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IELTS Speaking Phần 1: Công việc tình nguyện
Example
1. Have you participated in any voluntary activities?
If memory serves correctly, I started taking part in some voluntary activities when I entered high school. It was my school’s youth union that I could gain experience and actualize the virtues of such meaningful acts. Since then, I have participated in multiple charitable groups in order to keep up the good deeds.
- Youth union (noun phrase): đoàn thanh niên
- Actualize (v): nhận ra
- Virtues (n): đức tính
- Good deeds (n): việc tốt
→ Share your first experience with volunteering and subsequent involvement. Focus on synonyms for 'participate'.
2. What motivated you to engage in volunteer work?
In all fairness, I was first into it for scores to add up to my academic performance, down silly and practical right? Yet, after a couple of times or so, I began to enjoy it and found the true purpose of the work.
- Academic performance (noun phrase): kết quả học tập
→ Explain the initial reasons for participation and how your motivations changed over time. Students can elaborate on their answer to question 1 to minimize the likelihood of being asked this question again.
3. Are you acquainted with many volunteers?
Well actually, I get a chance to work with some awesome volunteers, and they come from all walks of life.
A few of them are elites who have outstanding social and economic power, like renowned entrepreneurs and former politicians. These people offer much help financially.
On the other hand, those who have humble backgrounds also make great contributions even if they are just students or blue collars. Like they say, many hands make light work.
- All walks of life (idiom): tất cả các tầng lớp xã hội
- Elites (n): giới thượng lưu
- Humble (a): khiêm tốn
- Backgrounds (n): lý lịch/ tầng lớp
- Blue collars (noun phrase): người lao động
- Many hands make light work (idiom): nhiều người giúp sức thì việc sẽ chóng nhanh – một cây làm chẳng nên non, ba cây chụm lại nên hòn núi cao
→ Utilize a pattern to list groups of people who engage in volunteering:
- Nhóm người giàu, quyên góp tiền
- Nhóm người có lý lịch khiêm tốn hơn cũng đóng góp rất nhiều.
4. How do you define volunteer work?
Honestly speaking, it is determined by various circumstances.
First of all, philanthropy is perhaps the most common and practical contribution. This is because in this material world, financial aid could help resolve a lot of issues.
On the other hand, there are other ways to support others. For example, I know a lady who fosters abandoned animals until those poor creatures find a home. She does this by herself without any donations.
- Philanthropy (n): hoạt động từ thiện (giúp tiền)
- Resolve (v): giải quyết
- Foster (v): nuôi dưỡng
- Donations (n): quyên góp
→ Use a pattern to analyze two scenarios where one might engage in voluntary work / charity work:
- Quyên góp tiền
- Giúp sức/tự hành động
IELTS Speaking Part 2
Example
Describe a volunteering experience you have had.
You should state:
- When it was
- Where it was
- Why you volunteered
- And explain how you felt
When you assigned me the topic, memories of my university's volunteering activities came flooding back.
As far as I can recall, it was in my second year when a club in my university which usually held voluntary activities posted on Facebook looking for participants. They were looking for about 10 volunteers who would be able to join at least twice a week for a month. Their post highlighted that there were a lot of work to be done. At first I was reluctant, but finally made up my mind to give it a try.
Five days after my application, I was admitted to the club and started to learn all the handy work. It was like a soup kitchen. Much of it involved preparing meals and packaging them. We sometimes made 500 portions in total. All of the sections were divided by the club leader based on our experience. I know how to cook so I would be in charge of cooking. Some were not good at it and could help with shopping, washing, or packaging. The meals would be then delivered to a hospital where they are donated to patients and their family members who were really struggling.
It was exhausting but worthwhile. I finished my one-month membership and returned to the club in summer when I was not up to ears with work. I also suggested my classmates join as well.
In essence, it was truly a remarkable experience, one that I have always cherished.
- Reluctant (a): lưỡng lự
- Admitted (v): được nhận
- Soup kitchen (noun phrase): bếp ăn từ thiện
- Portions (n): khẩu phần
- Struggling (a): khó khăn
- Worthwhile (a): đáng giá
- Up to ears with work (idiom): bận đến tận mang tai
→ Describe the details of your volunteer experience, following the prompts.
- Thời gian
- Từ đâu biết đến hoạt động này
- Làm gì
- Kết quả/mục đích
IELTS Speaking Part 3: Volunteer activities
Example
1. What personal traits and qualities are necessary for volunteering?
Truly, there are two essential qualities required for anyone aspiring to volunteer.
First of all, being kind-hearted is a must because the motivation to help or make a change has to come from within the self. If it is compulsory or for other purposes it will be kind of hypocritical or selfish.
Secondly, teamwork is also an essential skill since you need to join hands with lots of people.
- motivation (n): động lực
- hypocritical (a): đạo đức giả
- join hands (verb phrase): chung tay
→ List 2 characteristics needed to become a volunteer: having a kind heart and being adept at teamwork. Candidates may choose different virtues.
2. Do you believe people nowadays should engage more in volunteering?
Well in truth, it is exceptional when there is more support reaching those who are in need. The general living standards across the world are increasing, but many still suffer poverty and starvation. The more acts of goodwill are given, the merrier.
But you also have to understand that when it comes to help we tend to pay attention to our kind only and neglect the environment and other living organisms. I believe people should also pay more responsibility to the natural world.
- reaching (v): Vươn đến
- poverty (n): nghèo nàn
- starvation (n): đói
- goodwill (n): thiện chí
- neglect (v): sao nhãng/ không quan tâm
→ This answer encourages increased assistance to others and emphasizes environmental volunteering. Students should note to substitute synonyms for assistance.
3. In what ways do modern technologies support volunteers and volunteering?
Well based on my experience, it has transformed voluntary work in leaps and bounds. However, the most prominent would be social media which has brought more contention to the acts of good deeds. As a result, more and more people are willing to give others a helping hand. It also has more potent impacts compared to the conventional ones.
- in leaps and bounds (idiom): phát triển chóng mặt
- contention (n): sự tranh chấp, bất hoà
- conventional (a): truyền thống
