IELTS Speaking Part 3
Four to five minutes of discussion built out of the Part 2 theme, but moved away from you and onto society, causes, consequences and the future. This is where the higher bands are won or lost, because it is the only part that asks you to argue rather than describe.
What the questions do
| Question type | Example shape | What an answer needs |
|---|---|---|
| Compare | Do you think X has changed over time? | Then and now, with a reason for the change |
| Evaluate | Is it a good thing that…? | A position, plus what the other side would say |
| Cause | Why do you think people…? | More than one cause, ranked |
| Speculate | How might this change in the future? | Conditional and modal language |
A short personal answer to any of these answers a Part 1 question. "Yes, I think so" has nothing in it for three of the four criteria.
Developing an answer
Position, reason, example, qualification. That is four sentences from almost any question, and it produces exactly the structures the mark scheme is looking for.
- Position — say what you think, plainly.
- Reason — because, the main reason being, this is largely down to.
- Example — for instance, take the case of, in my own city.
- Qualification — although, that said, it depends on whether. This is where the complex grammar lives.
Not knowing anything about the topic costs nothing. "I have not thought about it much, but I would imagine…" is a legitimate and well-formed start, and speculation is exactly what some of these questions ask for.
Part 3 — Discussion — FAQs
2 questions
Yes. Part 3 takes the Part 2 theme and asks about it in general rather than personal terms.
Yes. There is no correct opinion; there is only a supported one and an unsupported one.
More speaking question types
Sources
Written from the test board's own published material and checked on 1 October 2026.