Speaking

Part 3
Two-way
Discussion 4-5 minutes

The purpose of the final part of the IELTS Speaking test is to give you
the opportunity to develop and expand your ideas using more
complex language. The examiner will ask you questions related to
issues in society.
The example of part 3 questions
Describe a member of your family
that you have a good relationship
with.
You should say:
who the person is
how often you see him or her
what he or she is like.
and explain why you have a good
relationship with this family member.
the discussion in Part 3 could be
about one or more of the following
topics related to family:
characteristics of a good parent
discipline of children
family values
the changing nature of family life
living together, divorce and
marriage
family roles and responsibilities
family types (extended family,
nuclear family).
example of part 3
 Language requirements for Part 3

In this part of the Speaking test, it is desirable to use more complex

sentences and a wider range of grammatical structures, vocabulary and
phrases.

During the discussion in Part 3 of the Speaking test, you may be asked
to:

describe evaluate / assess compare and contrast

identify give advantages / explain
speculate disadvantages predict
suggest
 Language requirements for Part 3
Express your opinion
Look at the following question.
Let’s talk about having dinner...
Do you think having dinner at home is a good idea?

This question asks for your opinion. It asks if you think it is good that people have
dinner at home for the sake of their family relationship.
Look at the following phrases you can use to express your opinion.

Phrases to express your opinion Opinion

I believe that ...
I think that ...
As far as I’m concerned ...
In my opinion ...
In my view ...
It seems to me that ...
I strongly believe that ...
it's great for people to have
dinner at home. If they do so,
they can have quality time
with their family which can
strength their relationship.
 Language requirements for Part 3
Comparing and contrasting
Look at the following questions.
What are some similarities between buying food in your country and buying
food here?
This question asks you to compare and contrast.
Now, look at the following phrases you can use to compare and contrast.

Phrases to compare and contrast Comparing & Contrasting

Some similarities between (buying food in my
country and here) are that...
(Buying food in my country and here) is
similar because ...
Some differences between (buying food in my
country and here) are that...
(Buying food in my country and here) is
different because ...
... fresh fruit and vegetables
are cheap and they are also
easily available.
... meat is almost twice as
expensive here as in my
country and there is less
variety here.
 Language requirements for Part 3
Evaluating
Look at the following example question.
Let’s talk about education...
What type of assessment do you think is more effective for tertiary
students, assignments or examinations?
This question asks you to evaluate. It asks you to say which type of assessment
you think is better and why.
Look at following phrases you can use to evaluate.

Phrases to evaluate Evaluation

I believe that (assignments) are more ... this type of assessment
effective/better/fairer because ... gives students the time and
(Assignments) are definitely more suitable for opportunity to produce better
(tertiary students) because ... quality work.
 Language requirements for Part 3
Giving suggestions
Look at the following
question. Phrases to give suggest Suggestions
Let’s talk about tourism in
(The government) could... ... encourage tourism in our
your country...
Perhaps (the government) could ... country by spending more
What could your money on worldwide
government do to A good idea would be for (the advertising to promote our
encourage more tourism government) to... tourist attractions and our
Maybe (the government) should ... culture.
in your country?
One way (the government) could ... ... encourage tourism in our
This question asks you to Another way (the government) could country is by spending
suggest ways in which the ... more money on worldwide
advertising to promote our
government could increase tourist attractions and our
tourism in your country. culture.
 Language requirements for Part 3
Giving preferences
Look at the following example question.
Let’s talk about study...
Do you prefer to study with a group or by yourself? Why/Why not?
This question asks you to give a preference. It asks you to say which choice you
like better (studying with a group or by yourself) and why.

Phrases to give preferences Preferences

I much prefer to ...
... study with a friend or a
In general I would rather ...
group of people.
I usually like to ...
On the whole I usually choose to ...
Sometimes I prefer to...
No preference
I don’t mind doing either (x) or (y).
“ I don’t mind studying either with a group or by myself.”
I like doing both (x) and (y).
“ I like studying both with a group and by myself.”
 Language requirements for Part 3
Speculating (about the past, present or future)
Look at the following example question.
Let’s talk about the environment...
Do you think the recycling of household waste products will become more
efficient in the future?
This question asks you to speculate. It asks you if you think recycling of
household waste will be more effective in the future.
Phrases to speculate Speculations
I’m certain that ...
...the recycling of
There’s a good / a reasonable chance that ...
household rubbish and
Most probably ...
other waste products
It’s quite possible that ...
will become more
I hope that ...
efficient in the future.
Perhaps ...
I’m not sure if ...
There’s little/ not much chance that ...
I doubt very much that ...
 Tips for speaking part 3
What do I do if I miss the questions?
Here are some strategy if you need to clarify the questions based on the
condition you have
You do not hear the question
You can ask the examiner to repeat the
question if you did not hear it the first
time. You could say:
Can/Could you repeat that, please?
Can/Could you say that again, please?
I didn’t catch that. Would you mind
repeating it, please?
You do not understand a word/question
You can ask the examiner to rephrase the
question if you did not understand it. You
could say:
Sorry, but I’m not sure I understand
you.
I don’t understand the part about …
Sorry, I’m not sure I follow. Would you
mind explaining the part about …
 Tips for speaking part 3

Extending answer for part 3

And How I do this one?

You can extend your answers in many ways. For example, depending on the
question, you might be able to give reasons or examples.

It is a good idea to begin your answer with a summary phrase (a short phrase that
answers the question directly), and then to extend your answer.
 Tips for speaking part 3

Extending answer for part 3

And How I do this one?

Let’s look at an example of how to extend your answer.

Read the following example question from Part 3 of the Speaking test.

How important is good health?

Let's start with a summary phrase that answers the questions.

summary phrase: Good health is extremely important
reasons (why you answer with this point?) :
example :
a result :
 Tips for speaking part 3

I need some times to think the answer to a difficult question

Do I have this time?

Here are examples of other phrases you can use during the speaking
test to help you think of ideas to answer the question.
That’s a complex question ...
Um ... that’s a difficult one ...
That’s an interesting question ...
Let me think ...
I’ll have to think a moment ...
I’m not sure exactly ...
Let’s see ...
Oh I haven't actually thought of that before...
grammatical
range and
accuracy
Grammatical range,
what is it about?
the examiner listens for 3 main features in your
speech:
the length and complexity of your sentences
how appropriately you use complex sentences
the variety of sentence structures you use.
Grammatical accuracy,
what is it about?
the examiner listens for 3 main features in your
speech:
how many grammatical errors you make
how your errors interfere with communicating
your ideas.
a grammar review
Sentence Structure

Sentence structure is the way words are ordered in a sentence.

There are three basic types of sentence structures:
simple
compound
complex
a grammar review
Sentence Structure
Look at this candidate's description of his father below. Note how he has used a range of
sentence structures in his answer. Mark the conjunctions he uses.

Question
What is your father like?

Answer
My father runs his own computer software company so he is usually very busy. I don’t get to see
him very often because although we live in Australia, he often returns to China or goes to other
countries on business. He takes his job very seriously and I think that is why he has been able to
become so successful. He now has offices in both Shanghai and Sydney and is planning to open
a third in Hong Kong. When he is in Australia he always takes some time off work to spend with
my mother and me. He is very good to us.
a grammar review
Conditionals
/First Conditional/
In the IELTS Speaking test, you will be expected to give your opinion about
different topics. Look at the example question below:

Question: Do you think exercise is important?

Answer: Yes I do. If people exercise everyday, they will lose weight.

The first conditional is useful when talking about something that is possible in
the future.
a grammar review
Conditionals
/Second conditional/
Some questions in the IELTS Speaking test may require you to talk about
situations that are not real. Look at the example question below:

Question: What would you do if you won a million dollars?

Answer: If I won a million dollars, I would buy a new house.

This kind of question is hypothetical, which means it is asking you to talk about
an imaginary situation. Answers to questions about hypothetical situations
usually use the second conditional.
Pronunciation
 Pronunciation,
what is it about?
the examiner listens for 3 main features in your
speech:
how easy it is for the examiner to understand
what you are saying
how much of your speech is not understood
how much your own language influences your
speech.
Pronunciation Features
word stress
Mistakes in word stress are a common cause of
misunderstanding in English

for example like these words

o O b'tell
O o hottle

And now in a sentence:

"I carried the b'tell to the hottle."
Pronunciation Features
Sentence stress

With sentence stress in English, we give stress to certain words

while other words are quickly spoken. For instance, some words
in a sentence are emphasized or slightly louder than other
words.

I said she might consider a NEW car.

I said she might consider a new CAR.
Pronunciation Features
Pauses and Chunks

This is talking in a rhythm which delivers chunks of words with

short silences in between the occasional key word stressed.

I'd like to discuss

I'll bring your bag
Pronunciation Features
Intonation
intonation could be described as 'the music of speech'. A change
or variation in this music (or pitch) can affect the meaning of
what we say.

Let's try to compare this two audio.

1st speaker

2nd speaker
Thank you!