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Burlington English - Academic Volume 1

Describe the last time you received an important letter or email

You should say:
- who the letter or email was from?
- when you received it?
- what it was about?
and explain how it made you feel?

Reading off questions
- Have you ever written an important letter or email?
- Can you tell me a little bit more about that?

Part 3
Let's think about letters.

What are some of the reasons people still send letters?
How do you think email has changed the nature of communication?

Finally, let's talk about technology and communication.

How will communication be affected by advances in technology in the future?

Describe a sport, game, or an activity you have done in the past which you found difficult.

You should say:
- what was it?
- when you did it
- what happened?
and explain why you found it difficult?

Reading off questions
- What other sports, games, or activities have you found difficult?
- Have you spoken to other people about it?

Part 3
Let's consider young people and sport.

Do you think that young people are given enough opportunities to practice sport?
Do you think that sport can be a good career choice for young people?

Finally, let's talk about team sports and individual sports.

Playing a team sport is more difficult than playing an individual sport. Do you agree or disagree?

Describe a story from a book or film that you enjoyed

You should say:
- where you read/saw/etc. it?
- when you read/saw/etc. it?
- what the story was about?
and explain why you enjoyed it.

Reading off questions
- Was there anything in the story you didn't like?
- Have you told other people about this story?

Part 3
Let's consider children and reading.

Do you think that children are given enough encouragement to read?
Reading a paper copy of a book is better than reading a book on an electronic device. Do you agree or disagree?

Finally, let's talk about team sports and individual sports.

What do you think we can learn from reading fiction? (Fro example, a novel)

Cambridge IELTS Volume 18

Describe some food or drink that you learned to prepare

You should say:
- what food or drink you learned to prepare?
- when and where you learned to prepare this?
- how you learned to prepare this?
and explain how you felt about learning to prepare this food or drink

Part 3
Discussion Topics:
Young people and cooking
Example questions:

What kinds of things can children learn to cook?
Do you think it is important for children to learn to cook?
Do you think young people should learn to cook at home or at school?

Working as a chef
Example questions:

How enjoyable do you think it would be to work as a professional chef?
What skills does a person need to be a great chef?
How much influence do celebrities/TV chefs have on what ordinary people cook?

Describe a tourist attraction in your country that you would recommend.

You should say:
- what the tourist attraction is
- where in your country this tourist attraction is
- what visitors can see and do at this tourist attraction
and explain why you would recommend this tourist attraction.

Part 3
Discussion Topics:
Museums and art galleries
Example questions:

What are the most popular museums and art galleries in ... / where you live?
Do you believe that all museums and art galleries should be free?
What kinds of things make a museum or art gallery an interesting place to visit?

The holiday industry
Example questions:

Why, do you think, do some people book package holidays rather than travelling independently?
Would you say that large numbers of tourists cause problems for local people?
What sort of impact can large holiday resorts have on the environment?

Describe a time when you enjoyed visiting a member of your family in their home.

You should say:
- who you visited and where they lived?
- why you made the visit?
- what happened during the visit?
and explain what you enjoyed about this visit.

Part 3
Discussion Topics:
Family Occasions
Example questions:

When do families celebrate together in your country?
How often do all the generations in a family come together in your country?
Why is it that some people might not enjoy attending family occasions?

Everyday life in families
Example questions:

Do you think it is a good thing for parents to help their children with schoolwork?
How important do you think it is for families to eat together at least once a day?
Do you believe that everyone in a family should share household tasks?

Describe a time when you met someone who you became good friends with.

You should say:
- who you met?
- when and where you met this person?
- what did you think about this person when you first met?
and explain why you think you became good friends with this person.

Part 3
Discussion Topics:
Friends at school
Example questions:

How important is it for children to have lots of friends at school?
Do you think it is wrong for parents to influence which friends their children have?
Why do you think children often choose different friends as they get older?

Making new friends
Example questions:

If a person is moving to a new town, what is a good way for them to make friends?
Can you think of any disadvantages of making new friends online?
Would you say it is harder for people to make new friends as they get older?

Cambridge IELTS Volume 17

Describe the neighbourhood you lived in when you were a child

You should say:
- where in your town/city the neighbourhood was?
- what kind of people lived there?
- what it was like to live in this neighbourhood?
and explain whether you would like to live in this neighbourhood in the future.

Part 3
Discussion Topics:
Neighbours
Example questions:

What sort of things can neighbours do to help each other?
How well do people generally know their neighbours in your country?
How important do you think it is to have good neighbours?

Facilities in cities
Example questions:

Which facilities are most important to people living in cities?
How does shopping in small local shops differ from shopping in large city centre shops?
Do you think that children should always go to the school nearest to where they live?

Describe a big city you would like to visit.

You should say:
- which big city you would like to visit?
- how you would travel there?
- what you would do there?
and explain why you would like to visit this big city.

Part 3
Discussion Topics:
Visiting cities on holidays
Example questions:

What are the most interesting things to do while visiting cities on holidays?
Why can it be expensive to visit cities on holidays?
Do you think it is better to visit cities alone or in a group with friends?

The growth of cities
Example questions:

Why have cities increased in size in recent years?
What are the challenges created by ever-growing cities?
In what ways do you think cities of the future will be different to cities today?

Describe a monument (e.g., a statue or sculpture) that you like.

You should say:
- what this monument is?
- where this monument is?
- what it looks like?
and explain why you like this monument?

Part 3
Discussion Topics:
Public monuments
Example questions:

What kinds of monuments do tourists in your country enjoy visiting?
Why do you think there are often statues of famous people in public areas?
Do you agree that old monuments and buildings should always be preserved?

Architecture
Example questions:

Why is architecture such a popular university subject?
In what ways has the design of homes changed in recent years?
To what extend does the design of buildings affect people's mood?

Describe an occasion when you had to do something in a hurry.

You should say:
- what you had to do?
- why you had to do this in a hurry?
- how well you did this?
and explain how you felt about having to do this in a hurry.

Part 3
Discussion Topics:
Arriving late
Example questions:

Do you think it's OK to arrive late when meeting a friend?
What should happen to people who arrive late for work?
Can you suggest how people can make sure they don't arrive late?

Managing study time
Example questions:

Is it better to study for long periods or in shorter blocks of time?
What are the likely effects of students not managing their study time well?
How important is it for students to have enough leisure time?

Cambridge IELTS Volume 16

Describe a tourist attraction you enjoyed visiting.

You should say:
- what this tourist attraction is?
- when and why you visited it?
- what you did there?
and explain why you enjoyed visiting this tourist attraction.

Part 3
Discussion Topics:
Different kinds of tourist attractions
Example questions:

What are the most popular tourist attractions in your country?
How do the types of tourist attractions that younger people like to visit compare with those that older people like to visit?
Do you agree that some tourist attractions (e.g. national museums/galleries) should be free to visit?

The importance of international tourism
Example questions:

Why is tourism important to a country?
What are the benefits to individuals of visiting another country as tourists?
How necessary is it for tourists to learn the language of the country they're visiting?

Describe a review you read about a product or service

You should say:
- where you read the review?
- what the product or service was?
- what information the review gave about the product or service?
and explain what you did as a result of reading this review.

Part 3
Discussion Topics:
Online Reviews
Example questions:

What kinds of things do people write online reviews about in your country?
Why do some people write online reviews?
Do you think that online reviews are good for both shoppers and companies?

Customer Service
Example questions:

What do you think it might be like to work in a customer service job?
Do you agree that customers are more likely to complain nowadays?
How important is it for companies to take all customer complaints seriously?

Describe a luxury item you would like to own in the future.

You should say:
- what item you would like to own?
- what this item looks like?
- why you would like to own this item?
and explain whether you think you will ever own this item.

Part 3
Discussion Topics:
Expensive items
Example questions:

Which expensive items would many young people (in your country) like to buy?
How do the expensive items that younger people want to buy differ from those that older people want to buy?
Do you think that people are more likely to buy expensive items for their friends or for themselves?

Rich people
Example questions:

How difficult is it to become very rich in today's world?
Do you agree that money does not necessarily bring happiness?
In what ways might rich people use their money to help society?

Describe some technology (e.g. an app, phone, or software) that you decided to stop using.

You should say:
- when and where you got this technology?
- why you started using this technology?
- why you decided to stop using it?
and explain how you feel about the decision you made.

Part 3
Discussion Topics:
Computer games
Example questions:

What kinds of computer games do people play in your country?
Why do people enjoy playing computer games?
Do you think that all computer games should have a minimum age for players?

Technology in the classroom
Example questions:

In what ways can technology in the classroom be helpful?
Do you agree that students are often better at using technology than their teachers?
Do you believe that computers will ever replace human teachers?