Media and news: IELTS Speaking Part 3 questions & answers

Opening question

Development: society

1. Cause and effect

   Why do you think people are drawn to bad news more than good news?

   2
   Answer it

   Get it scored
   Sample answerBand 8Main causeAnother causeEffect

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

   Psychologists would probably say it's hard-wired into us, because for most of human history, paying attention to threats was what kept people alive. News organisations are well aware of this, so they tend to put the most alarming stories at the top, and dramatic headlines simply attract more clicks than a story about a library reopening. The unfortunate consequence is that many people come away with a far bleaker picture of the world than the facts justify, and some end up avoiding the news altogether because it leaves them feeling helpless.

   hard-wired into us

   a natural, instinctive part of human behaviour

   come away with

   end up with a certain impression

   than the facts justify

   more than the evidence really supports

   91 words · about 40 seconds spoken

2. Compare

   How has the way people get their news changed in recent years?

   3
   Answer it

   Get it scored
   Sample answerBand 8ThenNowWhy it changed

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

   When I was growing up, the news arrived at fixed times, a paper in the morning and a bulletin in the evening, and it was put together by professional journalists who decided what mattered. Now it's a constant stream that never switches off, and much of it reaches us through social media, where a stranger's video can spread faster than any official report. Smartphones are the obvious reason, but the bigger change is that anyone can now publish, so the traditional gatekeepers have lost much of their control over what people see.

   put together by

   prepared and organised by

   a constant stream that never switches off

   information that keeps coming day and night

   the traditional gatekeepers

   the people who used to control access to information

   92 words · about 40 seconds spoken

3. Opinion

   Do you think the news influences people's opinions too much?

   4
   Answer it

   Get it scored
   Sample answerBand 8My viewWhyExampleBut

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

   To some extent, yes, although I'd say the problem is less about the news itself and more about how selectively people consume it. Most of us have no first-hand knowledge of what's happening in distant places, so we inevitably absorb the framing we're given, and the choice of which stories get covered shapes what we consider important. If a channel runs crime stories night after night, for instance, viewers often become convinced that crime is rising, even when the figures show the opposite. On the other hand, people aren't simply passive sponges, and plenty of them question what they hear, especially when it clashes with their own experience.

   first-hand knowledge

   knowledge from your own direct experience

   night after night

   again and again, every evening

   simply passive sponges

   people who absorb everything without questioning it

   108 words · about 47 seconds spoken

4. Pros and cons

   What are the risks of getting your news mainly from social media?

   5
   Answer it

   Get it scored
   Sample answerBand 8UpsideDownsideOn balance

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

   There are some genuine advantages, admittedly, since you hear about events almost as they unfold, often from people who are actually there. The risks, though, are considerable, because nobody checks most of what's posted, false stories can go viral within hours, and the algorithms keep feeding you whatever you've already shown an interest in. All things considered, I'd treat it as a starting point rather than a reliable source, something that tells you a story exists, which you then verify somewhere more trustworthy.

   as they unfold

   while they are actually happening

   go viral within hours

   spread very widely online very quickly

   All things considered

   after weighing everything up

   83 words · about 36 seconds spoken

Depth: the abstract and the future

1. Opinion

   Should the news try to be entertaining, or only informative?

   6
   Answer it

   Get it scored
   Sample answerBand 8My viewWhyExampleBut

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

   My feeling is that its first duty is to inform, but a bit of engaging presentation does no harm. If serious stories are delivered in a dry, impenetrable way, a lot of viewers, particularly younger ones, will simply switch over to something lighter, and then they're not informed at all. Some of the best current affairs programmes I've seen use clear graphics and a conversational tone to explain complicated topics like inflation, which makes them accessible without dumbing anything down. The danger is when entertainment becomes the priority, because then you get sensational headlines and celebrity gossip pushing out the stories that actually matter.

   does no harm

   isn't damaging and may even help

   switch over to

   change to a different channel or activity

   without dumbing anything down

   without making things too simple or shallow

   104 words · about 45 seconds spoken

2. The future

   How might the way news is reported change in the future?

   7
   Answer it

   Get it scored
   Sample answerBand 8PredictionBecauseBut

   1. Prediction→
   2. Because→
   3. But

   I'd expect artificial intelligence to take over much of the routine reporting, things like sports results, weather updates and company earnings, which follow a fairly predictable formula. It's far cheaper than paying a journalist, and news organisations are under enormous financial pressure, so the temptation to automate will be hard to resist. What machines can't easily replace is investigative work, the patient process of building trust with sources and uncovering what powerful people would rather keep hidden, so I'd hope that becomes the part human reporters focus on.

   take over much of

   start doing most of a job instead of someone

   under enormous financial pressure

   struggling with serious money problems

   hard to resist

   difficult to say no to

   88 words · about 38 seconds spoken

3. What if

   If everyone only read news they agreed with, what would happen to society?

   8
   Answer it

   Get it scored
   Sample answerBand 8If soResultWider effect

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

   If that happened, people would gradually become entrenched in their views, because they'd never encounter a serious argument against them. Over time, those on opposite sides would struggle even to agree on basic facts, let alone find a compromise, and debates would turn into shouting matches between groups who see each other as either stupid or dishonest. For society as a whole, that's quite dangerous, since democracy relies on people being able to disagree respectfully and occasionally change their minds.

   entrenched in their views

   holding opinions so firmly they won't change them

   let alone

   and certainly not

   turn into shouting matches

   become loud, angry arguments

   80 words · about 35 seconds spoken

4. Pros and cons

   Is it possible for the news to be completely unbiased?

   9
   Answer it

   Get it scored
   Sample answerBand 8UpsideDownsideOn balance

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

   News can certainly aim for fairness, and good journalists work hard to separate facts from opinion, check their sources and give both sides a hearing. Complete neutrality is another matter, though, because every report involves choices about which story to lead with, which experts to quote and even which words to use, and each of those choices reflects someone's judgement. So my honest answer is no, total objectivity is probably out of reach, but that doesn't make the effort pointless, and audiences are best served by comparing a few different outlets.

   give both sides a hearing

   let each side explain its position

   is another matter

   is a different and harder question

   out of reach

   impossible to achieve

   91 words · about 40 seconds spoken