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IELTS Speaking Phần 1: Cảnh ngoại cửa sổ
Mẫu
1. Cảnh sắc nào bạn có thể nhìn thấy từ cửa sổ nhà/bộ nơi bạn ở?
The window in my room faces the garden so I have a beautiful view. There are loads of roses and daisies as well as some small critters in my garden.
- Critter (n): động vật
- Loads of: a lot
2. Bạn có thích ngắm cảnh từ cửa sổ không?
Yes, because it is therapeutic to me. It helps me to feel calm and peaceful. Not only do I love watching it, I also enjoy the soft breezes coming from the garden.
- Therapeutic (adj): có tính chất trị liệu
- Breeze (n): cơn gió thoảng
3. Bạn có muốn sống trong một ngôi nhà có cảnh ngoại cửa sổ đẹp không?
Isn’t that what everyone wants? It’s one of my life’s goals, to work and save until I can afford to live in a place where there’s a fantastic view from the window.
- Afford (v): có đủ điều kiện
4. Bạn cảm thấy thế nào khi không thể nhìn thấy bất kỳ cảnh đẹp nào từ cửa sổ?
One time, my father had to renovate the entire garden. So for a week, his tools and machines obstructed my view of the garden. Although it wasn’t a big deal, I felt my days were somewhat incomplete. But on the bright side, the garden looked fabulous afterward.
- Renovate (v): tân trang
- Obstruct (v):
che khuất
- somewhat (adj): ở mức nào đó/ở một mức thấp
- on the bright side: nhìn theo hướng tích cực
IELTS Speaking Part 2
Describe a present you purchased for your friend on a special event.
You should say:
- When it happened
- What gift it was
- Who you gave it to
And justify your choice of that gift
Example
I am going to talk about a watch that I gave my friend Khai at his graduation ceremony. He and I had been friends since we were little children. He went through many hardships in his life including taking care of his ailing father. That was why he graduated from university two years later than me.
At that time, I had a stable job and wanted to surprise him. I knew he loved watches, so I bought the best one I could afford.
The watch was mostly made from metal and was quite shiny. The strap was about 2cm wide. Despite being metal, it was easily adjustable to fit different wrist sizes. The face of the watch was round with a thin but firm piece of glass covering it. Roman numerals were inscribed on the face of the watch instead of numbers. Like any typical watch, there were three hands on the face that were also made from metal. They were designed to be thin and elegant.
What I liked most about the watch when choosing it was that it didn’t have any sounds, no ticking sounds and no alarms of any kind. That’s because I knew my friend liked to live in a quiet place and I didn’t want to send him a gift that he may end up disliking.
When I gave it to him on his special day, overwhelmed with ceremony, he just politely thanked me. But after getting home, I received a long text from him telling me how much he loved it. That made me really happy.
- Hardship (n): khó khăn trong cuộc sống
- Ailing (adj): ốm, bệnh
- Be made from: được làm từ
- Strap (n): dây đeo
- Firm (adj): chắc/khỏe
- Roman Numerals: số La Mã
- Ticking sound: tiếng tích tắc
- Overwhelmed (adj): bị choáng ngợp (tâm lý)
→ This topic involves describing an object. Candidates should choose something personal to easily describe (hint: book, clothing, phone, laptop).
Note that when answering, you must clarify the special occasion for giving that gift. When describing an object, start with a general description of its shape, size, and color before going into detail. Include descriptions of its function and features. In the conclusion, you can add the recipient's reaction.
IELTS Speaking Part 3: Giving presents
1. When do people typically give gifts to others?
It is a common practice to send gifts on a person’s special day such as their birthday and graduation ceremony. In my country, people also give bouquets and flower baskets to new business owners to wish them good luck and show support. Personally, I travel a lot and like to bring back snacks and souvenirs to give to my friends.
- Bouquet (n): bó hoa
→ This question requires candidates to outline situations where people usually give gifts. Respondents can provide more than one scenario, elaborating by naming specific gifts and their meanings. They can relate these to personal experiences.
2. Do people give gifts or money envelopes during traditional festivals?
From my own experience, red envelopes containing lucky money are typically given to young children by the adults in their family only at Tet, which is the Vietnamese Lunar New Year. Sometimes, they are given to commemorate life milestones such as a baby’s first birthday. However, I’ve rarely seen it on other occasions.
- Commemorate (v): kỷ niệm
- Milestone (n): cột mốc
→ This question asks respondents to express their views on whether people give red packets (lucky money envelopes) during traditional festivals. Candidates should respond based on personal opinions and carefully develop their answers by providing reasons, examples, and/or personal connections.
3. Is it simple to select clothing as gifts?
I don’t think that is the case at all. On the contrary, choosing clothes as gifts requires you to know a lot about the recipient. Not only do you have to know what style that person likes, you also have to know about certain body measurements. Such information is sensitive and can be awkward if you ask them for it. So, unless you know the person really well, picking clothes to give them can be rather hard.
- Body measurement: số đo cơ thể
- awkward (adj): khó xử, gượng gạo
→ This question requires respondents to state their opinion on whether choosing clothes as gifts is easy or not. Candidates should respond based on personal opinions (yes, no, or depends). They should elaborate by giving reasons and examples (e.g., Choosing clothes as gifts is very easy because there are many options available in stores).
4. Will individuals feel delighted upon receiving an expensive gift?
While it can be true, I don’t think the value of the gift depends solely on how expensive it is. In choosing a gift, the giver should wonder what the gift would mean to the recipient to show that they care. It’s easy to buy an expensive present if you have a lot of money. However, people generally prefer a gift that has sentimental value. For instance, my father always tells me that he liked the shirt I used my first month’s salary to get him the most even though he has many more expensive one.
- Depend on: phụ thuộc vào
- Solely (adv): duy nhất/chỉ một
- Sentimental value (adv + n): giá trị tinh thần
