This is a detailed analysis of all 365 kinds of Speaking Part Three question in the official Cambridge IELTS exam practice books from IELTS 3 to IELTS 19. It starts with a summary of what kinds of questions are most and less common, then there is a table going through each test in detail. This is designed to help make exam practice reflect the real test, to prioritise what to study, and to search for suitable exam practice materials. Over 1000 pages of photocopiable preparation IELTS materials are available at https://www.usingenglish.com/e-books/.
Summary of official IELTS Speaking Part Three questions
Types of official Speaking Part Three question
Actual questions are never repeated from test to test, and even most question stems only occur once. However, almost all of the questions can be put into one or more of these groups by the language they contain and/ or the language they elicit in candidate answers:
- Reasons/ Cause and effect (95 questions)
- Generalising (83 questions)
- Advice/ Recommendations (44)
- How + adjective (34)
- Agreeing and disagreeing (32)
- Comparing/ Contrasting (31)
- Predictions (28)
- Advantages and disadvantages/ Looking at both sides (25)
- Trends/ Changes (20)
- Hypothetical situations (3)
Taking a very broad definition of each category above leads to only three questions that couldn’t fit into any of those groups. Many questions could actually go in more than one group above, so the numbers and proportions would be at least slightly different if they were classified that way.
Questions stems which are repeated most often include:
- “Why do some people…?” and variations (in 24 tests out of 76 tests, + 3 more “Why do some…?” questions with different subjects)
- “How important…?” (in 13 tests)
- “What are the most popular (kinds of/ types of)…?” and variations (9)
- What (do you think) are the advantages/ benefits (and disadvantages) of… (rather than…) (for…)? (7)
- “Is it (always) better to…?” and variations (5)
- “How do(es) (the types of)… compare with…?” (5)
- “Do you agree/ believe/ think that all… should….?” (3)
- “What are benefits to…of…?” and variations (3)
- “How easy (or difficult) is it to… (in your country)?” (3)
- “Is it a good idea to…?” and variations (3)
- “What kinds of… do (young) people… in your country?” (3)
- “What role does… play in…, do you think?” and variations (3)
The variations are most often indirect versions of the questions above like “Do you think it is always better to…?”
About a quarter of the questions (111) are yes no questions, often as indirect questions like “Do you think that… is…?” There are also 33 two options questions (“… or…?”). The remaining two thirds are wh- questions.
103 of the questions are accompanied by follow-up questions asking for more details (usually used by the examiner if the initial answer is short). Of those, over half (58) are some kind of why question like “Why is that?”. 10 questions ask how or in what way, seven questions ask candidates to look at both sides (e.g. also asking about disadvantages), and seven ask candidates for comparisons (such as what is better).
Topics in official IELTS Speaking Part Three questions
Specific topics are rarely repeated in the official IELTS Speaking practice tests, so the questions have been put here into wider categories like “society”:
- business and work (18 tests on advertising, e-commerce, looking for work, local businesses, meetings, work-life balance, workplaces, etc)
- science and technology (11 tests on the internet, social media, etc)
- education (10 tests on history, etc)
- society (10 tests on laws, competition, materialism/ consumerism, etc)
- arts and media (9 tests on movies, music, reading, theatre/ plays, TV, etc)
- people and relationships (9 tests on family, friends, children, neighbours, fame, skills, etc)
- architecture, homes, towns, and local areas (8 tests on houses and apartments, housework, interiors, cities, etc)
- free time/ leisure (8 tests on hobbies, shopping, games, etc)
- travel and tourism (6 tests on tourist attractions, commuting, international travel, driving, hotels, museums, the tourist industry, etc)
- psychology (4 tests on choices, etc)
- festivals and celebrations/ important events (3 tests on marriage, national celebrations, parties, etc)
- finance (2 tests on money, etc)
- food and drink (2 tests on cooking, restaurants, etc)
- nature (2 tests on weather, etc)
- places (2 tests)
- sports (2 tests)
- time (2 tests)
- health (1 test on keep fit, lifestyles, etc)
Since 2002, all of those topics have been divided into two more specific sub-topics related to the more general topic of Speaking Part Two, such as “rewards to pupils” and “rewards for athletes” for the topic of prizes. These sub-topics are sometimes very closely related, but are sometimes quite different from each other.
Difficulties in official IELTS Speaking Part 3 questions
The most common tricky points in official IELTS Speaking Part 3 practice test questions are:
- difficult vocabulary that at least some candidates will have to check the meaning of before answering (such as “foresee” and “equate”, in 24 out of 76 tests, most recently in 2024)
- odd and/ or strangely worded questions that would be rare in real life or even in English classes (“To what extent does… affect…?” etc, in 23 tests, most recently in 2022)
- questions that could lead to simple lists if candidates don’t make sure that they use a better range of language (such as “Which facilities…?”, in 14 tests, most recently in 2024)
- topics that are difficult to generalise about (like kinds of homes, in 12 tests, most recently in 2022)
- questions on deep and/ or abstract topics that would usually take a lot of thought before answering (e.g. materialism, in 10 tests, most recently in 2019 and 2015)
- questions which would be much easier to answer with some specific knowledge (such as of traditional music, in 8 tests, most recently in 2024)
- questions asking about kinds of things which might be hard to categorise (kinds of monuments etc, in 7 tests, most recently in 2020)
- questions about unusual topics in real life and in class (the future of festivals etc, in 6 tests, most recently in 2022)
- sub-topics which aren’t clearly linked or aren’t clearly linked to Speaking Part Two and so might throw a candidate who expects to continue talking about the same topic (such as from a beautiful place in Part Two to beauty in totally different contexts in Part 3, in 5 tests, most recently in 2024)
- questions whose answers are so obvious that they hardly need worth saying/ questions which only really have one answer (most recently in 2023)
- very similar questions which probably mean that candidates have to refer back to their previous answers (most recently in 2023)
Oddities/ surprises in official IELTS Speaking Part Three questions
Generalising and advice/ recommendations are more common than agreeing/ disagreeing, which is only slightly more common than comparing/ contrasting and predictions. (Dis)advantages questions are also much less common than might be imagined.
Business and work is the most popular topic by quite a long way, ahead of education and society, in contrast to other parts of the test such as Listening.
Other oddities like difficulties that only occur in one test are marked with a star (*) in the table below.
Changes/ trends in official IELTS Speaking Part Three questions
The first two official Cambridge practice exam books from 1996 and 2000 had no Part Three questions. There have been no major changes in IELTS Speaking Part Three in books since then, with the same mix of common and stranger question stems, common and odd topics, and different kinds of potential problems. However, recent tests do seem to have fewer questions on abstract topics that need deep thought, and slightly more questions with the opposite problem of just leading to simple lists if candidates don’t try hard to push up the range of language thar they use.
Books after IELTS 11 have no follow-up questions listed. However, examiners are just as likely to ask for extra details as before, so anyone asking using the questions in books 12 to 19 will need to sometimes come up with suitable follow-up questions like “Why is this?”
Conclusions
Candidates will need a wide range of language for all of the functions above (cause and effect, advice, agreeing and disagreeing, predictions, etc), both for Speaking Part Three and for other parts of IELTS (Writing Task 2, Listening Part Three and Writing Task 1).
Candidates need to prepare for at least the top ten or twelve topics above (business and work, psychology, etc) both for Speaking Part Three and for other parts of the test (like Reading, and Listening Part 4).
Candidates will need plenty of language for filling silence while they think (about deep topics etc, with phrases like “If you ask me, I would say that…” and “That’s not something I’ve ever thought about before, but…”).
Candidates will almost certainly need to check/ clarify. It is worth learning a wide range of language to do this, both to avoid repeating phrases used earlier in the test and to tell the examiner exactly what the comprehension problem is.
The fact that there are so many different questions stems indicates that IELTS test writers do not work with a fixed list of question stems or any other kind of fixed system, so candidates will need to be able to answer many different kinds of discussion questions. This should include both questions starting with the common question stems above, and ones which have never been in IELTS before.
Candidates need practice of answering odd questions and questions about odd topics that we wouldn’t usually use in English classes and that have possibly never been in IELTS before.
Year-by-year detailed analysis of official Cambridge IELTS Speaking Part Three questions
The columns below show the test and the year the official test was published, the subject(s), how the questions start, tricky points about the questions and topic(s), and things which make the questions more manageable. A star (*) mean a surprising point such as something that is different in most of or all of the other tests.
| Year Book/ test | Topic(s) | Question stems | Possible difficulties | Easy points |
| 2024 19/ 1 | society, education, work (laws and rules) | What kinds of… are common in…?, How important is it to have…?, What do you recommend should happen if…?, Can you suggest why…?, What are the key… needed to be…?, Do you agree that working… is very stressful? | “What kind of…” answer could just be a simple list, hard if they know nothing about being a lawyer | “How important” is a common question so hopefully they know suitable vocabulary |
| 2024 19/ 2 | people, education, sports (rewards for school kids and athletes) | What types of… do children in your country…?, What do you think are the advantages of…?, Do that agree that it is more important… than…?, Do you think that some…… too much?, Should everyone… get the same…?, Do you agree with the view that…? | What types of prizes difficult to classify so could just turn into a simple list | Overpaid sportspeople is a common topic that candidates might have studied before |
| 2024 19/ 3 | travel, technology (driving and electric cars) | How interested are young people in country in…?, What are the differences between… and…?, Do you consider most… where you live to be…?, How popular are… in your country?, In what ways could more people be persuaded to…?, Do you think all… will be… one day? | Some candidates might not know “consider” and/ or “persuaded” | Electric cars is a common topic that candidates should have relevant knowledge on and might have spoken about in English, hopefully know suitable comparing language from Writing Task 1 |
| 2024 19/ 4 | arts and media, people (beauty) | Do you agree that most… are a waste of money?, How does… so successfully?, What do you think of the view that… should not be…?, Why do most people equate… with…?, Do you think that… could affect a person’s…?, Why might society’s… change over time? | Link to Part Two (a beautiful place) might not be clear, “equate” is rare and hard vocabulary, very abstract topic | Candidates fairly likely to have opinions on this topic |
| 2023 18/ 1 | food and drink (cooking) | What kinds of things can children learn to…?, Do you think it is important for children to learn to…?, Do you think young people should learn to… at home or at school?, How enjoyable do you think it would be to…?, What skills does a person need to be a great…?, How much influence do… have on what people…? | Answer to “What skills” could turn into a long simple list | Easy and common topic, some very easy questions that don’t take much thought to answer |
| 2023 18/ 2 | travel and tourism (museums and tourist industry) | What are the most popular… in…?, Do you believe that all… should be free?, What kinds of things make…. an interesting place to…?, Why, do you think, do some people… rather than…?, Would you say that a large number of…. cause problems for…?, What sort of impact can… have on…? | Answers to some questions are so obvious that they might seem to be not worth saying, the two subtopics are really different so might be confusing to go from one to the other | Some really easy questions that don’t need much thought to answer |
| 2023 18/ 3 | relationships (family) | When do families… together in your country?, How often do all generations of… come together in your family?, Why is it that some people might not enjoy…?*, Do you think it is a good thing for… to…?, How important do you think it is for… to…?, Do you believe that everyone in a family should…? | First two questions very similar so might need to refer back to what you said earlier, two hedging words in the third question might make it difficult to understand* | Common textbook topic, fairly common Part 3 question stems |
| 2023 18/ 4 | relationships (friends) | How important is it for… to…?, Do you think it is wrong for… to…?, Why do you think… often… as they get older?, If a person is…, what is a good way for them to…?, Can you think of any disadvantages to…?, Would you say it is harder for people to… as they get older? |
| All candidates have relevant knowledge, fairly common textbook topic |
| 2022 17/ 1 | home, local area, town (neighbours and city facilities) | What sort of things can… do to help each other?, How well do people generally… in your country?, How important do you think it is to…?, Which… are most important for…?, How does… differ from…?, Do you think that… should always…? | Two subtopics are very different so might be confusing, “What sort of things” and “Which facilities” answers could be long simple lists, hard to generalise about neighbours |
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| 2022 17/ 2 | travel, towns (cities) | What are the most interesting things to do when…?, What can it be expensive to…?, Do you think it’s better to… or…?, Why have… increased (in…) in recent years?, What are the challenges created by…?, In what ways do you think… will be different to… today? | Unusual topic, some odd questions that candidates might have no ideas on, candidates might need to check the meaning of “challenges created by” | Architecture and town planning are common topics in the test |
| 2022 17/ 3 | architecture and town planning (monuments*) | What kind of… do tourists in your country…?, What do you think that there are often…?, Do you agree that… should always be…?, Why is… a popular..?, In what ways has… changed in recent years?, To what extent does… affect…? | Unusual topic that candidates probably haven’t talked about before, difficult to define kinds of monuments, candidates might have no idea how to answer one or two questions, “to what extent does… affect…?” is an odd question* |
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| 2022 17/ 4 | time (time management*) | Do you think it’s okay to… when…?, What should happen to people who…?, Can you suggest how people can make sure…?, Is it better to… or…?, What are the likely effects of…?, How important is it for…? | Unusual topic that candidates probably haven’t spoken about before, some unusual question stems | Candidates hopefully know suitable cause and effect language from Writing Task 2 |
| 2021 16/ 1 | travel and tourism (attractions and worldwide) | What are the most popular… in your country?, How do the types of… that younger people like to… compare with those that older people like to…?, Do you agree that some… should be free to…?, Why is… important to a country?, What are benefits to individuals of…?, How necessary is it for… to…? | Answer to the first question could be just a simple list | Common topic that candidates may have talked about before |
| 2021 16/ 2 | business, arts and media (reviews and customer service) | What kinds of… do people… in your country?, Why do some people…?, Do you think that… are good for both… and…?, What do you think it might be like to…?, Do you agree that... are more likely to... nowadays?, How important is it for... to...? | Link between the two subtopics might not be clear and so cause confusion | Most candidates will have relevant experience and/ or knowledge |
| 2021 16/ 3 | possessions, finance, society (luxury item) | Which… would many young people in your country like to…?, How do the… that younger people want to… differ from those that older people…?, Do you think that people are more likely to… or…?, How difficult is it to… in today’s world?, Do you agree that… doesn’t necessarily bring…?, In what ways might rich people use… to…? | Some questions odd and hard to answer, candidates unlikely to have talked about these topics before, “doesn’t necessarily” likely to be hard to understand |
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| 2021 16/ 4 | science and technology, education (games and in class) | What kinds of… do people… in your country?, Why do people enjoy…?, Do you think all… should have a minimum age for…?, In what ways can… be helpful (in…)?, Do you agree that… are often better at… than…?, Do you believe that… will ever replace…? | Difficult to generalise about computer games in a whole country, two subtopics quite different, future use of “ever” might be new to candidates | Most candidates will have views on these topics |
| 2020 15/ 1 | work and business, travel and tourism (hotels) | What things are important when people are choosing…?, Why do some people not like…?, Do you think… is a waste of money?, Do you think… is a good…?, How does… compare with…?, What skills are needed to be a successful…? | Hard to imagine working in hotels | Fairly easy question stems |
| 2020 15/ 2 | business, free time, society (consumerism) | What kinds of things do people in your country often…?, Why do you think… has become so popular nowadays?, What are some possible disadvantages of…?, Why do some people today keep…?, Do you believe the benefits of… outweigh the disadvantages?, How possible is it to avoid…? | Meaning of “consumer society” probably not clear to candidates* | Most or all candidates will have relevant experience and/ or views |
| 2020 15/ 3 | people, society (fame) | What kinds of… are most famous in your country today?, Why are there so many stories about… in the news?, Do you agree or disagree that many young people today want to…?, Do you think that it is easy for… to…?, Why might… enjoy…?, In what ways could… use their influence to…? | Hard to classify famous people to answer the first question, some questions hard to generalise about | Fame is a common textbook topic so candidates might have spoken about it before |
| 2020 15/ 4 | science and technology, (public and discoveries) | How interested are most people in your country in…?, Why do you think children today might be better at… than their parents?*, How do you suggest the public can learn more about…?, What do you think are the most important… in the last 100 years?*, Do you agree that there are…?, Who should pay for… - … or …? | Some odd questions that need a lot of thought before they can be answered so might produce silence, hard to answer with no knowledge* | Common IELTS topic so hopefully candidates have some useful science vocabulary |
| 2019 14/ 1 | arts and media, family, technology (reading) | What are the popular types of… in your country?, What are the benefits of parents…?, Should parents always let children choose…?, How popular are… in your country?, What are the advantages of parents… (compared to…)?, Will… ever completely replace… in the future? | Difficult to classify children’s books | Fairly common question stems, common topic so candidates might have spoken about it before |
| 2019 14/ 2 | home (interiors and kinds of) | Why do some people…?, Do you think it is very expensive to…?, Why don’t some people care about…?, In what ways is… better than…?, Do you think… will look different in the future?, Do you agree that the kinds of… that people prefer change as they get older? |
| Fairly common question stems, all candidates will have relevant experiences and/ or opinions, home is a common IELTS topic so hopefully candidates know some related vocabulary |
| 2019 14/ 3 | work (hard jobs and success) | What are the most… that people…?, Why do you think some people choose to…?, Do you agree or disagree that all… are… sometimes?, How important is it for everyone to…?, Is it always necessary to… in order to…?, Do you think that… people are always…? | Quite deep questions that candidates might need to think about |
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| 2019 14/ 4 | technology, business (e-commerce) | What kinds of things do people in your country often…?, Why do you think… has become so popular nowadays?, What are some possible disadvantages of…?, Do you agree that all… should be…. than…?, Will… continue to be popular, despite the growth of…?, Do you think that some… will only operate online in the future? |
| All candidates will have related experience and/ or opinions |
| 2018 13/ 1 | work, free time (job search and work-life balance) | What kinds of… do young people not want to… in your country?, Who is best at…: …. or…?, Is… always the most important thing when…?, Do you agree that people nowadays are under pressure to…?, What is the impact on society of people…?, Could you recommend some effective strategies for… to ensure that…? | Difficult to summarise kinds of jobs | Common topics that candidates probably have something to say about |
| 2018 13/ 2 | technology, education, society | What is the best age for children to…?, Do you think that… should use more… to…?, Do you agree or disagree that… will replace… one day?, How much has… improved the way we…?, Do you agree that there are still many more… to be…?, Can you suggest some reasons why some people are…? | Difficult to predict future innovations*, difficult to generalise about technology improving things | Common topics that candidates have probably read/ heard about and/ or spoken about |
| 2018 13/ 3 | work, technology (communication) | Why is it good to…?, Do you think it’s better to… not…?, Is it a good idea to…?, Which… skills are important when…?, What are the possible effects of poor…?, What do you think will be the future impact of…? | “Do you think it’s better to… not…?” sounds like the much more common “or…?” but needs a different answer*, kinds of communication skills very difficult to classify |
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| 2018 13/ 4 | technology, (internet and social media) | Why do some people find… addictive?, What would the world be like without…?, Do you think that the way people… may change in the future?, What are the ways that… can be used for positive purposes?*, Why do some individuals…?, Do you think that companies’ main form of… will be… in the future?* | Some strangely worded questions, “What are the ways…?” sounds like it is asking for a full list, both future predictions and hypothetical questions might e confusing | Common topic that candidates might have spoken about before |
| 2017 12/ 5 | time (punctuality and waiting) | In what kind of situations should people always…?, How important is it to… in your country?, How can… help people to…?, What kinds of jobs require the most…?, Is it always better to be… (in your work or studies)?, Do you agree that the …er people are, the more… they are? |
| Most candidates will have answers to most or all questions |
| 2017 12/ 6 | arts and media (film and theatre) | What are the most popular types of… in your country?, What is the difference between… and…?, Do you think that… will close in the future?, How important is… in your country’s history?, How strong a tradition is it today in your country to…?, Do you think… should be run as a business or as a public service? | Some strangely worded questions, many candidates will lack knowledge to answer questions about their country and these topics, candidates might confuse “theatre” and “movie theatre” | Candidates likely to know some suitable movie vocabulary |
| 2017 12/ 7 | finance, society (money and…) | Why do some parents…?, Do you agree that schools should teach children how to…?, Do you think it is a good idea for… to…?, Do you think it’s true that in today’s society…?, What disadvantages are there in a society where…?, Do you think… have a responsibility to help…? | “have a responsibility to” might be confusing | Candidates probably have opinions on all the questions |
| 2017 12/ 8 | work (workplaces) | What things make a… to…?, Why do some people prefer to…?, Do you agree that… is more important than…?, What would life be like if people didn’t need to…?, Are all… of equal importance?*, Why do some people become…? | Some strangely worded questions, meaning of “comfortable to work in” not clear, two questions which clearly need a strong negative answer* | Work is a fairly common topic |
| 2016 11/ 1 | place, home, relationship (house/ apartment) | What kinds of… are most popular in your country? Why is this?, What do you think are the advantages of… rather than…?*, Do you think that everyone would like to…? Why is that?, How easy is it to… in your country?, Do you think it’s better to… or to…? Why?, Do you agree that there is a right age for young adults to…? Why is that? | Difficult to generalise about kinds of home | Home is a common IELTS topic so hopefully candidates know suitable vocabulary for Speaking Part 1 |
| 2016 11/ 2 | arts and media (reading) | What kinds of… are most popular with… in your country? Why do you think that is?, What do you think some… do not… more often?, How do you think… can be encouraged to… more?, Are there any occasions when… is a useful skill to have? What are they?, Are there any… where people need to…? What are they?, Do you think that… is more interesting than…? Why is that? | Difficult to generalise about kinds of books, last three questions are odd, some answers could turn into simple lists, “encouraged to” and/ or “occasions” might confuse candidates | Most candidates will have relevant experience and/ or opinions on kids and reading |
| 2016 11/ 3 | nature (weather) | What types of… do people in your country dislike most? Why is that?, What… can be affected by…? Why?, Are there any important… in your country that…?, How important do you think it is for everyone to…? Why?, What is the best way to…?, How easy or difficult is it to…? Why is that? | Difficult to generalise about the topics, some odd questions | Common topic so hopefully candidates know relevant vocabulary, fairly common question stems |
| 2016 11/ 4 | arts and media, business (TV programmes and ads) | What are the most popular kinds of… in your country? Why is this?, Do you think there are too many… shows on TV nowadays? Why?, Do you think… is the main way for people to… in your country? What other ways are there?, What types of… are… most often?, Do you think that people pay attention to…? Why do you think that is?, How important are regulations on…? | TV genres vocabulary could be a difficulty, difficult to generalise about advertising, candidates might not understand “pay attention to” and/ or “regulations” | TV is a fairly common topic so candidates might have covered it in English classes |
| 2015 10/ 1 | people, work (skills) | What… do people most want to have today? Why?, What… should children learn at school? Are there any… which they should learn at home? What are they?, Which… do you think will be important in the future? Why?, Which kinds of… have the highest… in your country? Why is this?, Are there any… which you think should have…? Why do you think that?, Some people say it would be better for society if… What do you think about that? Why? | Difficult to generalise about skills, a couple of questions could lead to simple list answers |
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| 2015 10/ 2 | local area, town, business (local business and running businesses) | What types of… are there in your neighbourhood? Are there any…, for example?, Do you think… are important for a neighbourhood? In what way?, How do… affect…? Why do you think that is?, Why do some people want to…?, Are there any disadvantages to…? Which is the most serious?, What are the most important qualities that a good… needs? Why is that? | A couple of questions could lead to simple list answers | Most candidates will have opinions on these topics |
| 2015 10/ 3 | people, relationships, free time (children) | How much time do children spend… in your country? Do you think that is enough?, How important do you think… is for…? Why?, Have… changed in recent years? Why do you think that is?, What are the most popular…. with children today?, Do you think that the… children… do today are good for…? Why is that?, How do you think… will change in the future? Will this be a positive change? | Hard to generalise about these topics, more difficult if the candidate lacks knowledge of the topic | Some candidates will have strong opinions on these topics |
| 2015 10/ 4 | business, society (materialism) | What types of things do young people in your country most want to… today? Why is this?, Why do some people feel they need to…?, Do you think that… makes people feel…? Why?, Do you think… can make people want…? Why do they have this effect?, Are there any benefits to society of people…? Why do you think this is?, Do you think people will consider that… in the future?* Why? | Very deep and abstract topic that candidates are likely to have not even thought about before, six questions on the same topic (with nothing that actually matches the second subtopic of “Salaries of skilled people”*), candidates might be confused by “consider that” |
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| 2013 9/ 1 | free time, business (shopping) | Do people in your country enjoy… that… like…? What type of… is more popular? Why?, Do you think… are more suitable places for…? Which ones? Why do you think this is?, Do you think… feel the same about… as older people? Why is that?, What do you think are the advantages of… rather than…?, How does… influence…? Is this true for everybody?, Do you think that any recent changes in… have affected…? Why is this? | Candidates might confuse “market” and “supermarket” | Most candidates will have relevant experience and/ or opinions, hopefully candidates know suitable cause and effect language from Writing Task 2 |
| 2013 9/ 2 | free time, education, psychology (new things) | Why do you think some people like…?, What problems can people have when they…?, Do you think it’s best to… on your own or with other people?* Why?, What kinds of things do… learn to do when they…? How important are these things?, Do you think… and… in the same way? How is… different?, Some people say that it is more important to… now than it was in the past? Do you agree or disagree with that? Why? | Some strange questions that candidates probably haven’t talked about before |
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| 2013 9/ 3 | travel, (commuting and international) | Why do people need to…?, What problems can people have when they…? Why is this?, Some people say that… will not be so common in the future. Do you agree or disagree? Why?, What do you think people can learn from…? Why?, Can… make a positive difference to…? How?, Do you think |
| Fairly easy questions, common topic so candidates may have talked about it before |
| 2013 9/ 4 | society (helping people) | What are some of the ways people can…? Which is the most important?, Why do you think some people like to…?, Some people say that people… more now than they did in the past. Do you agree or disagree? Why?, What types of… are available to the people who live in your area? Do you think there are enough of them?, Which groups of people generally need most…? Why?, Who do you think should pay for…? | A couple of questions could lead to simple list answers, examples in the questions could take away the examples that the candidate might have given* |
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| 2011 8/ 1 | business, education (questionnaires and questions) | What kinds of… want to…?, Do you think… are a good way of…?, What reasons might people have for not wanting to…?, Do you think it would be a good idea for schools to…?, What would the advantages for… be if they…?, Would there be any disadvantages in…? | The last three questions are closely associated so candidates will probably have to refer back to what they said at least once | Most or all candidates have relevant experience and/ or opinions |
| 2011 8/ 2 | food and drink (restaurants and production) | Why do you think people… when they want to celebrate something?, Which are more popular in your country:… or…? Why do you think that is?, Some people say that… is always better than… - would you agree?, Do you think there will be a greater choice of… in the future, or will there be less choice?, What effects has… had on…?, How important is it for a country to…? | Some question difficult without knowledge of the specific topic | Food is a common and easy topic |
| 2011 8/ 3 | business and work (meetings) | What are the different types of… that people often…?, Some people say that no-one likes to… - what do you think?, Why can it sometimes be important to…?, Why do you think… often… together?, What possible difficulties might be involved in organising…?, Do you think that… will be become more frequent in the future? Or will there be less need for… to…? | Most questions strangely worded, most candidates will have no views on meetings between world leaders* |
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| 2011 8/ 4 | relationships (friends) | What do you think makes someone a good…?, Do you think we… different kinds of… at different stages of our lives? In what ways are these… different?, How easy is it to…?, Do you think it is possible to… if you never…?, What kind of influence can… have on…?, How important would you say it is to…? | Rather deep and unusual questions that candidates probably haven’t even thought about and so will need thinking time, meaning of “stages of our lives” might not be clear |
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| 2009 7/ 1 | festivals and celebrations, family, (parties and national celebrations) | What are the main reasons why people… in your country?, In some places people spend a lot of money on… Is this ever true in your country? Do you think this is a good trend or a bad trend?, Are there many differences between… and…? Why do you think this is?, What kinds of national… do you have in your country?, Who tends to enjoy… more, … or….? Why?, Why do you think some people think that… are a waste of government money? Would you agree or disagree with this view? Why? | Some odd questions that candidates have probably never thought about before, hard to classify kinds of celebrations, odd use of “Would you agree…?” instead of “Do you agree…?”* |
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| 2009 7/ 2 | work, education (ideas*) | Some people think that education should be about… Do you agree or disagree? Why?, Should… encourage… to…? Why?, How do you think… could help… to…?, Do you think people sometimes dislike… just because they are…? Why?, What is more difficult,… or…? Which is more important for…? | Rare and odd topic, some odd questions, some deep questions that need a lot of thought and candidates probably haven’t thought about before |
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| 2009 7/ 3 | education, sports, psychology (competitions) | Why do you think some school teachers use…?, Do you think it’s a good idea to give… to children who…? Why?, Would you say that…. have become more or less competitive since…? Why?, What are the advantages and disadvantages of… for…?, Some people think that... leads to better… for…. Others just think it makes… …. What is your opinion? Do you think that it is possible to become too…? In what way? |
| Candidates might have discussed this in class, cause and effect language from Writing Task 2 could be useful |
| 2009 7/ 4 | technology, work, home (housework and workplace) | What kinds of… are used for… in your country?, How have… benefitted people? Are there any negative effects of using them?, Do you think all new homes will be equipped with… in the future? Why?, What kinds of… do most workers need to… today?, How have developments in… affected… in your country?, Some people think that… has brought more stress than benefits to… nowadays. Would you agree or disagree? Why? | Candidates might not know names of the relevant machines in English, odd future predictions question*, some quite deep questions, two questions could produce simple lists, “equipped with” might confuse candidates |
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| 2007 6/ 1 | people, relationships, science and technology (similarities and DNA) | In what ways can people in a family…?/ In what ways can… be similar to each other?, Do you think that… are always more similar to… than…?* What about…?, In terms of…, are people more influenced by… or….?* In what ways?, Where can people in your country get information about…?, How do people in your country feel about…?, Should… be funded by… or…? | Some questions could lead to simple list answers, difficult to define “genetic research”, some very strange questions |
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| 2007 6/ 2 | health (keep fit and lifestyles) | What do most people do to… your country?, How important is it for people to…?, Why do some people think that… are not healthy?, Why do some people choose to…?, Should… or… be responsible for…?, What could be done to encourage people to…? | Very hard to generalise about the whole country, some very deep questions that are difficult to answer quickly, “be responsible for” may confuse candidates | Health is a comparatively common IELTS and classroom topic |
| 2007 6/ 3 | free time (games) | How have… changed from the time when you were a child? Do you think this has been a positive change? Why?, Why do you think children like…?, Do you think… are good or bad for children? In what ways?, How can… sometimes help to…?, Why is… often seen as important in today’s society? | Candidates may think it is only about computer games/ video games, some odd questions that candidates have probably never thought about |
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| 2007 6/ 4 | psychology (choices) | What are typical… that people… at different stages in their lives?, Should important choices be made by… rather than by…?, Why do some people like to… with other people?, What kinds of… do people have to… in their everyday lives?, Why do some people choose to…? Are there any disadvantages to this?, Do you think that people today have more… than in the past? | Rare and abstract topic, some odd questions that candidates have probably never thought about before |
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| 2006 5/ 1 | society, psychology (fame) | What kind of people… these days?, Is… different from the kind of… that… in the past? In what way?, How do you think people will… in the future?, What are the good things about…? Are there any disadvantages?, How does the media in your country treat…?, Why do you think (ordinary) people are interested in…? | Hard to imagine future fame, use of “treat” will confuse many candidates | Candidates may have discussed fame before, candidates probably have opinions on these topics |
| 2006 5/ 2 | arts and media (music) | What kinds of… are popular with young people in your culture?, What do you think influences… taste in…?, How has technology affected the kinds of… popular with…?, Tell me about any traditional… in your country, How important is it for a culture to have…?, Why do you think countries have…? | Mostly very odd questions that are almost impossible to answer*, meaning of “in your culture” might not be clear, “Tell me about…” question is very unusual and not clear how long an answer it should get*, candidates may know nothing about young people’s tastes and traditional music and/ or the reasons for national anthems* | Cause and effect language from Writing Task 2 will help |
| 2006 5/ 3 | relationships (friends etc) | What do you think are the most important qualities for… to have?, Which are more important to people,… or…? Why?, What do you think causes…?, What (other) types of… are important in people’s lives today?, Have… where you lived changed in recent years? How?, How important do you think it is for… to…? Why/ Why not?* | Some answers could turn into simple lists, some topics difficult to generalise about, one follow-up question makes no sense | Candidates may have discussed these topics in class |
| 2006 5/ 4 | festivals and celebrations, arts and media (purposes and media) | What do you think… are important…?, Would you agree that the original significance of… is often lost today?* Is it* good or bad, do you think?, Do you think that new… will be introduced in the future? What kind?*, What role does… play in…, do you think?, Do you think it’s good or bad to…? Why?, How may globalisation affect… around the world? | Word “significance” might be confusing as higher level than most questions vocabulary, subject in “Is it good or bad?” is grammatically incorrect*, some odd questions/ topics including almost impossible to imagine future festivals and judging watching on TV* |
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| 2005 4/ 1 | education, places, architecture and town planning (history) | How do you think people in your country feel about protecting…?, Do you think… can benefit from…? In what way?, What do you think will happen to… in the future? Why?, How were you taught… when you were at school?, Are there any other ways people can… apart from…? How?, Do you think… will still… in the future? Why? | One question more like Speaking Part One so could be confusing, a couple of odd questions, “How were you taught” difficult to understand and to generalise about | History is a fairly common IELTS topic so candidates might be ready for it |
| 2005 4/ 2 | free time (hobbies and leisure) | Do you think.. is good for…? In what way?, Are there any negative effects of a person spending too much time…? What are they?, Why do you think people need…?, In your country, how much time do people spend on… (and how much time on…)?, Would you say that… has changed much in the last… years?, Do you think people will… more or less (…) in the future? |
| Candidates probably have opinions on most of the questions |
| 2005 4/ 3 | nature, free time (places associated with water) | What do people enjoy when they..,? Why do you think these… are popular?, What benefits do you think people get from…?, What are the different advantages of… or…? What do you think the disadvantages are?, How does… compare with other kinds? Are there any advantages/ disadvantages of…?, How important is it for a town to be located…? Why?, Have there been any changes in…, do you think? Why do you think this is? | Odd topics, the first question has another meaning not related to activities that doesn’t link to the follow-up question, some strangely worded questions, some questions easier with specialist knowledge, “water transport like boats and ships” seems to be just repeating the same thing*, “to be located…” may be confusing | Some language from Writing and Listening map tasks could be useful |
| 2005 4/ 4 | technology (internet) | What effect has… had on…?, Why do you think… is being used more and more (for…)?, How… do you think… on the internet is? Why? What about…?, Why do you think some people use… for…? Why doesn’t everyone use it this way?, What kinds of things are easy to… online? Can you give me some examples?, Do you think… will be more or less popular in the future? Why? |
| Candidates might have discussed these topics before, fairly common Speaking Part 3 question stems |
| 2002 3/ 1 | education, (developments, national, and styles – 3 subtopics*) | How has… changed in your country in the last…?, What changes do you foresee (in…) in the next… years?, How do the expectations of today’s… compare with those of the previous generation?, What role do you think… play in…?, What method of… works best for you?, How beneficial do you think it is to…? | “Foresee”, “role”, and this meaning of “expectations” are much harder words than most Part 3 vocabulary so may be confusing, | Some fairly common Part 3 question stems, education is a very common IELTS topic, candidates might have discussed these topics before |
| 2002 3/ 2 | arts and media (film and TV – 3 subtopics*) | Do you think… has increased or decreased in popularity in recent years? In your opinion, will this trend continue in the future?, What are the advantages and disadvantages of…?, How important do you think it is for… to…?, Should… or should…?, How do you think… will change in the next 20 years? | Two subtopics are quite deep and so could cause pauses | Very common Speaking Part 3 question stems, first subtopic is very easy |
| 2002 3/ 3 | festivals and celebrations (marriage, important events, etc – 3 subtopics*) | How important are… in our lives?, Do you see the role of… changing in the future?, Have attitudes to… changed in recent years?, In what ways do… feel differently about…, in your opinion?/ In what ways do men and women…, in your opinion?, What sort of… make headlines in your country?, Does… in your country pay more attention to… or…? | Meaning of “make headlines” and/ or “attitudes” and/ or “role” might not be clear, meanings of “national events” and “public ceremonies” are vague |
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| 2002 3/ 4 | society (materialism/ consumerism – 3 subtopics) | What kinds of… show status in your country? Do you think it was different for…?, Modern society is often called… Why do you think this is?, Do you think… is a positive or negative development?, What is the role of…?, How do you think… will affect… in the future? | Candidates might not have heard of “materialism” and/ or “consumerism” (possibly even in their own languages), “role” and/ or “status” may be confusing | Topics covered in some IELTS textbooks |
| 2000 2/ 1 | X | X | X | X |
| 2000 2/ 2 | X | X | X | X |
| 2000 2/ 3 | X | X | X | X |
| 2000 2/ 4 | X | X | X | X |
| 1996 1/ 1 | X | X | X | X |
| 1996 1/ 2 | X | X | X | X |
| 1996 1/ 3 | X | X | X | X |
| 1996 1/ 4 | X | X | X | X |