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Updated Sep. 6, 2010

IELTS Part 2 and Part 3 Topics and Questions

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276. A Hobby (May, 2010)

277. An Interesting Job (May 2010)

278. A Film (5) (May, 2010)

279. Your Future Work Plans (3) (Sept. 4, 2010)

280. A Person who Speaks Another Language (2) (Sep. 4, 2010)

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

* = my guess at a question

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276. A Hobby (May, 2010)

Describe a hobby you had when you were a child. *

You should say:

what it was

how you did this activity (Or: What was involved in this hobby)

how (and when) you became interested in this hobby (Or: How you started doing this hobby)

and explain why you liked this hobby *

and explain what you gained from this hobby *

Notes

See Notes

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Possible follow-up questions:

Do you still do (pursue) that hobby? *

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Part 3

Hobbies

What hobbies do young people in your country have? FQ
What hobbies for children do you think will be most useful for them when they grow up? FQx2
(Similar to above) Do you think children can learn any skills from a hobby that will be useful to them when they grow up? FQx2
In what ways are (young) people's hobbies today different to people's hobbies in the past (about 30 years ago)? FQx2
(Similar to above) In what ways are children's hobbies today different to children's hobbies in the past (about 30 years ago)? FQx2
Compare men's and women's hobbies.
(Similar to above) Compare boys' hobbies with those of girls.

Leisure Time

Do you think young people today have more free time than young people in the past? FQ
Do you think students have more free time than people who work? (Why?) FQx2
How are the leisure time activities of students different to those of working people?
Do you think people will have more free time (for hobbies) in the future?

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No-one has reported the following questions yet but they are highly likely.

What are the most popular hobbies in your country? *
How important do you think it is for people to have hobbies? *
What benefits do people get from having hobbies? *
Can a hobby ever become a "problem"? *
Do people of different ages have the same hobbies? *
Compare children's hobbies with adults' hobbies? *
Compare young people's hobbies with old(er) people's hobbies? *
What influences (factors) cause people to choose one hobby instead of another? *
How do you think people's choice of hobbies will (or might) change in the future? *
If you had the choice of any new hobby, which one would you choose (and why)? *

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277. An Interesting Job (May 2010)

Describe an interesting job you have heard about or read about.

You should say:

what job it is

what people do in that job

where you heard or read about it

and explain why you think it would be interesting work to do. *

See Notes

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Possible follow-up questions:

Would you like to do that work yourself?
Is that a very well-paid job?
Do you know anyone who does that sort of work? *

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Part 3

See also Part 3 for Topic 139

Working Conditions and Benefits

See the third definition on this page and here of the word, "benefits". See also some notes here.

What are the effects on a person of having a good job?
What do you think of the working conditions in your country at the moment? FQ
Do you think most people's working conditions in your country today are better than in the past? FQx2
Do you think working conditions will improve in the future?
In what ways do you think working conditions still need to be improved? *
What minimum working conditions should all employees be given, by law?

Overtime

Do you think working overtime is good? *
What effects does (or can ) working overtime have on the lives of employees, especially women? FQ
Do you think long working hours can have an effect on the family lives of employees?

Salaries & Benefits

Do you think it's reasonable (or, fair) that people have different salary levels? FQx2
What are some examples of jobs that you think should be paid at a higher rate than other jobs? FQ
Besides a salary, how do you think employers could reward employees for doing a good job?
As well as a salary, what other (minimum) benefits do you think all employees should receive? FQ
Do you think companies should provide rest and recreational facilities for the employees at work?

What job do you think is the hardest to become successful in? (Possibly this means "the job with the lowest social status".)

How do you think people who do that kind of work should be rewarded?

Career Choices

What influences young people to choose a certain career (and not another career)?
Do you think young people need guidance in choosing a career?
How can young people get help in choosing a career?
Do you think it's good for parents to force a young person to choose a career that the parents think is best but the young person doesn't really want to do?
Do you know anyone who has made a change of career? (not just a change of jobs)
Do you think there are any jobs where people can combine their job and hobby?

Retirement

What do think is the best age to retire from work?
Do people in your country generally retire at that age?
When people retire, do you think it puts pressure on the nation? (Hint: retirees still need money to live, e.g. a pension)
Do you think that men and women should get the same pension payments when they retire?

Industrial Relations

What do you think makes a "good employee"?
In addition to what the boss tells an employee to do, do you think employees have certain responsibilities that they should fulfill?

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278. A Film (5) (May, 2010)

Describe a film you have recently seen.

You should say:

where you saw it

what the film was about

who you saw it with

and explain what you liked or disliked about this film.

Notes

See all the previously used "Film" Part 2 topics. This new topic is probably similar to them.
If the word "recently" is included, anytime within the past year (or even two years) would be good enough. But a film you saw "recently" does not necessarily mean the film was made recently; it might have been a Charlie Chaplin film from 1925!

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Possible follow-up questions:

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Part 3

The Part 3 questions reported for Topic 278 seem to be very similar to those of Topic 200.

Film-watching Preferences in Your Country

What kinds of films do people in your country like to watch?
What kinds of films do young people (i.e., people aged 15 to 25) like to watch?

The Films that Children Watch

What kinds of films do children (i.e., people aged 4 to 12) like to watch?
What impact (or, influence) do films have on the people who watch them? (See Note)
What about children - what impact do films have on children? FQ
Do you think films that show violence can affect children?
Do you think parents should supervise what films their children watch? FQ

The Influence of Films

Do you think films have much influence on the people who watch them?
Do you think parents should control what films their children watch?

The Film Industry

In your opinion, what is a "good" film? FQ
In your opinion, what is a "successful" film? FQ
There are some good films that do not make much money. Why do you think this happens?
There are some poor quality films that make a lot of money. Why do you think this happens?
Do you think it's necessary for film-makers to spend a lot of money in order to produce a successful (or, a good) film? FQ
How could we judge the success of an "educational film", that is, a film that was not made simply in order to make money?
In what ways can a country's culture be represented in a film?

The Future of the Film Industry

Do you think we will continue to have cinemas in the future?
(Similar to above) In the future, do you think that cinemas will be replaced by DVD's (and/or films downloaded off the internet)?
What do you think would be the result if everyone watched films on DVD?

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279. Your Future Work Plans (3) (Sept. 4, 2010)

Describe a (the) job you want to do in the future.

You should say:

what the job is

..............

.................

and explain why you have chosen ( or, chose) to do this job in the future. *

Notes

This looks like Topic 97 or Topic 22 returning to the test.

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Possible follow-up questions:

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Part 3

See also the Part 3 questions for Topic 97, Topic 22, Topic 50, and Topic 201

Finding a Job

Is it difficult for people to get a job in China? FQ
(Similar to above) Is it very difficult for recent university graduates in your country to find a job? FQ
What's the most difficult part about finding a job?
How do employers (companies) find the employees that they need?
What do you think is the most important thing (the most important factor) that people should consider when deciding what job to take (= what company to join)?

Work Skills and Important Personal Traits for Employees

What are the main qualities that employers require their employees to have?
What are the main abilities (or skills) that people need to have in order to work (as an employee)?
Are communication skills very important in careers such as advertising and sales?

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280. A Person who Speaks Another Language (2) (Sep. 4, 2010)

Describe a person you met (or, who you know) who speaks (or, spoke) a foreign language.

You should say:

how you know him/her (or, where you met this person)

what this person is (or, was) like*

what this person does (work, study etc.) *

and explain what you learned from this person.

Notes

This looks like Topic 49 returning to the test. (I have changed the wording a little but I think it's the same topic as before.) The Part 3 questions also seem to be similar to Topic 49.

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Possible follow-up questions:

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Part 3

See also the Part 3 questions for Topic 49, Topic 115 and Topic 171

Communication

Do you like communicating with new people?
How do you communicate with them?
Where do you think is the best place to communicate with (or, find) new people (to communicate with).

Living Overseas

Do you think it's useful for people to travel overseas?
Do you think it's beneficial for people to live (to move) overseas?

'Globalization'

What changes (or, what benefits) do you think "globalization" has brought to your hometown?

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