IELTS Speaking Part 3
- 4 to 5 minutes
- No preparation
- 80 questions here
Try Part 3 on the real clock.
Why do you think young people admire celebrities so much?
Press record, answer out loud, then press again.
One free take on this device · no account · no card
What actually happens
- Length
- 4 to 5 minutes
- Preparation
- None — you answer immediately
- Your answer
- About 60 seconds
- Marked on
- Fluency and Coherence, Pronunciation, Lexical Resource, Grammatical Range — four equal criteria
What sayit measures on this page
An estimate from fluency and pronunciation only — not an official band, and not a mark for vocabulary or grammar.What they are listening for
- Whether you can hold a position and support it, rather than listing what other people think.
- Whether you can talk about people in general without losing fluency — abstraction is where hesitation usually appears.
- Whether you can hedge accurately when you are not sure, instead of stalling.
- Whether clarity survives longer, more complex sentences: this is where stress and intonation start doing real work.
Described in our own words. The official band descriptors are copyrighted and we do not reproduce them.
How to answer Part 3
- 1
Take a position in the first clause
'I think it is mostly the parents' — then justify. Starting with 'there are many opinions' wastes the opening and says nothing.
- 2
One reason, one example, one limit
Three moves fill forty-five seconds honestly: why you think so, a concrete case, and where it stops being true. The last move is what makes the answer sound mature.
- 3
Use time frames to compare
Past against present ('twenty years ago, people…') and near future ('I suspect that in ten years…') give you structure when the question is vague.
- 4
Hedge with real words
'It varies', 'broadly', 'in my experience', 'it depends on whether…'. These buy thinking time and are the honest answer, rather than filler.
80 Part 3 questions, with model answers
- Why do you think young people admire celebrities so much?role models
- Do public figures have a responsibility to behave well?role models
- How has the idea of a hero changed over time?role models
- Should schools teach children about famous historical figures?role models
- Who has more influence on children, parents or teachers?role models
- Why do some talented people avoid attention?role models
- How does a person come to be respected in a community?role models
- Do social media influencers deserve the influence they have?role models
- Why do so many people move to cities?cities
- What makes a city a good place to live?cities
- Should old buildings be protected, even when they are expensive to keep?cities
- How important are public spaces such as parks and squares?cities
- How does the place someone lives shape the way they live?cities
- Should governments limit tourism in very popular places?cities
- What makes a neighbourhood feel safe?cities
- Will people still work in city centres in twenty years?cities
- Why do people buy things they do not really need?consumerism
- Has online shopping changed what people value?consumerism
- Should companies be required to make products that last?consumerism
- Is advertising too powerful today?consumerism
- Do people repair things any more, or simply replace them?consumerism
- How do children learn the value of money?consumerism
- Are expensive branded goods worth what they cost?consumerism
- What effect does cheap, fast fashion have?consumerism
- Why do traditional festivals still matter to people?celebrations
- Have celebrations become too commercial?celebrations
- Should countries have more public holidays?celebrations
- How do families pass traditions on to children?celebrations
- Why do people enjoy large public events?celebrations
- Is it better to celebrate with family or with friends?celebrations
Common Part 3 mistakes
Falling back to a personal story
Part 3 questions are about people in general. A story is fine as an example, but if it becomes the whole answer you have answered a Part 1 question.
Agreeing with everything
'Yes, I agree' four times running gives the examiner nothing to work with. Disagreeing carefully is safer than being agreeable.
Saying you do not know
You are not being tested on the subject. Speculate: 'I have not thought about it, but I would guess…' is a complete, fluent answer.
Long, tangled sentences
Complexity that collapses mid-clause hurts more than two clean sentences. Finish the thought you started.
Straight answers
How long should a Part 3 answer be?
Around forty to sixty seconds — longer than Part 1, shorter than the long turn. Enough for a position, a reason and an example.
What if I have no opinion on the topic?
Invent a defensible one. The examiner is marking how you speak, not whether your view is correct, and a candidate who speculates fluently scores better than one who apologises.
Is Part 3 harder than the rest of the test?
It is designed to stretch you — the examiner keeps going until you reach your limit, so feeling stretched is normal and is not a sign you are failing.
Practise Part 3 every day until your test
A free account gives you one cue card a morning, an estimated band after each answer, and a trend line instead of a single take.