Housing and community: IELTS Speaking Part 3 questions & answers

Opening question

Development: society

1. Cause and effect

   Why do you think people feel less connected to their neighbours than before?

   2
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   Sample answerBand 8Main causeAnother causeEffect

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

   A big part of it is that people move around far more than they used to, so by the time you've got to know the family next door, one of you has often moved on. Our social lives have also shifted online, meaning we can stay in touch with friends across the city or abroad and no longer depend on the people living nearby for company or help. What you end up with is streets full of polite strangers, where people might nod at each other on the stairs but wouldn't know who to ask if they needed a hand.

   got to know

   became familiar with someone over time

   streets full of polite strangers

   courteous neighbours who don't know each other

   needed a hand

   needed some help

   100 words · about 43 seconds spoken

2. Compare

   How has the kind of housing people live in changed over time?

   3
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   Sample answerBand 8ThenNowWhy it changed

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

   In my grandparents' day, it was common for several generations to share one large family house, often with a courtyard and space to grow a few vegetables. These days, particularly in the cities, most young couples live in compact apartments, often in tall blocks, and many of them rent rather than own because buying has become so expensive. Rising land prices are the main factor, but there's also been a shift in values, since young people increasingly want independence and privacy, and jobs often take them far from where their families live.

   In my grandparents' day

   when my grandparents were young

   rent rather than own

   pay to live somewhere instead of buying it

   a shift in values

   a change in what people consider important

   92 words · about 40 seconds spoken

3. Opinion

   Do you think a strong sense of community is important?

   4
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   Sample answerBand 8My viewWhyExampleBut

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

   Absolutely, and I'd argue it matters more now than ever, precisely because so many other support networks have weakened. When people know and trust their neighbours, they're more likely to help each other in a crisis, check on elderly residents and take pride in their surroundings. During floods a few years ago, the areas that coped best were the ones where neighbours already knew each other and could organise themselves quickly without waiting for official help. At the same time, an overly tight-knit community can feel stifling, especially for young people or anyone who doesn't quite fit in, so it needs to be welcoming rather than closed.

   take pride in their surroundings

   care about how their area looks

   tight-knit community

   a close group where everyone knows each other

   doesn't quite fit in

   does not feel fully accepted by the group

   107 words · about 47 seconds spoken

4. Pros and cons

   What are the effects of people moving home frequently?

   5
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   Sample answerBand 8UpsideDownsideOn balance

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

   There are definite benefits, since moving lets people follow better jobs, find housing that suits their changing needs and experience different places and ways of life. The cost, though, is that roots never have time to form, so children may have to keep changing schools and adults struggle to build the kind of local friendships that take years to develop. Overall, I'd say it's broadly positive for individuals in their twenties but harder on families and communities, which rely on people staying long enough to invest in a place.

   suits their changing needs

   fits what they need as life changes

   roots never have time to form

   people never stay long enough to belong

   invest in a place

   commit time and effort to an area

   89 words · about 39 seconds spoken

5. Pros and cons

   Is it better to grow up in one place or to move around a lot?

   6
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   Sample answerBand 8UpsideDownsideOn balance

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

   Growing up in one place gives children a real sense of security, with lifelong friends, familiar teachers and a community that knows them by name. The flip side is that it can make them less adaptable, and children who've only ever known one town sometimes find it daunting to leave home later on. Having moved several times myself, I'd say both have their merits, but stability probably matters more in the early years, whereas teenagers are usually better equipped to handle a move and even gain from the experience.

   knows them by name

   recognises them personally

   The flip side is that

   the opposite, less positive aspect is that

   both have their merits

   each option has its own advantages

   89 words · about 39 seconds spoken

Depth: the abstract and the future

1. Opinion

   Should governments do more to provide affordable housing?

   7
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   Sample answerBand 8My viewWhyExampleBut

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

   Yes, without a doubt, because housing has become one of the biggest sources of financial stress for ordinary people. When rent swallows most of someone's income, they can't save, start a family or plan for the future, and left to itself the market tends to build what's profitable rather than what's needed. Some cities have built good public housing on a large scale, so nurses, teachers and bus drivers can still afford to live near where they work. Having said that, simply building more isn't enough if it's poorly located or badly maintained, since history is full of cheap estates that turned into isolated, neglected places.

   left to itself

   without any outside control or help

   on a large scale

   in big numbers or amounts

   Having said that

   despite what I have just said

   106 words · about 46 seconds spoken

2. The future

   How might the way people live together change in the future?

   8
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   Sample answerBand 8PredictionBecauseBut

   1. Prediction→
   2. Because→
   3. But

   I could see co-living becoming far more common, where people have a small private room but share kitchens, lounges and workspaces with others in the same building. Housing costs keep climbing and a growing number of people live alone, so sharing facilities is both cheaper and a way to avoid the loneliness that comes with living by yourself in a city. I'm not sure it'll suit everyone, though, because privacy is something people value enormously, and most will probably still aspire to a place of their own once they can afford it.

   Housing costs keep climbing

   the price of homes keeps rising

   the loneliness that comes with

   the isolation that is part of something

   a place of their own

   a home they do not share

   92 words · about 40 seconds spoken

3. What if

   If everyone lived in large shared buildings, how would community life change?

   9
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   Sample answerBand 8If soResultWider effect

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

   If we all lived in big shared blocks, I'd imagine everyday contact would increase, simply because you'd keep bumping into the same faces in the lift, the laundry room or the courtyard. That familiarity could turn into genuine friendships and practical support, like neighbours minding each other's children or sharing tools and meals. Beyond the building itself, though, it might create rather inward-looking communities, where people's social world shrinks to their own block and they have less reason to engage with the wider neighbourhood or city.

   bumping into the same faces

   meeting the same people by chance

   minding each other's children

   looking after one another's kids

   inward-looking communities

   groups focused only on themselves

   86 words · about 37 seconds spoken