Discussing Cities and Problems

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Part 3 Preparation

Intermediate

Learning Objectives

In this lesson you will:

Practice answering questions based on Part 3 of the IELTS Speaking test.
Learn and practice vocabulary for talking about problems facing cities, and language for organizing your ideas.
Practice pronouncing /ts/ as in "cats" & /tʃ/ as in "catch."

Exercise 1

Warm-Up: Pronunciation Practice

Listen and Repeat

Listen and repeat after your tutor.

A) cats

B) catch

A) mats

B) match

A) bats

B) batch

A) beats

B) beach

A) mitts

B) Mitch

Quiz

Your tutor will choose 5 words and say them aloud. After each word, say whether it is from Group A or Group B.

Quiz Your Tutor

Choose 5 words and say them aloud. After each word, your tutor will say whether it is from Group A or Group B.

Exercise 2

Helpful Vocabulary

Listen and repeat these words with your tutor.

Infrastructure and Public Services

housing
hospitals
roads
schools
libraries
water supply
electricity
public transportation

Listen and repeat these phrases with your tutor.

Problems Facing Cities

disease
overcrowding
unaffordable housing
unemployment
low wages
poor living conditions
pollution
high cost of health care

Tell your tutor which of these problems affect your city.

For example:

"Overcrowding is a problem in my hometown."

"Disease isn't really a problem in my city."

Exercise 3

Speaking Test Part 3 Dialogue

Read the dialogue based on Part 3 of the IELTS Speaking test with your tutor. You will be the examiner. At the end, you will need to answer 3 questions.

	Examiner What are the major problems your home town or city faces?
	Yan-ting My city has quite a few issues. One of the biggest is the high cost of living. Housing prices have become unaffordable, and wages are getting lower. It's also becoming more and more difficult for young people to get good jobs.
	Examiner Why do you think so many people move to cities?
	Yan-ting I think there are a number of different reasons, but probably the most common would be that they're looking for a better life. I'd say many people who move to the city from the countryside want to get better jobs or better education for their children. Cities offer a much better standard of living in my country.
	Examiner What problems does overcrowding in cities cause?
	Yan-ting Overcrowding can cause lots of problems. First of all, it puts pressure on the infrastructure in areas that aren't able to deal with large numbers of people. For example, hospitals and schools can only deal with certain numbers of people, and overcrowding puts pressure on these services. And on top of that, there's the pressure on services such as water, electricity, and public transportation. And finally, overcrowding leads to poor living conditions, which can speed up the spread of disease.

Questions

What issues is Yan-ting's city facing?

What does Yan-ting think is the main reason why people move to the city?

What are the three main problems Yan-ting thinks overcrowding can bring?

Exercise 4

Useful Language

Yan-ting uses these phrases to organize his ideas. Listen and repeat them with your tutor.

One of the biggest is ...
... also ...
I think there are a number of different reasons ...
First of all, ...
And on top of that, …
Finally, ...

Exercise 5

Fill in the Blanks

Read the dialogue based on Part 3 of the IELTS Speaking test with your tutor and fill in the blanks. Your tutor will be the examiner.

	Examiner Why do you think so many people move to cities?
	Mr. Nakamura There are a number of different reasons, but probably the(1) common would be to get access to better (2). First of all, most big companies are located in cities. And on top of that there is much better (3) in big cities generally, better (4), school and more (5) choices. It's also easier to find a job that pays a high salary in big cities.
	Examiner What problems does overcrowding in cities cause?
	Mr. Nakamura A lot of issues can happen if a city is too (6). One (7) the biggest is the pressure on the infrastructure. There may be too many children in (8) or not enough space in the hospitals. This can lead to even more problems.

Choose answers from the options below that fit in blanks 1 to 8

Answer Pool (Questions 1-8)

housing
hospitals
most
of
crowded
infrastructure
schools
jobs

Exercise 6

Part 3 Test Practice

Answer these questions based on Part 3 of the IELTS Speaking test.

What are the major problems your home town or city faces?

Why do you think so many people move to cities?

What problems does overcrowding in cities cause?

If you could live anywhere, where would you live and why?