IELTS Speaking Part 3: Discussion Questions and Strategy

Part 3 is a discussion of more general and abstract questions linked to your Part 2 topic. It lasts 4 to 5 minutes and is where higher bands are usually decided, because the questions demand longer, more complex answers.

What it tests

• Explaining and justifying opinions, not just stating them.
• Speculating, comparing and evaluating: it might be that…, compared with…, the main drawback is….
• The grammar and vocabulary needed for abstract ideas such as society, technology, education and change over time.

What the examiner does

• Links back to Part 2 and says they will ask some more general questions.
• Asks open questions and often follows up with Why?, Is that always true? or How might that change in future?
• Can rephrase a question if you ask, unlike in Part 1.
• Keeps to time, so may interrupt to move on. This is not a sign you answered badly.

Step-by-step strategy

1. Give your view early. One sentence that answers the question.
2. Give a reason, then develop it with an example, a consequence or a comparison.
3. Show the other side or a condition where it fits: That said…, It depends on….
4. Use general examples, not just personal ones. Talk about people, younger generations, cities like mine.
5. Aim for roughly 4 to 6 sentences per answer, then let the examiner continue.
6. Buy thinking time naturally with phrases like That's an interesting question; I suppose… rather than silence.

Common traps

• Short, Part 1-style answers. Yes, I think so, because it's good. Part 3 needs development.
• Only talking about yourself. Personal examples are fine, but the question is usually about people or society in general.
• Memorised phrases and templates. Opening every answer with the same long formula sounds rehearsed and does not help your score.
• Going off-topic. A prepared answer about a different subject will not answer what was asked.
• Freezing on a hard question. Thinking aloud in English is better than silence. The examiner rates your language, not whether your opinion is right.

Try it: mini-example

This discussion is original practice material written for Bee English. It follows the Part 2 cue card on a skill learned outside school.

Examiner: Do you think practical skills, like repairing things, are less important today than in the past?

Candidate: In some ways, yes. Products are designed to be replaced rather than repaired now, and many things, like phones, are almost impossible to open without special tools. So people have fewer chances to learn. But I'd argue the skill itself is becoming more valuable, not less, because repairing things saves money and cuts waste, and people are much more aware of that than they were twenty years ago. In my city, for example, there are now community workshops where volunteers teach basic repairs, which you would never have seen before.

Examiner: Should schools teach these skills?

Candidate: I think they should, at least the basics. The difficulty is that timetables are already very full, so something else would have to go. Perhaps a sensible compromise would be short practical projects inside existing subjects, like physics, rather than a whole new course.

Why it works

• Each answer states a view at once, then gives reasons and an example from society, not just personal life.
• It balances the argument (In some ways, yes… But I'd argue…) and proposes a compromise, which shows the ability to evaluate.
• It uses grammar suited to abstract ideas: passives (are designed to be replaced), comparatives (more aware than they were), conditionals and modals (would have to go, Perhaps… would be).

Related guides

• IELTS Speaking: complete guide
• Part 2: The long turn
• Grammatical Range and Accuracy
• Lexical Resource

Sources

• IELTS, Speaking test format
• IELTS, Speaking band descriptors (PDF)