In Part 3, the examiner is going to ask you some questions related to the topic in Task 2, but these questions are going to be more general and abstract now. This section requires you not only to talk about broader ideas but also to to analyse them and discuss about them in depth.
It is going to be a discussion with the examiner that will last for about 4-5 minutes. The examiner wants to see that you can fluently express your opinions and that you are able to justify them by giving reasons and examples. Since this part is a little bit more demanding than previous parts, it will be better if you are able to use a variety of vocabulary and linking phrases.
Let’s have a look at an example card that could be given to you in Part 2:
Describe a book that you read recently.
You should say:
- what the book is about
- what you liked or disliked about it
- would you recommend it to anyone else and what kind of person would that be.
Ok, let’s just say that this is your topic in Task 2. In Task 3, the questions you are going to be asked are related to this topic above. The main topic of Task 2 is the reading of books/ we read books. So, here are some more general and abstract questions that could be asked in Part 3 based on this topic:
Questions that ask for your opinion or preferences
- Do you generally read a lot of books or do you prefer watching T.V?
- What kind of books are considered good reads in your opinion?
- Do you think that people read nowadays as they did in the past?
- Do you regard famous writers as good role models?
- If a movie is based on a book, would you prefer to read the book or to watch the film?
Questions that ask you about hypothetical situations or results of something
- If you were a writer, what kind of books would you write?
- Are there any books that you’ve read in the past that have influenced you in any way?
- If you could influence or had the power to change the world with your writings what would you want to change?
Questions that ask you about the cause or the reason for something
- Why do you think so many people read on tablets nowadays?
- Why do some people prefer tablets to traditional books?
Questions that ask you about the consequences of something
- Do you think that traditional books will be replaced by tablet reading in the future?
These are some example questions that you could be asked and as you can see they are more general, abstract, and based on broader ideas. Of course, the examiner is not going to ask you all these questions. You should expect to be asked approximately 6 questions of increasing difficulty.
NOTE: Do NOT try to memorise answers by heart! They can understand that and it will count against your score. Just practice answering a lot of questions naturally and gradually with practice you will become better!
