Page 84

ielts-yasi.englishlab.net

Updated Aug. 26, 2013

IELTS Part 2 and Part 3 Topics and Questions

Page 84

416. A Difficult Thing You Did Well (Jan 7, 2012) (Probably no longer used)

417. A Birthday Celebration (May 26, 2012) (Probably no longer used)

418. A Vehicle You Would Like to Buy (3) (May 26, 2012) (Probably no longer used)

419. An Item of Clothing for Special Occasions (2) (May 26, 2012) (Probably no longer used)

420. A Piece of Modern Equipment (May 26, 2012) (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

* = my guess at a question

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

416. A Difficult Thing You Did Well (Jan 7, 2012) (Probably no longer used)

Note

(Written June 20, 2012) I used to think there was a topic, (Topic 379), "A Success You Have Achieved" that was being used. But now I think Topic 379 and this Topic 416 always were the one and the same topic. However, the wording for the topic is still unclear. It's either close to Version A or to Version B or it might be a combination of both of those.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Version A

Describe a difficult thing you did well.

You should say:

what it was

how you did it

why (or how) it was difficult

and explain how you felt after you did it. *

See Notes

+++++++++++++

Version B (Previously listed as Topic 379)

Describe a goal that you have achieved.

You should say:

what it was

how you achieved it

what others thought about your success

and explain how you felt after you achieved this.*

and explain how this success affected you. *

and explain how this success influenced your life. *

See Notes (for topic 379)

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

Possible follow-up questions:

Have other people (you know) had this success?
Did people congratulate you for doing this? *

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

Part 3

See also the Part 3 questions from Topics 344, 173, 109 and 43.

Challenges and Difficulties

Do you like facing difficult (or, challenging) tasks?

What challenges do young people face today? FQx2

How do (young people) handle difficult or challenging tasks?

Which do you think is better, to face these difficulties and challenges alone or to seek the help of others?

Do you think there's much difference between the challenges that (young) people face today and those that (young) people faced in the past? FQx2

Do you think there's much difference between the challenges that (young) people face today in your country and those that (young) people face in other countries?

Do people in different age groups face the same (or similar) difficulties and challenges?

(Possible question) Do different types of people face the same (or similar) difficulties and challenges?* (See Note)

Why is there intense competition in some situations?

Do you think being challenged is good for a person?

(Similar to above) Do you think people need to be challenged?

Dangerous (or challenging) Jobs

What are some examples of dangerous (or challenging) jobs in your country?

Ambition

Do you think it's good to be ambitious?
(Similar to above) Do you think ambition is good for young people? FQ
What ambitions (or, aspirations) do most young people have today? FQ
Some people who are highly ambitious never let anything stop them from reaching their goal, even if it includes hurting other people in order to achieve this goal. Do you think that is good?
Some people say that ambitious people are never satisfied with their achievements. Do you agree with that statement?

++++++++++++++++++++++

The questions below were transferred from Topic 379 on June 20, 2012. I think Topics 379 and 416 were always the one, same topic.

Competition

In a competition of some sort between people (or groups of people), what factors determine who becomes the winner?
In sports competitions, which do you think is more important, talent or physical strength?

Celebrating Success

In your country, what are some ways that people celebrate success in your your country? FQ
Do you think it's important to celebrate success? *
Can celebrating success ever lead to any problems? *

Motivation and Encouragement

What challenges do young people face today?
What (do you think) motivates people to develop themselves? FQ

(Similar to above) What (do you think) motivates people to strive for some achievement? FQ
(Similar to above) Where does the sense of 'motivation' come from? FQ
Why do you think some people are more motivated than others?
In your culture (or, country), what are some of the ways that people show (or, give) encouragement to other people?
Why do we need encouragement?
(Similar to above) Do you think encouragement is important?

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

417. A Birthday Celebration (May 26, 2012) (Probably no longer used)

Describe a birthday celebration that you enjoyed. *

You should say:

whose birthday it was

who was there *

what you (or what people) did

and explain why you enjoyed it. *

and explain what was special about that birthday celebration. *

See Notes

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

Possible follow-up questions:

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

Part 3

Festivals and Celebrations in Your Country

What are some of the main festivals that people celebrate in your country? FQ
Why are these festivals important?
Are these festivals today celebrated differently to the way they were celebrated in the past?

Birthdays

How do people celebrate birthdays in your country? FQ
What's the most important birthday for people in your country? (Why?) FQ

Do you think birthdays become more important to people as they grow older, or less important? FQ

Are there any differences between birthday celebrations for adults with birthday celebrations for children (and/or young people)? FQ

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

418. A Vehicle You Would Like to Buy (3) (May 26, 2012) (Probably no longer used)

Copy of Topic 318

Describe a vehicle you would like to buy (for example, a car or bicycle).

You should say:

what (kind of) vehicle it would be

what it would look like (e.g., what color it would be)

why you would like to have it (or, how you would use it)

how you would buy (or, get) it

and explain why you would prefer this means of transport.*

Notes

This is probably Topic 318, 222 or 7 returning to the test.
See more Notes
See some vocabulary

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

Possible follow-up questions:

Do you think you will actually (or, really) buy one of those one day?

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

Part 3

Modes of Transport (especially in cities)

What forms of transport do people use in your country?
Why do different people choose different modes of transport? FQ
What problems exist concerning transportation in big cities?
What do you suggest could be done to alleviate the problem of traffic congestion in cities?

Bicycles

Do many people ride bicycles in your country? *
Which do you think is better, driving a car or riding a bicycle?
What do you think are the advantages and disadvantages of using a bicycle as a means of transport? FQ
Do you think people riding bicycles can help protect the environment?
How do you think governments could encourage more people to ride bicycles? *

Vehicle Safety / Road Safety

What do you think is the safest way to travel (in a city)? *
Is it convenient (or, easy) for people to walk near where you live (or, in your hometown)? FQ
What do you think is the most dangerous way to travel (in a city)? FQx2
Would you say that it's safe to use the roads in your country?
How do you suggest road use could be made safer? ("road use" as either a vehicle user, passenger or pedestrian)
(Similar to above) Do you have any suggestions on how people could increase their safety when using roads?
Do you think the roads could be constructed in a safer way?

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

419. An Item of Clothing for Special Occasions (2) (May 26, 2012) (Probably no longer used)

Modified copy of Topic 165

Describe an item of clothing or jewelery that you wear on special occasions.

You should say:

what this clothing looks like

where you bought it

on what special occasions you wear it

and explain why you wear it on special occasions. *

and explain what other people think about this item of clothing. *

Notes

Someone reported the words, "special occasions" and, "or jewelery" so it looks like Topic 165, returning to the test.

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

Possible follow-up questions:

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

Part 3

Traditional Clothing in Your Country (or, culture)

What kinds of clothes do young people (in your country) like to wear? FQ
Does you have any traditional clothing in your country?
Do you like wearing this traditional clothing?
Do many people wear this kind of clothing?
When is it worn?
How are modern clothes different to traditional clothes in your country? FQ

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

420. A Piece of Modern Equipment (May 26, 2012) (Probably no longer used)

Version A

(Adaptation of Topic 149)

Describe a useful piece of electrical equipment (besides the computer) that you use at home

        You should say

                how you use it

                where you use it

                what you use it for

        and explain why you think this thing is useful.

Version B

Describe an electronic device that you would like to buy (or have), such as a CD player or a cell-phone. (Not a computer)

You should say:

what it is (or, what it would be)

how you would use it

how you would buy it * (or, where you would buy it) *

and explain how you would benefit from using it.

Notes

The topic looks like a repeat of Topic 149. In that case, the word "electrical" would be more suitable than "electronic".
There is no strong indication that this topic has changed between May 2012 and August 2013.
I believe it is more likely to be Version A, because this is what most people have reported. However, you should prepare for both versions – Version A might be phased out of usage and be replaced by Version B at any time.
On August 3, 2013 and August, 17 2013, one person on each of those days included the word "buy" for this Part 2 topic in their report of their test. This might indicate that two different versions are being used at the same time. I am reasonably certain that a similar situation, i.e., using two similar topics at the same time, existed for the "meal" topic between January and April 2013. See here for my notes on this. Not only that, people seemed to indicate that "buy" was part of this topic when it first entered the test in May 2012 but that wording seemed to fade away after the first one or two tests. It is possible that both of the people who wrote "buy" in August 2013 as part of their Part 2 topic might have been confusing a Part 3 question with their Part 2 question.
Also see Notes. These notes, first written in 2012, include the fact that people seemed to be reporting something like, " ... want to have in the future" when the topic was first introduced in May 2012. (Often, when the real wording is, "would like to + verb" people report it as, "want to + verb in the future". "Would like" does not always refer to the future – it often means "would like to + verb, now", meaning you would like to have a different present situation to the present situation that exists now. )
If you get Version B, you should talk about something that you don't have now.

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

Possible follow-up questions:

Do other people you know also have (or, want to have) one of those?

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

Part 3

See also the Part 3 for Topics 51, 149, 199 & 268.

Technology Used in Schools (esp. high schools) and Universities

Do schools (or universities) in your country use electronic (or, hi-tech) equipment in the classroom?
When do teachers or university lecturers use this equipment?
(Similar to above) What do teachers or university lecturers use this equipment for?
How does that compare with schools & universities (in your country) in the past?
How does this use of technology help teachers? FQ
(Similar to above) Do you think this technology is useful? FQ
What hi-tech electronic equipment do students (sometimes) use nowadays?
Do you think this technology is useful for students? FQ
Are computers very useful in high school? (For students and/or for teachers)
Are there any drawbacks to using computers (or, the internet) in teaching people? FQ
How do you imagine hi-tech devices and equipment might be used in education in the future?
Do you think computers might one day replace teachers in the classroom? FQ
Would that be a positive development?
Do schools in the countryside also use this modern technology? FQ
Do you think such technology would be useful in schools in poor villages?

Modern Technology In People's Personal Lives, and at Home

What are some examples of modern, hi-tech equipment or devices that people in your country use in the home? FQ
How is this different to homes in the past? FQx2
Do you think these things have improved people's lives? FQx2
How has modern technology improved people's ability to do cooking and cleaning tasks in the home?
How are people's kitchens today different to kitchen of about 50 years ago? FQ
Do you think these things are just making our lives (unnecessarily) complicated?
Are there any disadvantages from relying on this modern equipment?
What impact do you think computers, the internet and other new technology is having on family life? FQ
Do you think these electronic devices are good for children?
Do you think young people (and / or children) use these electronic devices too much? FQ (See Note)
What do you think are the good and bad points of children playing computer games? FQ
What are the various ways that mobile phones can be used?
Do students use mobile phones very much to cheat in exams?
What hi-tech devices do you imagine people might be using in the future? FQx2
What advances do you think might be made in technology in the future?
What equipment (or, devices or machines) do you think people don't have now, but need to have? FQ
(Similar to above) Can you think of a device or piece of modern equipment that would help people?
How do you think transportation might be changed in the future as a result of new technology?

Technological Innovation and Design

The word "invent" might be used instead of "design" for some questions.

What skills (and qualities) do you think are necessary for designing hi-tech equipment? FQ
Do you think the appearance of devices or equipment is important?
If you could, what piece of hi-tech equipment would you design? FQ
Do you think there is enough innovation in your country for designing new hi-tech devices?
Can you suggest how the government could encourage more innovation?

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