Health and fitness: IELTS Speaking Part 3 questions & answers

Opening question

Warm-up: close to home

1. Cause and effect

   Why do some people find it so hard to keep fit?

   2
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   Sample answerBand 8Main causeAnother causeEffect

   1. Main cause→
   2. Another cause→
   3. Effect

   Time is probably the biggest obstacle, because when you're juggling a full-time job, a commute and a family, exercise is usually the first thing to get squeezed out. There's also a motivational side to it, in that the benefits of getting fit are slow and invisible at first, whereas the effort and the aching muscles are immediate. As a result, a lot of people start with great intentions, join a gym in January and quietly give up within a few weeks, which then convinces them that exercise simply isn't for them.

   the first thing to get squeezed out

   the first thing dropped when you're short of time

   start with great intentions

   begin enthusiastically, planning to do well

   quietly give up

   stop trying without telling anyone

   91 words · about 40 seconds spoken

Development: society

1. Compare

   How have people's lifestyles become less active than in the past?

   3
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   Sample answerBand 8ThenNowWhy it changed

   1. Then→
   2. Now→
   3. Why it changed

   A couple of generations ago, physical activity was simply built into everyday life, since people walked to work, did manual jobs and spent hours on household chores that are now done by machines. These days, a typical office worker might drive to work, sit at a desk for eight hours and then spend the evening on the sofa in front of a screen. What's driven this is mainly convenience, because technology has taken the effort out of almost everything, and the irony is that we now have to set aside time and pay money to get the exercise our grandparents got for free.

   built into everyday life

   a natural part of normal daily activities

   taken the effort out of

   made something require no hard work

   set aside time

   keep time free for a particular purpose

   103 words · about 45 seconds spoken

2. Opinion

   Do you think modern life is more stressful than it used to be?

   4
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   Sample answerBand 8My viewWhyExampleBut

   1. My view→
   2. Why→
   3. Example→
   4. But

   I'd say it's more stressful in some ways, although not necessarily in all of them. The main difference is that we're never really switched off, since work emails and notifications follow us home and there's a constant pressure to keep up with everyone else. A good example is the way young people compare themselves with the carefully edited lives they see on social media, which past generations simply didn't have to deal with. That said, our grandparents faced hardships like poverty and insecurity that were arguably far worse, so it may be that stress has changed shape rather than grown.

   never really switched off

   always partly thinking about work or messages

   keep up with everyone else

   stay at the same level as other people

   changed shape rather than grown

   become different in kind, not bigger in amount

   100 words · about 43 seconds spoken

3. Opinion

   What could be done to encourage people to exercise more?

   5
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   Sample answerBand 8My viewWhyExampleBut

   1. My view→
   2. Why→
   3. Example→
   4. But

   Personally, I believe the best approach is to weave exercise into people's daily routine instead of treating it as an extra chore. Most people already feel stretched, so asking them to add yet another commitment is a hard sell. Take cycling, for instance, where cities that have built safe, separate bike lanes have seen far more people riding to work, simply because it became the convenient option. Having said that, infrastructure alone won't reach everyone, so free community classes or workplace schemes probably have a role too, especially for older people.

   weave exercise into people's daily routine

   make exercise a natural part of everyday life

   already feel stretched

   feel they have too much to do

   a hard sell

   something difficult to persuade people to accept

   91 words · about 40 seconds spoken

Depth: the abstract and the future

1. Pros and cons

   Whose responsibility should it be to keep people healthy, individuals or the government?

   6
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   Sample answerBand 8UpsideDownsideOn balance

   1. Upside→
   2. Downside→
   3. On balance

   Putting the onus on individuals makes sense up to a point, because nobody can be forced to eat well or go for a run, and people tend to look after things they feel they own. The trouble is that personal choices are shaped by things people can't control, such as the price of fresh food, long working hours or living in an area with nowhere safe to exercise. On balance, I'd argue it's a shared responsibility, where the government's job is to make the healthy option the easy and affordable one, and individuals then have to take it from there.

   Putting the onus on

   making someone responsible for something

   up to a point

   partly, but not completely

   take it from there

   continue by yourself after someone helps you start

   100 words · about 43 seconds spoken

2. The future

   How might healthcare change in the future because of technology?

   7
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   Sample answerBand 8PredictionBecauseBut

   1. Prediction→
   2. Because→
   3. But

   It seems likely that a lot of routine healthcare will move out of hospitals and into people's homes, with wearable devices monitoring things like heart rate and blood pressure around the clock. The technology already exists in a basic form, and health systems are under such pressure that anything which catches problems early, before they become expensive emergencies, is bound to be attractive. What worries me slightly is that this kind of medicine could widen the gap between people who can afford the latest gadgets and those who can't, and I doubt an app will ever fully replace a doctor who actually knows you.

   around the clock

   all day and all night, without stopping

   catches problems early

   notices health issues before they become serious

   widen the gap between

   increase the difference between two groups

   104 words · about 45 seconds spoken

3. What if

   If everyone exercised every day, how would society be different?

   8
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   Sample answerBand 8If soResultWider effect

   1. If so→
   2. Result→
   3. Wider effect

   If daily exercise became universal, I imagine the most immediate change would be a noticeable drop in conditions like heart disease, diabetes and obesity. That would take an enormous amount of strain off hospitals, and people would probably stay independent and able to work for longer, which matters a great deal in ageing societies. Beyond the physical side, it might even change the mood of society, because regular exercise is known to lift people's spirits, so you could see lower levels of anxiety and perhaps a stronger sense of community if people were working out together in parks and sports clubs.

   a noticeable drop in

   a clear decrease in

   take an enormous amount of strain off

   greatly reduce the pressure on

   lift people's spirits

   make people feel happier

   101 words · about 44 seconds spoken

4. Pros and cons

   Is mental health taken as seriously as physical health, in your opinion?

   9
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   Sample answerBand 8UpsideDownsideOn balance

   1. Upside→
   2. Downside→
   3. On balance

   There's no doubt that attitudes have shifted, and these days people talk openly about anxiety or burnout in a way that would have been unthinkable twenty years ago. The problem is that talk hasn't always been matched by resources, so someone with a broken leg will be treated straight away, while someone with depression might wait months to see a specialist. So, all things considered, it's taken more seriously in principle than in practice, and there's still a lingering stigma in many workplaces, where admitting you're struggling can feel like a risk to your career.

   would have been unthinkable

   would have seemed impossible or unacceptable

   in principle than in practice

   in theory more than in reality

   a lingering stigma

   shame or disapproval that still remains

   95 words · about 41 seconds spoken