Part 3 longer answers: family and community
You can give Part 3 answers of four to six sentences that still sound like conversation.
Why do you think some people never get to know their neighbours? The examiner asks questions like this in Part 3, the last four to five minutes of the Speaking test.
Part 3 questions are about people and society in general. A one-line answer shows very little of your English. You need a way to keep going that still sounds like conversation.
Warm-up
Part 1 or Part 3?
Three questions an examiner might ask. Only one of them belongs in Part 3.
Which is a Part 3 question?
How it works
We've been talking about this topic, and I'd like to discuss with you one or two more general questions related to it.
Let's talk about family and community.
- Why do you think some people never get to know their neighbours?
- Should adult children be expected to look after their parents in old age?
- What can a local community do for older people who live alone?
- Do you think young people today are less willing to volunteer than in the past?
Part 3 follows the topic of your Part 2 talk. Questions like these could follow a talk about a neighbour who helped you.
Four moves
- 1Answer
Give your view in the first sentence, in plain words. I'd say it's mostly about time.
- 2Reason
Say why you think so. People work longer hours now, so they're hardly ever at home.
- 3Example
Make it real with something from your own life or city. In my building, I only ever see my neighbours in the lift.
- 4The other side
Say where your answer does not hold, or what others might think. Then come back to your view in a few words. Having said that, older people often know everyone on their street.
The same question, two answers
Is it a good idea for grandparents to look after young children while the parents work? Yes, I think it's a good idea.
Is it a good idea...? Mostly, yes. The children get to know their grandparents, and the parents don't have to pay for a nursery. My nephew spends three days a week with my mum, and they're really close. That said, it can be tiring for grandparents who aren't in good health, so families shouldn't assume they'll always say yes.
Watch me do one
The question: Why do you think some people never get to know their neighbours? I answer it straight away: I think it's mostly because people move so often now.
Then the reason. It links moving with not knowing people: If you only stay somewhere a year or two, you don't bother meeting the people next door.
Next, an example from my own life. Most of my neighbours have moved in since I did, and I hardly know their names.
Then the other side. Having said that, my parents have never moved, and they still only know two families on their street.
And I come back to my view: So I'd still say moving is the main reason, even if it isn't the only one.
That's five sentences, around thirty seconds. Each one does a single job, so the answer is long without wandering.
A model answer
Should adult children be expected to look after their parents in old age?
I think they should help, yes, but I'm not sure about the word expected. The main reason is that people's lives are so different now. If you live in the same town as your parents, it's fairly easy to drop in every day, but a lot of people my age work in another city, or even another country. My cousin's a good example: she sees her dad most evenings, while her brother's in Singapore, so the most he can do is phone and send money. Having said that, I don't think families should leave it all to the state, because even with a professional carer, a visit from your own children means a lot.
- CoherenceThe answer, in the first sentence. It already hints that the view has a limit.
- CoherenceThe reason. The phrase tells the examiner what kind of sentence is coming.
- VocabularyA natural phrasal verb for a short, informal visit.
- CoherenceThe example. A real person makes the reason concrete.
- GrammarThe most he can do is... is a less common pattern, used accurately.
- CoherenceThe other side. The speaker limits her view without giving it up.
- VocabularyA word from this unit's language lesson, used naturally.
Coloured text shows what the examiner is looking for.
Practice with Elita7 questions
Five quick questions on the four moves, then two answers you record. I'll listen for all four moves.
Which move is it?
Decide which of the four moves this sentence makes.
Take my grandmother, for instance: she lives alone, but three neighbours check on her every day.
And this one?
Another sentence from a Part 3 answer, this time on why some people never get to know their neighbours.
That said, in villages people still tend to know everyone on their street.
Phrases and their jobs
Match each phrase to the move it starts.
What comes next?
The examiner asks: Do you think young people today are less willing to volunteer than in the past? You begin: Not really. I think they just volunteer in different ways.
Which sentence should come next?
A slip in one move
Four sentences from one Part 3 answer. Pick the one with a grammar slip.
Which sentence contains the error?
Record: older people who live alone
Answer as you would in Part 3. Use all four moves, then stop.
What can a local community do for older people who live alone?
Record your answer (75s maximum)
0:00 / 1:15
Set up your learning path at the top of this lesson to get band-specific feedback.
Record: family or their own home
One more, with a new question. Give a real example from your own family or town.
Is it better for older people to live with their family or in their own home?
Record your answer (75s maximum)
0:00 / 1:15
Set up your learning path at the top of this lesson to get band-specific feedback.
Words to keep
Visit someone for a short time, often without planning it. I drop in on my grandmother on my way home from work.
Make sure someone is safe and well. A neighbour checks on her every morning.
Stay in contact with someone. My brother keeps in touch with our parents by video call.
Live without help from other people. My grandfather wants to live independently for as long as he can.
A phrase that brings in a point on the other side. Having said that, not every family has room for a grandparent.
Let someone else do all of a job. Families shouldn't leave it all to the state.
Before you go
Answer the question in your first sentence, then say why.
Give one example from real life: your street, your family, your city.
Add the other side, then come back to your view in a few words.
Four to six sentences is enough. Stop there, and wait for the next question.
Next: The next lesson is Writing Task 2: a checklist for the last few minutes, used on an essay about ageing populations.