IELTS Speaking Part 3: develop an opinion without memorising a script

A question about society can feel harder than one about your weekend. You may start searching for an impressive idea before you have even begun speaking. A more useful practice habit is to choose an understandable position, explain it, and then explore its limits.

Start with an answer you can explain

Try this practice question: ‘Why do some people prefer shopping online?’ An opening such as ‘Convenience is probably the main reason’ gives your answer a direction. Then explain what convenience means: comparing prices at home, ordering after work, or avoiding a long journey. Choose one reason and develop it before adding another.

Make the example do some work

An example should support your reason. You could say: ‘For someone who works late, ordering groceries on a phone can save a separate trip to the supermarket.’ This hypothetical example is clear without inventing a survey or a statistic. Avoid claiming that everyone behaves the same way.

Add a useful contrast

Now consider a limit: ‘However, people may still prefer a shop when they want to try something on.’ The contrast helps you explore the question. It is useful because it changes the meaning of your answer, not because ‘however’ is a special scoring word.

• Opinion: convenience can make online shopping attractive.
• Reason: it fits around a busy schedule.
• Example: a person working late can order groceries at home.
• Limit: trying on clothes may still make a physical shop preferable.

Practise flexibility, not a fixed formula

Record an answer, then respond to a different follow-up: ‘Will local shops disappear?’ Reuse relevant ideas but change the structure to suit the question. You might compare types of shops or describe a possible future. If you use ‘it depends’, explain what it depends on immediately.

Review one thing at a time

On the first listen, check whether your position was clear. On the second, check whether your example supported it. Finally, notice repeated words or sentences you abandoned. Re-record once with a specific improvement, then try a new question so you do not simply memorise the corrected answer.