IELTS Speaking Part 3: Advertising & Marketing (Band 9 Sample)
IELTS Speaking Part 3 broadens your Part 2 topic into an abstract discussion — here, advertising and marketing. A band-9 answer states a clear view, develops it with reasons and concrete examples, and weighs the other side before landing a balanced conclusion. Below are four common discussion questions with band-9 model answers, plus why they score 9 and the collocations worth stealing.
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01 · Discussion questions & Band 9 answers
Q: Why is advertising so common nowadays?
Fundamentally, it's because it works and because there's so much competition. In a crowded market, companies simply can't survive if people don't know their product exists, so they spend enormous sums to grab our attention. What's changed recently is that digital technology has made advertising far cheaper and more targeted — companies can now track your behaviour and show you adverts tailored specifically to you, which is why it feels like ads follow us everywhere.
give the reason, then what changedQ: Do you think advertising influences what people buy?
Enormously, and often without us realising it. The most effective advertising doesn't really sell the product itself — it sells a feeling or an identity, so we come to associate a brand with success, happiness or belonging. Over time, that quietly shapes what we see as desirable. I'd like to think I'm immune to it, but honestly, I know I'm not, and that's exactly what makes it so powerful.
explain the mechanism, then admit itQ: Should there be more control over advertising?
I do think some tighter controls are justified, particularly to protect vulnerable groups. Advertising junk food or gambling to children, for example, strikes me as taking unfair advantage of people who can't critically evaluate it. That said, I wouldn't want to go too far, because advertising also funds a lot of free services we rely on, like search engines and social media. So it's about sensible limits rather than an outright ban.
support control, then set the limitQ: What makes an advertisement effective?
In my experience, the best adverts tell a story or trigger an emotion rather than just listing features. We forget facts almost instantly, but we remember how something made us feel — whether it made us laugh, or moved us, or aspire to something. A memorable slogan or a catchy tune helps too. Ultimately, effective advertising is less about information and more about lodging a brand in your memory so it springs to mind at the moment you decide to buy.
name the principle, back it with reasons02 · Why this scores Band 9
Each answer builds an argument in stages — claim, reason, example, then a qualifying turn ("What's changed recently is...", "That said...") — so the discussion develops rather than lists points. The delivery holds across the longer turns without hesitation.
Advertising vocabulary is precise and idiomatic — "grab our attention", "targeted", "sell a feeling", "take unfair advantage", "a catchy tune", "spring to mind" — and the collocations carry the argument rather than decorating it.
A wide range is handled accurately: a "so" result clause ("companies can't survive if people don't know their product exists, so they spend enormous sums"), a cleft ("that's exactly what makes it so powerful"), and a comparison ("less about information and more about lodging a brand in your memory"). Complex ideas come out without breakdown.
Longer turns are chunked into clear thought groups with stress on the contrast words, so the intonation signals emphasis and qualification the way a fluent debater's would.
03 · Useful phrases for this topic
Tap a phrase to see what it means and how to use it. Natural phrases like these lift your Lexical Resource score.
04 · Frequently asked questions
Do I need marketing knowledge for this topic?
No. Part 3 tests reasoning in English, not marketing theory. A clear opinion backed by logic and a plausible example ('the best ads sell a feeling, not a product') scores far higher than industry jargon you're unsure of.
Can I admit that advertising affects me?
Yes — a self-aware answer ("I'd like to think I'm immune, but I know I'm not") sounds natural and honest, and shows exactly the developed, spontaneous speech band 9 rewards.
How do I handle a "should there be more control" question?
Take a position, then set its limits. This model supports controls to protect vulnerable groups but warns against going too far, since advertising funds free services — a balanced, decided view rather than sitting on the fence.
How long should each answer be?
Three to five sentences: state your view, give a reason, add an example or a concession. Long enough to develop the idea, short enough to keep the discussion flowing.
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