IELTS Speaking topic: Education

IELTS Speaking 
topic: Education
💚💚💚💚
Part 1 – sample questions
Are you a full-time or part-time student?
What subject(s) are you studying?
Why did you choose this/these subject(s)?
Which topic/subject do you find the most difficult/interesting?
What was your favourite subject when you were at school?
What do you plan to do when you finish studying?
Is there anything else you would like to study in the future?

Part 2 – sample task card
Describe a teacher that had a positive influence on you.
You should say:
what subject this teacher taught
how long he/she was your teacher
what positive attributes this teacher had
and explain why you remember this teacher in particular.

Part 3 – sample questions
Some people say that your school days are the best days of your life. Do you agree?
Do you think school and university prepares young people adequately for real life?
Do you agree there is too much pressure on young people at school these days?
Some people argue that end-of-year exams should be replaced by continuous assessment. What do you think?
Have there been significant changes in schooling methods in your country in recent years?
Do you think schools and universities provide enough careers advice to their students?

Useful Vocabulary
School
nursery / primary / secondary school / education
state school / private school / boarding school
all girls / all boys / single-sex / co-ed school
to go to / attend school
the curriculum / syllabus
extra-curricular activities
school trips / holidays
school playground / dinners / uniform
school pupils / teachers
schoolchildren / schoolboy / schoolgirl
to sit / do / take an exam
to resit / retake an exam
to revise / to study (for an exam)
to pass / to fail an exam
to get exam results
to get qualifications / to be qualified
to leave school / a school-leaver
to drop out of school / a dropout
to be academic / to be an all-rounder
University/College

tertiary / higher / further education
colleges of higher education / technical colleges / universities
to apply for a course
to get an (un)conditional offer
to do a course in [subject]
halls of residence / student accommodation
student union / student body
a fresher / an undergraduate / a graduate
a graduation ceremony
to get a university degree / a Masters / a Doctorate (Phd)
to graduate from university / to graduate in [subject]
a postgraduate student / course
to do / take a postgraduate course / a Masters / a PhD (Doctorate)
to be a qualified [job title] / to qualify in [subject]
to take a gap year
to drop out of university
Useful linkers for contrasting ideas

However....
...whereas / while...
On the one hand…. but on the other hand…
Although / Even though…
Despite (the fact that)…
But…

Sample Answer
Is there a system of free state education in your country?
In my country there is a state education system offering free education for children from 3-18, although parents still have to pay for food, materials, school trips and other extra-curricular activities. This is only one part of the system, however, because there are also private schools and semi-private schools, which are partly funded by the state. So on the one hand it appears that we do have free state education, but in actual fact it isn’t available to everyone because places are limited.
💙💙💙💙💙💙