What are the differences between famous people today and those in the past?

Compare & Contrast Question

This is what we call a compare and contrast question’. This is one of the most difficult types of questions to answer in IELTS speaking part 3. It invites you to talk about 2 different things. It could be the past and present, different people or different areas.

How can you answer these questions?

Answering is actually very simple but many students get confused and end up talking themselves in circles. To avoid this follow my advice.

Organize Your Answer

2. Talk about one thing then the other

It is as simple as that. By keeping the 2 things separate, you can easily think and talk about each thing at a time.

This is my answer to the above question:

Back in the day, celebrities were famous for their business exploits, like Henry Ford, or for their talent. For instance, Elvis was a well-know singer or Audrey Hepburn, a famous actress.

These days the same is true to some extent but many people are simply famous for being famous. Take the Kardasians for instance, their incredible popularity isn’t based on any particular talent but rather having a rich father and an ultra-glamorous lifestyle.

This is the video that I have made answering questions on the topic of famous people.

Linking phrase/Discours marker

Back in the day (phrase) – Introduce something in the past

Take the….for instance (phrase) – Way to introduce something

Vocabulary

Business exploits (collocation) – Business achievements

Talent (n) – Something someone is good at

Incredible (adj) – Amazing (very good)

Popularity (n) – Being liked and admired by many people

Ultra-glamorous (adj) – Very appealing and luxury

Now it is your turn to answer a question. Answer the following question using the technique above

What are the differences between the homes people live in nowadays and to where they lived in the past?