IELTS Tips: Speaking Part 3 Practice
Part 3 of the IELTS Speaking test requires test-takers to show their ability to participate in an in-depth discussion while expressing their opinions!
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Part 3 of the Speaking test is a follow-up to Part 2 during which the examiner will ask the candidate a series of questions that are thematically linked to Part 2. Whereas in Part 2, candidates should give a more personal response based on their personal experiences, Part 3 requires candidates to speak more generally while also expressing their opinion and providing information and examples to support their opinion.
In the IELTS Tips: Part 2 Speaking Test Practice blog post, the topic was “Describe a meal that you recently enjoyed at a restaurant,” so the general topic or theme for Part 3 could be about food, nutrition, health, or even about hospitality, tourism, and the economy.
Here are some points to consider while you’re answering the questions:
do you agree or disagree?
talk about the advantages and disadvantages
compare and contrast
express your opinion
give reasons to support your opinions
provide examples
makes suggestions (*this allows you to use different verb tenses like conditional and modal verbs)
Let’s look at an example! Part 3 is for 4-5 minutes. Remember to time yourself while you’re practicing answering the questions.
Examiner: Is American-style fast food popular in you country?
Candidate: Although fast food is still popular in Canada, I have noticed that it has lost it’s popularity in recent years. I believe this is because people are more health-conscious these days and are more knowledgeable about nutrition. Another reason is more and more Canadians have been cooking at home. For example, during the pandemic in 2020, we weren’t able to go out to restaurants and people also had more time to cook and were inspired to learn new recipes from the internet.
Examiner: Do you think that fast food, soda and sweets should be sold in school cafeterias?
Candidate: I think that schools should refrain from selling fast food to children and teenagers because they are too young to make healthy choices for themselves. On the other hand, I understand that schools may have decided to provide overly-processed packaged snacks and meals to students because it is more cost effective. For example, my elementary school provided lunch to students which was allegedly healthy, however, the fruit was canned and not fresh, and they used white bread rather than whole grain bread.
Examiner: Describe what you think a healthy diet is.
Candidate: In my opinion, a healthy diet is balanced and consists mainly of food found in nature such as fruits vegetables nuts, and grains. Additionally, the concept of balance also means that it’s okay for people to not always be so strict and they should let themselves enjoy treats. I remember reading about the 80-20 rule which states that we should try to eat nutritious food and live a healthy lifestyle 80% of the time, and we can indulge and give into our cravings 20% of the time.
Examiner: How do you think the way we eat will change in the future?
Candidate: I imagine that people will eat more pre-packaged food and supplements in the future. Items like protein powder are already a staple in a lot of people’s diet because they can consume more protein easily without eating a lot of animal products. If more shelf-stable food that doesn’t expire quickly is produced, people could save time because they wouldn’t have to regularly go shopping or spend time preparing meals from scratch.