Speaking Part 3: discussion

Part 3 is a discussion of more general and abstract issues connected with the Part 2 topic. The official site says it lasts four to five minutes and assesses the ability to explain opinions and to analyse, discuss and speculate.

How it differs from Part 1

Part 1 asks about you: your home, your habits. Part 3 asks about people in general, about society, about the past and the future. The answers need to be longer and to give reasons. "It depends" is a good start, as long as you then say what it depends on.

A method for a developed answer

1. Answer directly in one sentence.
2. Give a reason.
3. Give an example, from what you have seen or read.
4. Add another side or a condition: "On the other hand ...", "Of course, it depends on ...".

Four moves give you twenty to thirty seconds of connected speech, which is what this part needs.

Sample answers

Why do fewer young people cook at home nowadays?

What makes a good teacher?

Useful language

• Opinion: I think, In my view, As far as I can see, I'd say.
• Comparing past and present: In the past ..., whereas now ...; compared with twenty years ago.
• Speculating: It might, It's likely that, I expect, I doubt whether.
• Generalising: Most people, In general, On the whole, It tends to be.
• Conceding: That's true, but ...; I can see why people think that; however.

Thirty practice questions

Education

1. What makes a good teacher?
2. Should schools teach practical skills such as cooking and managing money?
3. How has technology changed the way people learn?
4. Is it better to study alone or in a group?
5. Why do some adults go back to study?

Towns and cities

1. Why do people move from villages to cities?
2. What problems do fast-growing cities face?
3. How could public places be made better for older people?
4. Will people still want to live in big cities in fifty years?
5. Who should pay for parks and playgrounds?

Work

1. What makes a job satisfying?
2. Is a high salary more important than free time?
3. How might working life change in the next twenty years?
4. Should people retire at a fixed age?
5. Why do some people start their own business?

Technology

1. Do people depend too much on their phones?
2. Has the internet made people more informed or less?
3. Should children be given phones at an early age?
4. How has online shopping affected local shops?
5. What kind of work might machines never do?

Family and society

1. How have families in your country changed in recent years?
2. Should grown-up children look after their elderly parents?
3. Why are festivals important to a community?
4. Do people help their neighbours less than they used to?
5. What can be learned from older people?

Environment and health

1. Why is it hard to persuade people to use less plastic?
2. Whose job is it to keep a city clean?
3. Why do many people find it difficult to exercise regularly?
4. Is it better to prevent illness or to treat it?
5. How can children be encouraged to eat healthy food?

If you have no opinion

You are being tested on English, not on knowledge. It is fine to say, "I haven't thought about this before, but I suppose ..." and reason aloud. Thinking in English, out loud, is exactly what this part rewards.

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Fluency and coherence All speaking pages

Independent practice site. IELTS Practice is not connected with, approved by or endorsed by the British Council, IDP IELTS or Cambridge University Press & Assessment, who jointly own IELTS. The practice tasks and sample answers here are our own; they are not official test questions, and we do not award bands. Facts about the test were read on ielts.org on 12 November 2026. For registration, fees, dates and official sample tests, go to ielts.org.