IELTS Part 2 and Part 3 Topics and Questions -Family Living Situations

Old Family Members grandparents  Do people in China like to have three generations of their family all living together?. FQ  Similar to above Do you think people should maintain a clos

Family Living Situations

Family Size and Household Living Arrangements

 In China today, what what is the structure of the typical family (= the typical household)? FQ

 Have there been any changes in families in China in the past 20 or 30 years?

 Do you think these changes are changes for the better or changes for the worse? *

 In what ways do you think the number of people in a family (a household) affects the family?

 Do you think China's "One Child Policy" pleases everybody?

 What do you think are some of the advantages and disadvantages of big families (i.e., many children) as opposed to small families? FQ

 In China, are there any differences between family living arrangements

(households) in the cities and in the countryside?

Old Family Members (grandparents)

 Do people in China like to have three generations of their family all living

together? See Note

 How many generations live in your family home?

 What are some of the pros and cons of three generations living together (i.e., a household including grandparents)? FQx2

 (Similar to above) What do you think are some of the advantages and possible disadvantages of having children, parents and grandparents all living together?

 How much do you think people should be responsible for (the welfare of) their own parents? FQ

 Do you think it's a good idea to put old family members in a nursing home when they become very old?

Family Relationships

 Do you think family relationships are important? FQ

 (Similar to above) Do you think people should maintain a close relationship with members of their family? (Why?) FQ

 In general, what do families in China do together at home?

 Which do you think is the more important, family or friends? FQx2

 Do you agree that all members of a family (except for babies & very young children) have certain responsibilities towards the other members of the family? (If so, what are these responsibilities?)

 Do you prefer to (try to) "bring up your parents" (养父母 ) or do you prefer that they bring you up?

 How do you think support from friends and support from parents are different?

FQ

 In what ways do family members (in China) support each other? *

 Do you think people today spend more time with their family than they used to (about 30 years ago), or less time? FQ

 What are the advantages and possible disadvantages of living in a (very) knit family? FQ

close- What are some of the advantages and possible disadvantages of young people living at home with their parents right up until the time they get married?

 Do you think your parents should make decisions for you?

 Do you think young people (or, children) should respect their parents? (Why?)

 (Similar to above) How important is it for young people (or, children) to respect their parents?

 Would you agree that each person in a family has certain responsibilities towards the other members of the family?

 What responsibilities do young people (and/or children) have towards their parents? FQ

 What are some examples of stress (or pressure) that can threaten family

relationships? (E.g., husband and wife working in different cities because of economic necessity)

 How can the "generation gap" be reduced?

 Do you feel that you will be friends with the other members of your family for a long time?

 Do you think modern technology such as computers and the cell-phones play a positive role in family relationships?

Male and Female Family Roles

 In a marriage, who do you think should carry most of the responsibility for the family, the husband or the wife?

 In typical Chinese families, who is the dominant person, the mother or the father?

 Do you think this has changed at all in recent years?

 In a family, do you think it's important that the men and women have set (= clearly defined) roles to play?

 (Similar to above) Do you think (married) men and women should have set roles

 Ideally, what roles do you think men and women should play in a family? FQ

 (Similar to above) What responsibilities do you think men and women should (or, do) have in a family?

 How should a married couple decide who does what work in the home? *

 Do different groups in society have different ideas about the division of labour between (married) men and women?

Taking Care of Children at Home Frequent Topic

 Do you think women who have young children should stay at home and take care

of the children or should they have the freedom to take a job outside the home, thesame as men?

 Do you think this situation will change at all in the future?

 Who is more likely to think that "a woman's place is in the home", men or

women? (Why?) FQ

 (Similar to above) Do men and women have the same opinions about who should stay at home and look after the children? FQ

 In recent years, has the role of fathers changed much in Chinese families,

compared to many years ago?

 To what extent do you think (married) men should do such activities as rearing, doing the housework, cooking and shopping for groceries?

child- Do you think that when a couple has a young child, the responsibility for looking after the child should be shared equally?

 Do men and women generally take care of children in the same way?

 Do you think women are better suited to looking after children than men?

Helping Others

 Would you say it's easy for people to get along with others?

 (Similar to above but different) Would you say it's easy for people to form

relationships with others?

 (In general), do you think neighbours are important (to people)? (Why?/Why not?)

 Do you think it's important for neighbours to help each other?

 Do you think there's much difference between giving and receiving help in the family and between friends?

 Do people feel the same about helping family members and helping friends?

 What's the difference between help from family members (or, from parents) and help from friends? FQ

 Which do you think is better?

 Do young people in China today usually ask (or, prefer to ask) their parents for help or their friends?

 (Similar to above) Do children in China today usually ask (or, prefer to ask) their parents for help or their friends?

 In the future, do you think people will be co-operating more with each other than they do today or will people be doing things more independently than today?

 How do you personally feel about working with other people?

 How do you think you could contribute to your community?

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

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

192 A Course You Would Like to Study (Jan 10, 2009) Not Confirmed as

a Part 2 Topic

Describe a course you would like to study, if you had time *

You should say:

what (kind of) course it is (or, would be) *

where you would do this course *

how you would study it *

how easy or difficult you think it would be *

and explain how you would benefit from studying this course

Notes

 See Note about this topic possibly being Topic 154

 This is a 假设的问题

 Also see Notes

-

-Possible follow-up questions:

 Do you think you really will study this course? *

 Are there many schools in China that have that course? *

-

-Part 3

Teachers

 Do you think teachers are useful (or, necessary; or, important)? (Why?/Why not?)

 Do you need teachers to help you learn?

 What (personal) qualities do you think teachers should have? FQx2

 (Similar to above) What are the qualities of a good teacher? FQx2

 (Similar to above) What kind of person would make a good teacher? FQx2

 Do you think there's much difference between (the skills of), say, language teachers and sports teachers? (How are they similar and how are they different?)

FQx2

The Value of Different Kinds of Courses

Elective Courses (= non-major classes [courses])

 What are the most popular courses (= subjects; majors) for people to study today (at university or other tertiary educational institutes) in China? FQx2

 Do you think it would be good if schools (universities) only had that course?

 Do you think elective courses (elective subjects) in high school or university are very useful?

 What are some examples of good (= useful) elective courses?

 Do you think humanities subjects (arts subjects) such as history and music are important?

Practical Experience (or Practical Courses) versus Theoretical Courses

 How do you think universities could help students to find work after they

graduate?

 In general do you feel that university courses should focus on giving people knowledge, just for the value of knowledge, or should they focus on training people for work? FQ

 Which do you think is more useful (or, important), studying a course in a

classroom or getting practical work experience? (Why?) FQx2

 (Similar to above) When companies hire people, do you think they should pay more attention to the job applicant's study record or the job applicant's work experience? FQ

 Do you think schools (and universities) should include more opportunities for gaining practical experience? (Why? How? / Why not?)

Refresher Courses

 How useful (or, how important) do you think refresher courses are, (for example, going to a class to learn how to use the most recent computer software even though you took a similar course 10 years previously)? (Hint: The speed of technological development means that refresher courses will be increasingly important in the future.)

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

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

193 A Piece of Good News (Jan 10, 2009)

Describe a piece of good news that you received by phone *

You should say:

what the news was

where you were when you received this news

who gave you this news *

and explain why you felt this was good news *

or

and explain what you did after you received this good news *

See Notes

 The card might say, "mobile phone" but it probably just says "phone", giving the opportunity for those without a mobile phone to answer But of course, the main idea here is the mobile phone

 If the card says something like, "who gave you this news" then it seems that both

a text message and a spoken message would be suitable

 I don't think the card says this but, if it says something like, "who phoned you"

then it can only be a spoken message

 If it says, "who sent you" then only a text message would be suitable

 Don't forget to use the past tense and to say when, even if the card does not tell

you to say when

-

-Possible follow-up questions:



-

-Part 3

Telephones

 Do you think telephones are important for communication?

 Do people in China use telephones (including cell-phones) very much? (Give examples of the uses of telephones) FQx2

 Does everyone in China use a telephone?

 Which do people in China use more, cells phone or fixed line phones? FQx2

 Which do you think is better, cell-phones or fixed line phones? (Why?) FQx2

 (Similar to above) Why are cell-phones (= mobile phones) so popular?

 What changes has the introduction of cell-phones brought to people's lives (or, to society)? FQ

 (Similar to above) How have cell-phones changed people's lives? FQ

 Do you think people like listening to other people's cell-phone conversations in public places?

 Some people don't like telephones (both cell-phones and fixed line phones) Can you suggest some reasons why they feel that way?

 Who do you think prefer to use telephones, old people or young people?

 Why do you think girls like using telephones (or, cell-phones) more than boys?

Communication Methods/Tools

 How have communication methods in China changed in the past 20 or 30 years?

FQx2

 Compare the benefits and shortcomings of using different communication

methods (or, tools) such as face-to-face communication, letters, emails and phones *

 Compare (the advantages & disadvantages of using) emails as opposed to phones (= mobile phones) as a means of communication

cell- Compare (the advantages & disadvantages of using) emails as opposed to written) letters as a means of communication FQ

(hand- What impact have new communication technologies such as mobile phones and the internet had on people's work lives and on their personal lives? FQ See Note

 With the increasing use of computers for communication, what do you think the eventual result will be? FQ

 (Similar to above) With the increasing use of computers for communication, do you think people's handwriting skills will suffer as a result?

 Do you think the skill of handwriting might one day disappear?

 How do you think people will be communicating with each other in the future (e.g., 30 years from now)?

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

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

194 A Future Change (Jan 10, 2009)

Describe a change you would like to make to your life in the future

You should say:

what change you would like to make

when you would like to make this change *

how easy or difficult you think this change might be

(or, how you would make this change happen)

and explain why you would like to make this change

Notes

 Concentrate on talking about one particular change, not several different changes because, almost certainly, the card says "a change" not, "some changes" Of course, one change will lead to other changes and you could mention them, but try

to focus on a single change

-

-Possible follow-up questions:



-

-Part 3

See also all the past Part 3 questions for "Change" topics in Part 2: Topic #47, Topic

#92, Topic #148

People's feelings about Change

 Do you think changes that occur in a person's life are important to that person?

 How do you feel about change?

 Some people like change while others don't Can you suggest why these two groups of people feel this way? FQ

 (Similar to above) In general, what kind of people (or, which groups of people) like change? FQ

 Why do they like change? FQ

 And what kind of people (or, which groups of people) don't like change? (Why?)

FQ

 How does change bring difficulties to some people?

 (Similar to above) What are some negative effects of change?

 Who do you think likes change more, young people or old(er) people? Why?

 Who do you think likes change more, children or adults? Why?

 Do you think change affects children and old people the same way?

 How can people have more control over the changes that occur in their lives?

 Why do adults find it harder to change (to make changes to themselves) than children? FQ

 (Similar to above) Why do you think it is difficult for people in general to change (to make changes to themselves)? FQ

Changes that Happen to People

 And can you give any examples of changes that just happen to people, not really changes that people choose to make?

 What changes take place when a child becomes an adult?

 What are some things about a person that never change?

Changes In Society

 What are some of the major changes that have taken place in Chinese society in the past 20 or 30 years?

 If you were the government, what changes would you bring about in society?

 What's the difference between "change" and "progress"?

 In the past 20 or 30 years, have there been any changes in family life (or, the family structure) in China? FQ

 Do you think these are all changes for the better or are some of them changes for the worse?

 How do you think changes in technology (electronic technology) have affected people's everyday lives?

 What changes do you think the internet has brought to society?

 Have there been any changes in the natural environment (e.g., the weather)?

 Can you think of anything that hasn't changed since ancient times?

Educational Changes Frequent Topic

 Has education in China changed much in the past 20 or 30 years? FQ

 What do you think are the results of those changes?

 Do you think the educational system in China needs any changes? (What

changes? Why?/Why not?) FQ

 (Similar to above) What changes would you like to see in the educational system (in your country)? FQ

 (If those changes came about [= happened],) what do you think the results of those changes would be? See Note

 How do you think education in China will, in fact, change over the next 20 or 30 years?

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

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

195 Your Favourite Part of Your Hometown (Jan 10, 2009)

Describe your favourite part of your hometown

You should say:

where it is

how often you go there

what you do there

and explain why that is your favourite part of town

-Possible follow-up questions:



-

-Part 3

City versus Rural Living

 Compare (the differences between) living in a city and living in a rural

environment

 What are the advantages and disadvantages of living in a city and in a rural environment?

 Compare the differences between people's homes in cities and in the countryside

 Which do you think is the better place to live, in a city or in the countryside? (Why?) FQ

 Nowadays, many people move to live either in the city or the countryside What

do you think are (some of) the reasons why people make these moves?

 What is the trend in China - are people moving into the cities from the

countryside or are they moving into the countryside from the cities? (Why?)

 In the future, do you think (more) people will move out of the cities into rural areas?

 Why do (many) people today move from rural to urban areas? FQ

 What do you think the government could do to improve the living situation in the countryside?

 What city would you prefer to live in? (Why?)

Essential Facilities in a Town or City

 What would you say are the essential facilities (or, the important facilities) and services that people need in their town or city? FQ

 (Similar to above) What important (or essential) facilities and services does your hometown have? FQ

 What kind of entertainment facilities are there in your hometown?

 (Similar to above) What kind of entertainment facilities do you think are essential for a town or city?

 What facilities are there for the welfare of old people in the community?

 (Similar to above) What do you think are essential facilities in a community for old people?

 What do you think are the essential educational facilities that a community (a town or city) should have?

 Do you think libraries are an important facility in the community?

 Compare the services and facilities that are available in the cities of China and in the countryside (small towns and villages)

 How do you think the facilities in your hometown could be improved?

 Who should be responsible for providing these services and facilities (the

government, private businesses, individual citizens)? FQ

 (Perhaps the question above is:) Who is responsible for providing these services and facilities (the government, private businesses, individual citizens)? FQ

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

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

IELTS Part 2 and Part 3 Topics and Questions

Page 40

196 A Childhood Activity (February 7, 2009)

197 A Person who Visited your Home (Mar 7, 2009) ( Not in China )

198 A Conversation You Had (May 9, 2009)

199 An Electrical/Electronic Product (May 9, 2009)

200 A Film (4) (May 9, 2009)

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

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

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

196 A Childhood Activity (February 7, 2009)

Describe an activity that you did with your friends when you were a child.

You should say:

how old you were when you did this activity *

how and where you did this activity *

who you did it with *

and explain why you enjoyed that activity

Notes

 This seems to be a different topic to Topic #179, A Childhood Game An

"activity" can be a game but it doesn't have to be a game For example, it could beplaying a sport, riding your bicycle etc The words are not yet clear but someone wrote on the internet that the word "game" is not written on the topic card The Part 3 questions seem different to Topic #179, too

-

-Possible follow-up questions:

 Do children today still do that?

-

The Role of Children in the Family

 In the family, what is the role of children?

 As they grow up, how do you think this role changes?

 What do you think parents can do to help their children grow up to become good people?

 What pressures do modern children have in their lives?

Community

Neighbours

A dog poses for a photo while visiting his neighbours

 Do you communicate very much with your neighbours?

 Are you willing to make friends with old people?

 Do you think a person's relations with their neighbours is important?

 (Similar to above) Do you think it's important to have good relations with one's neighbours? FQ

 What are some ways that neighbours (can) help each other?

 Would you say that the average person today has the same kind of relationship with their neighbours as previous generations did? FQ

 Why do you think many people today are isolated from their neighbours? FQ

 (Similar to above) Why do you think many people are alienated from (= isolated from) their neighbours and what can be done about it? FQ

 (Similar to above) Many people today are so busy that they don't spend much time at home or in their local communities Do you think this is a good thing? FQ

 In what ways can students (or, children, or young people) show a sense of

responsibility towards their communities?

 At what age do you think children should start to show a sense of responsibility towards their communities?

Groups

 What groups (e.g., clubs) in society are you willing to join?

 (Similar to above) What groups (e.g., clubs) in society would you like to join?

 In general do teenagers like to do things in groups?

 What do you think are the benefits for young people from joining groups?

 As people get older, do you think they still enjoy doing things in groups?

 For children, how do you think taking part in group activities will benefit them when they are adults?

 For children, how do you think communicating with others (in group activities) will benefit them when they are adults?

 If a child were too shy to join other kids in play, what would you do to help this child?

The Global Community

 Would you agree that the people in the world are today living in a "global

village"?

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

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

197 A Person who Visited your Home (Mar 7, 2009) ( Not in China )

Describe a person who visited your home

You should say:

who the person was

why they visited your home

how you spent the time with this visitor (or how you entertained this visitor)

and explain how you felt about the visit

-Possible follow-up questions:



-

-Part 3

See also the Part 3 questions forTopic # 138 So far, the topic reported in Australia on Mar 7 seems to be exactly the same as Topic #138

 In China, what do people do when they visit each other?

 Do you think visiting others is more informal today than it was before (for

example, when your parents or grandparents were young)?

 What do people in China do to prepare for visitors to their home?

 When people take their guests out to a restaurant, who do you think should pay the bill, the host or the guests?

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

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

198 A Conversation You Had (May 9, 2009)

Describe an important conversation you had in the past

You should say:

where you had the conversation (or, in what situation you had the conversation) who you talked to (or, who you talked with)

what you talked about

and explain why this was an important conversation to you

-

-Possible follow-up questions:



-

-Part 3

Conversation in Society

 How often do you have conversations with your friends?

 Do you speak about the same topics when you have conversations with your parents? *

 What are the most frequent topics of conversation that people (in your country) talk about? FQx2

 Can you think of any situations when two strangers might engage in a

conversation?

Gender Differences Frequent Topic

 Is there much difference between men and women when they have a conversationwith other people of the same gender?

 Do men and women usually talk about the same topics (when they are speaking toother people of the same gender)?

The Importance of International Communication

 Do you think it's important for people from different countries to talk to each other?

 Can you give any examples of situations when conversation between people from different countries is important?

 What do you think is the value of holding international conferences (国际会议, for example, an international conference of doctors or scientists)?

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

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

199 An Electrical/Electronic Product (May 9, 2009)

Describe an electronic (or electrical) device or product you would like to buy You should say:

what it is *

where you would buy it *

how this product is used *

and explain why you would like to buy that? *

Notes

 So far, the details of this topic are just my guesses

-

-Possible follow-up questions:

 Do you know anyone who has one of those? *

-

-Part 3

See also Part 3 of Topics # 51 and # 149

" * " = my guess at a question

Technology in Modern Society

 How are electronic (电子的) (and electrical, 电力的) devices today different to those in the past?

 How has modern science and technology changed people's lives in the past generation (20 to 30 years)?

 (Similar to above) How has the use of electronic/electrical devices changed people's lives in the past generation (20 to 30 years)?

 What do you think are the advantages and any disadvantages that result from using these modern devices?

 What do you think will be the future development of electronic (and electrical) devices?

Technology and Work

 How has modern science and technology changed the way people work in the pastgeneration (20 to 30 years)?

 Do you think all of these changes have been changes for the better? *

Studying Science and Technology

 Of the two branches of learning, the sciences and the humanities, which is the more popular choice of study in your country?

 Do equal numbers of men and women study science and technology in

universities in your country? (Why?/Why not?) *

 Compared to studying humanities subjects such as history and literature, how important do you think the study of science and technology is? *

what type of film it was

where you watched this film *

what the film was about

why you chose to watch this film *

and explain why you enjoyed this film

Notes

 No-one has reported that the word "recently" is in the wording - that's my guess only (It doesn't matter, anyway.)

-

-Possible follow-up questions:

 Would you like to see it again? *

-

-Part 3

See also the Part 3 questions for Topics 6 99 and 145

Film-Watching in Your Country

 Do you like to watch films with your friends? (Why?)

 Which do you think is better, (or, which do you prefer), to watch films in a cinema or watch films (e.g., DVDs) at home? FQx2

 (Similar to above) Which do people in China prefer, to watch films in a cinema orwatch films (e.g., DVDs) at home?

 Do you often go to a cinema to see a film?

 (Similar to above) How often do you go to a cinema to see a film?

 What kinds of films do people in China like to watch? FQx2

 What type of film do you prefer? FQ

 Do older people and young people in China like the same types of films?

 (Similar to above) Do older people and children in China like the same types of films?

 Do you have any favourite film stars (or, actors or actresses)?

 Is the any difference between the kinds of films people in China watch today and the kinds of films they watched before (for example, about 30 years ago)?

 In what ways are the films that you watch today different to the films you

watched when you were a child?

 How long (i.e., time) are most films? (= What is the length of most films today?)

*

 What are the most common themes of films today? * (Unclear question)

Films Compared to TV

 Do people in China prefer to watch films or watch TV? *

 Do people in China watch the same kinds of films and TV programs?

The Language of Films

 Which do you think is better, to watch foreign films in the original language, withChinese subtitles, or to watch films that have been dubbed (配音的) into Chinese?

 Do you think watching foreign movies in English can help you (or, help people) learn English?

The Film Industry

 Do you think that the amount of money that is spent on the production of a film is excessive or is it worthwhile?

202 A Leisure Activity (May 9, 2009)

203 A Newspaper or Magazine Article (May 9, 2009)

204 A Party (Apr 25 2009)

205 A Picnic or Outdoor Meal (May 9, 2009)

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

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

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

201 A Job (May 9, 2009)

Describe a job you think you would be good at (= a job you think you would do well) * You should say:

what job *

what would be your typical activities in this job *

how you would get this job *

and explain why you think you would be able to do this job well *

Notes

 Almost every point above is a guess except for the idea of 'good at' Someone alsowrote the description of the job is a job you 'like' But for both of those, I think thewording is, "would be good at" or, "would like"

-

-Possible follow-up questions:

 Do you know anyone who is doing this job?

-

-Part 3

 (If you are working now) Please compare the job you just described to the job youare doing at the moment

Choosing a Job (or a line of work)

 What factors influence people's choice when they decide what job to do? FQ

 How important is the question of money when people are choosing what job to do?

 (Similar to above) Do you think money matters very much?

 Where can people get help when they are trying to choose a job?

 Do you think work experience should be part of the school curriculum or part of university courses?

Changing Jobs (or, changing one's line of work)

 Why do people change jobs?

 Do you think changing jobs always means changing to a higher salary?

 How much do you think money is the reason people choose to change jobs?

 What do you think are the benefits of staying in one job for a long time?

 So far, there is no information about the wording Only the topic is known

Typically, this question is, "Describe a leisure time activity you like doing" But itmight be different - it might be something like, "Describe a leisure time activity you would like to do (in the future)"

-

-Possible follow-up questions: