100 Third Conditional Questions for IELTS Speaking Practice
How to Use the Third Conditional
The third conditional is used to talk about imaginary situations in the past—things that didn't happen but could have had different outcomes if the past had been different. It reflects regrets, missed opportunities, or hypothetical outcomes of events that are impossible to change.
Structure:
If + past perfect, would have + past participle
Examples:
If I had studied harder, I would have passed the exam.
(Condition: If I had studied harder; Result: I would have passed.)
If they had left earlier, they would have caught the train.
(Condition: If they had left earlier; Result: They would have caught the train.)
Key Points:
Condition: Use the past perfect after "if" to describe something that didn’t happen in the past.
Result: Use "would have" + past participle to describe the hypothetical outcome that could have occurred.
Regrets/What-If Scenarios: The third conditional is perfect for expressing what could have happened differently in past situations.
Examples in IELTS Speaking Context:
If I had traveled more, I would have experienced different cultures.
If I had known about the job earlier, I would have applied for it.
Using the third conditional in the IELTS Speaking test demonstrates your ability to discuss past hypothetical scenarios and how things might have turned out differently.
100 Third Conditional Questions for IELTS Speaking Practice
Regrets and Missed Opportunities
If you had studied a different subject, how would your career be different?
If you had saved more money, what would you have spent it on?
What would have happened if you had never met your best friend?
If you had moved to another country in the past, how would your life have changed?
If you had learned a musical instrument as a child, would you still play it today?
What would have happened if you had taken more risks in your career?
If you had not gone to university, what would you have done instead?
If you had taken more time to relax, how would it have affected your health?
If you had chosen a different job, where would you be working now?
What would you have done if you had missed your flight to an important event?
Education and Learning
If you had attended a different school, would your education have been better?
If you had taken more challenging courses, how would your academic results have changed?
What would have happened if you had started learning English earlier?
If you had studied abroad, what experiences would you have gained?
If you had failed a major exam, what would you have done next?
What would you have studied if you had followed your passion as a student?
If you had had better teachers, how would your learning have been different?
If you had never attended university, how would your life have changed?
If you had been more disciplined, what grades would you have achieved?
What would you have done if you had gotten a scholarship to study overseas?
Travel and Exploration
If you had visited a new country last year, where would you have gone?
If you had traveled more when you were younger, how would that have impacted your life?
What would have happened if you had missed a flight on an important trip?
If you had gotten lost while traveling, how would you have handled it?
If you had had more time during a vacation, what activities would you have done?
What would have happened if your travel plans had been canceled?
If you had lived in a foreign country, how would your experiences have changed?
If you had learned the language of the country you visited, how would the trip have been different?
What would you have done if you had forgotten your passport on a trip?
If you had stayed longer in a place you visited, what would you have explored?
Health and Fitness
If you had followed a strict diet, how would your health have improved?
If you had exercised more in the past, what physical benefits would you have noticed?
What would have happened if you had taken better care of your health earlier in life?
If you had quit a bad habit sooner, how would you feel today?
If you had slept more regularly, how would your energy levels have changed?
If you had never started smoking, how would your health have been different?
What would have happened if you had gotten regular medical checkups?
If you had been more active as a child, would you be healthier now?
If you had followed a fitness plan, what changes would you have noticed by now?
If you had eaten more nutritious food in the past, how would it have affected your body?
Work and Career
If you had started working earlier, how would your career have progressed?
If you had chosen a different profession, where would you be now?
What would have happened if you had accepted a job offer abroad?
If you had been promoted sooner, how would your career be different today?
If you had invested in your own business earlier, how successful would it be now?
If you had worked in a different industry, what skills would you have developed?
If you had quit your job earlier, what career path would you have followed?
What would have happened if you had never pursued higher education for your career?
If you had attended more networking events, how would your career have changed?
If you had received better career guidance, where would you be working now?
Friends and Social Life
If you had stayed in touch with an old friend, how would your relationship be now?
What would you have done if you had forgotten a close friend's birthday?
If you had met your best friend earlier, how would your life have been different?
If you had spent more time with family, how would your relationships have changed?
If you had gone to more social events, how would your friendships have developed?
What would have happened if you had never met your best friend?
If you had helped a friend in need, how would they have reacted?
If you had lived closer to your friends, how would your social life be different?
What would have happened if you had spent more time on hobbies with your friends?
If you had attended more family gatherings, how would your relationships have changed?
Personal Development
If you had learned a new skill last year, what would it have been?
If you had taken more risks in life, how would you be different today?
If you had been more organized, how would it have impacted your success?
What would have happened if you had set more personal goals?
If you had read more books, how would your knowledge have expanded?
If you had started a new hobby earlier, how would your skills have improved?
What would you have achieved if you had been more disciplined?
If you had focused more on self-improvement, how would your confidence have changed?
If you had developed better time management skills, how would it have affected your life?
What would have happened if you had been more proactive in achieving your goals?
Technology and Communication
If you had adopted new technology earlier, how would it have changed your life?
If you had used social media differently, what would you have done?
If you had never bought a smartphone, how would your communication be different?
If you had learned programming earlier, what would you have created?
What would have happened if you had lost all your data on your computer?
If you had communicated more often with family online, how would your relationships be?
If you had taken more advantage of technology, what skills would you have today?
What would have happened if you had never used the internet?
If you had bought stocks in a tech company early, how wealthy would you be now?
If you had used technology to study more, how would your results have improved?
World Issues and the Environment
If we had acted sooner on climate change, how would the environment be different now?
If governments had invested in renewable energy earlier, how would the planet be today?
If people had recycled more, how would pollution levels have changed?
What would have happened if deforestation had been stopped sooner?
If we had protected endangered species earlier, how would ecosystems have been preserved?
What would have happened if world leaders had cooperated on environmental issues?
If people had used less plastic, how would the oceans be different?
If more countries had agreed on environmental policies, what would have changed?
If there had been stricter rules on pollution, how would air quality be today?
What would have happened if people had been more aware of environmental issues earlier?
Cultural and Social Issues
If society had been more accepting of diversity, how would the world be different today?
If gender equality had been promoted sooner, how would workplaces have changed?
If more countries had focused on education, how would global poverty have been reduced?
What would have happened if social media hadn't influenced people's opinions?
If people had respected different cultures earlier, how would world peace be affected?
If governments had supported the arts more, how would culture be different now?
If people had spoken out against discrimination sooner, how would society have improved?
What would have happened if equal rights movements had started earlier?
If we had prioritized mental health awareness earlier, how would healthcare have changed?
If people had been more informed about social justice, how would society be different?
These third conditional questions will give you great practice for IELTS speaking, allowing you to explore and discuss past hypothetical scenarios and how they might have changed the present.
In Part 1 of the IELTS Writing test, you may be asked to describe a process. While process questions are less common than charts or graphs, they do appear occasionally. Fortunately, process questions are generally easier to answer, though many people overlook preparing for them. This is a missed opportunity, as it doesn’t take long to become familiar with these types of questions and learn how to respond effectively.