IELTS Speaking Preparation Notes: Part 3

IELTS Speaking Test

Part 3

• questions about global issues

• tests your ability to talk about complex subjects

• tests your ability to use a range of vocabulary and grammar

Categories - Grammatical Function

• Past

  • past simple

  • past continuous

  • past perfect

  • past passive forms

  • used to / would

• Future

  • present continuous

  • be going to

  • will / may / might / could

  • I predict … / I guess … / I envisage … / I imagine …

  How will technology change our lives in the future?

• Imaginary

  • second and third conditional

  Do you think the world would be better if everyone had a free university education?

  I would say it’s a great idea, as it would result in a more educated population.

• Opinion

  • I think / believe / reckon / feel …

  • As far as I’m concerned … / In my view, … / As I see it … / From my point of view …

• Agree / Disagree

  • Agree

    • I (totally) agree / I think that’s right / Absolutely

    • I guess so / I suppose so

  • Disagree

    • I (totally) disagree / Not for me / I don’t think so

    • I’m not so sure about that

  • Acknowledging but giving your own opinion

    • I see / know what they mean but …

    • I get what they’re saying but …

    • I see where they’re coming from but …

  Do you agree that art is inaccessible to most?

  I think that’s absolutely true because most art is owned by private art collectors so the public can’t visit it. Therefore, it’s pretty inaccessible to the average person.

• Make Comparisons

  • comparatives

  • superlatives

  • whereas / while

  • In the past, they used to …, but nowadays …

  How have lifestyles changed over the last 40 years?

• Cause and Effect

  • Effect then Cause

    • … is because of …

    • … is down to …

    • … is the result of …

    • … is due to …

  • Cause then Effect

    • … leads to …

    • … results in …

    • … causes …

    • … so …

    • …, as a result …

• Advantages and Disadvantages

  • On the one hand …, (but) on the other hand …

  • However

  • One of the main …

  • Synonyms

    • upsides / downsides

    • benefits / drawbacks

  What are the pros and cons of cheap international tourism?

  Well, on one hand, one of the main benefits is that people from lower income backgrounds are able to visit other countries when they weren’t able to in the past. However, one of the main drawbacks is that it’s starting to affect local communities in popular tourist destinations.

• Problem and Solution

  • One (possible) way to …

  • … solve / overcome / deal with …

  • … should / could / ought to …

  What can be done to help people who are unemployed?

  One possible way to tackle this issue could be to invest money in training programmes so that people are more qualified to find jobs.

Categories - Topic

How to prepare?

• research common topics - coursebooks or the Internet

• learn vocabulary connected to these topics

Common topics:

• Art

• Education

• Internet

• Health

• Media and News

• Crime and Law

• Globalisation

• Tourism

• Environment

• Sports

• Money and Economy

• Technology

• …

1. What are some of the pros and cons of shopping online?

   • delivered to your door

   • avoid the crowds

   • risk of cybercrime

   • support local businesses

2. Do you think famous people are good role models for young people?

   • look up to them

   • unrealistic expectations

   • set a bad example

   • influential figures

3. How are our working lives different to in the past?

   • working remotely

   • flexible working hours

   • lower job security

   • harder to make ends meet

Develop Answer

Examiner: Do you think famous people are good role models for young people?

Student: I would have to say that no, I don’t.

• reasons - The reason for this is we only ever get a superficial idea of their lives.

• effects - This results in unrealistic expectations for young people.

• addition - What’s more, fame can corrupt people, ethically speaking.

• examples - For instance, many movie stars become arrogant and antisocial.

• comparison - Whereas family members can actually give advice directly, movie stars are unreachable. We can’t communicate with them and we can’t get advice from them.

• opinion - Personally, I feel celebrities have a little too much influence on young people these days.

General advice:

• In Part 3 of the IELTS Speaking test, the examiner asks you questions related to the topic of Part 2. However, these questions have a different focus to Part 1 and Part 2. While Part 1 and Part 2 are about you, Part 3 is about people or the world in general. The examiner wants to hear if you can speak in general, give opinions (both yours and others’), justify views, and so on. You can prepare well for this part of the test by thinking in advance about how you can talk about topics in general.

• When you practise for the IELTS Speaking test, make separate lists of all the things you could say in general about various topics. If you need inspiration, look on the internet for images or information to help you.

• In the IELTS Speaking test, you have to use a good range of vocabulary. When you have a basic list of words, think about how you can categorise these ideas. With a topic such as the environment, it is likely you will have to talk about the problems, causes and effects, for example. Also, move beyond single words. Think about how you can add adjectives to describe these words better. Think about which verbs you can use to describe the actions they relate to. Think about any synonyms you could use instead. You can use a dictionary or the internet to find new words if you need to.