programs are most popular in your country? FQx2
(From what you know about television in the West), how do you think television in your country is different to television in the West?
Do you have many foreign TV programs in China?
What effects do you think foreign TV programs can have on a country?
Have foreign TV programs had an effect on (or, influenced) the locally-made TV programs in China?
Do you think a kind of "globalization of the media" would be a good thing?
Do you think foreign television programs can ever harm the local culture of a country? FQ
Do you think the government should restrict the number of foreign TV programs that are shown in your country? FQ
(Similar to above) Do you think governments should restrict the number of foreign TV programs that are shown in their countries? FQ

Television Versus other Media

What sorts of people watch television rather than use the internet?
What advantages does television have over other media such as the internet?
How does watching television differ from using the internet?
Compare the popularity of the internet as opposed to the popularity of television.

Is there much difference between watching programs on the television (the television system we have now) and watching them on the internet?

What are some of the benefits of watching TV, compared to reading a newspaper? (Note: This question seems to apply to the topic of "news".)

Future

How do you think television will change in the future? FQ
(Similar to above) How do you think television programs will change in the future? FQ
Do you think television will be more popular in the future than it is now, or less popular? FQx2
(Similar to above) Do you think television will still be popular in the future or will it be replaced by something else?
(Similar to above) Do you think television will be more popular than the internet in the future?

The Educational Value of Television Programs

Do you think people can learn things from watching TV?
Have you ever learned anything from watching TV?
Do you think television has any positive effects on people's education (or, on the education of children and young people)?
Do you think television could be used for education (the education of children)? FQ
(Similar to above) In the future, do you think television might be used less for entertainment and more for education?
(Similar to above) In the future, do you think television might be used more for education?

The Effects of Television on Children

Note: "affect" is the verb; "effect" is the noun

Why do you think (so many) children like watching TV? FQ
Why do you think some children watch so much TV?
Do you think television affects adults in the same way it affects children?
Do you think television has more a negative effect or more a positive effect on children?
What are these negative effects? FQ
Do you think cartoons can have an adverse effect on young children?
Do you think that TV programs or films on TV that include drinking, drug abuse or smoking should be banned from TV?
Considering these negative effects, how do you think television might change (= might improve) in the future?
Do you think the government has a responsibility to do something about the negative effects of television?
(Similar to above) Do you think there should be government controls on what is broadcast on TV?
Should parents control what children watch on TV? (How?) FQ

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264. A Place Where You Learned about the Past (Jan. 30, 2010) (Probably no longer used)

Describe a place you visited where you learned something about the past.

You should say:

where you went

why you went there

what you saw (and did) there *

and explain what you learned about the past from (visiting) this place.

See Notes

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Possible follow-up questions:

Have you been (back) there again?
Do many people (like to) visit that place?

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Part 3

Also see the Part 3 questions for Topic 188.

See Note about the term, "history stories"

The Study of History

How did you learn about history in your childhood?
(Similar to above) How do children learn about history? FQ
Have you ever been influenced by a historical character (a person in history)?

Learning about History in the Home

In general, what do children learn about the past at home?
Do you think children can (should) learn some history from their family members?
Are there any advantages for children learning (recent) history from their grandparents?

Learning about History at School

Do you think children like history?
What (kinds of) history are taught in schools in China?
Do you think it's important for people to know about history?
What do you know about the history of your country?
What do you think is the value of school students studying the history of their own country?
Do you think it's very important to study international history? FQx2
Which do you think is more important to know about, the history of your country or international history?
Why do some school students dislike studying history?
What do you suggest the schools should (or could) do to improve the study of history in your country? FQx2
(Similar to above) How do you think history teachers could improve the way they teach history? FQx2
(Similar to above) How do you think history teachers could make history lessons more interesting? FQx2
As people grow older, do you think they will remember the history they learned in their childhood? FQ See Note
Why do you think some adults can't remember some of the history they learned in school? FQ
Besides school, are there other ways that children learn about history?

Learning about History from Visiting Places

Do you think it's a good idea to take school children to historical places in order for them to learn about history? FQ
(Similar to above) Do you think it's easy for children to learn about history from visiting historical places? FQ
Do young people (e.g., teenagers & people in their twenties) often visit historical places?

What kinds of historical places do people in China visit?

(Similar to above) What are some good places to go to learn about history?

What do they learn from these places?

Learning about History from Watching TV and films

Do you think people can learn much about history from watching TV?
When movie makers make films about history, do you think they have a responsibility to provide accurate information in their films?
How can a person know if a story on TV or in a film about the past is historically accurate?

Learning about History from Old People

Do you think it's useful for children (and young people) to learn about (recent) history from old people? FQ
What's the difference between learning history from a book and learning it from old people?

Museums

Do you often visit places such as museums?
What is the function of museums?
Do you think it's important to have historical museums? FQ
Do you like going to historical museums?
(Similar to above) Do young people like visiting historical museums?
How do you think historical museums could attract more young people?
What other kinds of museums are there, besides historical museums?

The Financing of Museums

Do you think museums and historical sites should be free to enter? FQ

How do you suggest museums be funded if they are free to enter?

Who do you think should be responsible for the cost of running museum, the government or private companies? FQ
Do you think that whoever finances a museum can have an undue influence on the way history is portrayed in the museum?

War See Note

* = a guess at a possible question

How do you feel about the topic of war? *
Do you think that learning about past wars is an important part of learning about history?
What do you think we can learn from the study of past wars? *
Do you think the causes of modern wars and the causes of past wars are the same? *

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265. A Sport You Would Like to be Good At (May 2010) (Probably no longer used)

Describe a sport you would like to be good at (if you had to choose a sport to be good at) *

You should say:

what sport it is

what skills are needed for this sport (or, what skills you would need to learn)

                       what you would need to do to be good at this sport

                       what difficulties you would face (or might face) *

      and explain why you would like to be good at this particular sport. *

Notes

Some people have reported this as, "Describe a sport you would like to play." Whether it is this or the wording above, you should choose a sport that you do not play now.
One person wrote on a bulletin board that his or her card said, "You should say who plays it, and who taught you". This seems like a completely different card or an error of memory.

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Possible follow-up questions:

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Part 3

Physical Education in Schools

Do young people (in your country) like sports? (Why?)
Why do you think some people don't like sport very much?
Would you say young people have enough time for exercise (or, sport)?
Do you think sport (or PE classes) are important (or, necessary) at school? FQx2
(Similar to above) Do you think sport and PE should be included in school curriculums (or, curricula)? FQ
What do you think is the function of PE classes in school?
How do people benefit from doing sport (or, PE) at school? FQ
How do you think the exercise/sport that children do will benefit them in the future (= when they are older)?
What can people (or children) learn from doing sport (or, PE) at school? FQ
Do you think schools should increase the number of PE classes? FQ
(Similar to above) Do you think people of your age should play more sport?
How do young people at school choose what sports to play?
Is there much difference between boys and girls when they do sport?

International Sport

What do you think are the benefits of having international sporting competitions? FQx2
Do you think international sport can help ease conflicts between different countries? FQ
Do you think international sport should be encouraged more?
What could be a possible disadvantage from doing that?
Compare (competitive) sport in your country with the West.
What sports are people in your country best at?
Why do you think they (the people in your country) are so good at those sports?
Why do you think athletes from certain countries are better at some sports than athletes from other countries? FQx2
(Similar to above) Why do you think (countries like) China and the U.S. do so well at the Olympic Games? FQ
How do you think a country could raise the standard of its athletes in a particular sport?

The Relationship between Money and Sport

Some companies spend a lot of money promoting (or, sponsoring or investing in) sports events. Why do you think they do this? FQ
If a company invested in sport, what do you think they might gain from this investmnet?
What kinds of companies do you think would be best suited for sports sponsorship? *
Do you think the government should restrict what kinds of companies can sponsor sports events?
Do you think tobacco companies should be allowed to sponsor (or, advertise at) sports events? FQ
(Similar to above) Since fast food is generally thought to be an unhealthy product, do you think fast food companies should be allowed to invest in sport? FQ
What is the relationship between advertising and professional sport?
Do you think it's good to have professional sport?
Do you think governments have a responsibility to spend money on sport?
Do you think that the amount of money that is spent on sport is worth it?
(Similar to above, but different) Do you think that the amount of money that is spent on the development of sport is worth it?

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