Speaking Part 3: Discussion: Question 1
Syllabus S.part3
IELTS Speaking Part 3, a two-way discussion on role models and their influence in society. Typical questions:
- Who tends to become a role model in a country, and why?
- Do you think celebrities make good role models for young people?
- How has the internet changed who young people look up to?
- Is it more important for a role model to be talented or to have good moral character?
- Do you think society will always need role models, or could this change in the future?
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Examiner notes: Speaking Part 3 assessment
Fluency & Coherence
Each answer opens with a direct response to the question, then develops it across several connected ideas using natural spoken discourse markers (“I’d say”, “having said that”, “on balance”) rather than written-style connectives. Ideas flow logically from claim to reasoning to example without hesitation fillers or unnecessary repetition, and each answer closes with a summarising sentence that signals the point is complete, a pattern examiners associate with a genuinely fluent, well-organised response rather than one that trails off.
Lexical Resource
The answers use precise, topic-appropriate vocabulary (“visibility”, “insular”, “self-promotion”, see other themes in this set for further range) alongside natural collocations like “widens the range of” and “undermines the positive influence”, rather than repeating basic words like “good” or “famous”. Idiomatic spoken expressions (“open the door”, “crave authenticity”) are used naturally and appropriately for the register of a discussion rather than a written essay.
Grammatical Range & Accuracy
A wide range of structures appears under real-time pressure: hypothetical/speculative forms (“I could imagine a future where…”, “might play a bigger part”), complex clauses with embedded relative clauses (“a paralympic athlete who lost a leg and went on to win…”), and hedged comparatives (“matters more in the long run”), all produced accurately and flexibly rather than through a single memorised sentence pattern.
(Pronunciation is also assessed in the real Speaking test (stress, intonation and connected speech) but cannot be demonstrated in a written model answer.)
Common pitfalls specific to this task
See commonMistakes above. The most damaging habit at band 6 is treating Part 3 like Part 1: giving a short, single-idea answer with no development, or answering from purely personal experience (“my role model is my dad”) when the question is asking for a reasoned view about society or people in general.