Health problems and solutions IELTS Speaking Part Three

Health problems and solutions IELTS Speaking Part Three

Take turns asking each other three questions from the following pages below. You can’t look below when it is your turn to answer, but you can ask each other to repeat and/ or rephrase the questions, so make sure you understand questions before you ask them.

When your teacher stops you, ask about any questions below which you don’t understand, couldn’t rephrase, are not sure you answered well, etc, working together to come up with suitable answers each time.

Without looking below, brainstorm as many ways of saying each of these things as you can, changing the grammar if needed. Some expressions can go in more than one column.

Words and expressions meaning “(to/ a) cause”/ about cause and effect	Words and expressions meaning “problem(s)”/ about problems	Words and expressions meaning “(complete/ partial) solution(s)”/ about solutions

Look at the questions again to find ideas, then brainstorm more.

Compare as a class or with the suggested answers.

 

• Are there any kinds of foods which people need more information about?
• Are there any looming health crises which you think don’t get enough news coverage?
• Are there any other ways people can get suitable medical treatment apart from consulting with a doctor?
• Are there things you think should have strong health warnings on their packaging?
• Can PE lessons make a positive difference to people’s future health?
• Can vaping make a large contribution to solving deaths from smoking?
• Can you suggest how people can know if they are suffering from hypochondria?
• Can you suggest some reasons why some people suffer from obesity?
• Could a person worrying about their weight bring about health problems?
• Could lifestyle diseases be partially controlled by labelling on foods, do you think?
• Could neglecting to eat enough fibre result in us ruining our gut health?
• Could the ageing population have a serious impact on the cost of healthcare?
• Could worrying about food allergies give rise to unintended consequences?
• Could you recommend practical strategies for teenagers to lessen their stress levels?
• Could you recommend some effective strategies for the middle aged to ensure that they stay fit and healthy?
• Do teachers have a responsibility to intervene to help students who have unhealthy lifestyles?
• Do you agree that doing more exercise doesn’t necessarily make up for eating more?
• Do you think companies should use regular health checks to see how healthy or unhealthy their staff are?
• Do you think it would be a good idea for schools to ban very sugary and salty foods?
• Do you think more exercise is a good fix for people who have long-term backpain?
• Do you think overexercise can cause major issues with people’s future health?
• Do you think pharmacies should be run as a business or as a public service?
• Do you think that recent changes in technology have led to negative health outcomes?
• Does social media have a detrimental effect on people’s body image?
• How can teachers help in finding effective solutions to problems caused by ADHD?
• How could developing countries resolve the issue of malnutrition?
• How do you think governments could aid in protecting their citizens from epidemics?
• How may climate change hit people’s physical and/ or mental health?
• How much has technology improved the way we find out what is wrong with patients?
• How problematic are GMO foods, do you think?
• In what ways could more people be persuaded to think about the health of their heart?
• In what ways could teachers use their influence to nudge their students towards eating more healthily?
• Is it always necessary for governments to spend more money in order to solve problems with public healthcare?
• Is it realistic to expect to find a foolproof way to avoid devastation from pandemics?
• Is there any chance that weight loss drugs will lead to fatal unexpected consequences?
• Is there any danger that long commutes could wreck people’s health?
• It is sometimes said that health services should prioritise prevention over cures. Do you agree?

• Should local doctors also be responsible for checking for issues with their patients’ mental health?
• Should most people have annual health checks, or should they only see a doctor when something is likely to be wrong with them?
• Should research into new drugs be funded by governments or by drug companies?
• Some people say now is a critical time to act to prevent disastrous loneliness in future generations. What do you think?
• Some people think that changing people’s DNA will lead to improvements in the health of future generations. What do you think about this?
• Some people think that moving from traditional local medicine to modern Western medicine has resulted in more harm than benefits. Do you agree?
• What actions can office workers take to alleviate the effects of bad posture?
• What are some of the ways people can tackle feelings of pessimism and negativity?
• What are the challenges created by people eating more processed foods?
• What are the key measures needed to combat sleep deprivation?
• What are the likely repercussions of some people rejecting vaccines?
• What are the main reasons why people have difficulty in coping with a fear of failure?
• What are the possible ramifications of high protein diets?
• What are the ways that people can compensate for a lack of natural sunlight?
• What concerns can people have when they suffer from persistent pain?
• What could be done to tackle overuse of antibiotics?
• What difficulties might be involved in governments trying to provide more green spaces for their citizens?
• What do you recommend should happen if people have traumatic accidents?
• What do you think are the most important qualities for nurses to have?
• What is the best age for children to learn about resisting peer pressure?
• What kind of harmful influence can artificial additives have on children?
• What medium-term outcomes might there be if people start working longer hours?
• What parts of the economy could potentially be threatened by people having smaller families?
• What reasons might people have for not wanting to deal with a lack of exercise?
• What should happen to people who get addicted to prescription drugs?
• What skills does a person need to be a great doctor?
• What sort of situations can give rise to social isolation?
• Where can people in your country get information about dealing with depression?
• Who do you think should pay for the accommodation of people with dementia?
• Why do some individuals only focus on the latest health scares?
• Why have some people become more concerned about the negative effects of bullying?
• Will people thinking more about how their body looks adversely affect their future health, do you believe?
• Will there ever be any proven ideal solutions to high cholesterol, do you think?
• Would higher alcohol prices be a guaranteed way to resolve the issue of alcoholism?
• Would you agree that the legacy of painkillers has been mixed?
• Would you say that high screen time can destroy people’s power of concentration?

 

 

Suggested answers

Some expressions can go in more than one column but are only given once below.

Underline the questions stems above which could be used to make questions on other topics, e.g. “Can you suggest some reasons why some people suffer from obesity?” or “Can you suggest some reasons why some people suffer from obesity?”

Take turns asking each other different questions made from those question stems.