Buzz
Giải đáp đề IELTS Speaking Part 2 – Quý 1/2022
1. Famous individuals (foreigners, athletes, figures on social media,…)
Describing famous people is an extremely popular topic in IELTS Speaking Part 2. You can apply general formulas like the following to create a complete speech:
- Nêu thông tin cá nhân (Tên, tuổi, nghề nghiệp, ngoại hình, tính cách,…);
- Họ nổi tiếng như thế nào (Lý do nổi tiếng, có thành tựu gì, có bao nhiêu fans, lượt theo dõi, mức độ giàu có, thu nhập,…);
- Họ cống hiến được gì cho xã hội (Tiền bạc, từ thiện, học thức, sản phẩm sáng tạo,…);
- Ảnh hưởng của họ đến bản thân bạn là gì;
The following topics belong to the same category, so you can refer to some sample speeches below, then modify some content to suit each topic.
| 1. Describe your favorite famous person 2. Describe an athlete that you admire 3. Describe a creative person (an artist/musician/…) whose work you admire 4. Describe a foreign person who you have heard or known that you think is interesting 5. Describe a businessman you admire 6. Describe a person you follow regularly on social media |
| Describe a foreign person who you have heard or known that you think is interesting. You should say: Who the person is How you knew him/her What kind of person he/she is And explain why you think he/she is interesting. |
Sample:
I’m going to talk about Komuro Mako, who was a princess in Japan until recently. She had to give up her royal title to marry her long-time boyfriend, who is a commoner. I didn’t really know about Japan’s marital practices. However, from what I’ve read, when a Japanese woman marries, she must change her last name to that of her husband. Since her husband is just a regular citizen, she also becomes one. The wedding has attracted so much drama and the couple must have been under much pressure.
A little bit more on Mako, I just got to know her from what the press has written about as well as the videos I’ve seen on social media. To me, she looks like what I expect from a princess. She’s always well-dressed in an elegant way and not too showy. Her demeanour is calm and when she answers the press, her gesture is polite and composed. She seems to be highly educated, in fact, her husband is her college sweetheart, whom she referred to as “irreplaceable” in an interview.
The reason why I’m interested in her is that her story seems like a modern-day fairy tale. She and her husband have endured so much just to be together. It’s very brave of her to follow her heart. That’s something that the rest of us can learn from. I wish her all the best with her new life.
- Give up: từ bỏ
- Royal title: tước hiệu hoàng tộc
- Marital practice: nghi thức hôn nhân
- Be under pressure: chịu áp lực
- Well-dressed (adj): ăn mặc đẹp
- Elegant (adj): sang trọng, quý phái
- Showy (adj): lộ liễu, khoe
- Demeanour (n): thái độ, cử chỉ
- Gesture (n): cử chỉ (hình thể)
- Composed (adj): điềm đạm
- College sweetheart: mối tình từ thời đại học
- Fairy tale: chuyện cổ tích
2. Everyday people (family members, a person you cherish,…)
This topic requires exploring more personal aspects, but still ensuring the essential elements:
- Thông tin cá nhân (Tên, tuổi, nghề nghiệp, ngoại hình, tính cách,…);
- Mối quan hệ của người đó với bạn (thân thiết, thù địch,…);
- Một câu chuyện/ trải nghiệm cụ thể mà bạn và người đó có cùng nhau (tuỳ đề bài);
- Ảnh hưởng của người đó lên bạn/ Suy nghĩ, cảm nhận về mối quan hệ.
The following topics are related, so you can refer to some sample essays below and then modify some content to fit each topic.
| 1. Describe a time when you felt proud of a family member 2. Describe a person that you enjoy spending time with 3. Describe a person who impressed you most when you were in primary school 4. Describe a person you know whose job is useful to society 5. Describe a person who solved a problem in a smart way |
| Describe a time when you felt proud of a family member. When it happened Who this person is What the person did And explain why you felt proud of him/her. |
Sample:
When I read this cue card, my little brother is the first person that springs to mind. He has always been the pride of my family and I’d like to talk about the time when he won a gold medal in the local junior science competition last year.
My 17-year-old little brother, Minh, has shown a keen interest in science since he was a child. He has always been a cut above in his class so I wasn’t surprised at all when he was chosen to showcase his ability in such competitions.
Minh was having a lot on his plate at the time, as he had to be well-prepared for the upcoming competition while ensuring his academic performances in class. There were times when I saw him burn the midnight oil to finish all his homework and do extra reading, and though he kept saying that he was okay, I knew that he was under a lot of pressure.
On the day of the competition, our whole family came to encourage Minh and boost his confidence. He had to outperform over 100 other contestants, dealing with 100 nerve-racking questions ranging from Mathematics, Physics to Chemistry to get into the Final round. But not until he was announced to be the winner did the whole crowd reach fever pitch.
As soon as we heard the announcement, we couldn’t help ourselves but burst into tears and ran over to Minh to give him a tight embrace. There were tears of happiness in his eyes and he kept expressing his gratitude for us being by his side. Words could not describe how much we were all proud of him at that very moment.
Despite possessing an inborn talent, Minh always stays humble and shows unparalleled dedication and stamina in everything he does. I am so proud of him, not just because of the gold medal he had achieved, but the time and effort he invested were what actually mattered.
- Spring to mind: xuất hiện ngay trong đầu
- Show a keen interest in s.th: thích thú
- A cut above (n): người vượt trội hẳn so với những người khác
- Have a lot on one’s plate: bận rộn
- Burn the midnight oil: thức đêm học bài/ làm việc
- Nerve-racking (adj): căng não
- Reach fever pitch: vỡ oà, chạm đến cao trào
- Burst into tears: bật khóc
- Embrace (n): cái ôm
- Gratitude (n): sự biết ơn
- Inborn talent (n): tài bẩm sinh
- Unparalleled (adj): không thể sánh bằng
- Dedication/ stamina (n): lòng quyết tâm
| Describe a person that you enjoy spending time with. You should say: Who this person is How you knew him/her What you usually do together And explain why you like to spend time with him/her. |
Sample:
Today, I want to introduce a friend I enjoy spending time with. That person is Annie, not just my best friend but also someone who has deeply influenced me.
I believe I should talk about how we got to know each other. She was the first person I get acquainted with in college, because she was sitting next to me while we were waiting for the lecturer to come. As a sociable 18-year-old girl, Annie immediately broke the ice by asking me a lot of questions. We hit it off right away, and we were able to pull jokes as if we had known each other for years. As time goes by, we turned out to be really close-knit.
It feels like Annie and I see eye to eye in almost anything. As we have a lot in common, we often do things that we both enjoy like eating, shopping and travelling. Sometimes we can simply lie next to each other, confiding about daily stuff, which makes us realize how much we were on the same page.
Most importantly, I want to talk about the reason why I like spending time with Annie. You know what they say, human energy is contagious and I have never befriended such a positive-energised person like her. She often makes me feel recharged and uplifted just by being by her side. I always found her in a jubilant mood in spite of the fact that she had a very troublesome incident in her life as well, and this has contributed a lot in my outlook towards life.
Besides, she is also a smart cookie who often comes up with brilliant ideas. More than just a friend, she is like a mentor that I can always turn to for help and constructive advice when in adversity.
Words cannot describe how much I love my bestie, and I cannot wait for our next get-together.
- Get acquainted with s.o: làm quen ai đó
- Break the ice: phá vỡ bầu không khí ngột ngạt, bắt chuyện
- Hit it off: hợp nhau ngay từ lần đầu gặp
- Pull jokes: chọc cười
- Close-knit (adj): thân thiết
- See eye to eye: hiểu nhau
- Have s.th in common: có điểm chung
- Confide (v): tâm sự
- Be on the same page: hiểu nhau
- Contagious (adj): có tính lây lan
- Be recharged: được nạp lại năng lượng (tích cực)
- Outlook (n): cái nhìn (về cuộc sống)
- A smart cookie: một người thông minh
- Come up with s.th: nghĩ ra gì đó
- Constructive (adj): có tính đóng góp, xây dựng
- Get-together (n): cuộc gặp
3. Soft abilities (habits, advice, skill enhancement,….)
Topics related to skills, habits,… can be presented in the form of a short story including: How you discovered it (where, when, with whom,…); The benefits/ drawbacks it brings to life; How you started/ gave up on it (Briefly describe the process from start to finish); What results it brings,… And don't forget to mention your feelings about that experience.
The following topics are related, so you can refer to some sample essays below and then modify some content to fit each topic.
| 1. Describe a time when you gave some helpful advice to someone 2. Describe a useful skill you learned from an older person 3. Describe something you did that helped you to learn another language 4. Describe a skill that was difficult for you to learn 5. Describe a habit your friend has and you want to develop 6. Describe something you think it would be interesting to learn more about 7. Describe a time when you had to do something difficult, and you succeeded |
| Describe a healthy habit you have. You should say: What that habit it is How long you’ve had this habit How often you do it And explain why you think it’s a healthy habit. |
Sample:
So…today I want to discuss jogging, a type of physical activity that has long been part of my daily routine.
I first took up this habit about 7 years ago, when I was still a teenager. At the time I was a bit overweight and felt extremely upset about how I looked. You know it’s normal to face some emotional ups and downs during one’s teenage years, but if a person had to deal with extra weight, it might add to these feelings. After years of being teased and bullied at school because of my appearance, I decided to put my running shoes on and it has changed my life upside down.
The difference between running and jogging is intensity. Running is much faster, uses more kilojoules and demands more effort from the heart, lungs and muscles and it requires a higher level of overall fitness. This is not easy at all for newbies, as I could not push myself too hard right from the beginning.
I started each run with a gentle warm-up for at least 5 minutes. This included walking, marching on the spot, knee lifts, side stepping or climbing stairs. I didn’t want to suffer any injuries while doing the exercise, so I tried to ease myself into running slowly and increase my pace and distance gradually over several outings.
After only about 3 months into running, I managed to lose a total of 5 kilograms, which left me flabbergasted as I never believed I could achieve such a goal. Now I’m as fit as a fiddle, and no longer worry about my weights, but running has done wonders to my bones, muscles and cardiovascular fitness so I would like to keep doing it in the future.
- Emotional ups and downs (n): những cảm xúc vui và buồn
- Put one running shoes on: mang giày chạy (chỉ việc đi chạy bộ)
- Newbie (n): người mới
- Push oneself (v): ép bản thân
- Pace (n): bước chạy
- Flabbergasted (adj): kinh ngạc
- As fit as a fiddle: vô cùng khỏe mạnh
- Do wonders: có tác động tuyệt vời
- Cardiovascular fitness: sức khỏe tim mạch
4. Locations (tourist spots, cities, …)
Description of places often associated with natural beauty, weather, people, interesting/highlighted spots, activities, specialties,… You can explore these information based on your preferences.
The following questions belong to the same topic so you can refer to some sample articles below, then change a few contents to suit each question.
| 1. Describe a place in the countryside that you visited 2. Describe a time you visited a new place 3. Describe a café you’d like to visit 4. Describe a place you visited on vacation 5. Describe a famous city that you think is interesting |
| Describe a time you visited a new place. You should say: Where the new place is When you went there Why you went there And explain how you feel about the place. |
Sample:
When I look at this topic, it reminds me of the occasion when I embarked on a hiking journey to Fansipan with my closest companions.
Normally, if ever given a long holiday, we would go for chilling by the beach. But to make a little change, we decided to spice things up by going off the beaten track. Living in Ho Chi Minh city, we had to take a long car trip up North to reach the mountains. The only thing I remember during the trip was how spectacular the scenery was, which was chalk and cheese different from where we live. From afar, I could spot many waterfalls, with the water cascading down the side of one of the rocky mountains.
The height of the Fansipan was 3,143 meters, which is the highest on the Indochinese Peninsula, hence its nickname “the Roof of Indochina”. This is an ideal hiking spot for those who wish to challenge themselves with a steep and fairly strenuous hike. Hiking with a small group of friends, I could enjoy the beauty of silence. I could listen to the rhythm of my breath, look at the small details and lose myself in the look of magnificent scenery, trying to engrave it in my memory, forever. I was fully immersed in the nature surrounding me, with thousands of trees along the way and the sounds of exotic animals, which I couldn’t normally see in the city.
After almost 3 days of hard work, we finally reached the summit of the mountain. From the very top of Fansipan, we could see the whole panoramic view of the forests, which was absolutely out of this world. I had been to the mountainous areas before but never had I felt such a sense of achievement like I did that time, maybe it was because I had to get there on foot. Fansipan was truly a picturesque destination, and I thought it was best experienced on a hike, not cable cars, because only through hiking can you really enjoy the beautiful natural landscape while spending time with your loved ones.
It marked my initial venture into such an extraordinary excursion, yet undoubtedly, it stands as one of the most exhilarating adventures of my life.- Spice things up: khuấy động
- Go off the beaten track: đến nơi không có nhiều người biết đến
- Chalk and cheese different: vô cùng khác biệt
- Cascade down (v): (thác) đổ xuống
- Steep (adj): dốc
- Strenuous (adj): khó khăn
- Engrave (v): khắc sâu
- Be immersed in s.th: đắm chìm vào gì đó
- Exotic (adj): lạ
- Panoramic view (n): toàn cảnh (từ trên xuống)
- Be out of this world: tuyệt vời, không thể tưởng tượng nổi
- Sense of achievement: cảm giác chinh phục được điều gì
- Picturesque (adj): đẹp như tranh
