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Speaking Part 3 - follow-up questions

IELTS Speaking Part 3 topics:  Volume 1  |  Volume 2  |  Volume 3 |  Volume 4  |  Volume 5  |

IELTS Speaking Part 3 topic: Role models.

1. Which types of people become role models in your society?
2. Do you agree that famous people have more responsibilities than ordinary people?
3. What happens when young people lack good role models?
4. What standards of behaviour should teachers set?
5. Do you agree that you should never meet your heroes?
6. What benefits a famous person get that ordinary people cannot?

Q. 1. Which types of people become role models in your society?
Answer: Unfortunately, gone are those days when young people used to consider their fathers, teachers and medical doctors as their role models. Nowadays, it is mostly movie stars and famous sportspersons who become role models in my society. Some of us would even argue that anybody, with plenty of money, has a shot to becoming a role model in our society which is really unfortunate.

Q. 2. Do you agree that famous people have more responsibilities than ordinary people?
Answer: Yes, I do agree that famous people have more responsibilities than ordinary people because ordinary people look up to them for some kind of leadership roles in fixing some of their problems. And, that’s exactly why sometimes we see world-famous persons like Angelina Jolie (Hollywood actress) and David Beckham (British soccer superstar) acting as some special UN (United Nations) envoy and goodwill ambassador in order to raise awareness on different urgent issues that are affecting our world community negatively.

Q. 3. What happens when young people lack good role models?
Answer: If young people lack good role models, it is very possible that they are becoming very confused over time with what kinds of roles they should take in their families and societies. Besides, without strong and good role models, young people very easily become ‘prey’ to the “bad” elements of our society. As a result, our society will have to struggle with generations of young people devoid of any good morals and values who would bring no good except chaos, crimes and social unrest.

Q. 4. What standards of behaviour should teachers set?
Answer: We, more often than not, look upon the teachers for guidance since they are still some of the most valued and respected members of our society because of their tremendous contribution to building the nation. Therefore, it should be incumbent upon our teachers to set some good behaviour standards for others, as well as for themselves, by teaching discipline, good moral values, honesty, the value of hard works, and respect. With these behaviour standards, we can expect to build an ideal and functioning society where we will be able to live and co-exist happily with each other.

Q. 5. Do you agree that you should never meet your heroes?
Answer: I have never found a reason which would suggest that I should never meet my heroes. On the contrary, I have always believed in meeting my heroes since it would inspire me, even more, to become like the heroes I have always admired.

Q. 6. What benefits a famous person get that ordinary people cannot?
Answer: A famous person gets plenty of benefits that ordinary people like us don’t. First, they get preferential treatments wherever they go. For example, if I and John Travolta (the famous Hollywood star) visit the same restaurant or a football stadium, one doesn’t have to be a rocket scientist to figure out that the Hollywood movie star will get the best seats, best amenities and best treatment. Besides, when you become famous, you will become richer much quicker than ordinary people like us. So, your dreams of owning luxurious homes, cars, fancy gifts and expensive clothes become a reality. Finally, when you are famous, everybody recognizes you, and you usually have a huge number of fans and followers who would do pretty much anything just to get an autograph from you.

IELTS Speaking Part 3 topic: Mobile Phones.

1.  Which one do you use more often – a mobile phone or telephone? Why?
Answer: I mostly used a mobile phone because I can carry it with me all the time. I sometimes use a landline at home or at my office, but this is not that frequent. The main reason for my preference is that a mobile phone is absolutely mine, unlike a telephone which is shared by the whole family or the office staffs. Most of my friends and relatives own their personal cell phones and they prefer to call on a mobile phone as well. I can be reached at my cell phone 24/7 which is not possible through the landlines. The cell phone, moreover, offers the SMS facility that makes it more useful than the landline. Finally, the cell phone I own is an Android-powered smartphone which I can use to browse the internet, play games, chat with friends, install useful applications and the list goes on and on. For all these reasons, I use my mobile phone more often than the telephone.

2.  Are international phone calls expensive in your country?
Answer: Compared to the local phone calls, international calls are expensive. However, with the widespread use of the internet, people most of the time use online calling instead of international phone calls in my country. If I compare the cost of international phone calls between now and that with a decade ago, it was far more expensive in the past.

3.  What is the best way to keep in touch with friends abroad?
Answer: Well, social networking websites, online chatting and online video calls are convenient options to keep in touch with friends who lives in a different country. Mobile phones are also a handy tool for that. These means of communication are cheap and widely available. With the advancement of technology, our way of communicating with friends and relatives who are far away has changed drastically.

4.  What is the impact of the online-based chatting systems and social networking websites on the way we make friends and contact our friends?
Answer: The impacts of technology on the way we communicate and make friends have both advantages and drawbacks. To start, Online chatting and social networking websites have enabled us to keep in touch with friends and relatives more often than ever before. We can now make friends beyond boundaries and keep in touch with them whenever we want from wherever we are. For instance, Facebook has helped me find a few friends from my school after a decade later. Who knows, without the use of Facebook I could have never found them. Letting people know what I am up to, or getting updates of dear ones is only a mouse click away these days.

However, all these conveniences do not come without a cost. Technology-based communication systems like online chatting and social networking platforms are often attributed as the primary reason for our apathy to go outside, spend quality time with family, and meet our friends outdoor. It has created a generation that feels more comfortable staying in front of a computer screen than having fun outside or talking to their friends in person. Even worse, on a social networking platform, anybody can pretend to be someone he or she really isn't.

5.  Which one do you prefer - SMS or voice call? Why?
Answer: Well, that's an interesting question. I have always preferred sending and receiving SMS over the voice calls. However, people, these days tend to call more often than sending SMS. I believe cheap call rates could be a reason for that. So in a way, despite my preference for the SMS, I am forced to make calls.

However, when I need to send a piece of important information to someone, I always send an SMS. For instance, if I need to send someone my home address, I'll never call and tell him, instead, I will send an SMS that contains the address.

6.  How dangerous it is for someone to use his cellphone while driving a car?
Answer: Using a cell phone while driving is a felony in our country. I am always against this heinous and senseless act. Personally, I never use a cell phone when I drive. I believe when someone uses a phone while driving takes a great risk. It is a well-known fact that human brains cannot concentrate on multiple tasks at a time. So, somebody should never use a mobile phone while driving as it puts his life as well as the pedestrians' life at risk.

IELTS Speaking Part 3 topic: Education.

1. What makes a good student?
2. What role should the teacher have in the classroom?
3. Do you think computers will one day replace teachers in the classroom?
4. How has teaching changed in your country in the last few decades?
5. What is the difference between the way children learn and the way adults learn?
6. How can a teacher make lessons for children more interesting?

Q. 1. What makes a good student?
Answer:  A student is a good student when she/he learns new things at every opportunity not only what is taught in the classroom, but also what is taught by nature and his/her surroundings. We would call a student a “good student” also when he/she asks many pertinent questions and tries to find out their answers that ultimately lead him/her to find the “truth”. And finally, obviously, ordinary people would judge a good student by the grades she/he gets in important exams and tests.

Q. 2. What role should the teacher have in the classroom?
Answer:  The primary role of a teacher should be to teach his/her students the curricular lessons of the school. But, at the same time, a teacher should also act as a “mentor” or “role model” in the classroom so that his/her students can learn many other important “lessons of life”, such as the value of discipline, punctuality, hard works, honesty and respect for others, from him or her. In fact, the role of a teacher in the classroom should also include teaching a student how to become a decent and responsible member of society.  A good teacher doesn’t just teach what is written in the books but also what is not “written” on the books sometimes.

Q. 3. Do you think computers will one day replace teachers in the classroom?
Answer:   I wouldn’t really like to think that computers will and should replace teachers one day in the classroom because students require “human touch” to behave and act like a “human” in the real world unless, of course, we want our children to become like “human-robot”.  A computer can certainly teach students how to become “smart” in the classroom, but it won’t probably be able to tell when to behave like one. A computer won’t certainly be able to teach many other “real-world” human behaviours, emotions and moral disciplines to students in the classroom like a human teacher.

Q. 4. How has teaching changed in your country in the last few decades?
Answer: In the past few decades, teachers used to rely mostly on chalk pencils, marker pens and writing boards to teach students in the classrooms, but those teaching materials have been replaced by computers, keyboards, projectors and wall screens. In these days, teachers and students are much more connected to each other which were almost impossible even a decade ago. In fact, with the tremendous advancement in the information and mobile technology, learning through digital games and learning apps have become more and more popular these days. Finally, both students and teachers are learning more and more new things and sharing their information among each other since collecting data and information have become much easier these days than it was about a few decades ago.

Q. 5. What is the difference between the way children learn and the way adults learn?
Answer: Children and adults learn in fundamentally different ways. Adults are self-learners and decide what is important to be learned next while young students are dependent on adults (teachers) for their next lessons, assignments and subjects. The children usually tend to accept the information, presented to them, based on their face values, since they have no or very little experience upon which to draw ( any conclusion) while the adults usually try to challenge information and accept them only after validating them in the light of their beliefs and experience. Finally, children are usually motivated to learn because of rewards or punishment, but adults tend to learn because of their “interest”.

Q. 6. How can a teacher make lessons for children more interesting?
Answer:  In my opinion, the best way to make the lessons interesting is to make them more and more interactive by allowing the children to ask more and more questions no matter how “weird” they sound. And, the more they are allowed to ask questions, the more “empowered” they feel in the classroom to learn.

The lessons can be interesting also if the children are allowed to make their own “choices” on what contents to learn and how to learn them. Teachers can make lessons interesting for their children by creating contents are which are more “real-life” oriented such as allowing their students to do their math based on how much money they would like to spend in buying their favourite ice creams and so on.

IELTS Speaking Part 3 Topic: Influences on the young.

1. What type of people influence the young in your country?
2. Why is it important to have role models?
3. Do you think the education system in your country influences young people’s behaviour?
4. What type of person (parents, teachers, friends etc) are best to influence young people’s behaviour?
5. What do you think young people will be most influenced by in the future?
6. Who do you believe have more influence on young children - parents or teachers? Why?

Q. What type of people influence the young in your country?
Answer:  People like movie stars, singers, top-class business executives, academics, famous world political leaders, famous scientists and successful sportspersons usually influence the young in our country. Besides, any other successful persons with money and other kinds of power also influence the young in my country. However, it all depends largely on how young people like to see themselves in future.

Q. Why is it important to have role models?
Answer:  We all like to fully explore and utilize our potentials in order to become successful people in our lives, both personally and professionally, except, of course, we don’t know how to go about it most of the times. For this reason, it is important for us to have role models in our lives so that we can receive guidance from their values, wisdom, behaviour and actions to overcome the challenges and weaknesses.

Q. Do you think the education system in your country influences young people’s behaviour?
Answer:  Yes, I do think that the education system in my country influences young people’s behaviour.  Fortunately, we have a great education system in my country that teaches young people to be responsible, honest, compassionate and respectable citizens. But, does it influence all young people in the same way? The answer is “no” because we all live under different conditions, and we all have different backgrounds and upbringings. So, at the end of the day, it all depends on how we choose to “behave” in a certain situation because we all have a “choice”.

Q. What type of person (parents, teachers, friends etc) are best to influence young people’s behaviour?
Answer:  Ideally speaking, parents and teachers are the best people to influence young people’s behaviour because they are the ones with whom young people spend most of their time when growing up as “children”.  And, we all know very well that whatever we learn as “children” at our houses and schools, they are likely to remain with us for the rest of our lives. But, again, it all depends on how much time young people spend with these persons, and what these young people learn from them.

Q. What do you think young people will be most influenced by in the future ?
Answer:  I think that in the future, young people would be most influenced by what they see on the internet because they will spend most of their time on it. Besides, it is also possible that the young people will also be influenced by other forms of technology, such as robots, because the chances are robots will teach the students and young people in the future.

Q. Who do you believe have more influence on young children - parents or teachers? Why?
Answer:  In my humble opinion, parents are supposed to influence young children more than the teachers because of biological and emotional attachment. Besides, from the day, a child is born, he or she remains with the parents. So whatever, the parents say or do, the children pick that up unconsciously. Besides, there is a “parents’ fear factor” among the children which make the children learn whatever their parents tell them to do. Finally, parents usually are the “designated legal guardians” of the children, and as such, they have the “right’ to teach their children whatever they find “fit”.

IELTS Speaking Part 3 topic: Nature.

1. What are the main environmental problems in your country?
2. Why should people be concerned about the environment?
3. How can people protect the environment?
4. Do you think money should be spent on protecting animals?
5. Do you think more should be done to protect natural beauty spots in your country?
6. What can a government do to encourage people not to harm the environment?

Q. What are the main environmental problems in your country?
Answer:  The main environmental problem, which my country is facing, is that my country is “overpopulated”, and as such, it is straining our rather limited resources. We also have terrible air pollution in our cities because of the excessive level of smokes from the industries and vehicles. Then, my country is also facing the “global warming” problem, because of which, one part of my country becomes extremely hot during the summertime. Finally, we also have bad water contamination in our lakes, rivers and oceans because of industrial and plastic wastes.

Q. Why should people be concerned about the environment?
Answer:  People should be very concerned about their natural environment because it is the environment which keeps them alive and healthy. Without protecting their natural environment, people won’t be able to breathe fresh air and drink fresh water. Besides, once the environment is damaged, plants and wildlife become negatively affected which will ultimately degrade our living on earth. And when that happens, the all-important bio-diversity on this earth is lost. Finally, if people fail to take care of their natural environment, the sea level will rise, because of global warming, and which mean that many low-lying countries would submerge under the sea.

Q. How can people protect the environment?
Answer:  People can protect their environment from their respective positions by becoming conscious about their natural environment and then by doing small things. For example, we can develop proper waste (any kind of waste) management systems so that they don’t contaminate our earth and waters indiscriminately. Besides, we can also try to live “economically” so that we don’t put too much pressure on our natural environment in order to use its “resources” for our luxury and comfort.

Q. Do you think money should be spent on protecting animals?
Answer:  In my opinion, everything, including spending money, should be done to protect animals. If we don’t do that, the chances are that we will lose many more other rare species of animals in addition to others, which we have already lost. The end result will be a very limited and weak bio-diversity to bring proper ecological balance on our planet.

Q. Do you think more should be done to protect naturally beautiful spots in your country?
Answer:  Yes, I think more should be done to protect the naturally beautiful spots, like sea beaches, lakes, mountains and forests, in my country. We will have to make sure that our natural sea beaches and lakes don’t become dirty and contaminated, not only because of tourists but also for protecting seafood. Special efforts should also be made to protect the mountains from becoming “residence” and “industrial sites”. Finally, our natural heritage forest sites should also be protected from unauthorized “deforestation” in order to protect our wildlife.

Q. What can a government do to encourage people not to harm the environment?
Answer:  To start, a government can take all the necessary steps to increase awareness, either by using different kinds of print and digital media or by introducing details school curricula on environmental protection, among its citizens so that they are encouraged to take care of their natural environment. Then, a government can also introduce stringent laws in order to punish its citizens who harm their environment willingly. Finally, a government can also introduce “award system” for those people who successfully keep the environment clean and safe in their own towns or places.

IELTS Speaking Part 3 topic: Environmental Problem.

1. Tell me, what do you think are the greatest environmental problems facing your country at present?
2. And what has been done so far to solve these problems?
3. How successful would you say these measures have been?
4. Do you think things are likely to get better or worse in the future?
5. Is what you are going to study likely to be of any use to solve these problems?
6. Should countries try to solve climate change problems together or individually? Why?

Q. Tell me, what do you think are the greatest environmental problems facing your country at present?
Answer:  There is hardly any country in the world which is not facing serious environmental problems today. However, some of the greatest environmental problems, my country is facing today, include extreme high temperatures in some parts of my country (due to the greenhouse effects) and surface water contamination because of many industrial toxic and plastic waste. In fact, the high-temperature problem is so serious in my country that some parts of it are becoming like deserts slowly but surely. Then, there is the issue of serious air pollution as well, especially, in the big cities of my country.

Q. And what has been done so far to solve these problems?
Answer:  To deal with these serious environmental problems, my country has taken slow but effective steps such as, planting more and more trees in the affected areas and dredging the rivers and lakes in order to keep a larger reserve of water so that they can help keep temperatures low during the hot season. Besides, my country has also taken steps like closing down coal-based industries slowly in order to limit the carbon emission and greenhouse effects. Finally, my government is also trying its best to increase awareness about the dangers of environmental problems among its citizens.

Q. How successful would you say these measures have been?
Answer:  I would say that these measures are bringing some success slowly but surely because the high-temperature problem in the affected areas of my country has not got any worse during the last couple of years. Besides, many people these days are also seen to becoming serious about keeping their neighbourhoods clean and garbage free. However, we have some serious environmental problems, which have compounded over the decades if not centuries, and therefore, we will have to work even harder and be patient before we can achieve any measurable success.

Q. Do you think things are likely to get better or worse in the future?
Answer:  Well, it is going to get worse in the future before getting better because unfortunately, we are way too late in addressing these serious environmental problems on a “macro” level. Besides, countries around the world can’t seem to agree upon the best courses of actions in order to deal with these environmental problems on a larger scale. Finally, it is going to get worse in the short run also because we don’t see any sign of slowing down in (mis)using the “resources of the earth” in order to feed our “greed” to ensure the comfort and luxury of our modern life.

Q. Is what you are going to study likely to be of any use to solve these problems?
Answer:  No, my study has nothing to do whatsoever with addressing these environmental problems. But, then again, just because I am not studying to solve these problems, it doesn’t necessarily mean that I won’t be able to do anything about them. In fact, I can also try to raise awareness on the dangers of environmental problems from my own position on “micro” level, in addition to doing little things like planting trees at my front yard or not throwing any plastic waste in the lakes, wherever I go, and whatever I do.

Q. Should countries try to solve climate change problems together or individually? Why?
Answer:  In my humble opinion, countries should try to solve the climate change problems collectively, as opposed to doing it individually, because while countries may have “land boundaries” between them, they don’t have any boundaries between the oceans, they share, or any “wall” to separate the “air” between them. In other words, the action of a few countries is enough to spoil the good environmental works of all other countries because, again, we share the same ‘air’ and ‘water’ one way or another. Besides, global warming and environmental problems are global concerns and are not manageable by countries individually. Therefore, we need collaborative planning and initiatives to address them.

IELTS Speaking Part 3 topic: Clothes.

1. Can clothing tell you much about a person?
2. Why do some companies ask their staff to wear uniforms?
3. What are the advantages and disadvantages of having uniforms at work?
4. When do people wear traditional clothing in your country?
5. How have clothes fashions changed in your country over the last few decades?
6. What is the difference between clothes that young people and old people like to wear?

Q. Can clothing tell you much about a person?
Answer:  No, I don’t think the clothing of a person tells “much” about a person except only how much “fashion-conscious” he or she really is. Besides, I never really feel “comfortable” with “judging” a person based on his or her “clothing”. However, sometimes, the clothing of a person provides a special “clue” to what a person does for his or her job. For example, a person with “workboots” and “dirty trousers” would most likely tell us that he or she works in the “farms” or he works in “construction”.

Q. Why do some companies ask their staff to wear uniforms?
Answer:  Companies generally ask their staffs to wear uniforms mainly because they want to ensure “uniformity” across all levels of their “staffs”. This is done either to help employees identify with their companies or to boost morale at all levels of their staffs. For example, if a “lower” level employee at a company finds that he and CEO are wearing the same kinds of “dress”, the “lower” level staffs feel that he is no “less” than his CEO and that both contribute equally for the profit of the company. Besides, some companies want their employees to be easily recognisable by customers, for example, employees in a restaurant, and therefore ask the staffs to wear uniforms during office hours.

Q. What are the advantages and disadvantages of having uniforms at work?
Answer:  The main advantage is that it helps reduce the “psychological and ego” gap between the high-level employees and those of the lower levels because they all wear the same kind of “dress”. Secondly, it helps promote the company “brand”, especially, when wearing the uniforms outside of the work. Thirdly, the uniform helps identify and separate the employees from the customers, when working in an environment that involves serving customers by remaining physically present with them.

The disadvantage, of course, of wearing uniforms at work is that it limits “self-expression” of the employees as they can’t seem to “wear” what they like. Besides, some uniforms may also be considered as “objectionable” to some employees on religious and cultural grounds.

Q. When do people wear traditional clothing in your country?
Answer:  It all depends on the moods of the people involved as well as the weather. However, generally speaking, people in my country like to wear traditional clothing during religious festivals and ceremonies and wedding ceremonies. Many people also choose to wear traditional clothing during “New Year” celebration (different from the English “New Year” calendar).

Q. How have clothes fashions changed in your country over the last few decades?
Answer:  Clothing styles and fashions have significantly changed in our country over the last few decades. As a result, traditional clothing today is “frowned upon” unless they are worn during some “traditional festivals and celebration”. In fact, today we can see that even a 60-year-old person is wearing “blue jeans” and “t-shirt” which was almost impossible to imagine before a few decades. Besides, there are many more choices of clothing fabrics today than what it used to before a few decades. Anyway, these changes are not unexpected because the clothing companies are coming up with newer and newer fashions in order to “break” into the new market segments.

Q. What is the difference between clothes that young people and old people like to wear?
Answer:  As far as I can see, today there is a very small difference, if any at all, between what young people and old people like to wear. However, it is not unusual to see some old people still are choosing to wear traditional clothing most of the times while young people have no interest in wearing them whatsoever. Besides, both the “young” and “old” people today want more from their lives, and therefore, it is only natural that both generations would want to bring some “styles” and “colours” in their lives by wearing dresses that are trendy and fashionable.

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