IELTS Speaking Part 3 Sample Answers for a Question You Disagree With
Four IELTS speaking part 3 sample answers for questions built on an assumption you disagree with, plus the two-second premise check, three moves for answering politely and a ten-question recording drill.
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What the examiner is scoring when the question carries an assumption
Why do people care more about money than free time? is not asking for your opinion. The Speaking test runs 11 to 14 minutes in three parts, and Part 3 is a four to five minute discussion that follows the Part 2 topic. Four criteria decide the band: fluency and coherence, lexical resource, grammatical range and accuracy, and pronunciation. Agreement is not one of them: the descriptors reward flexible discourse markers, coherent topic development and effective paraphrase.
| Assessment criterion | What it rewards when you push back |
|---|---|
| Fluency and coherence | One argument, not three restarts: concession, reframe, answer. |
| Lexical resource | Precise words for the claim you narrow, and paraphrase when the exact word will not come. |
How to hear a loaded premise in the first two seconds
A Part 3 question is loaded when it hides a claim inside a question word: a comparison (more than), a universal (everyone, nobody), a single cause (the only reason), or a presupposition (Why do people refuse to ...?).
The two-second check is to rebuild it as Is it true that ...?. Is it true that people care more about money than free time? has a qualified answer, and hearing that qualified no tells you which sentence your reply needs. If it sounds plainly true, answer the original.
Three moves: concede a part, reframe the claim, answer the reframed version
Move one is a concession that costs one clause: money does shape decisions, advertising does influence purchases, some teenagers do lose interest.
Move two restates the claim as something narrower: not that people care more about money, but that they care more about it when it is short. Most candidates skip it, and the descriptors reward it twice, as paraphrase and as coherence.
Move three answers your own version: one reason, one example, then stop.
Four false-premise questions answered move by move
The four IELTS speaking part 3 sample answers below are one candidate's, not a script to memorise.
Question one: Why do people care more about money than free time?
I'd accept that money worries shape a lot of decisions, but I'm not sure the comparison holds. Most people I know trade income for time once the basics are covered, so money matters when it is scarce and time matters when it is not.
The concession is I'd accept, which takes the pressure but not the ranking; the reframe is the scarcity condition; the example qualifies the claim.
Question two: Why is it that young people today have no interest in learning a second language?
Some of them clearly do, so I'd narrow that claim rather than defend it. What I see is interest without a reward that feels close. Language apps and exchange trips are popular with teenagers, but few keep going past the first months, because progress is slow and exams reward other subjects.
The concession is a correction, and five words beat an argument; the reframe swaps interest for persistence; the example explains the drop-out without blaming the students.
Question three: Do you think advertising is the only reason people buy things they do not need?
Advertising plays a part, but calling it the only reason is too strong. Buying is also social: a new phone can be about fitting in, and a discount can be about the pleasure of a bargain. I'd say advertising amplifies a wish that already exists rather than creating one.
The concession is the first four words, which hand over the point the examiner wanted; the reframe turns one cause into one of several; the last sentence answers as a claim.
Question four: Why do older people refuse to use technology?
I wouldn't say they refuse; many of them use it every day but quietly. My parents message, pay bills and follow the news on their phones, and what they resist is changing apps every year. I'd call it caution about learning something new, not a rejection.
The concession stays implicit, because nothing in the premise is worth accepting; the reframe replaces refusal with caution; the ordinary example is what persuades.
Polite wording that does not sound stiff
Disagreement fails when it sounds like a debate club or like an apology. Four phrases avoid both.
I'd push back slightly on the word "more"narrows a comparison without rejecting the question.I'm not sure that's true across the boardsignals partial disagreement and buys a second.That's fair for some people, butconcedes and turns inside one clause.If I rephrase the question,announces the reframe so the examiner can follow it.
Avoid No, that's wrong, and avoid I completely agree when you do not: the first sounds hostile, the second makes you defend a position you do not hold.
Ten questions to record, checked against three markers
Record one answer per question, 45 to 60 seconds each, and listen back before the next.
Why do people care more about money than free time?Why do young people today avoid reading?Is advertising the only reason people buy things they do not need?Why do older people refuse to learn new technology?Do you think everyone wants to be a manager?Why is it that city life is always better than village life?Is money the only thing that motivates people to work hard?Why do people today have no patience for long films?Do you think exams are the best way to measure ability?Why does everyone prefer online shopping these days?
Three markers decide whether the recording worked: did the opening clause accept part of the claim; did you restate the claim in one sentence you could defend; did the rest give one example and one qualification without restarting? If two are missing, the weak point is the reframe, so re-record with it written as five words.
Frequently asked questions
How can I practice IELTS Speaking Part 2 cue cards and Part 3 questions with feedback on my own recordings?
Practise in pairs: one Part 2 cue card with a one-minute plan and a two-minute turn, then three Part 3 questions on the same topic, all recorded. Ask a teacher or speaking partner to comment on two things only: the reframe sentence and one piece of linking language.
how many questions in ielts speaking part 3
There is no published fixed number. Part 3 is a four to five minute two-way discussion, and the official sample task shows an examiner frame with three numbered questions plus follow-ups, so the count depends on how long each answer runs.