Updated Oct. 15, 2013

IELTS Part 2 and Part 3 Topics and Questions

Part 3

This is a frequently used topic. Although this might be a returning topic, you cannot assume that everything (every Part 3 topic or question) is the same as before.

The following are similar (or identical) previous topics to this topic: Topics 279,  267, 156 and 28.

The following are other "help" topics that have been used previously: Topics 392, 210 and 104

Giving Help

• Do you like helping others?

• In your view, should children be taught to help others?

• How can we encourage children to help others? FQ

• Do you think people are less willing to help others these days, compared to the past? (Why?/Why not?) FQ

• Do you think this is the same in both rural and urban locations?

• Why do some people not want to help others?

• Do people today trust others as much as they used to in the past?

• How do people in your community help one another? FQ

• (Similar to above) How do people in your country help each other?

• Do they often help strangers?

• How do students, such as high school students, help each other? FQ

• Do students (in your country) ever volunteer to do something good for the community (or, for society)?

Volunteering and Charity

See notes

• How can (or, do) charitable organizations help people?

• What are some examples of such organizations in your country?

• What works better, big or small charity organizations?

• Do you think that charitable organizations are always honest?

• Have you ever donated to a charitable organization?

• (Similar to above) Would you ever donate to a charitable organization?

• What do you think are the benefits of having unpaid volunteer workers? FQ

• How do you think the volunteers themselves benefit? FQ

• (Similar to above) Do you think by volunteering, people are also helping themselves?

• Do you think that everyone should do some form of volunteer work?

• Would you like to volunteer to do something worthwhile?

• Do you think volunteers should be paid?

• Are there any disadvantages to having (unpaid) volunteer workers?

• Should professionals be hired rather than using volunteer workers? FQ

International Aid

• Do you think international aid, (e.g., from one national government to another), is important?

• Can you give any examples of international aid?

• Do you agree that all countries should come together to help solve some of the big problems that they have?

• How can this be done?

• (Similar to above) How is this done?

• How do international aid organizations such as the Red Cross get the funds that they need?

• Do you think that small non-government organizations always need the financial help of bigger organizations, or can they fund themselves?

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Part 3

Change in General

• Do you like change(s)? FQ

• Do you think change is good?

• Has there been a lot of change where you live in recent years?

• Do you think changes are occurring to people's lives today more frequently today than they did in the past?  FQ

• Is change happening more in rural areas or urban areas?

• Is change today more common among some age groups than others?

• Are old people part of these changes?

• Do old people like change? FQ

• How do changes to society affect old people?

• What can we do about old people who refuse to change?

• Do you think change and progress are the same?

• Can you give an example of how personally have benefited from (recent) changes to your society?

• What do you think are the benefits and disadvantages (or, pros and cons) of change? FQ

• Do you think people are used to change?

• Do you think people in different cultures all feel the same about change?

• How can people manage changes to their lives?

• Do you think it's good to change jobs?

• Why do some people change jobs frequently?

• What difficulties do people experience when they change jobs?

• (A different question to above)  Do you think it's good to change career?

• Some people say that all scientific and technological change is good. Do you agree?

• In general, what kinds of people don't like change? (Why?)

• How do you suggest new things, or new changes could be introduced so that people who do not like change would not be upset?

• Do you think students who are living on the university campus should leave the campus more often, in order to experience a different life?

• How have schools, (primary school and high school) changed in recent decades?

• Have teachers (or, the way they teach) also changed?

• Do you think teachers should change?

Children and Change

• What do you think change means to children?

• Do kids like change?

• Do children like new things and new experiences? (Why?/Why not?)

• Is change good for children?

• Do you think parents should actively encourage their children to have new experiences? (Why?/Why not?)

• How do parents in your country feel about giving their children new things to try?

• How do you think children can be given new experiences? FQ

• What benefits do children derive from having new experiences? FQ

• Is the way children make friends today different to the way they made friends in the past?

• What are some examples of experiences that can help children become more independent?

• Do you think too much change is harmful to children?

• Can you think of any examples of change that might be harmful to children? *

• How do you imagine children cope when the family moves to another country?

• Some parents think their children should be changed. Can you think of any examples of that?

• Do you think parents should try to change their children?

• Some children refuse to change. What can their parents do about that?

• How can parents encourage their children to change, if they feel a change is needed?

Change in the Workplace

• Do you think workplaces have changed in recent decades?

• Would you say that all changes connected to work have been (or, are) positive changes?

• Do you think getting a promotion at work is a positive change?

• Has the retirement age changed in your country?

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463.  A Library that You Visited (3)  (Jan. 5, 2013)  (Probably no longer used)

Version A  (Past tense)

        You should say:

         and explain what you liked and disliked about this library.

Notes

• A couple of people have reported Version B, so you should be prepared for it, but I think Version A, which has been reported more often than Version B, is the more likely wording. Possibly the card is written to allow both choices.

• It seems that the wording might not include, "you should say when you went there". But whenever you use the past tense, you must specify the time. On the other hand, if you talk about a past habit, you can use, "I used to + V". Or you can use the present perfect tense, e.g., "I have been to the National Library" to talk more generally about your past experience in life. You can then use the past tense, to emphasize that it happened in the past, e.g., "It had three floors" or you can choose to use the present tense, to show that the library is still the same now. For example, "It's on three floors."

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Possible follow-up questions:

• Do you often go to a library?

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464.  An Advertisement that Made You Want to Buy (2)  (Jan. 5, 2013)  (Probably no longer used)

Describe an advertisement that made you (want to) buy something.

You should say:

        what the product was

        where you saw / heard this advertisement

        what was in the advertisement

 and explain how the advertisement made you want to buy that product.

Notes

• It is unclear whether the words "want to" are used in the first line. If those words are not used, you must talk about something that you actually did buy. On the other hand, if the words, "want to" are used, you should focus more on the effect of the advertisement on you – whether you actually did buy the product is more or less incidental.

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Possible follow-up questions:

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465.  A Time When You Were Late (3)  (Jan. 5, 2013)  (Probably no longer used)

Describe a situation (or time) when you were late.

You should say:

        what you were late for

        why you were late

        what you did about being late *

and explain how you felt.

Notes

• So far, this looks like a repeat of Topic 289. But there might be some differences between this Topic 465 and Topic 289, especially in Part 3.

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Possible follow-up questions:

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