IELTS Speaking · Part 3

IELTS Speaking Part 3 discussion questions

In short

Part 3 is a 4 to 5 minute discussion of the abstract ideas behind your Part 2 topic. The examiner asks you to give opinions, compare, weigh pros and cons, and speculate. Explore 28 themes below, each groups real questions from concrete to abstract and shows how to answer every question type.

Reading and learning8 questions Education and schools8 questions Work and careers8 questions Skills and success8 questions Technology and society8 questions The internet and information8 questions Social media and communication8 questions Media and news8 questions Travel and tourism8 questions Culture and tradition8 questions Festivals and celebrations8 questions Food and diet8 questions Health and fitness8 questions Environment and conservation8 questions Nature and wildlife8 questions Cities and urban life8 questions Housing and community8 questions Transport and traffic8 questions Shopping and consumerism8 questions Money and finance8 questions People and relationships8 questions Family and upbringing8 questions Childhood and memories8 questions Art and creativity8 questions Music and performance8 questions Sport and competition8 questions Leisure and relaxation8 questions Goals and the future8 questions

How to answer each question type

Part 3 mixes several question functions. Recognise which one you're facing and structure your answer to match.

Opinion questions

Asks what you think about an issue. Tests whether you can state and defend a position.

State your view clearly in the first sentence, give one or two reasons, then support each with a concrete example. Avoid sitting on the fence.

In my view,I'd argue thatPersonally, I believeIf you ask me,

Evaluation questions

Asks you to weigh advantages and disadvantages, or judge how good/important something is.

Acknowledge both sides briefly, then come down on one. Use contrast markers to show you can balance ideas before reaching a judgement.

On the one hand,That said,The main benefit isThe obvious drawback is

Comparison questions

Asks how two things differ, often past versus present, or two groups.

Make the two things explicit, then compare on one or two clear dimensions rather than listing everything. Comparative structures show grammatical range.

Compared withWhereasThe biggest difference isBack then, ... whereas now

Cause & effect questions

Asks why something happens or what its consequences are.

Name the cause or effect first, then explain the chain of reasoning step by step. Causal linkers signal clear logic to the examiner.

This is largely becauseAs a result,One knock-on effect isThis tends to lead to

Speculation questions

Asks you to predict the future or imagine how things might develop.

Use modal verbs to hedge (might, could, is likely to) and give a reasoned prediction. The grammar of uncertainty is exactly what is being tested here.

It's likely thatI imagineIn the long run,We may well see

Hypothesis questions

Asks you to reason about an unreal or 'what if' situation.

Reach for the conditional (if + past, would). Set up the scenario, then follow the consequence through, which shows control of higher-level structures.

If that happened,SupposingIn that case, I'd expectWere that the case,

Linking language for discussion

Discourse markers used naturally are one of the fastest ways to lift your Fluency & Coherence score.

Adding ideas

What's more,
On top of that,
Not only that, but

Contrasting

Having said that,
Then again,
That's not to say

Giving examples

Take ... for instance,
A good example would be
Say you

Concluding

All things considered,
At the end of the day,
So on balance,

Frequently asked questions

What kind of questions come up in IELTS Speaking Part 3?

Part 3 questions are abstract and opinion-based. You'll be asked to give views, compare past and present, weigh advantages and disadvantages, explain causes and effects and speculate about the future, rather than talk about yourself.

How long should my Part 3 answers be?

Longer than in Part 1, so aim for three to five sentences. State your point, give a reason, and back it up with an example. Part 3 is where you show range and depth.

How is Part 3 different from Part 2?

Part 2 is a personal monologue; Part 3 is a two-way discussion of the wider issues linked to that topic, so the language becomes more abstract and analytical.

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