IELTS Speaking Part 3: Essential Tips to Avoid Common Mistakes

This guide breaks down exactly what examiners expect in IELTS speaking part 3, the mistakes that cost candidates bands, and a proven structure for building stronger answers. By the end, you’ll know how to handle abstract questions with confidence and stop losing marks on avoidable errors.

What Is IELTS Speaking Part 3 and Why Does It Matter?

IELTS Speaking Part 3 is a two-way discussion with the examiner lasting 4–5 minutes. Unlike Part 1, where you answer simple personal questions about your hometown or hobbies (see our tips for IELTS Speaking Part 1 for that), Part 3 pushes you into abstract territory. You’re analyzing ideas, comparing perspectives, and justifying opinions on broader societal themes.

The questions here connect directly to whatever topic you spoke about in Part 2. If your Part 2 cue card was about a technological invention, expect Part 3 questions about technology’s impact on society, education, or employment. That’s why learning to master IELTS Speaking Part 2 actually sets up your Part 3 performance.

Here’s what makes this section different from a casual English conversation: the examiner is actively probing the depth of your language. They’ll push back, ask follow-up questions, and challenge your views. Not to be difficult, but to give you opportunities to demonstrate higher-level English.

Common Topics You’ll Face in IELTS Speaking Part 3

Based on recent test reports from IDP, the British Council, and official IELTS resources, these categories come up repeatedly in IELTS Speaking Part 3:

• Education — The role of teachers vs. technology, differences between traditional and modern education, the value of university degrees
• Technology — Social media’s impact, AI and automation, screen time and children
• Society and culture — Generational differences, urbanization, the importance of traditions
• Environment — Climate change responsibility, sustainable living, government vs. individual action
• Work and careers — Remote work, job satisfaction vs. salary, the gig economy
• Health and lifestyle — Mental health awareness, diet trends, exercise habits across age groups
• Media and communication — News reliability, advertising influence, the role of journalism

You don’t need to memorize answers for each topic. But you should practice forming opinions and supporting them with reasoning across these categories. That breadth of practice is what separates a Band 6 from a Band 7.

How Examiners Score IELTS Speaking Part 3

Your score isn’t based on whether your opinions are “correct.” Examiners assess four criteria, each weighted equally on a 0–9 band scale:

Criterion	What Examiners Look For	Part 3 Significance
Fluency and Coherence	Sustained speech without unnatural hesitation; logical flow of ideas	Can you discuss abstract topics without constantly stalling?
Lexical Resource	Range and precision of vocabulary; use of idiomatic language	Do you move beyond basic words when discussing complex ideas?
Grammatical Range and Accuracy	Variety of sentence structures; control of tenses and clauses	Can you use conditionals, passive voice, and complex sentences naturally?
Pronunciation	Clear speech, natural intonation, correct word stress	Do you sound intelligible and natural, not robotic?

The key word there is sustained. ILETS Speaking Part 3 specifically tests whether you can keep an abstract discussion going, not whether you’ve memorised impressive phrases. Examiners are trained to spot rehearsed responses, and those actually hurt your Fluency and Coherence score.

For a deeper breakdown of what each band level requires, the public band descriptors on ielts.org are worth studying. If you’re targeting Band 7 or above, our guide on how to achieve a Band 7+ in speaking walks through what each criterion looks like at that level.

Types of Questions to Expect in IELTS Speaking Part 3

The questions are abstract and discussion-based. They ask you to analyse, compare, or evaluate broader societal topics linked to your Part 2 theme. Here are the main question types you’ll encounter:

Opinion questions — “Do you think governments should invest more in public transport?” These ask for your personal stance. The examiner wants a clear position plus reasoning.

Comparison questions — “How is education different now compared to 20 years ago?”
You need to identify differences (or similarities) and explain why they exist.

Speculation questions — “How might technology change the workplace in the future?”
These test your ability to use conditional and future structures naturally.

Evaluation questions — “What are the advantages and disadvantages of social media for young people?” You’re weighing both sides, but you should still lean toward a conclusion rather than sitting on the fence.

Cause and effect questions — “Why do you think more people are moving to cities?”
Identify the reasons and connect them logically.

Each question type rewards a different skill, but they all share one requirement: extended, well-reasoned answers. One-sentence responses won’t cut it here.

The A-R-E-C Structure: How to Build Stronger Answers

One of the most effective frameworks for structuring IELTS speaking part 3 responses is the A-R-E-C method. It gives your answers shape without making them sound scripted:

• A — Answer — State your opinion or position directly. Don’t hedge for three sentences before getting to your point. Lead with what you think.
• R — Reason — Explain why you hold that view. This is where your critical thinking shows. Give a clear, logical justification.
• E — Example — Ground your argument with a concrete example. Personal experience, a news story, a trend you’ve observed—anything specific beats a vague generality.
• C — Conclusion — Wrap up briefly by restating your position or adding a final thought. This signals to the examiner that you’ve completed your answer.

Here’s what this looks like in practice. Say the examiner asks: “Do you think children should learn a second language at a young age?”

Answer: “Yes, I believe starting early gives children a significant advantage.”
Reason: “Young children’s brains are more adaptable to picking up new sounds and grammatical patterns, which gets harder after puberty.”
Example: “In countries like the Netherlands and Sweden, children start learning English from age 5 or 6, and by their teens, most are nearly fluent.”
Conclusion: “So early exposure seems to make the whole learning process more natural and effective.”

That’s roughly 30–40 seconds of speech. Natural. Structured. Exactly what examiners want to hear.

Common Mistakes That Cost You IELTS Speaking Part 3 Bands and How to Fix Them

Giving one-word or one-sentence answers. IELTS Speaking Part 3 isn’t Part 1. When an examiner asks an abstract question, a short answer signals that you can’t sustain discussion, which directly lowers your Fluency and Coherence score. Use the A-R-E-C structure to extend naturally.

Memorizing scripted answers. Examiners spot this immediately. The cadence changes, the vocabulary suddenly doesn’t match the rest of your speech, and you lose the natural flow of a real discussion. Rehearsing structures is fine. Rehearsing word-for-word responses is not.

Going off-topic. If the question is about education, don’t drift into a story about your holiday. Sounds obvious, but nerves make people ramble. Before you start speaking, take a breath and identify what the question is actually asking.

Overcomplicating grammar to “impress” the examiner. Honestly, this backfires more often than it helps. Cramming in obscure tenses or convoluted relative clauses that you haven’t fully mastered leads to error. Errors in complex structures count against your Grammatical Range and Accuracy score. Expressing your opinion clearly and naturally matters far more than squeezing in strange uses of the past perfect continuous.

Saying “I don’t know” and stopping. You’re allowed to not have a strong opinion. But say something. Try: “I haven’t thought about this much, but I suppose…” and then reason your way through it. The examiner is testing your language, not your expertise on the topic.

Not engaging with the examiner. Part 3 is a discussion, not an interview. If the examiner challenges your view, respond to their point rather than just repeating your original answer. This two-way exchange is a chance to show flexibility and natural conversational English.

Effective Strategies for Answering IELTS Speaking Part 3 Questions

Beyond the A-R-E-C structure, a few tactical approaches make a real difference in IELTS Speaking Part 3:

Buy thinking time naturally. Phrases like “That’s an interesting question—I think…” or “Hmm, I’d say that…” give you a moment to organize your thoughts without awkward silence. What you want to avoid is long pauses with no filler at all, or the classic “uh… uh… uh…” chain.

Use discourse markers. Words like “however,” “on the other hand,” “as a result,” and “for instance” signal to the examiner that you’re organizing your ideas logically. These boost Coherence without any extra effort.

Develop opinions before the test. Go through the common topic categories listed above and practice forming a quick opinion on each. You don’t need detailed knowledge—just a stance and a reason. This habit removes the “blank mind” panic that hits when an unexpected question comes up.

Practice paraphrasing the question. Instead of repeating the examiner’s exact words, rephrase them in your own language. If they ask “What impact does technology have on education?”, start with something like “Technology has really changed how students learn, and I think the biggest effect is…” This shows lexical flexibility.

Acknowledge complexity. For evaluation questions especially, showing that you see both sides before committing to a position demonstrates sophisticated thinking. “While some argue that X, I personally believe Y because…” is a pattern worth internalizing.

Advanced Vocabulary and Grammar That Actually Help

A common misconception: you need rare, impressive words to score well. Not true. What examiners want is precision and range—using the right word for the right context, not the fanciest word you can remember.

That said, certain structures do signal higher-level English:

• Conditional structures — “If governments invested more in renewable energy, we’d likely see faster progress on climate goals.” (Mixed conditionals show grammatical range.)
• Passive constructions — “It’s often argued that…” or “This issue has been debated for decades.” (Useful for introducing viewpoints without over-using “I think.”)
• Cleft sentences — “What concerns me most is…” or “It’s the long-term impact that we should focus on.” (These add emphasis naturally.)
• Hedging language — “It tends to be the case that…” or “There’s a reasonable argument for…” (Shows nuance rather than absolutism.)
• Collocations and topic-specific vocabulary — Instead of “technology is bad for kids,” try “excessive screen time has been linked to shorter attention spans.” Specificity wins.

But here’s what matters more than any of these: expressing your opinion clearly. I’ve seen candidates tie themselves in grammatical knots trying to show off, and the result is incoherent speech with lots of errors. A Band 7 answer that uses relatively simple grammar correctly and fluently will outscore a Band 6 attempt at complex structures that falls apart mid-sentence.

Research from Cambridge English on speaking assessment consistently shows that communicative effectiveness is what separates higher bands from lower ones.

How IELTS Speaking Part 3 Preparation Differs from Conversational English Practice

Preparing for IELTS speaking part 3 isn’t the same as preparing for a regular English conversation or debate class. Here’s why.

General conversation practice is broad. You talk about whatever comes up: weekend plans, movies, food, travel stories. That’s great for building overall fluency, but it rarely pushes you to discuss abstract concepts like “the role of government in regulating technology” or “whether traditional education models are still relevant.”

Part 3 preparation is strategically focused. You’re working with predictable topic categories (education, technology, society, environment, health, media) and practicing how to develop and justify viewpoints within a timed format. The questions follow recognizable patterns, so you can train yourself to respond effectively to each type.

Think of it this way: general English practice builds your engine. Part 3 practice teaches you how to drive the specific course. You need both, but relying only on general conversation won’t prepare you for the abstract, opinion-driven nature of this section.

The ELT Journal has published research showing that targeted speaking practice—where learners focus on specific discourse types—produces faster improvement than unstructured conversation alone. This means candidates who drill Part 3 question types specifically tend to improve faster than those who just “speak more English.”

How to Practise IELTS Speaking Part 3 at Home

Record yourself answering practice questions. Pick a topic from the common list above, find Part 3 questions online (the British Council’s free practice tests are a solid starting point), and record your response. Then listen back. You’ll catch fillers, repetitions, and structural weaknesses you’d never notice in real time.

Use the A-R-E-C framework on paper first. Before speaking, write bullet points for each element. This trains your brain to organize ideas quickly. After a few weeks, you’ll start doing it automatically while speaking.

Shadow native speakers discussing abstract topics. Podcasts and panel discussions (BBC Radio 4, TED Talks, news debates) expose you to how fluent speakers structure arguments, transition between points, and use hedging language. Don’t just listen, but pause and try to respond to the same prompt in your own words.

Practise with AI-powered speaking tools. This is where technology has genuinely changed the game for self-study. Instead of waiting for a weekly tutoring session, you can get instant practice with real-time feedback on your fluency, vocabulary, and structure.

Practise Smarter with Speechful AI

One of the biggest challenges with IELTS Speaking Part 3 preparation is the lack of a conversation partner who can simulate exam conditions and give you targeted feedback. Friends and study partners help, but they can’t assess your language the way a trained ear can.

Speechful AI addresses this gap directly. It’s an AI-powered speaking practice tool designed specifically for IELTS candidates who want to build the kind of extended, opinion-based responses that Part 3 demands. You can practise answering abstract questions, get feedback on your fluency and coherence, and work through the exact topic categories that appear on test day—all from home, on your own schedule.

What users appreciate about Speechful is that it focuses on the discussion element. Rather than just letting you record monologues, it pushes you to develop and defend your ideas, which mirrors the real Part 3 experience far more closely than reading sample answers ever could.

If you’re serious about improving your Part 3 performance, give Speechful AI a try. Consistent, targeted practice is what moves the needle, and having an intelligent practice partner available 24/7 removes the biggest barrier most self-study candidates face.

Final Thoughts

IELTS speaking part 3 doesn’t have to be intimidating. The questions follow predictable patterns, the scoring criteria are publicly available, and the skills you need, such as forming opinions, supporting them with reasons and examples, speaking with natural flow, are all trainable.

Focus on the A-R-E-C structure until it becomes second nature. Drill the common topic categories until you can form a quick opinion on any abstract question. And prioritize clarity over complexity—examiners reward candidates who communicate effectively, not those who use the most complicated grammar.

The candidates who do well in this section aren’t the ones with the biggest vocabularies. They’re the ones who practise thinking critically in English, out loud, regularly. Start today, and by test day, IELTS Speaking Part 3 will feel less like an interrogation and more like a conversation you’re prepared for.