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Updated June 25, 2010

IELTS Part 2 and Part 3 Topics and Questions

Page 48

236. A Letter or Card You Received (Oct 31, 2009)

237. No Topic

238. No Topic

239. No Topic

240. An Old Thing in Your Family (Oct 31, 2009)

RETURN TO PART 2 TOPIC INDEX

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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236. A Letter or Card You Received (Oct 31, 2009)

Describe a special (or, memorable) letter or card you received.

You should say:

who sent you the letter or card

when you received it

what message the letter or card had

and explain what was special (or, memorable) about this card or letter. *

and explain how you felt when you received this card or letter. *

Notes

Although this seems similar to Topic 129, it looks like a new topic.
If you want to describe an email or one of those "e-cards" sent to you by email, I suggest you first ask the examiner if that is ok. They are not examples of a real “letter” or “card” – they are “virtual letters” and “virtual cards”.

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Possible follow-up questions:

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Part 3

Letter Writing

Do you think sending postcards and letters is still important today?
Why do people write letters or send cards?
What are some of the different reasons why people write letters?
Do people (or, do you) write the same way when you write to different types of people?
Do you write to friends and family members very often?
Do young people and old people have the same view concerning letter writing and using emails? FQ
(Similar to above) Do young people write letters as much as old(er) people do? FQ
Compare letter writing with more modern ways of communicating with people. FQ
What are the advantages and disadvantages of hand-written letters and cards, compared to emails and "e-cards"? FQx2
Why does receiving a letter make people feel happy?
Why do you think many people think writing a letter is better than making a phone call?
With more and more young people using the internet to send "e-cards" and emails, do you think letter writing and sending cards will eventually disappear?

Literacy

Do you think writing skills are important? FQx2

(Similar to above) How important is literacy in your country? FQx2

Why it is important that we begin learning how to write at school?

For whom are writing and reading skills the most important?

Is there much difference between writing in China and writing in other countries?

Is there much illiteracy in your country?

What impact does this have on your country?

What impact does this have on those people who can't read and write? *

Do you think it's important to have as little illiteracy as possible?

How could we encourage (illiterate) people to learn how to read and write?

The Postal System (Not often asked)

Do people prefer to receive mail through the post or by email?
In your opinion, what is the postal system in China like?
How do you think China's postal system could be improved? *
Do you think the postal system would be better if it were run by a private company?
(Similar to above) Which do you think is better: to have a government-run postal system or a postal system run by private companies?

Cards

Do you like sending cards?
(Similar to above) Do you have the habit of sending cards to people?
Has the practice of sending cards to others changed in recent years?
Do you think this change is important to the older generations?
Do you think it's good to send (or give) cards to people?
(Similar to above) Do you think it's important to send cards to others? FQ
On what occasions do people send a card (or, postcard) to someone? See Note
Do you think sending (greeting) cards is a good way to communicate or to share greetings at festival time?
Do people in China like to send postcards when they go on holidays?
Do people in China send (or give) birthday cards to people?
What are some of the differences between giving a card and giving a present? FQ
Why do people sometimes send a postcard instead of writing a letter?
Do you think sending cards (and writing letters) will still be as popular in the future as they are today?
Do you think e-cards will become more popular in the future? FQ
If a child made a card to give to you, with drawings that were not drawn very well, how would you feel?

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237. No Topic

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238. No Topic

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239. No Topic

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240. An Old Thing in Your Family (Oct 31, 2009)

Describe an antique or some other old thing that your family has kept for a long time. *

You should say:

what it is

how (or when) your family first got this thing *

how long your family has kept it

and explain why this thing is important to your family. *

Notes

Note that there seems to be a mixture of verbs tenses required for answering this topic.
See other notes

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Possible follow-up questions:

Would you ever sell that ________? (What you just spoke about)

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Part 3

Old Things That People Keep in their Family

Which do you think are better, old things or new things?
(Similar to above) In general, do people prefer to have old things in their home, or new things?
Do you think it's important to (sometimes) keep old things?
As well as family photographs, what are some other things that people keep in their family for a long time? FQx2
In your culture, what sorts of things do people often pass down from generation to generation? (Why?)
Why do you think people keep these things? FQx2
(Similar to above) Why do people pass these things onto the next generation? FQx2
(Similar to above) What are the benefits (= what is the value/what is the importance) of keeping some old things in the family? FQ
(Similar to above) What is the value of keeping some old things that are related to your family history (your ancestry)?
(Similar to above) Do you think it's important for the older generation to pass things on to the next generation?
Is there any downside (negative results) of keeping things from the past?
Do you think it's good to recall the past?
Who do you think feels old family heirlooms are more important, young people or older people?
Does the "old culture" (the traditions) of previous generations have much influence on your generation?
Do you think it's important for parents to keep some things that their children use or make when the children are young?

Museums

Do many people today visit museums?
Do you think governments should spend more money on museums?
What do you think is the role (or, purpose) of museums? FQ
(Similar to above) What is the value (or, the importance) of collecting old things and putting them in museums (or other collections)? FQ
Why do people visit museums when they can see pictures of the same things in books? FQ
(Similar to above) Which do you think is better, to see something in a museum or to see it in a picture or a book? FQx2
(Similar to above) What do you think is better to display in a museum, old photographs or old things?
Compare the works of art that you see in museums and art galleries with other examples of art (in everyday life).
Do you think it's wrong for a country to keep old things in museums that originally came from other countries?
Do you think people will continue to visit museums in the future?
What do think museums of the future will be like?

Families

Who are the people in your family?
What are they like?
What do you and the other members of your family do together?
Do men and women who have children have different roles to play in a family?
What is a traditional family in China like?
Do you think there is much value in recording one's family tree?

Tradition

Do you think tradition is important?
Do you think it is important to maintain traditions? (Why?/Why not?)

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