Part 3 Flashcards
Part 3 (which lasts for roughly 4 minutes) is a discussion between you and the examiner, The topic will be related to the topic you just spoke about in Part 2, but the questions will be about society in general, not about your life in particular. For example, if the topic in Part 2 was your memory of a holiday or trip, the topic in Part 3 may be about people’s holidays or about travel in general. Here are some more examples of Part 2 personal topics and the possible Part 3 general discussion topics related to them:
Oh my goodness, ofcourse! Without a doubt.
Instead of definitely or for sure
Remember there is no right or wrong answer
Try to give informed, interesting and appropriate responses to the examiner’s prompts Try to have a clear understanding of the questions.
Be willing to give extended responses.
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
What are the “benefits” of vegetarianism? Obviously, you need to speak about the benefits. Use a paraphrase or synonym when answering.
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……
If you are asked to talk a subject you have never thought about, the most important thing is not to panic. Avoid responding with ‘/don’t know’ or ‘/have no idea’. To think of an idea or speak more naturally, you can use the following phrases.
Er … maybe this question requires some expertise, but to the best of my knowledge … -It’s hard to say. One way of looking at it is … , but … - There are many difjerent opinions about this issue, but I think -Actually, there is a lot of controversy about … -I think [. .. } should be banned/outlawed/prohibited/forbidden/prevented/ limited/ restricted -I think [. . .} should be supported/ promoted/ encouraged/ legalized/ organised -To recap, I should say … (recapitulate ;
When you are asked a ‘How question’ (How+ adjective/adverb), you can use an adverb of degree to express your opinion
Examiner: How important is it to have a regular fitness programme? Candidate: I think it is highly/incredibly important.
When you are asked for your opinion on a subject, you can avoid sounding too dogmatic by using suitable linking words. e.g. Although, Admittedly, Despite the fact…
Although computers are very useful in everyday life, I think we rely too heavily on them. Admittedly, it’s hard to learn but it’s worth trying.
If you don’t know much about a topic, talk about something related to that topic then explain the connection. This is not ideal, but better than saying nothing at all !