Buzz
Exemplary topic: 'Describe a very challenging task that you successfully completed as part of your work or studies.'
Two weeks ago, while I was on a trip with my friend, I got an email from my boss saying that I had to complete a new task in one week. The task was to write band 8.0 sample answers for several IELTS speaking practice tests. At first, I thought it would be a piece of cake because I had done this kind of thing before. But after spending a few minutes rethinking, I quickly realized that it was the deadline that mattered the most. Normally, I would need one week to finish one test. This time, with the total number of four tests, I was only given 7 days, which meant I had to work four times as hard as usual. The next day, coming back home from the trip, I was a bundle of nerves.
It seemed even worse when that task was not the only one I had to deal with. As an English teacher, every day I got tons of essays to correct. That is not to mention preparing lesson plans for the next day had already cost me a lot of time every day. Therefore, the biggest difficulty I faced was the deadline panic. The scarcity of time and deadline pressure really drove me crazy and I even had a few sleepless nights.
Finally, when the clock struck 11:58 p.m on the deadline date, I did manage to submit the task to my boss with everything done properly. At that very moment, I breathed a sigh of relief. The most precious lesson I learnt from this is probably how to manage my time efficiently.
Vocabulary to take note of
A piece of cake: dễ như ăn bánh
Rethink (v): suy nghĩ lại
A bundle of nerves: nhiều lo lắng
Tons of: (cực kì) nhiều
That is not to mention: đó là chưa kể đến
Deadline panic (n): nỗi sợ về hạn chót nộp bài
Drive someone crazy: làm ai đó rất bực mình, tức giận, khó chịu (làm ai đó “phát điên”)
Properly (adv): một cách đúng đắn
Breathe a sigh of relief: thở phào nhẹ nhõm
Discussion on IELTS Speaking Part 3
A. CHALLENGING OCCUPATIONS
Query 1
I think firefighting is the hardest job in the world. Needless to say, they play an essential role in protecting people’s lives in life-threatening situations. Being a fireman can be both mentally and physically challenging as you have to deal with emergencies all the time. And sometimes, it is dangerous as well because firefighters might put their own lives in grave danger in the attempt to rescue others from fire.
Query 2
Maybe they decide to take the hard route because of something called passion or excitement. As often as not, some difficult jobs are adventurous in nature and these people may find thrill to do such kinds of things. But you know, everything comes with a price. Hard jobs will offer a great deal of opportunities that are not common in other professions. Some even enable people to live a decent life above the average standard of living.
Question 3
I agree. I think every job has its own difficulties. It depends on what field you are working in and what position you are at. You can’t say that being a house builder is easier than being a finance manager. This is because the former is physically demanding while the latter is mentally drained with numbers and figures. That is to say, no job is easy and they can be tough sometimes.
Personal and Professional Achievement
Question 1
I have to say it is absolutely important for each of us. Having a specific goal is like drawing a road map to success for your life. The process of writing down your goals will help you to clarify what you desire to do, identify steps to go and most importantly, commit yourself to making them happen. You won’t get around in circles anymore, but now you can stay focused on your target, determine priorities and direct yourself towards what you want to achieve. Surely, this will help a lot to save time and effort in achieving success.
Interrogative 2
I always tell myself that hard work is vital. I do believe that success happens neither by chance nor overnight. It requires dedication and determination. There is no shortcut to success, so you have to work hard for it and then, hard work will pay off. But besides working hard, I think we should also work smart. This is about making smart choices and right decisions at the right time. By both working hard and smart, you can move up the career ladder much faster than others.
Enquiry 3
Well, this is an intriguing question. This depends on different types of people. I think that people who are good at achieving a work-life balance can be both successful and happy. But for others, it’s a different story. Those who always want more after reaching certain success will end up in a cycle of goal-setting and can never get the ticket to ultimate happiness. There is one saying that I particularly like “Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success”.
Vocabulary to be mindful of:
Potentially fatal (a): đe dọa tính mạng
Facing extreme peril: đối mặt với nguy hiểm nghiêm trọng
More often than not: thường xuyên
Rush (n): sự hối hả
Nothing comes without a cost: không có gì là miễn phí
Acceptable (a): chấp nhận được, hợp lý
Exhausted (a): mệt mỏi, uể oải
Challenging (a): thách thức
Clarify (v): làm rõ
Aspiration (n,v): khát vọng, nguyện vọng
Remain concentrated: duy trì tập trung
Incidentally: tình cờ, ngẫu nhiên
Commitment (n): sự cam kết
Resolve (n): sự kiên quyết
Shortcut (n): đường tắt
Career ladder: thang lồng (thành công) nghề nghiệp
Fascinating (a): hấp dẫn, cuốn hút
Attain a work-life balance: đạt được sự cân bằng giữa công việc và cuộc sống
Wind up in: kết thúc tại
Final (a): cuối cùng
Above is a suggested sample for the topic Cambridge IELTS 14, Test 3, Speaking Part 2 & 3: Describe a very difficult task that you succeeded in doing as part of your work or studies compiled by the expert team at Anh Ngữ Mytour. Candidates can discuss the exam topic and answers in the comments section or join the Mytour Helper forum for clarification on English language skills for university entrance exams and other English exams, operated by High Achievers.
