IELTS Speaking Part 3

materials, facilities, level of difficult, how much you enjoyed the course etc. 
IELTS speaking part 3: 
What kinds of organisation regularly conduct questionnaires? 
All kinds of organisations and companies use questionnaires to find out what people 
think about them. For example, university lecturers often ask their students to answer 
questions about their courses. Someone from a Starbucks cafe stopped me in the street 
yesterday to ask me about my coffee drinking habits. 
Do you think schools should ask children for their opinions about lessons? 
On the one hand, it might be useful for teachers to get feedback from children about 
how much they learnt and how enjoyable they found the lessons. However, children 
don't necessarily know what's best for them, and it might do more harm than good to 
allow them to give opinions about their teachers. 
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IELTS Speaking Part 3: 'lessons' topic 
The following answers are at 'band 9' level. Which words and phrases help my answers 
to get such a high score? 
1. What do you think makes a good lesson? 
I think a good lesson is one that is interesting and engaging. By 'engaging' I mean that 
the students should feel involved in the lesson; they should feel that they are learning 
something new that is relevant to them. In my opinion, a lot depends on how the teacher 
delivers the content of the lesson in a way that students like. My favourite teacher at 
university used to involve the students by making us teach some of the lessons 
ourselves. 
2. Do you think it's better to have a teacher or to teach yourself? 
Well, there's no substitute for a good teacher. I think you can teach yourself, but you 
can learn a lot more quickly with the guidance of a teacher. For example, when learning 
a language, you really need someone to correct your mistakes; you can get the 
grammar and vocabulary from books, but books can't tell you where you're going wrong. 
3. Do you think the traditional classroom will disappear in the future? 
I don't think it will disappear, but it might become less common. I think more people will 
study independently, using different technologies rather than sitting in a classroom. 
Maybe students will attend a lesson just once a week, and spend the rest of their time 
following online courses or watching video lessons. 
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IELTS Speaking: an important conversation 
IELTS Speaking Part 2: 
Describe an important conversation you had. 
IELTS Speaking Part 3: 
What are the differences between men's and women's conversations? 
What do you think are the characteristics of a good speaker? 
For the part 2 question: 
My advice is to speak about a conversation you had with your father or mother about 
your education or career. If you are studying in a different country, describe a 
conversation about the decision to study abroad. Then you can use ideas from the 
'study abroad' topic and the 'higher education' topic (you can find these topics in my 
Writing Task 2 lessons). 
For the first question in part 3, my advice is to use 'stereotypes': 
"I think it depends on the people who are having the conversation, and it depends on 
the situation, but most people would say that men talk more about sport or cars, 
whereas women talk about their friends, family and relationships. Women are supposed 
to be better at expressing their feelings, while men prefer not to talk about themselves." 
For the second question in part 3, use adjectives and examples: 
"I think good speakers are confident and passionate about the subject of their speech. 
They need to be interesting and engaging. I think a speaker's body language is also 
really important. A famous example of a great speaker is Barack Obama; he seems to 
be a naturally inspiring speaker, but I'm sure that practice and preparation are more 
important than natural talent." 
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IELTS Speaking: use what you know 
In parts 2 and 3 of the IELTS speaking test, you need to make quick decisions about 
what to talk about. Always try to talk about a topic you have prepared or something you 
know about. Here are some examples: 
Part 2: Describe a law in your country. 
Advice: Choose a typical IELTS topic like "guns". Explain why people in your country 
can/can't own a gun, and talk about the pros and cons of this law. There is a chapter on 
this topic in my ebook. 
Part 3: What new law would you introduce to improve life in your country? 
Advice: Choose an easy topic like "environment". Explain that the government could 
introduce new laws to reduce pollution from factories, cars etc. Explain how this would 
improve people's lives. 
IELTS Speaking Part 3: technology at work 
1. What technology or equipment is used in most workplaces nowadays? 
2. Does technology help workers, or does it make their lives more difficult? 
3. What effect does new technology have on employment? 
1. Advice: give a list of different technologies, then talk about one in detail: 
In most workplaces people use equipment such as computers, phones, printers, fax 
machines and photocopiers. I think the computer is probably the most essential piece of 
equipment because we rely on it for almost everything: communicating by email, writing 
reports, organising data, and finding information on the Internet. 
2. Advice: talk about the positives AND the negatives: 
Technology definitely helps workers because it makes many tasks so much easier. For 
example, email is such a useful tool for communication between employees in different 
offices, or even in different countries. On the other hand, technology can make life more 
difficult, especially when it goes wrong. It causes a lot of stress when the Internet is 
down or a computer crashes. 
3. Advice: give the good effects AND the bad effects: 
I think technology is often responsible for people losing their jobs. Machines have 
replaced people in areas like manufacturing and agriculture, and whenever a new 
technology is introduced, there are redundancies. At the same time, jobs might be 
created thanks to a new technology; there would be no computer programmers if the 
computer hadn't been invented. 
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IELTS Speaking Part 3: How will the Internet affect our lives? 
The "perspectives technique" for generating ideas (see 6th October) can also be useful 
in the IELTS speaking test. Here's an example: 
How do you think the Internet will affect our lives in the future? 
Personal perspective: 
I think the Internet will have a huge impact on our lives. More and more people are 
using social websites to keep in touch with friends. I think the Internet will probably 
replace TV because most channels are already available online. 
Economic perspective: 
Also, I think we'll do more online shopping. Web-based companies like Amazon are 
already really successful. In the future, there will probably be more companies that only 
sell via the Internet, and I expect we'll spend more money online than in traditional 
shops. 
Educational perspective: 
Schools and universities might also use the Internet to provide courses, so online 
learning will probably become a normal part of life. 
IELTS Speaking Part 3: status symbols 
In part 3 of the IELTS speaking test you should try to give longer answers with opinions, 
reasons, comparisons and examples. Here are some example questions and answers 
related to last week's part 2 topic: 
In your country, what possessions show a higher status or position in society? 
In my country, people who are wealthy tend to buy big houses and cars. Certain makes 
of car such as Mercedes or Ferrari are status symbols. They let other people know that 
you are important or powerful. People who want to give this impression often wear 
expensive designer clothes, or watches by brands like Rolex. 
Do you think we place too much importance on possessions? 
Probably, yes. Some people are obsessed with showing off their new mobile phone or 
wearing the latest fashions. I think it's a problem for teenagers because there's a lot of 
peer pressure to follow fashion or buy the latest gadget that their friends have got. 
Do you think things were different 50 years ago? 
Yes, maybe people were less materialistic. I think they bought things that lasted longer; 
my grandparents talk about how they repaired things rather than throwing them away. 
Maybe brands and advertising weren't as powerful as they are now. 
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IELTS Speaking Part 3: children's toys 
Here are some questions related to last week's part 2 topic: 
1. Do you think it's important for boys to play with "boys' toys" and for girls to 
only play with "girls' toys"? 
I think boys naturally seem to prefer playing with "boys' toys" and girls with "girls' toys". 
When I was young I had toy cars, trucks, guns and things like that, whereas my sister 
always wanted to play with dolls. I don't suppose it really matters if a boy plays with a 
doll or a girl plays with a toy car, but children learn quickly what toys are supposed to be 
for boys and for girls. 
2. Do you think it's good if parents only buy "educational" toys for their children? 
No, I don't agree with only giving children educational toys. In my opinion, children learn 
by playing with whatever interests them. Children invent their own games, even if they 
don't have any toys at all. It's important for children just to have fun; there will be plenty 
of time for parents to worry about education when their children get older.