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Lesson 26: Part 3 Mindset: Opinion + Develop

Phase 3Part 3Target: CoherenceTechnology & society
The one win

never give a one-line answer again — every reply becomes Opinion → Reason → Example → Other side.

Why this matters

Part 3 is where band 6 becomes band 7. The examiner is no longer asking about you — they are asking you to discuss abstract ideas about society. A band 6 gives a short opinion and stops; a band 7 "speaks at length without noticeable effort" and develops each idea with reasons and examples (see band descriptors cheatsheet, Fluency & Coherence: "develop each answer with a reason and an example"). This lesson installs the mindset that powers the whole phase: state a clear position, then keep going.

The Tip/Trick — the O-R-E-O answer

Most Vietnamese learners answer Part 3 like Part 1: one sentence, then silence. The fix is a mental loop you run on every question:

Opinion → Reason → Example → Other side.

  • Before (band 5): "Yes, technology is good for society. It helps us." (7 words of content, then a pause)
  • After (band 7): "I'd argue that technology is, on balance, a force for good — mainly because it removes barriers. Take online education, for instance: a student in a rural province can now take the same course as someone in Hanoi. That said, I do think it widens the gap for people without reliable internet."

Same opinion. Four times the development. You are not being asked to be right — you are being asked to talk fluently and logically. OREO guarantees you always have a next sentence.

Grammar Focus — Opinion + stance phrases ("I'd argue that")

Rule: Signal your position clearly at the start of the answer, then support it. A vague opener ("Maybe yes, maybe no…") sounds like a band 5 stalling. A confident stance phrase buys you thinking time and scores for coherence. Link: grammar structures → Opinion + stance phrases.

Three examples on Technology & society:

  1. I'd argue that social media has done more to divide communities than to connect them.
  2. As I see it, the real danger of AI isn't robots — it's people trusting it blindly.
  3. There's no doubt that smartphones have reshaped how we form relationships, for better or worse.

Vary your openers across an answer so you don't repeat "I think" five times — that repetition alone can cap you at band 6.

Vocabulary Cluster — Technology & society

Discussion phrases and collocations for the technology theme. Use them naturally, not as a list to recite.

  • a double-edged sword — something with both good and bad effects — Social media is a double-edged sword: it connects us but also isolates us.
  • on balance — weighing everything up — On balance, I think the benefits outweigh the drawbacks.
  • bridge the gap — reduce a difference between groups — Online learning can help bridge the gap between cities and the countryside.
  • at our fingertips — instantly available — We have endless information at our fingertips, yet attention spans are shrinking.
  • a force for good — a positive influence overall — Used wisely, technology is a force for good.
  • the digital divide — the gap between those with and without tech access — The digital divide became obvious during the pandemic.
  • reshape the way we... — fundamentally change a behaviour — Apps have reshaped the way we communicate.
  • come at a cost — have a downside — Convenience often comes at a cost to our privacy.
  • strike a balance — find a healthy middle point — We need to strike a balance between being connected and being present.

Drill these as flashcards — flip, then grade yourself.

Mastered 0/9

Answer Outline — the OREO framework

Use this skeleton for almost any Part 3 question:

  1. Opinion (stance phrase): "I'd argue that… / As I see it… / There's no doubt that…"
  2. Reason (because / which means): "— mainly because… / The reason I say this is…"
  3. Example (concrete, often personal or local): "Take ___, for instance / A good example would be…"
  4. Other side (concession): "That said… / Having said that… / Of course, others would argue…"

Aim for 3–5 sentences per answer (~30 seconds). You don't need all four every time, but always give at least Opinion + Reason + Example.

Model Answers: 5.0 vs 7.0

Question: Do you think technology has brought people closer together or pushed them apart?

Band 5.0: "I think technology bring people closer. Because we can chat with friend everywhere. But sometime it is bad. People use phone too much. So it is good and bad."

Band 7.0: "I'd argue that it's genuinely a double-edged sword. On one hand, it's brought people closer — I can video-call my cousin in Australia for free, which would have been unthinkable twenty years ago. On the other hand, it's pushed us apart in the same room; you only have to look at a family dinner where everyone's on their phones. So on balance, I'd say technology gives us the tools to connect, but whether we actually do is up to us."

What changed (upgrade moves):

  1. Clear stance + collocation: "I'd argue that… a double-edged sword" instead of "I think… good and bad."
  2. Developed both sides with examples: a concrete personal example (video-calling a cousin) and a vivid one (family dinner).
  3. Complex grammar: a relative clause ("which would have been unthinkable") and contrast linkers ("On one hand… On the other hand").
  4. Fixed grammar errors: "technology brings" (3rd-person -s), "a friend / friends" (articles/plurals).
  5. Strong closing line that resolves the answer instead of trailing off with "so it is good and bad."
Vietnamese-Speaker Pitfalls
  • Answering Part 3 like Part 1. Vietnamese learners often stop after one sentence because Vietnamese conversation rewards modesty/brevity. In Part 3 you must develop — silence reads as low fluency. Run OREO every time.
  • Dropped 3rd-person and plural -s. "Technology bring people", "many person". This is heard as both a grammar and a pronunciation error — it hits two criteria. Drill the -s/-z endings (pronunciation vietnamese, §2).
  • Overusing "I think". Rotate your stance phrases (§3) so range shows.

Your Turn (Record)

Record yourself on your phone. For each question, force a full OREO answer of at least 30 seconds. Do not script it — speak from notes only.

  1. Has technology made our lives easier or more complicated? (aim 30–40 sec)
  2. Do you think people rely too much on their phones these days? (aim 30–40 sec)
  3. In what ways has technology changed how people in your country communicate? (aim 40 sec)

Then re-record question 1 trying to add one more "Other side" sentence than your first take.

Your turn — record & get scored

Part 3
Prompt
  • Has technology made our lives easier or more complicated?
  • Do you think people rely too much on their phones these days?
  • In what ways has technology changed how people in your country communicate?
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0:00
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Self-Check + Spaced Review

Done when:

  • Every recorded answer had a clear stance phrase in the first sentence.
  • Every answer reached at least Opinion + Reason + Example (3+ sentences).
  • I used at least 3 phrases from the Vocabulary Cluster.
  • No answer trailed off into "so it's good and bad."
  • The AI examiner rated my development as "developed ideas" rather than "stopped too soon."

Spaced review (callbacks):

  1. Lesson 09 (Reasons & Examples): reuse "which means" and "for instance" — Part 3 lives on reasons and examples.
  2. Lesson 05 (Linking & Discourse Markers): recycle "on the other hand / having said that" to glue your OREO halves together.