[ACE THE TEST] Giải đề IELTS Speaking ngày 21/02/2022

IELTS Speaking Part 1: Daily Routines

IELTS Speaking Part 1: Example

1. Do you follow a study routine?

Most certainly, I find that having an organised studying schedule can help you study more effectively. Ever since I applied a timetable for my studying, I can finish my tasks faster.

• Effectively (adv): một cách hiệu quả hơn

→ Respond directly to the following question and then discuss the benefits of having a 'study routine' with examples.

2. How do you typically organize your daily study routine?

My study plan consists of doing homework in the morning and going to classes in the afternoon. Sometimes, I also participate in study groups at night. Since I’m a college student, my schedule is a bit flexible.

• Consist of + n/v-ing (prepositional verb): bao gồm
• Study group (n): nhóm học chung (học nhóm)
• Flexible (adj): linh hoạt

→ Trả lời theo hướng nêu ra các công việc chính của việc học trong ngày.

3. Are there any changes you would like to make to your daily routines in the future?

No, I’m actually quite content with my current timetable. I spent a lot of time making sure it was rational and time efficient. In practice, though, I want to reduce the amount of time that unplanned social network activities, like checking Instagram and Facebook, consume. I’m not a very disciplined person.

• Content (adj): hài lòng. Lưu ý đừng nhầm với Content (n): nội dung. Cách đọc của hai từ cũng khác nhau giữa trọng âm.
• Rational (adj): hợp lí 
• Time efficient (adj): Hiệu quả về mặt thời gian
• In practice : Trên thực tế
• Unplanned activity: hành vi/hoạt động không được lên kế hoạch trước
• Disciplined (adj): có kỉ luật

→ Respond negatively, stating that you have 'made sure' that not owning a car at present is reasonable and time-saving. Develop this idea by comparing it with 'in reality'. 

IELTS Speaking Part 1: Automobiles

Example

1. Do you possess an automobile?

Not yet! The transportation of choice for the majority of Vietnamese, including myself, is motorcycle. Another thing that is worth noting is that a car is still considered a luxury and it’s beyond my reach in terms of finance at the moment.

• N + of choice: lựa chọn ưa thích về cái gì đó
• Majority (n): đa số

→ The majority of Vietnamese people still prefer riding motorcycles.

2. If you had to purchase a car, which one would you select? Why?

If I had a chance to do so, I’d probably go for an eco-friendly SUV. As I am an environmentally conscious person, I always want to minimise my carbon footprint.

• Eco-friendly (adj): thân thiện với môi trường
• SUV (n, acronym): xe “súp”, xe thể thao đa dụng
• Environmentally conscious (adv + adj): có ý thức về (các vấn đề) môi trường
• Carbon footprint (n): khái niệm khoa học về tổng lượng khí thải nhà kính từ hoạt động sinh hoạt của một người gây ra.  

3. Do you enjoy traveling by car?

I’m still on the fence. On the one hand, I do want to help protect the environment by choosing to use public transportation. On the other hand, sometimes when I’m in a rush, taking a taxi is just much more convenient.

• I’m still on the fence (idiom): tôi còn phân vân

 → You can explore the response by comparing it with other means/modes of transportation.

IELTS Speaking Part 2

Topic: Describe a song that you find intriguing.

IELTS Speaking Part 2: You should mention:

• What the song is
• What story the song tells
• Whether the song is popular
• And explain why you think it is interesting

Example

I’m going to talk about a recent hit song by Hoang Thuy Linh called “Gieo Quẻ” which can be translated roughly to “Casting Coins” which is a form of fortune telling. I came across this song on Youtube when it first came out a couple of months ago and I was hooked.

What immediately struck me was the melody and of course the subject matter of the song. I don’t know how to put it precisely, but to me the melody resembles traditional Vietnamese music. However, it was also upbeat and catchy with a touch of electronic music. On second thought, I shouldn’t have been surprised. I’ve followed her for a while now and it seems that this is her artistic vision. By that I mean, the fusion between modern and traditional style of music.

I also want to emphasise that the theme of this song isn’t usual for Vietnamese pop songs. Fortune telling is an activity that some Vietnamese people like to take part in. Personally, I haven’t had that experience. It’s a part of our culture. It is portrayed in movies or written about in magazines but it’s rarely a topic of a song. So, it was extremely exciting to listen to it.

Another reason why I think it is interesting was its music video. Hoang Thuy Linh’s music videos are known for having a bright psychedelic colour scheme and wonderful choreography . Everything seems so odd yet goes together so well.

Overall, I was deeply impressed and captivated by this song, and I look forward to experiencing its live performance soon.

Lexicon

• Fortune telling (n): xem bói 
• Come across (prepositional verb): tình cờ thấy/gặp
• I was hooked: Tôi bị mê hoặc
• I don’t know how to put it precisely: Không biết nói thế nào cho chính xác
• Upbeat (adj): (giai điệu) vui vẻ
• Catchy (adj): lôi cuốn, dễ nhớ
• With a touch of s.th: với một ít cái gì 
• To be portrayed: được khắc họa, được miêu tả
• Colour scheme (n): bảng màu
• Choreography (n): vũ đạo

→ When describing a song in a section, candidates should: (1) introduce the song and background information and listen to the song for the first time, (2) Describe the melody and content of the song, especially describing the distinctive features of the song. If it's a video, you can briefly describe the content of the image, dance, (3) explain why you think the song is interesting (as required by the title), (4) feelings after listening to the song.

Subject: Describe an interesting story you've heard of

You must state:

• What it was?
• When you heard it?
• From whom/ where did you learn it?

And justify why you find it compelling.

Example

I am going to tell you about a folktale that my grandma told me a long time ago, and I was so interested in its horror that I still remember it after many years.

Before going to primary school, I lived with my grandma in a rural area. And frankly speaking, back then I was as stubborn as a mule, I never, ever wanted to go to bed early. Like almost any Vietnamese adult at that time, scaring their kids with horror stories of monsters or ghouls was the best way to force them to behave themselves.

So, my grandma, on a rainy and stormy night, told me the story of The Lantern Weasel – I vividly remember it was a giant weasel – you know, higher than an average child, with glowing eyes, sharp teeth, wears a Vietnamese palm-leaf conical hat and carries a traditional lantern. It only appears at night, by the bedroom’s window and will, like, capture the souls of children who misbehave into its lantern to devour them later. Needless to say, I was totally freaked out when hearing about that creepy creature.

However, when growing up, I actually found out that The Lantern Weasel was quite an interesting story and I still remember the lore because it was an unforgettable childhood memory for me, as I knew how frustrated my grandma was when having to deal with a stubborn kid like me at that time so she resorted to that mythical creature as the last solution to make me sleep. Till today, at night when I have to stay up late for studying, I somehow still have a spine-chilling feeling whenever I glance towards the window of my bedroom.

Lexical

• Folktale (n): chuyện kể dân gian
• Frankly speaking: thật lòng mà nói
• As stubborn as a mule: cứng đầu cứng cổ (như một con la)
• Ghoul (n): ngạ quỷ
• Vividly (adv): một cách rõ rệt
• Weasel (n): con chồn
• Vietnamese palm-leaf conical hat (n): nón lá Việt Nam
• To capture (v): bắt giữ
• To misbehave (v): cư xử không đúng mực
• To devour (v): ngấu nghiến, cắn xé
• Needless to say: không cần phải nói
• Unforgettable (adj): khó quên
• Frustrated (adj): bực bội
• To resort (v): nhờ vào, trông cậy vào
• Mythical (adj): hoang đường, thần thoại, không có thật
• Spine-chilling feeling: cảm giác ớn lạnh xương sống
• To glance (v): liếc nhìn

IELTS Speaking Part 3: Music 

IELTS Speaking part 3: Example

1. Do adolescents and adults enjoy the same types of music?

I don’t think so. From what I can see, younger teenagers tend to listen to trendy music, meaning, they tend to like whatever songs that are popular. Whereas adults’ taste in music is more diverse and even niche sometimes. I certainly can relate to this as I have learned to appreciate classical music, songs that I might not have liked a couple of years ago.

• Tend to do something: có xu hướng làm gì đó
• Trendy (adj): thịnh hành
• Appreciate (v): quý trọng. → Appreciate something: biết thưởng thức gì đó

2. What factors contribute to people liking a song?

Off the top of my head, I can think of several elements of a song that can make people fall in love with it. First, catchy rhythm can really make people listen and remember that song for a long time. Then, outstanding lyrics are another factor to consider. My favourite, though, is the bassline. It usually gives me chills and that feeling can be quite addicting.

• Element (n): nhân tố
• Rhythm (n): giai điệu 
• Lyrics (n): lời bài hát
• Give me chill: làm tôi xúc động/sởn gai ốc
• Addicting (adj): có tính gây nghiện

3. During what events do people in your country sing together?

The first thing that comes to my mind is in a football match. We Vietnamese are fanatics when it comes to football. Any football match that involves Vietnam’s national football team is attended by devoted Vietnamese football fans. They often sing upbeat and cheery music to show support for their team and boost the morale of the footballers. Another time that you’d see people singing together is on Nguyen Hue walking street. There are always buskers performing there and sometimes pedestrians also join the fun and sing some tunes.

• Morale (n): tinh thần, chí khí 
• Busker (n): người hát rong 
• Pedestrian (n): người đi bộ

4. Why do you believe individuals of different age groups have varying favorite songs?

I’ve never thought about this before. If I have to guess, the reason why older people’s favourite songs are different is that they’ve had the time to develop their taste in music. They’ve listened to a wider range of music and identified which songs they truly like.

By the same token, younger people who have less time to explore their own taste in music would just listen to trendy ones. Another factor might be that younger people are more familiar with newer genres of music. Take rap and hip-hop as examples, these types of music were introduced into the music scene in Vietnam not too long ago so naturally most of their Vietnamese listeners are in their 20s and 30s.

• By the same token: cũng vì lẽ đó 
• Genre (n): thể loại (âm nhạc, phim ảnh,…)

Analysis of IELTS Speaking Test on February 21, 2022

Subject: Describe someone you know from a different culture

You need to talk about:

• Who he/she is
• Where he/she is from
• How you knew him/her

And describe your feelings towards him/her.

Example

I’ve befriended many individuals from various cultures, but one person stands out. His name is Aether, and I can confidently say he’s my closest international friend.

Aether comes from the US but his parents are of Greek origin, that’s the reason why he was given this name, meaning “bright upper sky”. I met him a couple of years ago through an online game and became best friends after no time.

We talk to each other almost every day, and thanks to this I got to learn a lot about American culture. Aether even offered to help me improve my English speaking ability. He told me that he was really interested in Southeast Asian tradition, thus asked me a lot about Vietnamese culture and even planned to go to Ho Chi Minh City for a few months, even though he is only 19.

Aether has been working at his part-time job for three years and now he has saved and earned enough money on his own for this trip – which is truly unbelievable for me because, in Asia, children remain dependent on their parents for quite a long time and travelling to a far country is something out-of-imaginary. The majority of American youth, like Aether, are workaholics and can live on their own at an early age.

I admire this aspect of American culture, but there are a few things about it that I dislike, as he once stated that most people are materialistic. They place a higher value on money than on family, friends, or society, which is unusual in my country. However, I believe that cultural diversity is what sparks your interest in learning about other cultures.

Aether will be visiting Vietnam this summer, and I am eagerly anticipating our reunion. We will certainly have plenty to discuss.

Lexicon

• A couple of years/months/days: một vài năm/tháng/ngày
• After no time: không lâu sau đó
• To offer (v): đề nghị
• Ability (n): khả năg
• Unbelievable (adj): khó tin
• To remain (v): duy trì
• Dependent (adj): phụ thuộc
• Out-of-imaginary (adj): ngoài sức tưởng tượng
• Workaholic (n): người tham công tiếc việc
• At an early age: ở độ tuổi trẻ
• To admire (v): ngưỡng mộ
• Aspect (n): khía cạnh
• Materialistic (adj): thực dụng
• Diversity (n): đa dạng
• To spark one’s interest in N/V-ing: làm dấy lên niềm hứng thú của ai đó về cái gì/việc gì đó

Subject: Narrate an occasion when you received money on your birthday

You are required to state:

• When it happened
• Who gave you money
• Why the person gave you money

And describe your emotions regarding it.

Example

So today I would like to tell you about a time when I received money as a birthday gift. It was a completely different experience for me because, in my family, we usually buy gifts to celebrate someone’s birthday rather than giving cash because we always know what others want.

I vividly remember it was in 2018. After having a huge celebration with everyone, I went back to my room and unboxed all the presents they gave me. There were quite a lot of adorable things, from a notebook to a new dress that I could wear to work. But one of them is a colourful envelope with a birthday card and 2 million VND inside.

It was from my big brother. In the card, he explained that he knew I already had everything I needed, which made his gift all the more memorable and interesting to me. I was also deeply touched. I mean, I don’t want anything luxurious or technological gadgets. My big brother decided that money would make a better present for me because I could use this money to purchase items I want in the future. And also, the number of 2 million was very special since it was my 20th birthday.

Từ vựng

• Cash (n) = money
• Celebration (n): lễ, tiệc ăn mừng
• To unbox (v): mở hộp
• Adorable (adj): đáng yêu
• Memorable (adj): đáng nhớ
• Luxurious (adj): quý giá, sang trọng
• Technological gadget (n): tiện ích công nghệ
• Unique (adj): đặc biệt, có 1 không 2