Hi Everyone,

I hope you are looking forward to the New Year holiday.

In my column today, I want to talk about IELTS Speaking Part 3. In this part of the test, candidates are asked general questions connected to the topic they talked about in Speaking Part 2. The kind of topics you can be asked about in Speaking Part 3 include:

sport, media, travel and transport, entertainment, the environment, crime, leadership, photography, retirement and old age, inventions, the internet and social media, role models, fashion, architecture, art, health, families, nature, society, work.

When I teach Speaking Part 3 to my students, the feedback I usually get is that they find this part of the speaking interview difficult for two reasons:

1.) They have never discussed the topics before and therefore find it difficult to think of ideas.

2.) They don't know the vocabulary to talk about the topics.

It is important to remember that in Speaking Part 3, you are not being tested on your ideas. You are however being tested on your ability to talk about unfamiliar topics. You do not have to give perfect answers, but it is important that you speak and avoid long periods of hesitation while you think of answers. The examiner is simply listening to the vocabulary and grammar that you use to answer the questions.

To help you prepare for IELTS Speaking Part 3, I have created a new lesson called IELTS Speaking Part 3 Topics. In these lessons, you will:

• practice answering Speaking Part 3 questions using authentic IELTS questions.
• learn vocabulary and grammar to help you answer the questions more confidently.
• practice strategies to help you answer difficult questions more confidently.
• receive advice and feedback from an experienced IELTS teacher and examiner.

To arrange an IELTS Speaking Part 3 Topics lesson, click here. Let's make 2018 the year you achieve your target score in the IELTS exam!!

I look forward to helping you with your studies.

Mark