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Target: 7.0-7.5 IELTS Speaking Part 3 • Module 1

Inequality and Wealth

Let's build your vocabulary and knowledge before we start speaking.

📌

How to use this lesson

👨‍🏫 For Teachers

• Run this 30-minute speaking drill step-by-step with your students.

• Check these Module 1 review tasks together before moving on to individual recording.

🎓 For Learners

• First, warm up with the words, collocations, and high-impact sentence patterns below.

• Next, test your intuition on wealth facts so you have concrete ideas ready for Part 3.

Part 1: Key Vocabulary Review

Select the most accurate C1-level term to complete each context.

1. Coming from an exceptionally ________ background, he was offered top-tier tutoring and international internships without financial strain.

____ a. impoverished ____ b. affluent ____ c. marginalised

2. Emergency food vouchers and micro-grants help to temporarily ________ poverty, though systemic reforms are still imperative.

____ a. entrench ____ b. redistribute ____ c. alleviate

3. Without access to affordable higher education, upward social ________ remains virtually impossible for children born into low-income communities.

____ a. mobility ____ b. inheritance ____ c. deprivation

4. When regressive tax codes stay in place for generations, economic disparities become deeply ________ and resistant to change.

____ a. privileged ____ b. entrenched ____ c. affluent

5. Many progressive economists argue that inheritance taxes are essential to ________ wealth fairly among public services.

____ a. deprive ____ b. marginalise ____ c. redistribute

Part 2: Collocation Matcher

Match each academic collocation with its natural contextual meaning.

Collocation

A. Share money more fairly

B. A very hard life with too little money, food or shelter

C. Moving to a higher position in society

D. A gap that has lasted a long time and is hard to change

E. Make poverty less serious

F. Coming from a wealthy family

1. social mobility

____Share money more fairly ____A very hard life with too little money, food or shelter ____Moving to a higher position in society ____A gap that has lasted a long time and is hard to change ____Make poverty less serious ____Coming from a wealthy family

2. entrenched inequality

3. alleviate poverty

4. affluent background

5. redistribute wealth

6. severe deprivation

Part 3: High-Impact Spoken Patterns

Use these four openings in your answers.

PATTERN 1

Having [done]..., ...

Use it to give your own experience before your opinion.

Natural Spoken Example:

"Having grown up in a deprived area, she wants to help local families build stability."

PATTERN 2

Faced with [situation]..., ...

Use it to start with a problem.

Natural Spoken Example:

"Faced with rising housing costs, many young people have to rely heavily on their parents."

PATTERN 3

It is not just about..., but how...

Use it to say the answer is more than one thing.

Natural Spoken Example:

"It is not just about giving aid, but how communities build long-term support systems."

PATTERN 4

The more [X]..., the harder it is to [Y]...

Use it to say two things grow together.

Natural Spoken Example:

"The more entrenched the gap becomes, the harder it is for ordinary kids to move up."

Apply Pattern 1: Complete the opener

Type the missing opening word to create a natural participle phrase:

____ witnessed severe deprivation during his youth, the activist dedicated his career to public reform.

Apply Pattern 2: Complete the opener

Type the missing preposition to complete the introductory phrase:

Faced ____ crippling inflation, impoverished households often spend most of their earnings on food.

Part 4: Guess the Number

Guess the actual numbers documented in the World Inequality Report.

📊 FACT 1 Top 10% Wealth Share

According to the World Inequality Report, what percentage of total global wealth is owned by the richest 10% of the world's population?

____ 36% ____ 56% ____ 76%

📉 FACT 2 Poorest 50% Income Share

What percentage of total global income is earned by the poorest half (50%) of the global population?

____ 0.85% ____ 8.5% ____ 28%

💡

Examiner Insight (Part 3)

You don't need to quote exact percentages in the real exam! Use qualitative phrases like "an overwhelmingly disproportionate share" or "a tiny fraction of total earnings" to show natural Lexical Resource.

Module 2 • Speaking Practice Part 3 Discussion • 18 Minutes

Part 3 Speaking Practice

Now, let's put your ideas into practice with Part 3 speaking questions.

Answer each question aloud using the recording tool before reviewing the spoken model answer and phrase analysis.

Discussion Question

Why do some countries have a bigger gap between rich and poor than others?

Evaluation Criteria

Fluency and Coherence Lexical Resource Grammatical Range and Accuracy Pronunciation

🎙️ Voice Response Target length: 45–60 seconds

[Bài tập luyện nói]

____

💡 Model Answer & Language Notes Expand

Spoken Response (97 words)

"Well, honestly, I think it mostly comes down to government policies and historical legacy. In countries with weaker welfare nets, like where my uncle lived in Latin America, you see this really entrenched inequality because public healthcare and schooling get neglected. If tax systems don't redistribute wealth effectively, affluent families just keep pulling ahead while the rest struggle. Meanwhile, in places with free universities and progressive taxes, social mobility isn't blocked off so early. So yeah, it's not just about how wealthy a nation is overall, but how fairly the rules of the game are set up."

Phrase Notes for Spoken Delivery

entrenched inequality: a wealth gap that has lasted a long time and is hard to fix.

redistribute wealth: take tax money from the rich to pay for public needs.

affluent families: very rich families.

social mobility: the chance to move up in society.

it's not just about... but how...: a pattern to show the answer is more than one thing.

Discussion Question

Should people with high incomes pay a higher rate of tax?

Evaluation Criteria

Fluency and Coherence Lexical Resource Grammatical Range and Accuracy Pronunciation

🎙️ Voice Response Target length: 45–60 seconds

[Bài tập luyện nói]

____

💡 Model Answer & Language Notes Expand

Spoken Response (96 words)

"To be fair, yeah, I definitely believe they should. If governments don't ask top earners to contribute more, vital public services like clinics and local bus lines end up severely underfunded. My mom works as a nurse at a community medical center, and she's always telling us how tough it gets when basic supplies run short. Some people might argue that heavy taxation punishes success, but faced with severe deprivation in neglected areas, we desperately need that revenue. Ultimately, having watched local services struggle, I feel the people who earn most should pay a bit more."

Phrase Notes for Spoken Delivery

vital public services: important shared needs like clinics and schools.

faced with severe deprivation: use 'faced with' + a problem to start your point.

having watched local services struggle: using your own experience to make a point.

punishes success: makes it unfair for people who work hard.

Discussion Question

How much does the family a person is born into decide their future?

Evaluation Criteria

Fluency and Coherence Lexical Resource Grammatical Range and Accuracy Pronunciation

🎙️ Voice Response Target length: 45–60 seconds

[Bài tập luyện nói]

____

💡 Model Answer & Language Notes Expand

Spoken Response (93 words)

"Well, you know, I'd say family background plays a huge role, maybe even more than personal talent early on. Kids from an affluent background inherit not just financial security, but also valuable professional networks and informal mentoring. Take my high school classmate—his parents were corporate lawyers, so he secured elite internships before even finishing his degree. On the flip side, bright students from marginalised households often have part-time jobs just to get by. The more entrenched these advantages become, the harder it is for underprivileged kids to catch up, no matter how hard they work."

Phrase Notes for Spoken Delivery

affluent background: growing up in a very rich family.

inherit not just financial security: getting money, connections, and chances from your parents.

marginalised households: poor families left out of normal opportunities.

the more entrenched..., the harder it is...: the more..., the harder...: two things grow together.

Discussion Question

Is it fair for people to inherit large amounts of money?

Evaluation Criteria

Fluency and Coherence Lexical Resource Grammatical Range and Accuracy Pronunciation

🎙️ Voice Response Target length: 45–60 seconds

[Bài tập luyện nói]

____

💡 Model Answer & Language Notes Expand

Spoken Response (76 words)

"Honestly, it's a tough one. Parents naturally want to pass down wealth to protect their kids. I remember my granddad saving every penny from his shop for his children. But when massive fortunes get passed down tax-free, it creates a privileged head start. It doesn't reward hard work; it just entrenches privilege. Modest inheritances are fine, but huge family fortunes make things unfair. They stop ordinary people from ever competing on equal ground."

Phrase Notes for Spoken Delivery

pass down wealth: give money or property to your children.

privileged head start: an unfair early advantage from your family.

entrenches privilege: makes an unfair advantage last for a long time.

competing on equal ground: having the same chance as everyone else.

Discussion Question

What can schools do to give children from poorer families a fairer start?

A diverse classroom scene with students of various backgrounds learning together, bright and welcoming atmosphere, moder

Evaluation Criteria

Fluency and Coherence Lexical Resource Grammatical Range and Accuracy Pronunciation

🎙️ Voice Response Target length: 45–60 seconds

[Bài tập luyện nói]

____

💡 Model Answer & Language Notes Expand

Spoken Response (96 words)

"Well, you know, I truly believe public schools can do a lot to alleviate poverty early in life. First off, providing free nutritious breakfasts and subsidised learning devices makes an immediate difference. I recall back in my secondary school, several classmates couldn't afford personal laptops for weekend assignments, which put them at a disadvantage straight away. Beyond technology, schools need dedicated mentoring programs and free after-school tutoring. It is not just about teaching textbook facts, but how educators build long-term confidence and open doors that impoverished families might not know how to navigate."

Phrase Notes for Spoken Delivery

alleviate poverty: make daily life easier for poor people.

subsidised learning devices: cheap or free laptops for students.

at a disadvantage: in a worse position than others.

it is not just about... but how...: a pattern to show the answer is more than one thing.

impoverished families: very poor families.

Discussion Question

Will the gap between rich and poor grow or shrink?

Evaluation Criteria

Fluency and Coherence Lexical Resource Grammatical Range and Accuracy Pronunciation

🎙️ Voice Response Target length: 45–60 seconds

[Bài tập luyện nói]

____

💡 Model Answer & Language Notes Expand

Spoken Response (80 words)

"Honestly, I'm pretty pessimistic about this. I think the gap will probably just get wider. With AI and automation taking over, business owners will capture most of the productivity gains. Meanwhile, ordinary workers might lose their jobs. You can already see it locally; automated checkouts are replacing cashiers, leaving people scrambling. Faced with rapid technological disruption, governments rarely react fast enough. Unless leaders step in to redistribute resources and fund retraining, these economic divides will become even more entrenched."

Phrase Notes for Spoken Delivery

capture most of the productivity gains: take most of the new profits for themselves.

faced with rapid technological disruption: dealing with fast changes in technology.

redistribute resources: share money and funding more fairly.

become even more entrenched: become even harder to change.

Practice Completed!

Review your audio recordings, verify that you integrated contractions and natural linkers, and check your pronunciation against the sample phrasing.

Discussion Complete ✨

Inequality and Wealth: IELTS Speaking Part 3

Inequality and Wealth

How to use this lesson

Part 1: Key Vocabulary Review

Part 2: Collocation Matcher

Part 3: High-Impact Spoken Patterns

Having [done]..., ...

Faced with [situation]..., ...

It is not just about..., but how...

The more [X]..., the harder it is to [Y]...

Part 4: Guess the Number

Part 3 Speaking Practice

Why do some countries have a bigger gap between rich and poor than others?

Should people with high incomes pay a higher rate of tax?

How much does the family a person is born into decide their future?

Is it fair for people to inherit large amounts of money?

What can schools do to give children from poorer families a fairer start?

Will the gap between rich and poor grow or shrink?

Practice Completed!

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