What Part 3 is, in one paragraph
VSTEP Speaking Part 3, Topic development (Phát triển chủ đề), is the long turn at the end of the 12-minute Speaking test: you give a short talk on a given topic, using the suggested ideas or your own, and then answer some follow-up questions on the same topic. The ULIS test format page says: "Test takers give a talk about a topic with suggested ideas or their own ideas. There are some follow-up questions when they finish their talk." The ULIS format PDF adds that the closing questions are discussion questions on the topic (câu hỏi thảo luận về chủ đề trên). The skill being tested is in the part's name: development. A talk that lists the three suggested ideas in a minute has not developed anything. A talk that takes each idea, explains it, gives an example and says why it matters, then adds one idea of its own, fills the time and shows every criterion. This page explains the mind map, how development is heard, a talk structure, two full model talks (B2 and C1), 20 topics with outlines and 30 follow-up questions. ULIS is the University of Languages and International Studies at Vietnam National University, Hanoi, the home centre of the test.
- Task: a talk on a given topic, with suggested ideas or your own, then follow-up questions (ULIS test format page).
- Vietnamese wording: "Thí sinh nói về một chủ đề cho sẵn, có thể sử dụng các ý được cung cấp sẵn hoặc tự phát triển ý của riêng mình. Phần 3 kết thúc với một số câu hỏi thảo luận về chủ đề trên." (ULIS format PDF)
- Time: 12 minutes for the whole Speaking test; no official time for Part 3. We practise it as 1 minute to plan, about 3 minutes to talk and about 1 minute of follow-ups.
- Marking: the five ULIS criteria. Two sub-points matter most here: developing ideas (khả năng mở rộng ý) and speaking in long stretches (khả năng nói các đoạn dài).
- At ULIS: the test is taken on computer (14 November 2026 notice), so you talk to a screen, not to a person.
How the mind map works
ULIS calls the prompts "suggested ideas" (các ý được cung cấp sẵn). Practice books and prep sites usually print them as a mind map: the topic in the centre, three branches with suggested ideas, and a fourth branch for your own ideas. We use that layout in our practice bank because it is the easiest way to plan; it is the common practice layout, not a copy of an official screen. To see how the official sample sets it out, open the sample test on the ULIS format page (a Google Drive file that would not open for us this week, so we have not described it).
Example prompt (written by TalkDrill, bank task P3-09)
Topic: People should do exercise regularly.
Suggested ideas: physical health | mental health | social life | your own ideas
Talk about the topic. You can use the ideas in the mind map or your own ideas.
Three rules for using it, all of which follow from the official wording:
- You may use all, some or none of the suggested ideas. ULIS is explicit: suggested ideas or your own. Most candidates should use all three, because they are free structure and save planning time.
- Add one idea of your own. Not because the rules require it, but because it is the clearest evidence of development. It is where B2 and C1 talks separate themselves from B1 talks that only read the branches.
- Do not stop at the branch label. "Mental health" is a heading, not a point. Turn it into a claim: "Exercise is one of the cheapest ways to deal with stress."
How examiners hear "development"
The ULIS criteria summary (read 21 October 2026) lists five Speaking criteria. Under content and organisation (bố cục nội dung) it names the relevance of the answer, the ability to develop ideas, and the range and accuracy of linking devices. Under fluency (độ lưu loát) it names smoothness and the ability to speak in long stretches. ULIS does not publish band descriptors for these, so the practical test below is ours: every point needs four steps.
| Step | What it does | Example (branch "physical health") |
|---|---|---|
| Point | Turns the branch label into a claim. | "The first reason is physical health." |
| Reason | Explains why the claim is true. | "Regular exercise strengthens the heart and keeps our weight under control." |
| Example | Makes it concrete: a person, a place, a habit. | "Many students sit for eight or ten hours a day, and by the third year a lot of my classmates complain of back pain." |
| So what | Says why it matters, and links back to the topic. | "Even thirty minutes of walking most days can prevent that, which is why I think exercise should be a habit, not a hobby." |
Here is the same branch at three levels. All three are written by TalkDrill and carry no official score.
- B1, listed: "First, exercise is good for health. It makes us strong." Two short sentences, no example, nothing to develop.
- B2, developed: "The first reason is physical health. Regular exercise strengthens the heart and keeps our weight under control. Many students sit for eight or ten hours a day, which can lead to back pain and illness later in life, and even thirty minutes of walking most days makes a real difference."
- C1, developed and weighed: "Physical health is the obvious argument, but it's worth being precise about it. The danger for most of us isn't a lack of sport; it's sitting still for ten hours a day. That's why short, regular activity, a brisk walk or the stairs instead of the lift, arguably matters more than an occasional game of football."
The B2 version is three times as long as the B1 version, and the length is all development. The C1 version is not longer than the B2 one; it is sharper, because it questions the obvious idea and refines it. That refinement is what the ULIS Level 5 description means by using language flexibly and effectively.
A talk structure that fills the time
Our practice targets for a talk of about three minutes. ULIS publishes no per-part time, so treat these as a rehearsal plan and follow the on-screen instructions on the day.
| Section | What to say | Practice time (ours) |
|---|---|---|
| Opening | The topic in your own words, your position if the topic is a statement, and the plan: "I will look at..., ... and ..., and then add one idea of my own." | 10 to 15 seconds |
| Idea 1 | Point, reason, example, so what. | About 40 seconds |
| Idea 2 | Point, reason, example, so what. Signpost: "The second reason is...", "Another important point is..." | About 40 seconds |
| Idea 3 | Point, reason, example, so what. Signpost: "Third,...", "Finally, as far as the suggested ideas go,..." | About 40 seconds |
| Your own idea | A genuinely new angle: a condition ("only if..."), a risk, a personal experience, or an idea the branches miss. | About 25 seconds |
| Conclusion | Restate the position in new words and summarise the ideas in one sentence. | 10 to 15 seconds |
In the planning minute, write no sentences. Write two keywords under each branch, one for the reason and one for the example ("heart / back pain"), and one word for your own idea. That is about nine words, which you can glance at without reading aloud.
For the follow-up questions, change gear. They are discussion questions, so answer each in three or four sentences: a direct answer, a reason, and an example or a condition. Do not start a second talk, and do not answer in one line. A useful opener is to show you have weighed the question: "I think it depends on...", "Not entirely...", "Yes, as long as...".
Model talk 1 (B2): volunteering
The prompt, the talk and the follow-up answers below were written by TalkDrill at B2 (VSTEP Level 4). They are not an official task or a real candidate's answer, and the friend's summer camp in the talk is an invented example used for teaching. The talk is about 310 words.
The prompt (written by TalkDrill)
Topic: Volunteering brings many benefits to young people.
Suggested ideas: new skills | helping the community | personal growth | your own ideas
Follow-up questions: 1. Should volunteering be compulsory for university students? 2. Why do some young people not volunteer?
"Today I am going to talk about the benefits of volunteering for young people. I believe the benefits are real and lasting, and I will look at three of them: new skills, helping the community and personal growth. Then I will add one idea of my own.
Let me start with skills. When young people volunteer, they often do things they would never do in a classroom. They might organise an event, manage a small budget or teach children. Last summer, a friend of mine volunteered at a summer camp for children in Hà Giang. She had to plan activities for forty children every day, and she says she learnt more about teamwork in three weeks than in three years of group projects.
The second benefit is to the community. Many organisations, from rural schools to animal shelters, depend on volunteers because they cannot afford to pay staff. Young people have energy and time, especially in the summer holidays, so they can make a real difference. Even simple work, like repairing a classroom or collecting rubbish on a beach, improves people's lives.
Third, volunteering helps young people grow as people. When you spend time with people whose lives are much harder than yours, you start to appreciate what you have. You also become more patient and more confident, because you have to deal with unexpected problems without a teacher to help you.
My own idea is that volunteering can help with careers. Employers often look for experience, and volunteering is a way to get it before your first job. It also shows that you are willing to work hard without being paid.
To sum up, volunteering gives young people practical skills, helps communities and builds character, and it can even help them find a job. That is why I think every student should try it at least once."
Follow-up 1: "I do not think it should be compulsory. If students are forced, they may do the minimum and not care about the people they are helping. It would be better for universities to give credits or certificates to encourage it."
Follow-up 2: "Mainly because of time and money. Many students have part-time jobs or extra classes, and some programmes ask volunteers to pay for their own travel and food. Others simply do not know where to find opportunities, so universities could advertise them more widely."
Why this is a B2 talk
| ULIS criterion | What the talk does |
|---|---|
| Content and organisation | States a position and a plan in the first two sentences. Each branch gets a point, a reason and an example. The own idea (careers) is new, not a repeat. The conclusion restates and closes. |
| Linking | A clear, accurate sequence: "Let me start with", "The second benefit", "Third", "My own idea is", "To sum up". Not stacked or overused. |
| Vocabulary | Topic phrases used naturally: "manage a small budget", "cannot afford to pay staff", "make a real difference", "builds character". |
| Grammar | Range without risk: relative clauses ("people whose lives are much harder"), conditionals in the follow-up ("If students are forced, they may..."), a comparison ("more about teamwork in three weeks than in three years"). |
| Fluency | Sentences short enough to say without stopping; enough content to speak for about three minutes. |
Model talk 2 (C1): artificial intelligence and learning
This prompt, talk and the follow-up answers were written by TalkDrill to show C1 (VSTEP Level 5). They are not official and not a real candidate's answer. The talk is about 335 words, not much longer than the B2 talk; the difference is in how the ideas are handled.
The prompt (written by TalkDrill)
Topic: Artificial intelligence will change the way students learn.
Suggested ideas: personalised learning | the role of teachers | honesty and cheating | your own ideas
Follow-up questions: 1. Should students be allowed to use AI tools for homework? 2. Will AI replace teachers?
"The topic I've been given is whether artificial intelligence will change the way students learn. My answer is that it already has, and that the real question is whether the change will be for better or worse. I'll look at personalised learning, the changing role of teachers and the problem of honesty, before adding a point of my own.
The most promising change is personalisation. In a class of forty, a teacher has to pitch the lesson at the middle, so the strongest students are bored and the weakest are lost. An AI tutor, by contrast, can adjust the pace to each learner, explain a maths problem three different ways at midnight, or set extra practice on exactly the grammar point you keep getting wrong. For students in rural areas, where specialist teachers are scarce, that could narrow a gap that has existed for generations.
That said, it doesn't make teachers redundant; it changes what they're for. If explanations are available on demand, the teacher's value shifts towards things a machine does poorly: motivating a student who has given up, running a discussion, noticing that someone is struggling at home. Teachers become less like lecturers and more like coaches.
The obvious risk is dishonesty. A student can now produce a fluent essay in seconds without understanding a word of it, and teachers can't always tell the difference. If schools respond only by banning the tools, they'll lose. The more sensible response is to change assessment: more spoken exams, more work done in class, and more marks for the process rather than the final product.
My own point is that AI may weaken something we rarely talk about: the value of struggle. Much of real learning happens when you're stuck and have to work your way out. If every difficulty is solved instantly, students may become efficient but shallow.
So, on balance, AI will transform learning, and largely for the better, provided that schools redesign assessment and students treat it as a tutor rather than a shortcut."
Follow-up 1: "Yes, but with clear rules. Banning them is unrealistic, since students use them anyway. I'd rather schools taught students to use them honestly, for instance by asking for explanations instead of answers, and to say when and how they used them."
Follow-up 2: "I very much doubt it. AI can deliver information, but schools aren't only about information; they're about relationships, discipline and learning to work with other people. What will probably disappear is the purely lecture-based lesson, and frankly that's no great loss."
What makes it C1 rather than B2
| Feature | Where it appears | Why it reads as C1 (TalkDrill) |
|---|---|---|
| Reframing the question | "the real question is whether the change will be for better or worse" | Shows control of the topic before the first point, so every later idea connects to one argument. |
| Ideas that respond to each other | "That said, it doesn't make teachers redundant; it changes what they're for." | The second branch answers the first instead of standing beside it. This is development across the talk, not only inside each point. |
| Precise collocation and idiom | "pitch the lesson at the middle", "narrow a gap", "efficient but shallow", "no great loss" | The vocabulary criterion includes idioms and fixed phrases; these are used naturally, not decorated on. |
| Hedged, conditional conclusion | "largely for the better, provided that..." | A judgement with a condition sounds measured; it is the opposite of a memorised "In summary, AI has many advantages and disadvantages". |
| An own idea that changes the argument | "the value of struggle" | A genuinely new angle that the suggested branches do not contain. |
If you are aiming at B2, copy the structure of model 1 and borrow one or two moves from model 2: a reframed opening and a concession ("That said,..."). Do not try to copy the C1 vocabulary wholesale; a phrase you cannot say fluently costs more on fluency than it gains on vocabulary.
20 Part 3 topics with outlines
Twenty more topics, all written by TalkDrill in the shape of the official task, each with three suggested ideas and an angle for your own idea. None of them repeats the ten topics in our practice bank, which have full B2 model talks, or the two model talks above. Plan each in one minute with two keywords per branch, then talk for about three minutes.
| # | Topic | Suggested ideas | An angle for your own idea |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Working from home has more advantages than disadvantages. | no commuting | flexible hours | saving money | Loneliness, and work and home life blurring together. |
| 2 | Students should wear school uniforms. | equality | discipline and school identity | cost to families | Freedom of expression, and uniforms only on some days. |
| 3 | Learning history is important for young people. | understanding the present | national identity | learning from mistakes | Training critical thinking about sources. |
| 4 | Fast food is harmful to young people. | nutrition | eating habits | convenience and cost | Advertising aimed at children. |
| 5 | Travelling abroad brings many benefits. | new cultures | language practice | independence | What it adds to a CV, and responsible travel. |
| 6 | The government should invest more in public transport. | less traffic | cleaner air | fair access for everyone | How land near stations could be used. |
| 7 | Young adults should live with their parents after graduating. | saving money | family support | caring for parents | Losing independence, and how long is too long. |
| 8 | Video games do more good than harm. | problem-solving skills | addiction | friendship and teamwork | Esports as a career, and parents' rules. |
| 9 | Friendship is one of the most important things in life. | emotional support | learning from others | health and happiness | Whether online friendships count. |
| 10 | University education should be free. | equal opportunity | cost to the state | how much students value it | Free study and teaching quality. |
| 11 | Shopping online is better than shopping in stores. | convenience | comparing prices | fake goods and returns | What happens to local shops. |
| 12 | Young people should start saving money early. | emergencies | future goals | good habits | Investing in skills as a kind of saving. |
| 13 | Living in a large family has many advantages. | support | sharing | costs | Why families are getting smaller. |
| 14 | Zoos should be closed. | protecting endangered species | education | animal welfare | Wildlife sanctuaries as an alternative. |
| 15 | Everyone should learn a musical instrument. | brain development | discipline | stress relief | Making friends through music. |
| 16 | Advertising does more harm than good. | information for buyers | jobs and the economy | manipulation | Advertising aimed at children. |
| 17 | Smartphones should be banned in schools. | concentration | safety and contact with parents | learning tools | Clear rules instead of a ban. |
| 18 | Cars should be banned from city centres. | air quality | safety | the effect on shops | What would replace cars, and for whom. |
| 19 | Reading the news every day is important. | being an informed citizen | conversation and work | stress and false news | How to choose reliable sources. |
| 20 | It is better to choose a job you love than a well-paid job. | motivation | financial security | long-term happiness | Having both at different stages of life. |
Topics 4 and 16 share an own-idea angle on purpose: an idea you have already developed once is easy to reuse when it genuinely fits. That is preparation, not memorisation, as long as you link it to the new topic.
30 follow-up questions and how to answer them
The ULIS format page says only that there are "some follow-up questions" after the talk, and does not say how many. Our practice timer allows about one minute, enough for two answers. These 30 questions are ours, grouped by theme so you can drill one theme a day. Answer each in three or four sentences: a direct answer, a reason, and an example or a condition.
Two worked answers (written by TalkDrill, B2)
"Should primary school children have homework?" "Some, but much less than they have now. Young children learn a lot from play and from time with their families, and long homework sessions can make them dislike school. Ten or fifteen minutes of reading every evening would be more useful than pages of exercises."
"Will people still read printed newspapers in twenty years?" "Probably only a small number of people. Most news is already read on phones because it is faster and free. However, I think printed papers may survive as a weekend habit for older readers, rather like vinyl records have survived for music fans."
| Theme | Follow-up questions |
|---|---|
| Education | 1. Should primary school children have homework? 2. Is it better to study at a university at home or abroad? 3. Should students choose their own subjects at school? 4. Are exams the best way to measure learning? 5. What makes a good teacher? |
| Technology | 6. Will people still read printed newspapers in twenty years? 7. Do smartphones make people less social? 8. Should children learn to code at school? 9. Is it safe to share personal information online? 10. Which invention has changed daily life most? |
| Environment | 11. Who should pay to clean up pollution? 12. Should plastic bags be free in shops? 13. Can one person really help the environment? 14. Should cities plant more trees or build more parking? 15. Will electric motorbikes replace petrol ones? |
| Work and money | 16. Is a high salary the most important thing in a job? 17. Should young people start their own businesses? 18. Is it better to stay in one job or change often? 19. Should everyone learn to manage money at school? 20. Will robots take many jobs in the future? |
| Society and family | 21. Should older parents live with their children? 22. Are young people today more independent than their parents were? 23. What can be done to help people in rural areas? 24. Should famous people be role models? 25. Is it important to keep traditional customs? |
| Health and lifestyle | 26. Why do many people not exercise enough? 27. Should unhealthy food carry a higher tax? 28. Is city life more stressful than country life? 29. How much screen time is too much? 30. Should companies give staff time to exercise? |
Three openers that buy a second without sounding empty: "It depends on...", "To some extent, yes, but...", "That's a difficult one; on balance, I'd say...". Use a different one each time. And if a follow-up connects to something you said in your talk, say so ("As I mentioned earlier..."): linking back is development too.
Six ways a Part 3 talk loses marks
These are common patterns in Part 3 talks. The criterion named is the ULIS criterion each one hurts most; the diagnosis is ours.
- Reading the mind map as a list. "First, physical health. Second, mental health. Third, social life." Finished in thirty seconds, nothing developed. Content and organisation (developing ideas).
- Finishing in ninety seconds. Half the evidence for fluency, which includes speaking in long stretches. Practise with a visible timer until three minutes feels normal. Fluency.
- No position on a statement topic. "Online learning can replace classroom learning" needs a yes, a no or a "partly", early and kept. Content and organisation (relevance).
- A fourth idea that repeats the first. "My own idea is that exercise is good for health" adds nothing. Use a condition, a risk or a personal angle. Content and organisation.
- Translated Vietnamese phrases in place of English collocations. "Festivals keep the soul of the nation" is a translation; "festivals keep our cultural identity alive" is English. Vocabulary.
- One-line answers to the follow-ups. The talk is over, but the marking is not. Three or four sentences each. Content and organisation, and fluency.
Pronunciation runs through all of them. A long talk is where final consonants and word stress slip, especially in topic words like "environment", "economic", "development" and "products". Our page on pronunciation errors Vietnamese speakers make in VSTEP covers the regional patterns, and TalkDrill's word stress read-aloud drill scores stress word by word.
How to practise Part 3 this week
One topic a day, about 20 minutes. The timings are ours.
- Plan (1 minute): pick a topic from the table above, write two keywords per branch and one for your own idea.
- Talk (about 3 minutes): record it with a visible timer. Do not stop the recording.
- Follow-ups (about 1 minute): answer two questions from the follow-up table, in the same recording.
- Check (5 minutes): for each idea, did you hear a point, a reason, an example and a "so what"? How long was the talk? Where did you pause for more than three seconds?
- Compare (5 minutes): on alternate days, do one of the ten topics in the practice bank instead, and read its B2 model and examiner note after recording.
- Re-record (4 minutes): the same topic, your own words, better developed.
For a long turn with feedback, TalkDrill's IELTS Speaking practice includes a cue card with one minute of preparation and a spoken long turn, and gives an estimated IELTS band across fluency, vocabulary, grammar and pronunciation. It is not a VSTEP task or a VSTEP score, and we will not pretend otherwise, but the planning and talking skill is the same.
If you are booking at ULIS, the next sittings are 14 November 2026 (registration closes at the end of 4 November) and 12 December 2026 (registration 12 November to 2 December), per the ULIS notice for 14 November and the ULIS 2026 administration plan; our dates and fees page has the details. Part 3 uses the reasoning language of Part 2 over a longer turn, so the two are worth practising together. The six-week B2 plan schedules all three parts, and the VSTEP score guide explains what 6.0 means. The official wording is on the ULIS test format page and in the Vietnamese format PDF on Định dạng đề thi VSTEP.3-5. Everything else is on the VSTEP hub.