IELTS Speaking Part 3 Sample Answer

These are high-scoring sample answers for the following IELTS Speaking Part 3 questions – An Interesting Song. Read them to understand what you need to talk about and the kind of answers you need to start your IELTS speaking test well.

Sample Answers

An Interesting Song

1/ What are the differences between live concerts and online concerts?

I’m not exactly sure what the differences are. I’ve been to many, many live concerts, especially when I was younger, but I don’t believe I’ve ever seen an online concert in its entirety. I saw one on television not that long ago, which I imagine was quite similar, but it was good for different reasons, so let me compare them. So, when I went to live concerts when I was a kid, there really wasn’t many videos, so you saw maybe you saw your favourite singers and so on TV, on a TV show. But there weren’t videos like music videos like there are now and so that was your only chance to see them. Where if you went to a show, then you would see your singer, you would see everybody enjoying it together and so you would get that kind of very emotional kind know. It was like a group emotional experience. Whereas the concert I saw on TV recently, it looked a wonderful concert, it was a stadium concert in somewhere like Taiwan by this Taiwanese singer and he’s quite good and the stage show was amazing. I mean, really amazing. I imagine it was amazing because the whole show was being televised. But quite frankly, if you’re in a stadium and away at the back, it would have been very difficult to see what was going on and very difficult to pick out who the singer actually was.

2/ What kinds of people like traditional music?

I think, I don’t think there’s a particular kind of people that like traditional music. I think maybe there’s a kind of traditional music that people like to portray as their kind of nationalist, kind of folky, kind of this is the kind of music of our country. But that kind of music is played traditionally. But I’m quite sure that’s a segment that’s made to fit that mentality. I think this is a very grey area for me, really.

3/ What kinds of music do young people like?

I think the kinds of music young people like is also an extremely grey area because that is vast and eclectic. I think some young people can like, really, for example, death metal, but they can also like some sad and sentimental singer that will sing about long-lost love. So, I’m quite sure some young people will only like their genre, their chosen genre, so they can like the same music as their friends, and they can identify with that group, while others will remain further in the background and like a wider range. I think there are also these people who are like the death metal fans who also like things that they won’t admit to.

4/ Why are many music competitions popular?

I think these days music competitions are incredibly popular because you can find new stars and especially if you watch them on TV, then everybody becomes a judge. And so, people have maybe watched these programmes before, they’ve heard the judges’ comments before and so they’re much more critical of the good points and bad points of these music musicians or singers. And so, I think they’re incredibly popular because of that. They really draw you in and make you feel like you know exactly what you’re talking about. I feel.

IELTS Speaking Part 3 Analysis

This is my opinion of the above answers. The answer was given as in a test, with minimal preparation time.

Question 1 – Good answer, but really long. I think the whole answer could have been more concise with less hesitation.

Question 2 – Average answer. he feels his way through the answer, probably because he thinks the question is a bit strange. Too much hesitation and a little short overall.

Question 3 – Good answer. Logically structured, although some hesitation in places.

Question 4 – Good, insightful answer about why people like watching singing competitions.

Less Common and Idiomatic Vocabulary

in its entirety – as a whole, completely
I imagine – I guess (here)
stadium – an athletic or sports ground with tiers of seats for spectators
quite frankly – to be honest
pick out – to see someone or something clearly
a grey area – unclear
vast – of very great extent or quantity; immense
eclectic – deriving ideas, style, or taste from a broad and diverse range of sources
death metal – a form of heavy rock music using lyrics preoccupied with death, suffering, and destruction
sentimental – feelings of tenderness, sadness, or nostalgia about the past
genre – a style or category of art, music, or literature
identify with – to feel that you can understand and share the feelings of someone else
in the background – avoids being noticed, although the things that they do are important or influential
to admit to something – to acknowledge the truth or existence of (something)
incredibly – to a great degree, extremely
a judge – someone appointed to decide in a contest or competition
comments – a verbal or written remark expressing an opinion or reaction
critical – expressing the merits and faults of a work of literature, music, or art
draw you in – to make someone become involved in a situation