Updated Nov. 18, 2008
IELTS Part 2 and Part 3 Topics and Questions
Page 29
141. A Magazine (Jan 10, 2008)
142. A Garden (Jan 12, 2008)
143. No Topic
144. A Physical Activity (About Oct. 20, 2007)
145. An Interesting Film (Jan 12, 2008)
FQ = frequent question = a question that has frequently been reported = a question that is probably in the examiner's question book
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141. A Magazine (Jan 10, 2008)
Describe an interesting magazine.
You should say:
how you know about this magazine *
where it can be bought
what information it contains
who you think reads this magazine
and explain why you think this magazine is interesting. *
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Possible follow-up questions:
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Part 3
See also 'Types of Magazines' in Vocabulary lists
See also the Part 3 questions for Topic #101, A Newspaper
Magazines and Newspapers in General
What (other) types of magazines do you like to read?
What sorts of magazines do young people in China like to read?
Do people of different ages read different kinds of magazines?
In general, what kind of people prefer reading magazines and what kind of people prefer reading newspapers?
What benefits do people get from reading newspapers and magazines?
What are the most popular newspapers and magazines in China today?
In general, would you say people prefer to read magazines or newspapers? (Compare them in your answer.) FQ
What can people learn from reading magazines?
When you read a magazine, do you usually start from the back and move towards the front or do you usually start at the front of the magazine?
In general, do people read a magazine the same way that they read a newspaper?
Why do some people just skim the headlines when they read a newspaper?
When do people read a article in a magazine or newspaper in detail and when do they just skim an article? FQ
(News) Magazines and Newspapers
[Note: It is possible that this topic is not just about news magazines but is about all magazines, i.e., magazines in general.]
Do you think it's important to keep up with the news? (Why?/Why not?) FQ
(Similar to above) What is the importance of keeping up with the news? FQ
Do people in China like reading newspapers and news magazines?
What are the main differences between (news) magazines and newspapers? FQ
What do people in China prefer to read, magazines or newspapers? (Why?) FQ
(Similar to above) Why do some people prefer to read magazines and other people prefer to read newspapers? FQ
What kind of news do you prefer to read about?
What do you think is the purpose of headlines in a newspaper?
Why do some people only read the headlines when they read a newspaper? FQx2
What's your opinion of people who only read the headlines in a newspaper? FQx2
What can we learn about other parts of the world from newspapers and news magazines? FQ
What benefits can we get from learning about what is happening in other countries? FQ
Is the news that we get from different parts of the world different? FQ
Some people say we can't believe everything we read in newspapers and news magazines. What do you think? FQx2
Would you say that all news is true? FQ
(Similar to above) Why do you think most people trust (or, believe) what they read in magazines and newspapers? FQ
How do you feel about government censorship of the news?
Information Communication Technology - The Media
Would you say the mass media are very important?
What are the main media outlets (the mainstream media) in China today?
What's your opinion of the mainstream media today?
What is the the purpose (or, what are the benefits) of having these media?
How do you think the use of modern media technology has changed people's lives? FQ
(Similar to above) What are the advantages of these modern media technologies, compared to the older forms of media that we used to have? FQ
What are some of the main differences between getting information from magazines and getting information from other media such as TV or the internet? FQx2
(Similar to above) What are the main differences between the information from newspapers and magazines and information that we can get from the internet? FQx2
When supplying information to the public, what (vital) factors do you think all media should have in common?
Do most people prefer to get their news from TV or from the internet? FQ
Do you think that the information we read on the internet is (always) reliable? FQ
So, how could we avoid unreliable information appearing on the internet? Difficult Question
Why do some people prefer to listen to the radio rather than watch TV?
(Similar to above) How important in people's lives do you think the media (such as TV, the internet & newspapers) is?
Do you think watching TV is a good way to get information? FQ
How
does technology influence the news people receive?
How do you think the media will develop in the future?
Do you think communications technology will play an important role in people's lives in the future? FQ
What is your understanding of the term, "professional ethics" when talking about the profession of journalism?
What qualities do you think a person needs to be a good journalist?
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Describe a garden you visited and liked.
You should say:
(the name of this garden) *
where it was
what it looked like
what people did (or, were doing) there
and explain why you liked it. *
or
how you feel about this garden. *
Notes
Pay attention to the verb tense. If the past tense is used on the card (as shown above), use past tense in your answer. (Possibly the past tense is not used for every point on the card.)
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Possible follow-up questions:
Would you like to take your friends to that garden?
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Note that 'public gardens' and 'public parks' are more or less the same. See also the part 3 questions for topic # 102.
Public Gardens
Are public gardens very important in China? *
Are there many public gardens in China?
Do you think there are enough public gardens in your hometown?
What do you think are the functions of public gardens in cities?
(Similar to above) What do you think are the benefits of having gardens in the city? FQ
(Similar to above) Why do people who live in cities like public gardens? FQ
(Similar to above) What effects do green places such as public gardens in the cities have? (effects on the people or on the city)
Very often, public gardens are not designed in a simple way but, instead, are laid out in a rather complex way. Why do you think this is the case?
Do you think governments should provide public gardens for people to visit? FQx2
Do you think the government should spend more money on public gardens for the cities or for the villages and small towns in the countryside? FQ
Do you think it's important for city people to experience what it's like to be in the countryside?
Do you think it is reasonable for people to pay to enter a public garden?
Different Age Groups and Public Garden Use
What do people do when they go to a public garden?
How do people of different age groups use public gardens?
(Similar to above) Do these gardens play the same role for old people and young people? FQ
(Similar to above) Do you think these gardens are more important for old people (e.g., retired people) or young(er) people? FQx2
(Similar to above) Do you think it's more important to have public facilities, such as gardens and parks, for young people or for old people? FQx2
Gardens and Children
Do you think gardens have any value for children? FQ
(Similar to above) Do you think gardens are important for children to see and experience or play in? FQ See Note
(Similar to above) Do you think children can learn anything from visiting public gardens?
If you had children, would you prefer to bring them up in the city or in the countryside?
Private Gardens
What are some of the differences between a private garden and a public garden?
Which do you think is more important, public gardens or private gardens? FQ
In China, how do people in the cities use the empty space between their homes?
Are people allowed to grow things in these empty public places?
Why do some city people have gardens?
(Similar to above) What is the function of gardens in the city?
(Similar to above) What do you think the advantages would be if you had a garden near your home?
In China, at what age do people usually engage in gardening?
Do they prefer to grow flowers or vegetables? FQ
If you had your own personal garden, which would you prefer to grow, vegetables or flowers? (Why?) FQ
Do you think people should grow food or flowers in their gardens? (Compare the importance/value of the two.)
Balconies and Backyards
(Possibly this is a Part 1 topic, not a Part 3 topic)
What do people in China like to do in the outside parts of their home, for example on their balcony or in their backyard?
What do your neighbours do on their balconies?
Can you suggest any new ways for using backyards and balconies? (这是假设的话. Use "could" not "can".)
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143. No Topic
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144. A Physical Activity (About Oct. 20, 2007)
Describe a physical activity you do. (For example, a sport or some work.)
You
should say:
how often you do it
where (and when) you do it
how old you were when you started to do it
what equipment is needed for this activity
and explain how you feel when or after you do this physical activity.
See Notes
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Possible follow-up questions:
Are you going to continue doing/playing that? * Or: Do you think you will continue to do that activity? *
Would you like to do that more often? *
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Part 3
See also the Part 3 questions for: Topic #128. 'A Sport You Played in Childhood'
Modern Lifestyle and The Exercise that People Do in Your Country
Note: For many of the questions below, the words, "sport" and "physical activity" are interchangeable. That is, the examiner might choose either one of those two for the question. However, it appears that the emphasis is on "physical activity" for this first group of questions.
What do Chinese people think about sport and other physical activity?
What sports or forms of physical exercise are most popular in China? FQx2
Why do people in China choose the particular sports or physical activities that they do?
Compared to a few decades ago, do you think modern people (in China) do more, or less exercise? FQx2
(Similar to above) How has the sport that people engage in (in China) changed, compared to a few decades ago? FQx2
Why do you think modern people do less exercise than before? FQ
(Similar to above) Do people in China play more sport today that they did before?
What are the things that people do to try to lose weight?
No time for the gym
Do many people in China go to a gym to exercise (to work out)?
Why do so many people go to a gym nowadays?
Why do many people prefer to exercise at an indoor sports centre rather than outside?
What facilities and equipment do these gyms have?
What do you think about paying to go to a gym for exercise?
Which do you think is better, to exercise alone or to exercise with a friend?
Which do you think is better, to exercise indoors or outdoors?
Can you think of any other examples of a lifestyle that is bad for your health?
Why is smoking bad for you?
The Relationship Between Exercise and Health + Government Promotion of Exercise
What benefits do people derive from doing exercise? FQx2
(Similar to above) What are the results of doing exercise?
(Similar to above) What is the relationship between health and exercise?
Do you think people are more health-conscious today or do modern people need to exercise because we have so many machines to do our physical work for us?
Do you think it's important that people have an awareness of the importance of exercise?
What exercise do children usually do?
What do you think will be the physical effects if children spend all their time sitting in front of the TV or a computer? FQx2
(Similar to above) Do you think watching a lot of TV or spending a lot of time using a computer can make children fat? (Why?/Why not?) FQ
What benefits do you think children get from doing physical exercise?
Do you think companies should provide more facilities (e.g., a gym) for people to exercise at work? FQ
(Similar to above) Some companies provide exercise facilities at work for their employees. Do you think that's a good idea? (Why?/Why not?) FQ
What benefits would there be for the company if it did that? FQx2 See Notes
What are some ways that the government could use to encourage people to exercise more?
Do you think the government should spend money to provide more exercise facilities for the people? FQ
(Similar to above) Do you think it is one of the responsibilities of government to encourage and help people to exercise more? (Why?/Why not?) FQ
(Similar to above) Do you think governments should spend more money (more than they do now) to promote the health of the citizens? FQ
Do you think government promotion of sport is a good thing? (Note: Sport and exercise are not exactly the same.)
What is the government doing to promote exercise in the community?
To what extent do you think a person's health (or, the exercise they do) is a personal responsibility? (I.e., something that the government should not be concerned about.)
Sport
How do you think modern sport and sport, say, 50 years ago are different?
How do you think sport will evolve in the future? *
Are men and women both suited to the same sports (or are some sports more suited to one gender)? (Hint: Females participate far less than men in physical contact sports.)
How are the physical skills of men and those of women different? (Hints: strength, endurance, aggressiveness, agility, gracefulness ... )
Do people in China pay much attention to international sport (or sports competitions overseas)?
How do you think international level athletes are different to average people (or, average, weekend athletes who engage in sports competition just for fun)? (Compare them.)
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145. An Interesting Film (Jan 12, 2008)
Describe an interesting film you have seen. *
You should say:
when & where you saw it
what type of film it was
what the film was about
(= what the contents of the film were)
and explain what you learned from this film. *
or
and explain why you think it was interesting. *
Notes
Possibly the wording is, "Describe a film you saw that interested you."
Possibly the word, "interesting" is not used and instead, the wording is simply, "Describe a film that you recently enjoyed watching." Therefore, it is best to prepare to talk about a film that you enjoyed and that was interesting.
Also see Note
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Possible follow-up questions:
What do you think was the best part of this film?
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See also the Part 3 questions for Topic #6, 'A Film' and the Part 3 questions for Topic #99 'A Type of Film'.
Films in China
Film-watching Preferences
What kind of films do you like best? FQ
Where do you usually watch these films?
Do you prefer to watch films at home or in a cinema? (Why?)
(Similar to above) What are some of the different ways (or different places) where people can watch a film?
Do you usually buy DVD's or do you prefer to download films from the internet?
What kind(s) of films do Chinese people like best? FQ
What kind(s) of films are most popular at the moment?
Do men and women like watching the same kinds of films?
What kinds of films do young people prefer to watch?
What kinds of films do your grandparents like to watch?
Do city people and people in the countryside feel the same about watching films?
Foreign Films
Are foreign films are very popular in China?
(Similar to above) Do people in China prefer to watch Chinese films or foreign films? (Why?) FQx2
(Similar to above) What are the main differences between foreign films and films made in China? FQx2
(Similar to above) Why (or, how) do you think foreign films and Chinese films are different?
Do you think Hollywood has had much of an effect on Chinese films?
Do you think Hollywood films have too much violence?
Does China produce many science fiction films? (Why not?)
Are horror movies from China similar to those made in Hollywood?
Do you think it's important for China (or, for a country) to produce its own films? FQ
Do you think people can benefit from watching English language films?
(Similar to above) What are some of the benefits of watching foreign films?
Do you think people spend too much money watching films?
The (Educational) Benefits of Watching Films
Do you think entertainment is an important part of people's lives?
Do you think (watching) films have (has) any educational benefits?
(Similar to above) What can we learn from watching films? FQ
Films in cinemas are usually for entertainment. How do you think these films compare with documentary films (or documentary videos or documentary TV shows)?
(Similar to above) What are the differences between documentary films and films purely for entertainment? FQx2
(Similar to above) Some people think we can learn many different things from watching films while others just say films are for entertainment. What's your opinion? FQx2
(Similar to above) Do you think people can learn something from entertainment films, similar to the way they learn things from documentary films? FQx2
Why do you think most people prefer watching entertainment films to watching documentaries? FQ
(Similar to above) Why do you think most people don't find documentary films very attractive? FQ
The Film Industry
Film Production
What does one need in order to make a film? (E.g., what facilities, what things?) FQ See Notes
What do you think is the most important thing (or, the most important aspect) when making a film? FQ
(Similar to above) If you were a film director, what things would you pay most attention to? FQ DIFFICULT QUESTION
What are the qualities of a good film? * See Notes
(Similar to above) In your opinion, what makes a film 'successful'? FQ
When making a film, do you think the film star(s) is (are) important?
The Promotion of Films
How do films become well-known?
Do you think it's important for films to be advertised?
What do you think is the purpose of advertisements for new films?
Do you think films are made for and promoted to any particular target audience?
Do you think an advertisement can help promote the sales of a new film? (Why?/How? or Why not?) FQ
(Similar to above) Are people attracted (or influenced) by advertisements (or previews) for new films? FQ DIFFICULT QUESTION See Note
Which way do you usually use to decide whether a film is good or not - what your friends say or what the advertisements say?
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