Narrate an incident where you arrived late for an occasion

Prompt

You should say:

1. When this happened

2. Why you were late

3. What consequences you have caused

How you felt afterwards

Người học có thể triển khai ý tưởng bài nói từ các gợi ý của đề như sau:

Sample Essay on Recounting an Experience of Being Late for an Event

Opening

I am an organised person and tardiness is not my problem. But I’d be lying if I told you that I am never late.

When the Incident Occurred

As a matter of fact, there was a time when I wasn’t on time for the job interview. It was just a couple of months ago when I was in search of a new part-time job to gain experience in my career. There was a position in a company whose job description perfectly suited my needs and qualifications. I truly wanted to get the job. I completed an application form online right after I was informed there was a vacancy. To my surprise, just a day after that, they called me for an interview at 9 the next morning. I was exhilarated to hear the news and prepared everything carefully the night before the meeting. I chose what to wear, ironed the set of clothes to leave a good impression on the interviewer, I also put a notebook and a pen in my purse in case I had to take notes during the interview.

Reasons for Tardiness

When everything was done, I set the alarm at 7am so that I wouldn’t rush having breakfast and headed to the firm. However, the problem was that I forgot to charge my phone and it ran out of battery during my sleep. Therefore, it didn’t go off the next morning. I overslept and woke up at 9am in frustration. I decided that I’d rather stay at home than appear as an irresponsible latecomer in the eyes of others. I did wonder if I should ask them to postpone the interview, but I couldn’t think of a reasonable excuse, so I just let it go.

Consequences of the Delay

The consequence was that I missed the chance to do the job that I desperately wanted.

How you felt afterward

I felt ashamed of myself for making such a silly mistake, but I did learn from it.

Summary

I am now much more careful when it comes to similar situations.

Vocabulary for reference

• organised (ngăn nắp): able to plan things carefully and keep things neat

→ She keeps her study materials organised in separate folders for each subject. (Cô ấy sắp xếp ngắn nắp các tài liệu học tập của mình vào các thư mục riêng cho từng môn học.)

• tardiness (chậm trễ): the quality of being late or slow

→ Tardiness is not acceptable in our company; everyone should be on time for meetings. ̣Sự chậm trễ không được chấp nhận ở công ty chúng tôi; mọi người nên đến đúng giờ trong các cuộc họp.)

• gain (đạt được): to obtain or win something, especially something that you need or want

→ Working part-time during college helps students gain experience in their field of study. (Làm việc bán thời gian trong thời gian học đại học giúp sinh viên có được kinh nghiệm trong lĩnh vực học tập của họ.)

• job description (mô tả công việc): a written description of the exact work and responsibilities of a job

→ Before applying for the job, read the job description carefully to understand the responsibilities. (Trước khi nộp đơn xin việc, hãy đọc kỹ mô tả công việc để hiểu rõ trách nhiệm.)

• qualifications (tố chất): a skill or type of experience that you need for a particular job or activity

→ To be a teacher, having a teaching certificate is one of the qualifications required. (Để trở thành giáo viên, chứng chỉ giảng dạy là một trong những bằng cấp bắt buộc.)

• application form (đơn đăng ký):a form that you complete in order to apply for a job, a place on a course, etc.

→ Please fill out the application form with your personal details and work experience. (Vui lòng điền vào mẫu đơn với thông tin cá nhân và kinh nghiệm làm việc của bạn.)

• inform (thông báo tin): to tell somebody about something, especially in an official way

→ The school will inform parents about the upcoming parent-teacher meeting through a letter. (Nhà trường sẽ thông báo tới phụ huynh về buổi họp phụ huynh-giáo viên sắp tới thông qua thư.)

• vacancy (chỗ trống): a job that is available for somebody to do

→ There is a vacancy for a receptionist position at the hotel; interested candidates can apply. (Đang có tuyển dụng vị trí lễ tân tại khách sạn; ứng viên quan tâm có thể ứng tuyển.)

• exhilarated (hào hứng): very excited and happy

→ After winning the competition, she felt exhilarated and proud of her achievements. (Sau khi giành chiến thắng trong cuộc thi, cô cảm thấy rất phấn khởi và tự hào về thành tích của mình.)

• rush (hối hả): to move or to do something with great speed, often too fast

→ Don't rush; take your time to carefully complete the task. (Đừng nóng vội ; dành thời gian của bạn để hoàn thành nhiệm vụ một cách cẩn thận.)

• overslept (ngủ quên): to sleep longer than you intended

→ I overslept this morning and missed the early bus to work. (Sáng nay tôi ngủ quên và lỡ chuyến xe buýt đi làm.)

• frustration (sự khó chịu): the feeling of being annoyed or less confident because you cannot achieve what you want

→ Facing constant computer issues at work led to a sense of frustration among the employees. (Việc phải đối mặt với các sự cố máy tính liên tục tại nơi làm việc khiến nhân viên cảm thấy thất vọng.)

• irresponsible (vô trách nhiệm): not thinking enough about the effects of what they do; not showing a feeling of responsibility

→ Leaving the office door unlocked is irresponsible behaviour; we need to be more careful. (Để cửa văn phòng không khóa là hành vi vô trách nhiệm; chúng ta cần phải cẩn thận hơn.)

• latecomer (người đến trễ): a person who arrives late

→ The meeting started on time, and latecomers missed the important introduction. (Cuộc họp bắt đầu đúng giờ và những người đến sau đã bỏ lỡ phần giới thiệu quan trọng.)

• postpone (hoãn lịch): to delay an event and plan or decide that it should happen at a later date or time

→  Due to unexpected circumstances, we had to postpone the event to next week. (Do tình huống bất ngờ nên chúng tôi phải hoãn sự kiện sang tuần sau.)

• reasonable (có lý): based on or using good judgement and therefore fair and practical

→ The manager provided a reasonable explanation for the change in the project deadline. (Người quản lý đã đưa ra lời giải thích hợp lý về sự thay đổi thời hạn của dự án.)

• excuse (cớ): to forgive someone or something

→ She came up with a creative excuse for being late to the party. (Cô ấy nghĩ ra một lý do sáng tạo để đến muộn trong bữa tiệc.)

• desperately (một cách tuyệt vọng): extremely or very much

→ He searched desperately for his lost keys, checking every room in the house. (Anh tuyệt vọng tìm kiếm những chiếc chìa khóa bị mất, kiểm tra từng phòng trong nhà.)

• ashamed (nhục nhã): feeling guilty or embarrassed about something you have done or about a quality in your character

→ She felt ashamed of not completing the assignment on time and apologised to her teacher. (Cô cảm thấy xấu hổ vì đã không hoàn thành bài tập đúng thời hạn và đã xin lỗi giáo viên của mình.)

• situation (tình huống): all the circumstances and things that are happening at a particular time and in a particular place

→ In a challenging scenario, it's crucial to maintain composure and devise a solution. (Trong một tình huống khó khăn, việc duy trì sự bình tĩnh và tìm ra một giải pháp là rất quan trọng.)

Conclusion

References

• Oxford Learner's Dictionaries | Discover definitions, translations, and grammar explanations at Oxford Learner's Dictionaries, https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/. Accessed 9 January 2024.

• Cambridge Dictionary | English Dictionary, Translations & Thesaurus, https://dictionary.cambridge.org/. Accessed 9 January 2024.