Shadowing Practice: How to Answer ANY IELTS Speaking Part 3 Question - Learn English Speaking with Video

IELTS speaking part 3 can feel difficult because the examiner can ask you about almost anything.

But here's the good news.

Although the topics change, the type of questions are actually quite predictable.

In fact, most part 3 questions fall into just 8 common question types.

Once you know what type of question you're answering, it becomes much easier to know what you're going to say and how to structure your answer.

My name is Eli and I used to be an IELTS examiner.

I've evaluated thousands of speaking tests

and I know what students need to do to get a high score based on the IELTS marking criteria.

In today's lesson we're focusing on IELTS speaking.

Do you think children should have homework every day?

Should government spend more money on public transport?

Do you think people rely too much on technology nowadays?

Opinion questions often begin with phrases like do you think, do you agree, should or is it a good idea too?

When you get an opinion question, you can use the REE method to build your answer.

REE stands for respond, elaborate, example.

First, respond.

Give the examiner a clear answer to the question.

You can say definitely, I think so.

Yes.

Generally speaking, yes.

Probably not.

I don't think so.

I wouldn't necessarily say that.

Or you can use my favorite.

It depends or it depends on.

Next, elaborate.

Explain your answer and give the examiner a reason.

Useful phrases here include the main reason is that.

One reason for this is that's because or I think this is mainly because.

Finally, give an example.

You can say for example, for instance, or a good example would be.

And remember in part three your examples should normally be about people

or society in general rather than about your own personal experience.

Let's see how this works.

Do you think children should have homework every day?

Probably not.

The main reason is that children need time outside school to relax and develop in other ways.

For example, if a child has several hours of homework every evening, they may have much less time for exercise, hobbies, or spending time with their families.

This is a strong answer because the student first responds clearly with probably not,

then they elaborate by explaining why children need time outside school.

Finally, they give a general example showing what could happen if children have too much homework.

So instead of giving a one sentence opinion, the student has developed one clear idea into a complete answer.

That's the REE method.

Respond, elaborate, example.

If you want to practice this, go to the lesson below where you can download the PDF, do quizzes and even get AI feedback on your answer.

What I'd recommend is to first watch the video until the end, then do the quizzes one by one,

then write your own answers and get AI feedback.

Finally, the next day review the PDF and write your answers to these questions again.

This spaced repetition is what really helps you to learn.

Remember you can start all of my ALS courses for free at EnglishProTips .com.

The second question type is reasons and causes.

These These questions ask you to explain why something happens.

You might get questions like, why do some people prefer to live in big cities?

Why are fewer people reading newspapers nowadays?

What are the main reasons people change jobs?

These questions often begin with why.

What are the reasons?

Or what causes?

A useful way to answer is to start with phrases like, there are probably a few reasons for this.

One of the main reasons is.

Another reason could be.

This might be because or one possible explanation is.

Notice that some of these phrases use hedging.

Hedging means using language that makes your answer sound less absolute.

In part three this is really useful

because you are often talking about large groups of people and you usually can't say that something is true for everyone.

So instead of saying people move to cities because there are more jobs,

you could say one reason people may move to cities is that there tend to be more job opportunities.

Useful hedging language includes may, might, could, probably, perhaps, tend to,

often, generally, in some cases, and for some people.

Let's look at an example.

Why do some people prefer to live in big cities?

There are probably a few reasons for this.

One of the main reasons might be employment, because larger cities tend to offer a wider range of job opportunities.

For example, someone working in a specialized field such as finance

or technology may find it much easier to find suitable work in a major city than in a small town.

This is a strong answer because the student identifies a clear cause and then develops it, rather than listing lots of different reasons.

They also use hedging naturally with probably, might be, tend to and may.

This avoids making an overgeneralization like everyone moves to cities because of work.

Finally, the example is general rather than personal, which is exactly what we want in part three.

So for a reason or causes question, think what might be causing this?

Why might this be happening?

And how can I explain that without making an overly general statement?

The third question type is effects and consequences.

These questions ask you to explain what happens as a result of something?

You might get questions like how does advertising affect children?

What effect has technology had on the way people communicate?

What are the consequences of people working long hours?

A really useful technique for these questions is something I call the power of two.

Instead of trying to think of three or four or five different effects, try to just think of two.

Two ideas are usually enough to give you a well -developed answer and they're also very easy to signpost.

You can say there are probably two main effects.

Firstly, secondly, or I think it affects people in two main ways.

The first is, the second is.

This makes your answer much easier for the examiner to follow.

It also gives you enough time to actually develop each idea rather than just producing a long list.

Useful consequence language includes this can lead to, this may result in, as a result,

one consequence is, this means that, and in the long term this could.

Let's look at an example.

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What effect has technology had on the way people communicate?

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I think it has affected communication in two main ways.

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Firstly, it has made communication much faster and more convenient.

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People can contact someone on the other side of the world almost instantly, which makes it much easier to maintain relationships over long distances.

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Secondly, it may have made some forms of communication less personal.

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For example, people might send a quick message instead of having a proper conversation

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and as a result some interactions can feel less meaningful.

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This is a strong answer because the student introduces two clear effects

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and signposts them with firstly and secondly so the examiner can follow the answer easily.

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The student also develops both ideas instead of simply listing them.

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The first effect is positive and the second is more negative, which gives the answer some balance.

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And notice the consequence language, which makes it, and as a result.

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So when you get an effects or consequence question, remember the power of two.

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Choose two strong ideas, signpost them clearly, and develop each one.

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When you're writing your own answer to this question, see if you can follow the power of to practice using I think there are probably two main effects.

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Firstly, secondly, remember the more time that you spend practicing these phrases now in your preparation time,

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the more natural you'll be able to use the phrases in your real IELTS test.

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The fourth question type is advantages and disadvantages.

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These questions ask you to think about the positive and negative sides of an issue.

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You might get questions like, what are the advantages of working from home?

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Are there any disadvantages to children using technology at school?

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What are the benefits and drawbacks of living in a big city?

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A really useful technique for these questions is what I call the multiple perspectives method.

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Instead of staring at the topic and trying to think of ideas, ask yourself, who is affected by this?

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For example, if the topic is working from home, you could think about the perspective of employees, employers, families, or even society as a whole.

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Looking at the topic from different perspectives makes it much easier to generate ideas.

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You can use phrases like from an employee's perspective, from an employer's point of view,

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for families, from a wider social perspective,

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Useful language for advantages includes one major advantage is,

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one benefit is, this can be beneficial because, and one positive aspect is.

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For disadvantages, you can say one drawback is, one potential disadvantage is, the downside is,

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or this can create problems because.

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Let's look at an example.

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What are the advantages and disadvantages of working from home?

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I think it depends on whose perspective you consider.

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From an employee's point of view, one major advantage is flexibility.

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People can often avoid commuting and may have more control over their working day, which can improve their work -life balance.

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From an employer's perspective, though, one potential disadvantage is that it can be harder to manage teams and maintain good communication.

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For example, if employees rarely meet face -to -face, collaboration may become more difficult.

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This is a strong answer because the student doesn't just think about the topic in a general way.

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They look at it from two different perspectives.

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The employee and the employer.

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That immediately gives them two relevant ideas.

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They also clearly signpost the change in perspective with from an employee's point of view and from an employer's perspective,

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which makes the answer easy to follow.

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So when you get an advantage and disadvantage question, use the multiple perspectives method.

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Ask yourself, who is affected by this and how might it be positive or negative for them?

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The fifth question type is comparisons.

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These questions ask you to explain how things are similar or different.

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You might get questions like how are schools today different from schools in the past?

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Do younger and older people use technology differently?

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How is living in a city different from living in the countryside?

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A useful way to answer these questions is to compare the two things point by point.

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In other words, choose one area of comparison, explain the differences, and then move on to another area if you need to.

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For example, if you are comparing schools today with schools in the past,

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you could first compare technology and then compare teaching styles.

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This makes your answer much more organized.

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Useful comparison language includes compared with, whereas, while, in contrast, on the other hand,

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The main difference is, one similarity is, and both.

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You can also use phrases like these days.

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In the past, younger people tend to, whereas older people are more likely to.

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Let's look at an example.

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How are schools today different from schools in the past?

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I think there are a couple of major differences.

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Firstly, compared with the past, schools today make much greater use of technology.

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Students can use laptops, interactive whiteboards and online resources,

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whereas in the past lessons depended much more heavily on textbooks and the teacher.

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Secondly, teaching styles have probably become more interactive.

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Students today are often encouraged to discuss ideas and work in groups, while lessons in the past tended to be more teacher -centered.

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This is a strong answer

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because the student compares the two periods point by point rather than talking generally about the past

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and then generally about the present.

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The first comparison is technology and the second is teaching style.

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They also use clear comparison language such as compared with,

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whereas and while, which makes the relationship between the ideas very easy to follow.

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So when you get a comparison question,

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think, what are the main areas I can compare and what language can I use to show the similarities or differences clearly?

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The sixth question type is changes and trends.

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These questions ask you to explain how something has changed over time or what trends you have noticed.

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You might get questions like, how has the way people shop changed in recent years?

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How have people's attitudes towards work changed?

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Has the way children spend their free time changed compared with the past?

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This is another situation where the power of two is really useful.

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Instead of trying to think of lots of different changes, choose two clear changes and develop them properly.

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You can say, I think there have been two main changes.

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Firstly, secondly, or one major change is, another noticeable change is.

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Useful language for talking about change includes there has been a shift towards.

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People are increasingly.

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It has become much more common too these days.

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Compared with the past and whereas in the past, You can also talk about gradual trends using phrases like over time,

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in recent years, more and more people are, or there seems to be a growing tendency to.

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Let's look at an example.

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How has the way people shop changed in recent years?

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I think there have been two main changes.

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Firstly, people are increasingly shopping online rather than going to physical shops.

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This has made shopping much more convenient because people can compare prices and buy things without leaving home.

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Secondly, people seem to expect much faster service than they did in the past.

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For example, next day or even same day delivery has become much more common, whereas people used to be more willing to wait several days for an order.

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This is a strong answer because the student identifies two clear changes and develops each one.

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They signpost them with firstly and secondly, which makes the answer easy to follow.

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And they use useful trend language such as increasingly, has become much more common, and whereas.

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Notice that they don't try to list five or six different changes.

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They use the power of two to keep the answer focused and well developed.

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So when you get a change or trends question,

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think what are the two biggest changes and how can I show the difference between now and the past?

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The seventh question type is future and predictions.

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These questions ask you to speculate about what might happen in the future.

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You might get questions like how do you think people will travel in the future?

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Do you think people will continue to work from home?

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Will physical shops eventually disappear?

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The key thing to remember is that you don't know what will happen.

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So you need language that shows different levels of certainty.

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If you think something is very likely, you can say, I think it's highly likely that.

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There's a good chance that.

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I can definitely see or I'd expect.

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If you're less certain, you can say, It's possible that.

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We might see.

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It could be that there's a chance that, or I wouldn't be surprised if.

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And if you think something probably won't happen, you can say I think it's unlikely that, I can't really see, or I doubt that.

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You can also buy yourself a little time thinking with phrases like it's difficult to predict with certainty but,

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or obviously no one knows exactly what will happen but.

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When you talk about the future, useful time expressions include in the next few years, over the next few decades,

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in the long term, eventually, at some point in the future and further down the line.

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Let's look at an example.

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Do you think physical shops will eventually disappear?

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I think that's unlikely, at least in the foreseeable future.

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There's a good chance that online shopping will continue to grow because it's convenient and people can often find better prices online.

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However, I can't really see physical shops disappearing completely.

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Some people still want to see or try products before buying them.

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So in the long term, I think we're more likely to see a combination of online and physical shopping.

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This is a super strong answer because the student doesn't pretend to know exactly what will happen.

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They show different degrees of certainty with phrases like unlikely, there's a good chance that, and I can't really see.

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They also use a future time phrase in the long term

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and they explain the reasoning behind their prediction rather than simply saying yes

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or no. So when you get a future or prediction question, think how likely is this?

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What language can I use to show that level of certainty?

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And And why do I think this might happen?

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The eighth and final question type is problems and solutions.

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These questions ask you to identify a problem and explain how it could be solved.

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You might get questions like what problems can tourism cause for local communities?

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What can governments do to reduce traffic congestion?

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What problems can arise when people work very long hours.

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A useful way to answer these questions is to make sure that your solution directly matches the problem.

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If the problem is traffic congestion,

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for example, a strong solution might be improving public transport or discouraging people from driving into city centers.

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A weak answer would be to suggest something unrelated.

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Useful language for introducing problems includes one major problem is, one issue is, this can lead to,

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this can create problems such as, or one of the main challenges is.

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For solutions you can say one possible solution would be two, one way to tackle this would be two,

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governments could, a practical step would be two, or this could be addressed You can also use the power of two here

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if you want to give two problems or two solutions.

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And the multiple perspectives method can help you think of ideas by asking who could take action?

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Individuals, businesses, schools, local authorities or governments?

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Let's look at an example.

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What can governments do to reduce traffic congestion in cities?

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I think there are probably two main things governments can do.

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Firstly, they could improve public transport so that people have a reliable alternative to driving.

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For example, cheaper and more frequent buses or trains could encourage more commuters to leave their cars at home.

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Secondly, governments could make driving into city centres less attractive, perhaps by introducing congestion charges or reducing the amount of parking available.

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This is a strong answer because the student gives two clear solutions and both of them directly address the problem.

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The first solution makes public transport more attractive, while the second makes driving less convenient.

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The student also signposts the answer clearly with firstly and secondly, and develops each idea instead of just listing solutions.

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So when you get a problem and solution question, think what exactly is the problem?

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Who can do something about it?

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And what solution would directly address it.

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Now if you really want to improve your IELTS answers, what I suggest is that now you go to the lesson in the description,

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do the quizzes and then write your own answers for these questions.

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Try to use at least two of today's expressions in each answer.

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You'll get feedback on your answer and a corrected version to help you study.

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Remember guys, practice makes perfect you can get all this

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and more at englishprotips .com best of luck with all of your studies

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and I'll see you in the next lesson bye then

What is the Shadowing Technique?

Shadowing is a science-backed language learning technique originally developed for professional interpreter training and popularized by polyglot Dr. Alexander Arguelles. The method is simple but powerful: you listen to native English audio and immediately repeat it out loud — like a shadow following the speaker with just a 1–2 second delay. Unlike passive listening or grammar drills, shadowing forces your brain and mouth muscles to simultaneously process and reproduce real speech patterns. Research shows it significantly improves pronunciation accuracy, intonation, rhythm, connected speech, listening comprehension, and speaking fluency — making it one of the most effective methods for IELTS Speaking preparation and real-world English communication.

Shadowing Practice: How to Answer ANY IELTS Speaking Part 3 Question - Learn English Speaking with Video

Master IELTS Speaking Part 3 with This Practical Lesson

Key Vocabulary & Phrases to Learn

Practice Tips for Success

What is the Shadowing Technique?