Speaking Part 3: Extending Your Answers

Speaking Part 3 is known as 'the discussion'. However, it's a bit different to a normal discussion, because one person has all the questions, and the other person has to do most of the talking. That 'other person' is you. .

(Exam tip: don't say to the examiner "Would it be ok if I asked you the questions?" Most examiners don't agree to this ;-)

Very generally speaking, when the examiner asks you a question, there are three possibilities.

1. You have a detailed opinion about this question. (Alright ... no problem!)
2. You have an opinion, but it's not very detailed.
3. You have no opinion at all.

Here we're going to look at what you can do about the second and third possibilities. To deal with these questions, you just need to do two things: give yourself some time to think, and use a strategy.


Giving Yourself Time to Think
("Hmmm, that's an interesting question!")

Almost every IELTS candidate knows the expression "Hmm, that's an interesting question." But why is this? Is it because examiners are only allowed to ask a question if it's interesting?

If you answered "yes", then I partly agree with you. Some of the questions are interesting. But let's be honest: not all of them are. So if you answered "no", I partly agree with you, too.

The expression "Hmm, that's an interesting question" is so well-known because sometimes, candidates can't think of an answer immediately. They start their answer with an expression they've learned, and this gives them a little bit of time to think about what they really want to say.

Personally, I think this is a very good strategy. Of course, every IELTS examiner has heard the expression a million times, and they know it's a strategy ... but still, it's a lot better than saying nothing!

MORE PHRASES THAT GIVE YOU SOME THINKING TIME 

Match the phrase halves together:

- To be honest, I've never really    ---     expert on this subject/in this area      the top of my head      given it much thought     approach that question     your point of view/ the situation/ ???    
- I'm definitely not an     ---     expert on this subject/in this area      the top of my head      given it much thought     approach that question     your point of view/ the situation/ ???    
- It depends on     ---     expert on this subject/in this area      the top of my head      given it much thought     approach that question     your point of view/ the situation/ ???    
- There are different ways to     ---     expert on this subject/in this area      the top of my head      given it much thought     approach that question     your point of view/ the situation/ ???    
- It's difficult to say off     ---     expert on this subject/in this area      the top of my head      given it much thought     approach that question     your point of view/ the situation/ ???    

(The answers are at the bottom of the page.)


HOW TO USE THESE PHRASES

Here are some recent Part 3 questions. Notice how the candidates use the 'giving myself some time' phrases. What other language do they use to slow things down and prepare their answers?

Topic:         Noise
Question:   Do you think there should be laws to control the amount of
                    noise people make?
Answer:      Well, to be honest, I've never given it much thought. But I
                    think it could be a good idea, especially in residential areas.
                    You know, if people are trying to sleep and someone is
                    playing music really loudly, I suppose they should be able
                    to do something about that.

Topic:         Learning

Question:   How can a teacher help a student who lacks one
                    particular ability?
Answer:      Well, in my view it depends on the situation and the
                    individual. For example, if a student isn't good at spelling,
                    it isn't fair to stop the whole class and help that person.
                    It might be better if the teacher gave the student some extra
                    homework, and offered to help them during lunchtime.

Topic:         Education

Question:   Do you think that students should continue on to university
                   when thy finish school, or take a year off?
Answer:      Well, there are different ways to approach that question.
                    On the one hand, it's important to finish your education so
                    that you can support yourself and be independent from your
                    parents. On the other hand, I think some people go right

                    through their education without having any experience of
                    the outside world. Some work experience, or even some
                    time off to relax and maybe to travel, can help them choose
                    the right university degree and the right career path.

Topic:         Raising Children

Question:   Can you compare the problems that parents have raising
                   their children today to the problems they had in the past?
Answer:      Well, I'm definitely not an expert on this subject, because I 
                    don't have kids! However, I think technology has changed 
                    things a lot. Certainly in the past, parents didn't have to 
                    worry about their kids spending too much time on the  
                    internet instead of playing outside.  

Topic:         Retirement

Question:   Why do you think some people want to continue working
                    after they officially retire?
Answer:      Hmmm, it's difficult to say off the top of my head. I mean, 
                    maybe some people feel bored if they have nothing to fill
                    their days. It probably takes a while to work out how to
                    spend your time usefully, if you've been working for 40 

                    years and suddenly you're not working anymore.      

USING FILLERS

Notice that the candidates also used 'fillers' to slow down their answers and give themselves time to think. These included:

- "Well" (at the start of speaking)
- "I mean" (when you're preparing to give some detail or an example)
- "I suppose" / "I guess" (when you're speculating)

(Vocabulary Note: to find out what "speculating" means, go to this page. Speculating is important in IELTS, so you should learn the word if you don't know it already.) 

Other strategies

This section is under construction.

ANSWERS
- To be honest, I've never really given it much thought.
- I'm definitely not an expert on this subject / in this area
- It depends on your point of view, I suppose
- There are different ways to approach this question
- It's difficult to say off the top of my head.