After finishing part 2, part 3 of the speaking starts. This is mostly called a discussion with the examiner. Just because the examiner will ask you 4 to 7 questions (depending on how much you talk) during 4 to 5 minutes. It’s not really a discussion because he will not present counter arguments or really go into discussion with you. Still, He/she will ask some follow up questions, like why, how, what do you think, …. To ask for some more information or clarification.

To make it a bit easier and to keep the flow of the conversation, the questions in part 3 are always in some way connected to the question you received in part 2. Still there are 2 major differences:

1.You do not have any time to prepare your answers. So, no 1 minute to think about what you want to say. You need to answer on the spot.

2.The questions in part 3 are more abstract, while the question in part 2 is about a concrete situation that you have experienced.

Example

Speaking part 2

Describe someone in your family who you really admire.

You should say:

what relation this person is to you

what are your first memories of this person

how often you see this person

and explain why you really admire this person.

Speaking part 3

Is family important in your country?

How has the size of the family changed in the last few decades in your country?

How do you think the family will change in the future?

What role do grandparents play in the family in your country?

Who do you think should be responsible for the care of the elderly, the family or the government?

Why is the number of joint families decreasing in modern time?

Is it better to grow up in a small family or a large extended family?

Looking at the difference between both Parts you can see how the first Part you have to talk about something that you personally experienced or know about. Like in the example someone in your family you really admire. However, in part 3 the questions are more abstract. You need to provide your opinion on subjects related to the Part 2 family topic.

Since you are talking in a more abstract way and you do not have the actual time to prepare Part 3 of the exam is the final bottleneck where many students get stuck and fail to show of their real English skills. This means that Part 3 is the part that can potential stop you to achieve more than a 6.5. You will have to really show off some more advanced grammar and vocabulary to achieve a 7 or higher.

When part 3 is over, the examiner will let you know and then you are free to leave

Example video of speaking part 3

Watch the video and answer some of the questions to familiarize yourself with Speaking Part 3