Speaking 5.

HANDOUT 4
SPEAKING PART 2 - 3 – Body and Mind

I. OVERVIEW OF SPEAKING PART 3

In part 3 you have 4 to 5 minutes to discuss the topic from part 2 in more detail. There is a definite
change in the focus as the questions are not about you and your life anymore. it is about “other
people” and “society in general”. The questions in part 3 may be based on things in your country,
things in general (no particular place) or they may be global issues. This part is designed to stretch
you as far as possible to see just how good you really are. Therefore, you are expected to expand
your answers by giving further explanation and examples.
Do the 3 parts of the speaking test carry equal weighting when your score is calculated, or is one
part more important?
The simple answer is that the 3 parts are not scored separately; the examiner rates the student's
performance as a whole. In this sense, neither part is more important.
However, it's useful to think about the 3 parts like this:
- Part 1 is supposed to be quite easy (like a warm-up), so you won't get a high score if you only
do well in this part.
- Part 2 is when the examiner really gets a chance to assess how good you are. He/she will now
have an idea of what scores to give you.
- During part 3, the examiner is making his/her final decision. A good performance here can
boost your score.

Actually, most IELTS part 3 questions fall into these categories, or functions:

 Opinion: Say what you think about a certain topic and support with reasons and examples.
 Compare: Talk the about similarities and differences of two or more things.
 Predict: Say what you think will happen in the future.
 Hypothetical: Talk about the results of an imaginary situation
 Evaluate: Say what you think about somebody else’s opinion.

Match these grammar forms and expressions to the functions above:

A) 2nd conditional.
B) Future tense.
C) I completely/totally/kind of agree/disagree. I agree up to a point.
D) I think X, Because Y. For example Z.
E) Comparative form. (X is more/less+adjective than Y)

What function is required for these actual IELTS questions?

 What would happen if cities stopped investing in public transportation?
 What changes do you predict in mobile phone technology over the next few years?
 Some people say that smoking in public should be banned. What do you think about this?

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DIVISION OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE SKILLS DEVELOPMENT – FOE – HNUE
  Does money make people happy?
 Is it better for children to grow up in the city or the countryside?
II. GENERAL TIPS
 There is no right or wrong answer in Part 3
 Don’t worry if you can’t think of a word. You can paraphrase!
 Listen to the type of question you are asked and answer it appropriately, don’t always say
“yes...” because it probably won’t be a Yes/No question in this part.
 Avoid giving personal information and examples, this should be an abstract discussion.
 Be willing to give extended responses. Try to give longer answers than in part 1 and explain
what you mean with examples.
 Show your ability by expressing abstract ideas, support your opinions, point out both
positive and negative aspects and speculate about the future.

 Listen carefully which word to address and build you answer around.

E.g: What are the benefits of vegetarianism?

Obviously, you need to speak about the benefits. Use a paraphrase or synonym when
answering.

 Include an ‘if...’ sentence. This might help your grammar score.

Question:
Do you think that school children should be encouraged to have their own ideas, or is it more
important for them to learn what their teachers give them?

Answer:
I think that we should definitely allow children to be creative and have their own ideas.
(why?) Children need to develop the ability to think for themselves and solve problems
(why?) because as adults they will not always have somebody to guide them or tell them
what to do. (alternatives?) If we don't allow children to have their own ideas, they will be
less successful in the adult world; they will be too reliant on others. (example?) A doctor,
for example, might encounter a situation that he or she hasn't been trained for, but will still
be expected to make a decision that could save someone's life.

 Use appropriate introductory phrases. You can give an opinion without using an opening
clause, but it will sound very direct To soften your responses, it is better to start with an
expression such as:

 Personally I think
 In my opinion
 To my mind

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Other expressions you could use are:

- What I m trying to say is...

- I’m not sure. You could say..., but...
- I’m fairly certain that...
- Well, there's a fifty-fifty chance of...
- Generally speaking
- Broadly speaking
- Personally speaking
- Simply speaking
- To put it more simply
- To be more exact
- To put it more accurate
- To be honest/realistic.
- I don’t foresee any problems in the future.
- It's almost impossible to predict what will happen
- The (economic) consequences off...] are enormous
- Well, it’s difficult to say, but in my experience
- It’s a difficult issue
- I think it’s a complicated issue
- Well, it’s hard to say
- That's an interesting point I think I would have to say...
- It's hard to say. One wav of looking at it is..., but...
- I’m no expert but I think
- If you ask me,
- Er... maybe this question requires some expertise, but to the best of my knowledge...
- There is no simple solution to the problem of [...]
- It’s reasonable to say...
- In fact,…
III. TECHNIQUES TO ANSWER PART 3 QUESTION:
 Answer the question directly
 Explain why
 Give an example
 Explain the alternative / opposite
There are several ways to do this:
Answer 1
1. Answer the question - "it depends"
2. Explain one side
3. Explain the other side
4. Give an example
Answer 2
1. Firstly - first characteristic of a good listener
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 2. Secondly - second characteristic
3. Finally - third characteristic
Answer 3
1. Answer the question - "it's a mixture of both things"
2. Explain one side
3. Explain the other side
Basically, use Idea, Explain, (Example) or Firstly, Secondly, Finally, just like writing main
paragraphs for writing task 2.The more you practise using these two patterns, the easier it becomes
to give longer, more coherent answers.

Look at the two answers below. Which model is used in each answer?

1) Do you think that it's important for people to go on holiday?

Answer using 'idea, explain, example'
Yes, I think we all need to go on holiday at least once or twice a year. It isn’t healthy to work all
year round without some time off to relax; we all need to take a break and recharge our batteries
from time to time. Last summer, for example, I went on holiday to France for a couple of weeks, and
it was great to leave all of my usual responsibilities behind me. I came home feeling really refreshed
and reinvigorated.
2) Why do you think some people prefer not to go abroad on holiday?
Answer using 'firstly, secondly, finally'
I suppose there are different reasons why some people choose not to go abroad on holidays. Firstly,
it’s usually more expensive to travel abroad than it is to stay at home. A second reason could be that
some people find it stressful to spend time in a foreign country where they don’t speak the language,
or where they feel that they can’t easily integrate with the locals. Finally, many people just love
where they live, and don’t feel the need to travel abroad.

Look at the two examples above and answer the following questions:
- what introductory phrase does the speaker use?
- What kinds of sentence does the speaker use?
- How does the speaker build around the topic of the questions? (look at the
vocabulary)

IV. FOCUS ON VOCABULARY

Look at these pairs of words with similar meanings. Complete the sentence pairs 1-8 with words
from the table (Collins vocab)

itinerary journey
encounter meet
pivotal significant
seek look for
intense profound
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 dreary dull
valuable priceless
destination goal

1 a. You can use the expression_____________if you are trying to find something.
b. ____________is a more formal word that you can use if you are trying to find something
that is quite important, a job for example.
2 a. If something is_________, itis boring and depressing.
b. If something is__________it is not interesting or exciting.
3 a. Your__________is the place that you hope to reach.
b. Your__________is something that you hope to achieve.
4 a. If you__________someone, you may come across them unexpectedly or because you have
arranged to get together.
b. If you___________someone, you come across them, usually unexpectedly.
5 a. When you make a___________, you travel from one place to another.
b. An_________is the plan you make before you travel.
6 a. If something is___________, it is very meaningful and may affect the way you think and
feel.
b. If something is_________, itis extreme in strength or degree.
7 a. A___________role, point or figure in something is one that is important.
b. A_________role, point or figure in something is one that is very important and
affects the success of that thing.
8 a. If something is_________, itis very useful and/or worth a lot of money.
b. If something is____________ itis extremely useful and/or worth a great deal of money.

 EXAM PRACTICE
ANGER
Part 2. Describe an occasion when you got angry.
You should say:
 When that was
 Where that was
 What happened then
 And explain how you felt about that
Part 3:
1. Do you think men and women feel angry about the same things?
2. When is anger justified?
3. What are the physical and mental effects of getting angry?
4. In your culture, how do people generally respond to anger?
APOLOGY
PART 2. Describe an experience when someone apologized to you.
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DIVISION OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE SKILLS DEVELOPMENT – FOE – HNUE
You should say:
 when this happened
 what happened who apologized to you
 and explain why they apologized to you.
PART 3
 In what situations people need to make an apology?
 What do you think of someone who doesn’t apology very often?
 Could you tell if someone say apologize when they don’t mean it?
 What kinds of people are more likely to say sorry?
 Would you like to make an apology if you had made a mistake? Why?
EXCITEMENT
PART 2. Describe an exciting event that you have been through.
You should say:
 What it was
 Where it happened
 When it happened
 And explain why you felt that way
PART 3
 Do you think it’s good to show your emotions in all situations?
 In your opinion, do women show their emotions more than men?
 What kinds of people are more likely to show their emotions?

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