Mẫu đề thi IELTS Speaking phần 1, 2, 3 về đề tài Puzzle

1. Mẫu đề thi IELTS Speaking part 1 về đề tài Puzzle

1.1. Did you engage in puzzles as a child?

Well in fact, I was a huge fan of puzzles when I was younger. Precisely, I am pretty mad about solving rubik’s cubes. You know, I had a collection of different geometrical shapes and colors. It was a marvelous way to challenge your brain and kill your time.

In addition, I was also into logic puzzle questions, such as investigating crime scenes or word riddles. It helped sharpen my reasoning and memory recollection of experience.

• Be a huge fan of = be mad about s.th = be into s.th: miêu tả thích thay cho LIKE
• Geometrical shapes (noun phrase): hình dạng hình học
• Investigate (v): điều tra 
• Crime scenes (noun phrase): hiện trường vụ án 
• Word riddles (noun phrase): câu đố chữ 
• Sharpen (v): mài giũa 
• Reasoning (n): lý luận/ lập luận 

1.2. When do you solve puzzles, during a journey or when you're feeling bored?

Well to be honest, it kind of depends really. To be more exact, if I am on my way, traveling to tourist destinations during holidays, then it will be a brilliant choice to carry a rubik’s cube to pass the time. In addition, whenever I feel a bit torpid, I will grab my phone and play some puzzle games.

• Pass the time = kill time (verb phrase): giết thời gian 
• Torpid (a): chán chường 

1.3. What do you prefer, word puzzles or number puzzles? Which one do you find more challenging?

In all fairness, I guess it’s fairly intriguing and challenging especially when it comes to number puzzles. I am pretty fond of finding missing numbers based on the prompted patterns. These brain teasers encourage problem-solving and logical thinking.

Moreover, word puzzles are also excellent for language learning. You know, these give you a chance to acquaint yourself with new vocabulary or review learnt ones.

• Intriguing (a): hấp dẫn 
• Prompted patterns(noun phrase): các gợi ý về mối liên quan giữa các con số
• Brain teasers (noun phrase): vấn đề phức tạp kích thích não hoạt động
• Acquaint yourself with (verb phrase): học/làm quen với

1.4. Do you think it's beneficial for elderly people to solve puzzles?

Generally, there are two major benefits when inducing the elderly to pick up solving puzzles as a hobby. Firstly, they are a nice approach to help with memory recollection or absent minds, which are common among the aged.

Secondly, those activities can keep them active. This plays a crucial role in combating mental stimulation, the feeling of loneliness, and depression which could result in dementia.

• Induce (v): khuyên/ khuyến khích
• Absent minds (noun phrase): người hay quên 
• Mental stimulation (noun phrase): kích thích trí tuệ 
• Dementia (n): bệnh sa sút trí tuệ

1.5. Did you enjoy solving puzzles during your childhood?

Yes, I used to solve puzzles during my childhood. I enjoyed tackling jigsaw puzzles, crossword puzzles, and brain teasers. They were not only enjoyable but also helped me develop my problem-solving skills and patience.

2. Example Topic: Puzzle – IELTS Speaking part 2

2.1. Topic Description

IELTS Speaking part 2: Describe a puzzle (jigsaw, crossword, etc.) you have played

You should say:  

• What it is like  
• How easy or difficult it is  
• How long it takes you to solve 
• And how you feel about it

2.2. Example

I’m going to discuss the first occasion when I tackled a puzzle called Sudoku from a newspaper. I was around 10 or 11 years old at the time, and it was part of a school assignment to read a newspaper. I had requested my dad to purchase a physical copy of the 'Tuổi Trẻ' newspaper, which was one of Vietnam's most popular and esteemed news sources. Although it remains popular today, I now read it online.

I remember I was flipping through the pages when I encountered the “puzzle page”. On that page, there was a picture of a big square and it was divided evenly into 81 square boxes so each side of the square has 9 boxes. Some of those boxes had a random number from 1 to 9 in each of them, while some others were blank.

I became interested and I read the instructions. The only rule of this puzzle is to write a number from 1 to 9 in each of the blank boxes until all of them are filled and you must calculate so that in any vertical, horizontal and diagonal line there must not be repeated numbers.

First, I thought solving it was easy and I began jotting down my answer but there was always a flaw somewhere in my game so I ended up spending a whole day solving that piece of puzzle. Eventually, I finished and I was on cloud nine for a moment but then I remembered that I hadn’t finished my newspaper report. That night, I pulled an all-nighter.

2.3. Vocabulary

• To flip (v): lật trang giấy/sách
• Be divided (v) + into: được chia thành
• Vertical (adj): thẳng
• Horizontal (adj): ngang
• Diagonal (adj): chéo
• Flaw (n): lỗi, điểm chưa hoàn chỉnh
• Eventually (adv): dần dần 
• To be on cloud nine (expression): rất sung sướng
• All-nighter (n): đêm thức trắng

3. Example Topic: Puzzle – IELTS Speaking part 3

3.1. Why do parents allow their children to engage with puzzles? 

Well I guess that has to do with the children’s intellectual development. Parents hope that by giving their children puzzles to solve at a young age, the children can learn to think and analysis the problems they are given. Maybe this gets them into the habit of looking for helpful cues and using them to come up with solutions. This is way better than letting your child watch Youtube videos all day.

• Intellectual (adj): liên quan đến trí thông minh
• To analysis (v): phân tích
• Cue (n): manh mối, gợi ý

3.2. What types of puzzles enhance people’s cognitive abilities?  

I’m not 100 percent sure but I think the rubik cube is one of the most useful puzzles out there. It could be used to enhance one’s mental capacity. It has a rule that you must follow in order to solve the cube but the cube is different every time so you must come up with different answers each time. It’s very stimulating.

• To enhance (v): gia tăng
• Mental capacity (noun phrase): năng lực trí tuệ

3.3. What makes detective stories appealing to individuals?

I think, generally, we are fascinated by mysteries and we love solving puzzles. Detective stories are puzzles in story form. So when we read or listen about these stories, we try to come to our own conclusions with the information we are presented with. The process is entertaining and when the answers are revealed, it could be extremely satisfying if we get the right ones.

• To be presented (v) + with: được cho biết
• To be revealed (v): được tiết lộ

3.4. In your opinion, which is preferable: a detective film or its original novel?

• I have to give it to + something (expression): tôi phải công nhận 
• Visually appealing (adv + adj): đẹp mắt  
• Thrilling (adj):ly kỳ, hồi hợp
• Captivating (adj): hấp dẫn