IELTS Speaking Part 3: The Media & News (Band 9 Sample)
IELTS Speaking Part 3 broadens your Part 2 topic into an abstract discussion — here, the media and the news. 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: How do most people get their news these days?
The landscape has shifted enormously. A generation ago, most people relied on newspapers and the evening television bulletin, whereas now the vast majority get their news online, often through social media feeds on their phones. What strikes me most is how much more fragmented and constant it has become — instead of sitting down to read the paper once a day, people are drip-fed headlines all day long, which I'm not sure is entirely healthy.
contrast past and present, add a viewQ: Do you think the news we see is always reliable?
Sadly, no — and I think this has become one of the defining problems of our time. Traditional outlets still have editors and fact-checkers, so they're generally trustworthy, but a huge amount of what circulates online is unverified, biased or simply false. The trouble is that misinformation often spreads faster and more widely than the truth, because it's designed to be sensational, which makes it genuinely hard for ordinary people to know what to believe.
answer, then explain the mechanismQ: Is it important for people to keep up with the news?
On balance, yes — being informed is part of being an engaged citizen, and it's hard to make good decisions, from voting to everyday choices, without knowing what's going on in the world. That said, I do think there's such a thing as too much news. Constant exposure to a stream of mostly negative headlines can leave people anxious and overwhelmed, so I'd argue for staying informed but being selective about it.
agree, then qualifyQ: What responsibilities do the media have to society?
A great deal, in my view, because they hold real power. Their primary responsibility is to report accurately and fairly, and to hold those in power to account — a free press is one of the cornerstones of a healthy democracy. However, there's a constant tension with the commercial pressure to attract attention, which pushes some outlets towards sensationalism and clickbait. I think the best media manage to inform responsibly without simply chasing whatever generates the most outrage.
name the duty, flag the tension02 · Why this scores Band 9
Each answer builds an argument in stages — claim, reason, example, then a qualifying turn ("which I'm not sure is entirely healthy", "That said...") — so the discussion develops rather than lists points. The delivery holds across the longer turns without hesitation.
Media-and-society vocabulary is precise and idiomatic — "the evening bulletin", "drip-fed headlines", "fact-checkers", "spread misinformation", "hold those in power to account", "clickbait" — and the collocations carry the argument rather than decorating it.
A wide range is handled accurately: a "whereas" contrast, a "so... that" implied structure ("misinformation spreads faster... which makes it hard to know what to believe"), and a concessive ("However, there's a constant tension with the commercial pressure"). 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 to know about specific news outlets?
No. Part 3 tests reasoning in English, not media knowledge. A clear opinion backed by logic and a plausible example ('misinformation spreads faster because it's sensational') scores far higher than naming particular newspapers or channels.
Can I mention social media and the internet?
Yes — the shift to online news is central to this topic, and discussing it thoughtfully shows range. Just make sure you answer the specific question rather than drifting into a general technology discussion.
Is it okay to be critical of the media?
Absolutely — a critical, balanced view (praising accountability but warning about sensationalism) shows exactly the developed thinking band 9 rewards, as long as you support it with reasons.
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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