In Part 3, the examiner asks follow-up questions to the topic the student spoke about in Part 2. Within these follow-up questions students are generally expected to give opinions, compare different times or places, and provide examples. Part 3 lasts for around 5 minutes.
Sample Questions
| Advice – In what parts of your life do you want advice? – Would you prefer to ask family or friends for advice? – Do older people give better advice? – Would you ever use the internet for advice? – Should young people follow their parents’ advice or decide for themselves? | News – What type of news stories interest you? – Is local, national or international news more important to you? – Which news media do you trust the most? – Do you think the way people read news has changed? – Do you think news is too negative? |
| Angry – Do you think men and women get angry in different ways? – Has the way you act when you are angry changed from when you were a child? – What are some common ways for people to relax in your country? – Is it better to tell someone you are angry, or to keep quiet? – Do you think people are more angry today than in the past? | Outside activity – What are some common activities people do outside in your country? – Do old and young people do different outdoor activities? – Do you think children spent more time outside in the past? – Should schools encourage children to play outside at breaktime? – What can cities do to make it safer to do outdoor activities? |
| Animal – Are zoos good places to keep animals? – Do you think the way people think about animals has changed in the last few decades? – Should the government spend more money on protecting nature? – What can cities do to be more animal friendly? – What is the difference between a cute animal and an ugly animal? | Outside place – What different outdoor places do young and old people like? – How have places outside changed in your hometown? – What makes a peaceful place? – Should there be laws to keep outdoor places quiet? – Do you think life outside is safer now than in the past? |
| App – How have apps changed the way people communicate? – Are the apps in your country different from apps used in other countries? – Do you think children should have access to apps and the internet? – Are the apps young people use different from those old people use? – Do people in cities use different apps than people in the countryside? | Person you admire – What makes a good role model? – What are the advantages and disadvantages of young people having role models? – Has the way people find role models changed in the last few decades? – Why do many people admire entertainers more than scientists or doctors? – Should the government tell people who are good role models? |
| Art – What kind of art do you enjoy? – What do you think makes good art? – What types of art are popular in your country? – Why should children study art? – Do young people and old people like different types of art? – Do you think people’s taste in art has changed? | Personality – Do you think people who live in the countryside have different personalities to people who live in the city? – How would you describe the personality of people from your country? – What can parents do to teach their children to be better people? – Does a person’s personality change as they get older? – Does a husband or wife need to show a different personality than a friend? |
| Book – What are the most popular types of book in your country? – Should schools use paper books or electronic technology in class? – Why is a love of reading important in children? – What can parents do to make children read more? – Do you read different books than your grandparents did when they were your age? | Photograph – Why do people enjoy taking photographs? – What makes a good photograph? – How has the way people take photographs changed in recent years? – Should photography be taught in school? – Do tourists take too many photographs? |
| Celebration – What makes a good celebration? – Do young people celebrate differently from old people? – Should street parties be allowed? – Have traditional celebrations and festivals in your country changed in the last few decades? – Do people in your country celebrate other country’s festivals? | Possession – Some people say the best things in life are free. Do you agree? – What makes a possession special? – Do people today have more possessions than in the past? – Should children be allowed to buy things for themselves? – Do men and women keep different types of possession? |
| Change – What are the biggest changes in a person’s life? – Why do some people not like change? – Have changes in your country changed the way people behave? – Can people make changes by themselves, or do they need other people to help? – Is modern life more or less stable than life in the past? | Respect – What type of people do you respect? – Should we respect everyone, or do people have to earn respect? – What can a person do to make other people respect them? – Do you think it is important that young people respect older generations? – Are people who live in the city more or less respectful than people in the countryside? |
| City – What are the advantages of living in a city? – Do people from cities have different personalities from people from the countryside? – What makes a good city? – Have cities in your country changed in the last few decades? – What do you think cities will look like in the future? | Restaurant – What do you think makes a good restaurant? – Why do people like to eat in restaurants? – What differences are there between family restaurants and romantic restaurants? – Have the types of restaurant changed in your hometown since you were a child? – Do people behave differently when eating in restaurants than when eating at home? |
| Conversation – What are some common things you talk about with your friends? – Do men and women like to talk about the same things? – What is a good way you to start a conversation with a stranger? – Are there differences between having a conversation online and face-to-face? – What advice would you give a person who is afraid of starting a conversation? | Routine – Why do some people prefer having routines? – Do people’s routines change as they get older? – How can routines help people in their work? – Are routines different for people in the countryside and people in the city? – How can a person break an unhealthy routine? |
| Cook – What are some traditional recipes in your country? – Have people’s diets changed in your country? – What skills does a good cook need? – Should children be taught cooking at school? – Do you think the government should tax unhealthy foods? | Rule – In what situations is it OK to break the rules? – Do you think society has more or less rules now than in the past? – What rules exist in your country that other countries don’t have? – Should schools or parents be responsible for teaching children discipline? – What is the difference between a rule and a law? |
| Electronics – How have electronics changed the way we communicate? – How do the elderly use electronics? – Should children be allowed to use electronics in class? – Do you think electronics are making people lose some skills? – Is it OK for the police or government to access people’s phones? | School – What makes a good school? – How have schools changed in the last century? – What are the advantages and disadvantages of home-schooling? – Are there any new subjects that schools should teach? – Is there a link between money and good education? |
| Exercise – What benefits can a person get from exercise? – How has exercise changed from when your grandparents’ generation? – What are the advantages of team sports? – Should schools be responsible for making sure children exercise enough? – What advice would help somebody who needs to do more exercise? | Science – What do you think the biggest recent scientific discovery has been? – Why does society need scientists? – Should schools teach science more than art? – Are there any areas of science you think should be banned? – What do you think science will achieve in the future? |
| Family – What makes a happy family? – What are some common family activities in your country? – How have families changed compared to a century ago? – Should men and women have different jobs in a family? – What are the advantages of having a large family? | Service – What type of things do you think make good service? – Why is receiving good service important? – What can a customer do to encourage good service? – Do young people and older people give the same type of service? – What can people do if they receive bad service? |
| Film – Why do people enjoy films? – What is the most important thing in a good film? – What are the advantages of watching a film in a cinema? – Do different ages of people like different types of films? – What is the film industry like in your country? | Skill – What do you think is the most important skill a person needs in life? – What are the advantages of having a teacher teach you a skill, rather than learning by yourself? – How is modern technology changing the skills people need? – Do you think men and women are better at different types of skills? – Should children be taught more practical skills in school? |
| Friend – Why is it important to have friends? – What qualities do you look for in a friend? – In what situations is it easier to talk to a friend than a family member? – Do you think men and women talk to their friends differently? – Is it important to keep childhood friends? | Song – What are some well-known traditional songs in your country? – In what way are the songs you like different from the songs your parents or grandparents like? – Do you think the lyrics or the tune is more important in a song? – Is it important for children to learn songs in school? – Do people like pop stars for their songs or for the way they look? |
| Game – What style of games do you enjoy playing? – What traditional games are there in your country? – Have the type of games people like to play changed since your grandparents were children? – What can children learn from playing games? – Is it OK for adults to play games? | Sport – What are the most popular sports in your country? – What benefits do people get from playing sport? – What makes some people better at sports than others? – Do children and adults think about sports the same way? – Does having money change the types of sports people play? |
| Gift – Do you find it more satisfying to give gifts, or to receive gifts? – On what occasions do people give gifts in your culture? – Has gift-giving changed in the last hundred years? – What types of gifts can people give that don’t cost a lot of money? – Do you think there is pressure on people to give gifts? | Sportsperson – Which sports do the most famous sportspeople in your country play? – Do sportspeople make good role models? – Do you think top sportspeople should be paid a lot of money? – What qualities does a person need to become good at sport? – Is it important that children and teenagers who are good at sport also study hard? |
| Historical item – What are some of the most famous historical items in your country? – Should all important historical items be kept in museums? – Why are some old items thought important, and some items not? – Why is it important to teach history in schools? – Do you think history books are always true? | Street – Does your country have any famous streets? – What makes a good street to live on? – What can locals do to make their streets nice places? – Have the streets in your hometown changed since you were a child? – What are the advantages of making pedestrianised streets, where no cars are allowed? |
| Hobby – Why do people have hobbies? – What are some common hobbies in your country? – Has technology changed the type of hobbies people have? – Do people’s hobbies change as they get older? – Should children spend their time after school doing homework or hobbies? | Surprise – On what occasions might people surprise other people? – Can you think of some examples of unwelcome surprises? – Why do some people not enjoy surprises? – Do you think young people enjoy surprises more than old people? – Do you think relationships need surprises? |
| Internet – How has the internet changed society in the last few decades? – Do young people and old people use the internet for the same things? – Should governments control what is on the internet? – Should the internet be used in class to teach children? – Do you think the government should protect shops that are losing business to internet shopping? | Teacher – What makes a good teacher? – Why do you think people become teachers? – What are the difficult parts of being a teacher? – Should teachers be responsible for teaching social skills, or just their class subject? – What can the government do to get more and better teachers? |
| Journey – What makes a memorable journey? – What can people learn from taking a journey? – Do you think parents should take their children travelling, or keep them in one place? – Is travel something only rich people can enjoy? – Which is more important: the journey, or the final destination? | Team – What makes a good team player? – Why do many companies ask for ‘a good team player’? – What problems can happen in teams? – How can childen be taught to work in teams? – Has technology changed the way teams operate? |
| Kindness – Why is it important to be kind? – Do you think men and women show kindness in different ways? – Is society more or less kind than in the past? – In what jobs do you think kindness is important? – Can you think of an example of when it is better to be tough on a person instead of being kind? | Television show – What types of television shows are currently popular in your country? – Have the types of shows that are popular changed since you were a child? – How much television do you think children should be allowed to watch each day? – Do you think the government should control what is shown on television? – Has the internet changed the way people watch television? |
| Language – Which foreign langauges do people learn in your country? – Did your parents and grandparents learn languages differently from you? – What are the advantages of knowing two languages? – Should all children have to learn a second language at school? – What is the best way to learn another language? | Time of day – Do people in your country generally wake up early or late? – Is it important what time of day a person wakes up? – Do people’s routines, such as the time they go to bed, change as they get older? – Have people’s work routines changed in the last few decades? – How does becoming a parent change a person’s routine? |
| Meal – Does your country have any days when people eat special meals? – What makes a good meal? – Which is more important in a good meal: the quality of the food, or the quantity of the food? – Does money affect the type of restaurants people go to? – What foreign cuisines are popular in your country? | Toy – What the popular toys in your country at the moment? – Have the types of toys children play with changed compared to 50 years ago? – Do you think boys and girls naturally want to play with different types of toys? – What do you think toys will look like in the future? – Is it Ok for adults to play with toys? |
| Music – What are the most popular types of music in your country at the moment? – Do people’s taste in music change as they get older? – What are the benefits of learning to play a musical instrument? – Is listening to music live different from listening to a recording? – Should the government use money to help encourage traditional styles of music? | Travel – What are some different types of holidays people can take? – What are the busiest travel seasons in your country? – Have the places people travel to changed in recent years? – Does having more money change the way people travel? – What can be done to make travel more environmentally friendly? |
| Musician – Which musical instruments do most people play in your country? – What is the best way to learn music? – Why do many people like stars who sing and dance more than musicians? – Do you think practice or natural talent is more important in becoming a musician? – Should the government help paymusicians who don’t earn much money? | Useful job – What do you think are some of the most useful jobs in society today? – Have the types of jobs we think useful changed compared to the past? – Should university students be forced to do useful subjects, or choose any subject they want? – Are men and women better at different types of jobs? – Do you think people who do jobs for other people, such as teaching or medicine, should be paid more than people in business? |
Scoring Guide
