A CLASS – MS PHUONG KHANH
SPEAKING PART 3 (SECTION 2)
7 Common Part 3 Question Types
1. Opinion– What do you think about ‘this’? Remember to say why you think that way and give examples.
2. Evaluate– What do you think about someone else’s opinion?
3. Future– What do you think will happen in the future?
4. Cause and Effect, Solution– What caused ‘this’ and/or what effects has ‘it’ had?
5. Hypothetical– Talk about imaginary or unreal situations.
6. Compare and Contrast– Talk about the difference and/or similarities between two things.
7. Past/ Change– How were things different in the past and how have they changed?
1. Opinion
Vary your language
a. As I see it/ Personally/For me
b. I’m convinced that/I’m certain that….
c. I guess that/I suppose that/I’d say that (less certain )
2. Evaluate
In these kinds of questions you will be asked what you think about someone else’s opinion. We will
therefore need to use expressions that allow us to agree or disagree.
For agreement we can use:
● I couldn’t agree with you more. For disagreement we can use:
● That’s so true.
● I don’t think so.
● That’s for sure.
● I’m afraid I disagree.
● That’s exactly how I feel.
● I totally disagree.
● No doubt about it.
● I beg to differ.
● I suppose so./I guess so.
● I’d say the exact opposite.
● You/they have a point there.
● Not necessarily.
● That’s not always true.
● That’s not always the case.
Opinion/ Evaluate: Some people say that people helped others more in the past than they do now. Do you
agree or disagree?
Sample: I don’t think so. When it comes to my parents’ generation I think they are quite sceptical about
helping other people in the community, but my generation are regularly doing things to improve it, such as
volunteering for various environmental and charitable organisations. By contrast, young people are actively
encouraged to help out in the community and I don’t think this happened in the past, so I’m afraid I’d disagree.
3) Future
STRUCTURE: Statement + Prediction
1. Statement
• I believe that in years to come, we may expect to see some major developments
• It is difficult to predict the future, but I think A is expected to see some major/ significant changes
(with regard to sth)
2. Prediction 1
• It’s hard to predict the future, but I suppose …
• I’m not sure exactly what will happen, but one possibility is…
3. Prediction 2
● Another possibility is we would probably start to see…
● Furthermore, this might sound a bit crazy, but I think one day X would
Useful expressions for prediction
● X plans to…../ It is predicted that…. /X intends to….
● I foresee…../It is foreseeable…./ It is unforeseeable that….
● Conditionals- If X + verb…..
● It is likely that…/It is probable that…./ will probably...
CHANGE / FUTURE
1. What will schools be like in the future?
2. What will cars be like in the future?
3. Do you think people will have more free time in the future?
CHANGE / FUTURE
1. What will schools be like in the future?
• Better education system/Fewer subjects/More activities and practice/Smaller class size
2. What will cars be like in the future?
• Types: hybrid cars (lai / chạy điện + xăng), electric cars, hydrogen-powered cars/Hand-free
driving/Artificial intelligence
• Eco-friendly
3. Do you think people will have more free time in the future?
Technology advances that can replace people’s involvement in many fields/ More free time
4) Cause and Problem, Solution
STRUCTURE: Statement + Problems / Solutions/ Causes
Question: What are the problems with housing in your country?
Suggested ideas:
• Statement: There are a range of pressing issues concerning accommodation.
• Identify problem: The biggest problem is the cost of housing. (develop..)
Question: What measures should be taken to solve the problems with housing?
Suggested ideas:
• Statement: I believe that there are various efficacious solutions that should be taken.
• Suggesting solutions: One of those is that universities should consider relocating to the suburbs of the
cities that will help address the living fee burden of students.
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IDENTIFY PROBLEMS:
• One major ISSUE / CONCERN with X that needs addressing is Y.
• The biggest problem with X is Y.
• Most people believe that X is the main problem
• The main CONCERN many people have with X is Y.
• There are a host of/ a range of issues/ problems + regarding / concerning / associated with N/ Ving
• N is rife with problems (đầy rẫy) ( alarming / pressing problems)
GIVE SOLUTIONS
• I believe that there are various /ˌefɪˈkeɪʃəs/ efficacious -/ˈvaɪəbl/ viable solutions that should be
taken in order to ...
• I’m sure that a lot of practical ways should be adopted to ...
1. I think that the police really ___________________ reduce the number of traffic accidents.
2. To encourage poorer students to attend university, universities and educational
organizations________________ more scholarships.
3. We____________________ deal with corruption amongst businessmen.
4. Because environmental concerns are the most pressing issues facing society today, I feel
we_________________________________ these issues before moving on to worrying about urban
planning.
5. I strongly believe that we should ___________________ taking care of animals in danger of
distinction.
6. It is absolutely necessary that we_________________ improve the quality of food products sold in
our national supermarkets.
7. Some people believe that the Vietnamese government _________________________ alleviating rural
poverty.
PRACTICE: PROBLEM - SOLUTION
1. What housing problems exist in your country?
2. Think about restaurants and customer services in your town or city. What kinds of problems are
there? How would you suggest they improve?
3. What effects do you think humans have on wild animals? What measures could we take to protect
wildlife?
1. What housing problems exist in your country?
• Price: extortionate (due to urbanization, overpopulation)/ Quality: substandard (dưới tiêu chuẩn)
2. Think about restaurants and customer services in your town or city. What kinds of problems are
there? How would you suggest they improve?
• Time: take longer time to order/Quality: food safety and hygiene (vệ sinh) are not ensured/Customer
service: poor attitude, bad-tempered staff
3. What effects do you think humans have on wild animals? What measures could we take to protect
wildlife?
Suggested ideas:
• Destroy natural habitats (môi trường sống tự nhiên) / Animal-testing (thí nghiệm trên động vật)
• Illegal poaching (săn bắt trái phép)/ Hunt rare animals for their body parts /Pollution and waste
• Solutions: protect endangered species/ protest (biểu tình) / campaign to increase awareness
5) Hypothetical
If you could choose any country to live in, where would you choose?
Sample answer:
If I could live in any country, I would probably choose Australia. The weather is great; the people are super
friendly and just imagine living beside all those beaches. If I could choose another country, it would have to be
Italy, for the architecture, the culture and its fascinating history.
The second conditional is used to talk about ‘unreal’, ‘unlikely’ or ‘impossible’ situations. You might get asked a
question about an ‘unreal’ situation, for example ‘If you were mayor of your city, what would you do to
improve it?’
The grammar we use for this is:
If + (subject 1) + past participle, then (subject 2) + would + verb
6) Compare and Contrast
STRUCTURE: Statement + Comparison (Reason /Example)
Statement
• There are some big changes in …
• There are some obvious/ huge differences between these two I guess.
• There are a number/ range of + differences / /dɪˈstɪŋkʃn/ distinction between ... and ...
• A greatly differs from B
To compare two things, use
● comparative adjective + than (so sánh hơn)
• However / while / whereas …
• When it comes to …, …
• … be like chalk and cheese: rất khác nhau
PRACTICE: COMPARISON
1. Are schools nowadays the same as schools in the past?
2. What’s the difference between the way children and adults make friends?
3. What’s the difference between Western and Vietnamese culture?
COMPARISON
1. Are schools nowadays the same as schools in the past?
• Size: larger room for a higher number of students and for in-class activities
• Facilities: Better equipped: computer labs, air-conditioner, projectors
• Curriculum: more subjects such as arts, music, drama, physical education …
2. What’s the difference between the way children and adults make friends?
• Kids: simple, easy, tend to make friends with each other 🡪 help in studying / play random games/
genuinely enjoy the company
• Adults: intentional / networking / makes friends with everyone in different classes/ fields
3. What’s the difference between Western and Vietnamese culture?
• New Year: West :solar calendar, Vietnam :lunar calendar
• Eating & drinking: West : forks & knives, Vietnam:chopsticks
• Greeting: West:kiss, hug, join hands, Vietnam :wave/shake hands
7) Past/Change (tenses)
Question: How has teaching changed in your country over the past few decades?
Sample answer:
In the past, teachers simply lectured students and the students just listened to what they said. We were given
lots of facts to learn and there was no room for creativity or freedom of expression. I remember learning lots of
things without thinking about the theory behind it. Now, there’s been a movement towards students thinking
for themselves.
NOTES
● We may use the present perfect continuous to talk about something that started in the past and
continues up until the present. Example: They have been developing the city centre for the past five
years. For this tense we use the structure has/have + been + present participle (verb-ing).
● Used to + infinitive to talk about past habits or states that are now finished.
● Would + infinitive to describe past habits.
● Past simple to talk about things you did in the past that you no longer do or are no longer true.
● Past continuous to talk about the background of a story or how you felt at a particular time.
● Past perfect t o say something happened before something else in the past.
