Speaking Part 3: Discussion: IELTS Academic 9990 (IELTS Academic)

IELTS Speaking Part 3, a two-way discussion on role models and their influence in society. Typical questions:

1. Who tends to become a role model in a country, and why?
2. Do you think celebrities make good role models for young people?
3. How has the internet changed who young people look up to?
4. Is it more important for a role model to be talented or to have good moral character?
5. Do you think society will always need role models, or could this change in the future?

IELTS Speaking Part 3, a two-way discussion on tourism and its effects. Typical questions:

1. What are the main reasons people travel to other countries as tourists?
2. How does mass tourism affect the local economy of a popular destination?
3. What negative effects can tourism have on a place and its residents?
4. Do you think governments should limit the number of tourists visiting popular sites?
5. How do you think tourism will change over the next few decades?

IELTS Speaking Part 3, a two-way discussion on technology and everyday objects. Typical questions:

1. How have everyday objects in the home changed because of technology?
2. Do you think people rely too heavily on technology in their daily lives?
3. What everyday objects do you think will disappear because of new technology?
4. How might technology affect everyday objects in the future?
5. Is it a good thing that so many everyday objects are now connected to the internet?

IELTS Speaking Part 3, a two-way discussion on work and careers today. Typical questions:

1. How have people's expectations of a career changed in recent years?
2. What impact has remote and flexible working had on careers?
3. Do you think automation and AI will reduce the number of jobs available in the future?
4. Is it more important for a job to pay well or to be personally fulfilling?
5. How do you think careers will look in twenty or thirty years' time?

IELTS Speaking Part 3, a two-way discussion on skills and learning. Typical questions:

1. What skills do you think are most important for people to learn today?
2. Do you think traditional classroom learning is still the best way to acquire new skills?
3. How important is it for adults to keep learning new skills throughout their working life?
4. Should governments be responsible for funding adult retraining programmes?
5. Do you think the way people learn skills will change significantly in the future?

The examiner moves on to ask broader, more abstract questions about media and entertainment in society.

1. How has the media that people consume changed over the last twenty years or so?
2. Do you think reality television programmes have a positive or a negative effect on society?
3. Should parents restrict the amount of entertainment media that young children are exposed to?
4. How might streaming services change the entertainment industry in the coming years?
5. Why do you think some people become extremely devoted fans of a particular celebrity or show?

The examiner moves on to ask broader, more abstract questions about celebrations and traditions.

1. Why do you think celebrations and traditions matter to communities?
2. How have traditional celebrations changed in most countries over the past few decades?
3. Does it matter if younger generations start losing interest in traditional festivals?
4. What role does technology play in the way people celebrate today compared with the past?
5. Should family traditions be passed down exactly as they are, or should each generation be free to adapt them?

The examiner moves on to ask broader, more abstract questions about generosity and community.

1. Why do you think some societies appear to value generosity more highly than others?
2. Is generosity something people are born with, or is it mainly learned through upbringing and culture?
3. How might growing wealth inequality affect the general level of generosity within a community?
4. Do you think giving anonymously is more admirable than giving in a way that's publicly recognised?
5. What could governments realistically do to encourage more community-minded behaviour among citizens?

The examiner moves on to ask broader, more abstract questions about helping others and volunteering.

1. Why do you think some people choose to spend their free time volunteering?
2. Should schools require students to complete a certain number of hours of community service?
3. Does volunteering benefit the volunteer as much as it benefits the people they're helping?
4. How might volunteering patterns change as more people work from home in the future?
5. Should companies give employees paid time off specifically to volunteer?

The examiner moves on to ask broader, more abstract questions about leisure and work-life balance.

1. Why do you think it has become harder for many people to separate work from leisure time in recent years?
2. Do you agree that societies which place a high value on leisure time tend to be happier overall?
3. What effect might a shorter official working week have on how people spend their leisure time?
4. Has technology made it easier or harder for people to properly relax during their leisure time?
5. Should employers bear the main responsibility for protecting employees' leisure time, or is that really up to the individual?