Speaking Part 3 moves from your own life to the general questions behind it: why people behave as they do, how things have changed, what might happen next. It is the part that separates candidates, because it asks for opinions with reasons and for speculation about things you have never thought about. This page trains those habits with forty original questions.
Give a direct answer in one sentence, then develop. Starting with 'that's an interesting question' delays the thing being marked.
Position, reason, illustration. Three or four sentences is the right length for most Part 3 answers.
Part 3 is about people in general, so use 'people tend to', 'in most cases', 'there is a tendency for'. Personal stories belong in Part 2.
'I would imagine', 'it probably depends on' are natural and buy thinking time without empty filler.
Name the two positions, then say which you find more convincing. It gives structure to an answer you had not thought about.
Is likely to, might well, I can see it becoming. Avoid flat predictions you cannot support.
'Do you mean in schools specifically, or generally?' is fluent and appropriate. Silence is not.
'Whereas twenty years ago...' signals the past-present comparison the examiner is listening for.
A developed answer that ends cleanly reads better than one that circles back to its opening point.
Not thisThat's a very interesting question, and I think it is a topic many people discuss nowadays.
ThisProbably yes, mainly because it costs families nothing.
Preamble uses assessed speaking time and shows no content; examiners are listening for the answer.
Not thisAnswering with a personal anecdote when asked about society in general.
ThisMaking a general claim and using the anecdote only as a brief illustration.
Part 3 questions are about people in general, and an answer built on one person does not address them.
Not thisGiving a one-sentence answer and stopping.
ThisAdding a reason and a consequence.
Undeveloped answers limit the fluency and coherence mark, and force the examiner to prompt.
Not thisSaying 'I don't know' and waiting.
ThisSaying 'I have not thought about it before, but I would guess that...'
Speculation is part of what Part 3 tests, and an honest guess is scoreable English while silence is not.
Not thisIn my opinion, from my point of view, personally I believe, all in one answer.
ThisOne opinion phrase, then the content.
Stacked opinion formulas are memorised padding and are recognised as such.
Not thisDisagreeing with the examiner by saying 'No, that is wrong'.
This'I would look at it slightly differently, because...'
Part 3 invites disagreement, but the grading is partly on range, and polite disagreement uses more sophisticated language.
Not thisSpeaking for two minutes on one Part 3 question.
ThisThree or four developed sentences.
Part 3 is a discussion; very long answers prevent the examiner from covering the range of questions they need.
Not thisUsing rare words incorrectly to sound advanced.
ThisUsing the precise word you control.
Lexical resource rewards accurate and appropriate use, so a misused rare word scores below a well-used common one.
40 original questions. The first 10 are open to everyone. Answers are checked in your browser and never sent to us, so you can share this page with a class as it is.
1Complete the sentence.
3Complete the sentence.
6Complete the sentence.
7How would you answer a Part 3 question about something you have never considered?
One good answer
I would say honestly that I had not thought about it before, then reason aloud: name the two most likely positions, give a reason for each and say which seems more convincing, since speculation is exactly what this part is testing.
9Complete the sentence.
11Complete the sentence.
13Complete the sentence.
15Complete the sentence.
17Complete the sentence.
19Complete the sentence.
21Complete the sentence.
23Give a three-move answer to: 'Do people read less than they used to?'
One good answer
Probably less in print, yes. The main reason is that phones absorb the small gaps in the day that used to be filled by a book. That said, people arguably read more text overall than before, just in shorter pieces.
25Complete the sentence.
27Complete the sentence.
29Complete the sentence.
32Complete the sentence.
33Complete the sentence.
35Complete the sentence.
36Explain why personal stories weaken most Part 3 answers.
One good answer
Because the question is about what people in general do or should do, so an answer built on one person's experience does not address it; the story is only useful as a brief illustration after a general claim has been made.
38Complete the sentence.
40Summarise the shape of a strong Part 3 answer in one sentence.
One good answer
Answer the question directly in the first sentence, give the reason behind the answer, add one consequence or general example, and stop, using hedging where you are unsure rather than filling the time with opinion formulas.
Note
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Around three or four developed sentences, or fifteen to thirty seconds. Long enough to show reasoning, short enough for the examiner to cover the questions they need.
Yes, and it is often the strongest answer. The examiner is testing your ability to argue, so a reasoned disagreement in polite language is worth more than automatic agreement.
Say so and then reason aloud. 'I have not thought about it, but I would guess...' is fluent, honest English and gives the examiner something to assess; silence gives nothing.
No. General tendencies are exactly what the question asks for. 'People tend to' and 'in most cases' are more appropriate than invented figures.
The questions usually grow out of the Part 2 topic, moving from your experience to the general issues behind it. Expect the abstract version of whatever card you were given.
Take any Part 2 topic and write three abstract questions about it — why, how has it changed, what will happen next — then answer each aloud in thirty seconds. That is the exact transition the examiner makes.