IELTS Speaking Part 3

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This lesson will cover general information regarding the IELTS Speaking Test - Part 3 and fill you in on everything you need to know regarding: (1) How Speaking Part 3 works (2) How to fully answer a part 3 question.

Lesson Introduction

Video Lesson
- IELTS Speaking Part 3

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Μέρος 1

Treat Part 3 like a guided discussion, not a quiz.

Hi, there! My name is Kara. And in today's lesson, we will be looking at the speaking part 3 of the IELTS:

First! We’ll look at what happens in Part 3 of the IELTS.
And from there, we'll look at how to give a full answer.

First of all, it's important to know how long this part of the test will take. It takes between four to five minutes. You'll be asked about 4-8 more general questions which are connected to the topic discussed in Part 2.

The examiner will also ask you a few questions based on your answers, so the entire Part 3 is a two-way discussion with the examiner. The examiner asks you some sort of question, you respond. They ask you another question or they might ask you to go deeper into the first question. For example, here is what the examiner could ask you:

We've been talking about electronic devices. I'd like to discuss with you a few more general questions relating to this topic. First, let's consider what are the most popular electronic devices in your country at the moment?

What devices do you think will be popular in the future?
Do you think people spend too much money on electronic devices?
In what ways can electronic devices make our lives harder?
What would the world be like without computers?
Should children be taught to use computers at school?

So these questions are just an example of what you might encounter in Part 3. They might be about the Internet, about advertising, about companies ..etc. You can find all part 3 questions categorized by 51 topics on the "IELTS QUESTIONS" section.

OPEN IELTS QUESTIONS NAVIGATION

Spot the pattern first—then build your answer.

Now! Let’s look deeper into IELTS speaking part 3 questions. If you have done some research on IELTS Speaking Part 3 questions, you might think they are unpredictable, and it is hard to prepare for. However, if you look at them closely, you can see patterns among the questions. Generally speaking, questions in IELTS speaking part 3 ask you to

give your opinion on a topic
express your preference on a topic
compare and contrast two things
make a prediction on something in the future
make a comparison with the past
talk about a hypothetical situation
talk about your ideas about people in society
talk about causes and effects
provide solutions to a problem

Let’s see some examples:

IELTS Speaking Part 3 Question Types
Give your opinion on a topic What is your opinion on companies checking job applicants' online profiles? Do you think the education system in your country influences young people's behavior? Is food safety becoming an increasingly serious problem in our lives?
Express your preference What do you think is better for you? home cooking or eating out? Do you generally read a lot of books or do you prefer watching T.V? Do you prefer to live in a big city or in a small town?
Talk about people or things in your country Do people in your country spend a lot of money on their education? How do most people travel long distances in your country? How popular is watching television in your country?
Talk about causes and effects What are some of the causes of water pollution? How does advertising influence what people choose to buy? Why do you think so many people read on tablets nowadays?
Compare and contrast two things What are the differences between living in the city and the countryside? What is the difference between studying online and studying at a school? What is the difference between clothes that young people and old people like to wear?
Make a prediction on something in the future What do you think cities will be like in 50 years time? Will computers and robots replace teachers in the future?
Make a comparison with the past How are education priorities today different from those in the past? How are the eating habits now different from eating habits in the past? How has teaching changed in your country over the past few decades?
Talk about a hypothetical situation If you could choose a city to live in, where would you choose? If you could influence or had the power to change the world with your writings what would you want to change?
Provide solutions to a problem How can traffic be reduced in a city? How can we stop violence on TV? What can we do to slow down global warming?

So these are all question styles you’ll encounter in Part 3. We will talk about how to extend and structure your answer based on the question style later. Now I want to give you some tips to help you get the best score you can possibly get in Part 3. These tips are easy but extremely useful, so make sure don’t forget to use them.

Buy thinking time with polite fillers.

Tip1 : Give a full answer and answer the question to the best of your ability - Lots of students give very short answers because they simply want their test to be over as soon as possible. This will lower your score. You need to know that Part 1 is really just a warm-up and Part 2 is a monologue, so Part 3 is the examiner's chance to really test you and stretch your language abilities to the very limit. So it is much better to give a full answer and answer the question to the best of your ability. That way you can showcase your language abilities including grammar and vocabulary.

Tip 2: Don’t be afraid to ask questions - Sometimes, there will be words in some questions that you don’t understand. It is okay to ask the examiner to explain what one word means, but you can’t ask them to explain what a whole sentence means.

Tip 3: Always give an answer - There will be questions that you have no or little idea how to answer. The worst thing you can do is to simply not attempt an answer. What you should do instead is to say something like the following to give yourself time to think about the question:

I'm really not sure about this question, but if I had to answer, I would say...

I don't have strong feelings on the subject, really. It is not something people worry about in my country..

That's not something I have thought about much before. I suppose people who agree with that would say..

That a difficult question, just give me a second to think about that.

That's something I honestly don't have much experience with, but I suppose people who .. would say ..

That's a little difficult for me to say, since I don't have experience/I never ..

Aim for a clear, developed 5–8 sentence response.

Alright! Let’s get to the main point of the lesson today: how to extend and structure your part 3 answer.

There is no set word limit for what could be considered a good IELTS speaking part 3 answer, but it should not be too short. If it's too short, you will have failed to develop your answer properly. As a rule, to get a high score, your answer should be 5-8 sentences.

If you're worried about speaking that many sentences, you're not alone. Even native speakers would need to train with IELTS speaking practice questions to provide a 5-8 sentence answer worth a high IELTS speaking score. However, there are some IELTS speaking templates that'll make your life easier. As long as you practice enough IELTS speaking questions and you follow our speaking structure, you will feel more confident and improve your speech.

Now let's look at how to structure your answer based on the IELTS speaking question style. Keep in mind that the answer structures are only to help you have a clear picture of what you want to say and to help you stay organized. However, you don't necessarily have to follow them as long as your answer is on topic and can showcase your English proficiency.

Let's start with the question that asks you to make a prediction on something in the future.

State trend → say it will continue → add feeling.

Make a prediction on something in the future
Structure	Describe the prediction Describe the current trend and say this trend will probably continue Describe how you feel about this prediction (Optional)
Sample Question	What do you think cities will be like in 50 years time?
Model Answer and Analysis:
Describe the prediction: I think cities in the future will be more densely populated. At the same time, people will still require transportation, so I think the transportation in future cities will be more modern, fast, and convenient. Describe the current trend and say this trend will probably continue: In fact, I think there is a growing trend across the world of futuristic cities emerging where transportation is becoming more convenient to meet the growing demands of population. This trend will probably continue going forward. Describe how you feel about this prediction: I personally like this trend as more futuristic cities will emerge. A good example of a futuristic city is I think I will say it is Tokyo, where people have access to clean transportation, and live in compact spaces, like high-rises.

Name the change → give two comparisons → wrap up.

Alright! I hope you found this structure easy! Let’s move on to the question that asks you to make a comparison with the past.

Make a comparison with the past
Structure	State that there have been changes over the past decades Describe the first comparison Describe the second comparison Describe how you feel about this change (Optional)
Sample Question	How has teaching changed in your country over the past few decades?
Model Answer and Analysis:
State that there have been changes over the past decade: In the past few decades, there have definitely been some noticeable changes in education through generations. Describe the first comparison: I mean ..most notably, students today can no longer be punished physically by teachers, while in the past, that was pretty common. Describe the second comparison: Another way that education has changed is teacher student interaction. Today, it’s more normal to see students answering questions and having discussions, while in the past, the teacher simply lectured, and the students listened silently. Describe how you feel about this change: Overall, I think education is making progress in my country.

Continue to next part:

Μέρος 2

Contrast with two clear dimensions—then round off.

Okay! Let’s look at the next type of questions that ask you to compare and contrast two things.

Compare and contrast two things
Structure	State that there are a few differences between two things Describe the first comparison Describe the second comparison Give a short conclusion (Optional)
Sample Question	What are the differences between living in the city and the countryside?
Model Answer and Analysis:
State that there are a few differences between two things: For me, there are quite a few differences between life in the city and life in the country. Life in the city and in the country is vastly different. Describe the first comparison: First of all, the way people interact with each other is different. For example, in a small town, people usually wave to say hello, and notice strangers in town. But in a big city, most people ignore each other and try to give each other space in public. Describe the second comparison: Another big difference between the two is the amount of noise, which is higher in cities, and lower in small towns. Give a short conclusion: Overall, life in both places varies.

Define the issue, propose two actions, then evaluate.

Okay! Moving along to the next type of questions: provide solutions to a problem.

Provide solutions to a problem
Structure	Briefly talk about the problem Talk about the first solution Talk about the second solution Describe how you feel about the problem and the solutions (Optional)
Sample Question	How can we stop violence on TV?
Model Answer and Analysis:
Briefly talk about the problem: I think violence on TV is the most problematic for children, but there isn’t really a simple way to make it stop, because there is a demand for action, horror, and excitement on TV. Talk about the first solution: The way I see it, there are two possible ways to deal with violent TV shows. The first is to make policies that actually ban that kind of programming altogether, although that would likely not be popular. Talk about the second solution: The second way could be to educate people on why violent TV shows are problematic, and see if they will stop watching the shows to lower the demand for them. Describe how you feel about the problem and the solutions: I mean either way, I think this problem probably isn’t going to disappear with just one simple solution.

Name the phenomenon → cause/effect → example → view.

Okay! Moving along to the next type of questions: talk about causes or effects of a phenomenon.

Talk about causes or effects of a phenomenon
Structure	Briefly talk about the phenomenon Point out the cause or effect Provide an example of the cause or effect Describe how you feel about the phenomenon (Optional)
Sample Question	What are some of the causes of water pollution?
Model Answer and Analysis:
Briefly talk about the phenomenon: Water pollution definitely has more disastrous effects on our health Point out the cause or effect: From what I understand, water pollution is caused mostly by human activity, so it seems like the likely sources of water pollution would be factories, runoff from farms, and sewage from cities. Provide an example of the cause or effect: For instance, I’ve seen a few studies recently that declared the Australian Great Barrier Reef to be dead due to man-made pollutants and garbage in the water. Describe how you feel about the phenomenon: I think it’s quite sad, as that probably could have been prevented if people paid more attention to the effects big industry has on the environment.

Start broad, add a typical example, then personalize.

Okay! Moving along to the next type of questions: talk about people or things in your country.

Talk about people or things in your country
Structure	Answer the question Give examples of how most people do things Give examples of how you do things
Sample Question	How popular is watching television in your country?
Model Answer and Analysis:
Answer the question: As far as I know, watching TV is probably one of the most popular pastimes for people in my country. Give examples of how most people do things: For example, in the evening, almost every home I pass has the TV in the living room switched on, and families will be sitting around together watching shows. I think most people like watching the news, or watching dramas. Give examples of how you do things: As for me, I also watch quite a bit of TV when I’m at home. For instance, I watch sitcoms on Friday nights after work. I guess other people in my country probably do the same thing as I do.

Continue to next part:

Μέρος 3

Part 3 is a conversation, not a quiz—aim for a balanced mini-discussion.

Finally! Let’s look at the last three types of questions:

Give your opinion on a topic
Express your preference
Talk about a hypothetical situation

For these question types, you can use the following structure to form your speaking response:

Answer the question
Explain the reason
Give examples to support your reasons

Let’s look at some examples:

Use a softener like “If you ask me,” or “Personally,” to start a clear, confident opinion.

Here is an example question that asks you to give your opinion on a topic.

Give your opinion on a topic
Sample Question	Do you think people spend too much money on electronic devices?
Model Answer and Analysis:
Answer the question: If you ask me, yes, I think some people spend too much money trying to keep up with the latest trends in technology. Explain the reason: I can understand why they do it, because these days, devices become obsolete almost immediately after purchase. Give examples to support your reasons: For example, a new smartphone might have a great new camera today, but tomorrow another model is released with an even better one. Then everyone wants to upgrade. As for me, I’m satisfied with using a slightly outdated device to save money until I really need a new one.

Use a contrast frame—“Even though…, I prefer…”—to sound natural and nuanced.

Let’s look at an example question that asks you to express your preference.

Express your preference
Sample Question	Do you generally read a lot of books, or do you prefer watching TV?
Model Answer and Analysis:
Answer the question: Even though I love to read, the reality is I spend more time watching TV. Explain the reason: The main reason is that it’s easier to relax with TV—which is unfortunate—but at the same time, there are some great shows to choose from. Give examples to support your reasons: For instance, one of my favorite shows is “Dexter,” which has strong writing, an interesting plot, and well-developed characters—just like a book. In the age we live in now, TV keeps getting better, so I’ll probably continue watching more TV.

Use the “If I could…, I would…” frame to keep your answer clear and coherent.

Let’s look at an example question that asks you to talk about a hypothetical situation.

Talk about a hypothetical situation
Sample Question	If you could influence the world with your writing, what would you want to change?
Model Answer and Analysis:
Answer the question: If I could change the world with my writing, my biggest priority would be to educate people about why they need to make changes to what they buy and consume to help protect the environment. Explain the reason: People nowadays use so many disposable plastics and products, which has led to serious environmental problems. If my writing could improve our consumption habits, it would drastically reduce our environmental footprint. Give examples to support your reasons: For example, I’ve seen studies predicting that by 2050, the mass of plastic in the world’s oceans could exceed the mass of all the fish living there. If that happens, the entire food chain could be severely damaged.

Practice out loud and record yourself—feedback is the fastest way to build fluency.

Okay! That’s the end of the lesson. And remember, practice makes perfect.

You can go to our “IELTS QUESTIONS” section to practice more IELTS Part 3 speaking questions and improve your speaking by listening to sample responses from native speakers.

You've completed the lesson: IELTS Speaking Part 3

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Start the next lesson: IELTS Speaking Vocabulary Training - Hometowns, Cities and Towns

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