VSTEP Writing là một trong 4 kỹ năng của bài thi VSTEP. Trong kỳ thi VSTEP Writing, thí sinh được yêu cầu viết 2 bài, đó là: viết thư (writing letter) và viết luận (writing essay). Thời gian làm bài: 60 phút VSTEP Writing task 1: Viết một lá thư email có độ dài 120 từ trong khoảng 20 phút. Viết thư chiếm 13 tổng số điểm bài Writing. VSTEP Writing task 2: Viết một bài luận có độ dài 250 từ trong khoảng 40 phút. Bài luận Vstep chiếm 23 tổng số điểm bài Writing.
TASK - VSTEP: LETTERS/EMAILS Topic 1: You want to look for a new job in another country Read part of the email from the Employment Agency: Hi! I’m glad to know that you intend to look for a new job in my country Could you give me the reasons why you are interested in working in my country and what types of work are you looking for? Besides, could you tell me something about your previous work experience, your qualifications as well as your English level? Do you have any expectations regarding salary? Write an email to respond to the Employment Agency Model email: Dear Sir or Madam, Thank you so much for your email and your kind consideration I’m writing in response to your questions concerning my intention to work in your country Regarding the reasons why I have already made decisions to work in Australia, actually Australia means a lot to me with a mixed variety of stunning landscapes and hospitable inhabitants In addition, my dream is to work in an English-speaking environment because I’m an English teacher for primary schools Therefore, living and working in Australia is a golden opportunity for me to improve and master my own English levels and skills I can also broaden my horizons about Australian cultural backgrounds, lifestyles as well as explore other aspects of this beautiful country in my own free time In terms of my previous work experience and qualifications, I have been teaching English for primary students since I graduated from my university, about years ago I was among the top graduates and accepted to teach for a local primary school in my hometown Besides, I did take part in some short courses in English teaching methodology in order to boost my own specialist knowledge and teaching techniques Last year, I was awarded a certificate of “The Excellent Teacher of the Year” from the Ministry of Education With regards to my English level, I think I’m at B2 level according to CEFR-6 levels in Vietnam, but now I’m taking an advanced English course to move up to C1 level soon One more thing, I expect that my new job in Australia could range from 3,000 to 4,000 Australian dollars a month so that I can accommodate my basic needs there such as housing, transportation, foods and drinks as well as other living expenditure I hope my information is sufficient enough for you to look for a suitable job for me Once again, thanks so much for your help Best regards, Daisy (319 words) Topic 2: Your English friend, Anna, is going to visit Hanoi next month Read part of her letter: Hi Joseph! How are you? Have you finished your final exam yet? I am going to visit Vietnam next month to spare my free time before starting the new semester Could you suggest some popular places to visit while I’m in Hanoi? Besides visiting places, which activities should I in order to make my trip memorable? How about the weather in Hanoi at that time and what kinds of clothes should I wear? Thanks so much and hope to see you soon! Write a letter to respond to Anna Model letter: Dear Anna, It was really nice to hear from you recently How have you been? I hope that you and your family are all well I have just finished my final exam with flying colors I have too much free time at the moment and I’m glad that you are going to visit my beautiful country next month By this I mean, I am going to spend more time with you and accompany you to tour around the city while you’re in Hanoi Regarding some popular places and activities, I highly recommend visiting the Old Quarter and the Sword Lake or Hoan Kiem Lake which are certainly the most famous tourist destinations for most foreign visitors You can take a wide range of stunning photos there as well as enjoy a cup of Vietnamese coffee from a lot of café locating opposite the lake Besides, you can visit Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, Temple of Literature and Long Bien Bridge If you have more time, you can visit somewhere quite far from Hanoi such as Perfume Pagoda and Ha Long Bay, which take you about hours and hours to travel by car or taxi, respectively In addition to taking photos, you can enjoy a mixed variety of local foods in Hanoi Don’t worry, I will be your tour guide and take you to the places where you can have the most delicious dishes Going shopping is also another interesting activity to in Hanoi, especially at night markets Next month will be summer in Hanoi; therefore, the weather will be very hot and humid It’s sometimes windy but you may feel uncomfortable I think you should bring summer clothes such as short jeans, T-shirts, crop-tops and other thin clothes that are suitable for staying in a hot region Don’t forget to bring sunglasses as well as sunscreen I hope my information is useful for you and looking forward to your visit next month Write me if you need further information Best wishes, Joseph Topic 3: Read part of an email from your English friend, Cathy: Hi Mary! I have just finished my final exam for the second semester My family is spending our summer time in Spain, my favorite city It’s great because we can many interesting things together How are you these days? Do you have any special plans for the summer? Where are you and your family going to visit? Write an email to respond to Cathy Model email: Dear Cathy, It was great to hear from you recently How have you been? I hope you and your family are all well Similar to you, I have already finished my final exams with flying colors My advanced English course at the foreign language center is going to finish in more weeks You know, my English level and skills have been improved a lot from this course Besides, my English teacher is very friendly and my classmates are helpful We intend to celebrate a farewell party together at the end of the course Regarding the summer plan, my family has already booked flight tickets to Hanoi, our capital city We are going to spend the whole week there, starting from the beginning of June Our hotel is ideally located in the center, overlooking Hoan Kiem Lake so that it would be convenient and easy for us to tour around the city There are some famous tourist attractions that are definitely worth a visit such as Hanoi Old Quarter, Temple of Literature, Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, Long Bien Bridge and Perfume Pagoda I think we can take a wide variety of stunning photos at these places of interests On more thing, my aunt is living in Quang Ninh province Therefore, my family is going to visit her before returning back to Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) On the way to her house, we will pay a visit to Halong Bay, one of the UNESCO World Heritage Site, which is about 200 km from Hanoi Then, will catch a flight back to HCMC from Van Don International Airport After the trip, I intend to enroll into another English course and some other soft-skill courses I think that’s enough for my summer Write and tell me about your trip to Spain once you reach home Best wishes, Mary (306 words) Topic 4: Read part of a letter from your English friend, Cathy: My school time is very tight, my class always starts from 8am to 4pm, Monday to Friday I have a lot of assignments and exams In my free time, I like listening to music or watching my favorite films I also like hanging out with my close friends on Saturday evenings, but sometimes my parents won’t let me so Write a letter to respond to Cathy to: - Describe your school schedule - What you like to in your free time - Whether you like going out or staying at home in the evenings Model letter: Dear Cathy, It was really nice to hear from you recently How have you been? I hope you and your family are all well Regarding my school schedule, in Vietnam, we usually go to school at 6:30 and our class starts from 7:15 to 11:15am, Monday to Saturday mornings I don’t have any classes on Saturday afternoons and Sundays Similar to you, I also have a lot of homework, assignments and exams to take Sometimes I feel really tired and exhausted Besides, on the last Sunday of each month, I have to take an extra-curriculum activity with my classmates and form teacher but it is great and relaxing In terms of my free-time activities, to tell you the truth, I don’t have too much spare time due to the tight school schedule However, whenever I’ve got some time off, I will hang out with some of my high school friends to go shopping, to enjoy coffees from the nearby café and to see our favorite movie together In addition, sometimes I feel so lazy to go out that I spend my free time at the comfort of my home and read books or listen to English music With regards to my evenings, I would say it really depends If I have too much homework and many assignments, I would prefer to stay home and try to finish them all, especially when the exams are coming, I tend to immerse myself in school stuff and don’t like moving out By way of contrast, if I don’t face with these previously-mentioned issues, I enjoy spending my time outdoors to freshen up my mind and revitalize my energy I think it’s a great way for me to reduce stress during the exhausting day That’s enough for now Write to me whenever you have free time Best wishes, Mary (305 words) Topic 5: Your English friend, Cathy, is very interested in your new pet Read part of her letter: Hi Mary! I heard that you’ve got a new puppy What is the name of your puppy? Who gave it that name? When did you have it? Do you enjoy keeping your puppy at home and whether you have any problems with it? Write a letter to respond to Cathy Model letter: Dear Cathy, It was really nice to hear from you recently How have you been? I hope you and your family are all well Regarding my new puppy, you know, he is very cute and lovely Actually, my parents bought him, a kind of Alaska dog, for me as a special gift on the occasion of my 20th birthday which was weeks ago Having known that I’m really into raising a dog at home; my parents had already made their decisions to give me such an expensive present With regards to his name, after days making careful consideration, I finally chose “Nanh Trang” (White Fang) as his name, my favorite novel written by Jack London To tell you the truth, this name means a lot to me I express a special love for the wild dog in the novel He symbolizes for being loyal, brave and adorable Honestly, there are countless reasons why we should keep a puppy at home Firstly, he is a good companion for me whenever I would like to take a walk in my garden or the nearby park Secondly, a dog can encourage us to get some exercise, and he can be a great guardian In addition, a dog can help us to relieve stress and can even help people to better cope with depression However, the only problem with keeping him is that he is sometimes so active that he tends to chew anything he can such as my clothes, shoes and even my school books That’s enough for now How about you? Do you like keeping any pet at home? Write to me as soon as possible Best wishes, Mary (285 words) Topic 6: Your friend, Cathy, is taking a piano class but would like to stop it due to her tight school schedule Read part of her email: I am taking a piano class at Nguyen Ha Music Center on Mondays and Thursdays My lessons are very interesting and my teacher is so helpful However, I have so many assignments and exams at the moment that I intend to stop learning it Write an email to respond to Cathy and: - Encourage her not to give up - Suggest some ways for her to continue practicing playing piano Model email: Dear Cathy, It was really nice to hear from you recently How have you been? I hope you and your family are all well It’s interesting to know that you are attending a piano class because you’ve always told me that you are extremely keen on playing piano and want to become a pianist one day To my mind, learning how to play a musical instrument of any kinds is a great way for us to relieve stress and escape the pressure of our school work and hectic lifestyles In addition, many studies reveal that playing musical instruments can help people to stimulate our brain functions as well as strengthen our hand-eye coordination It is no wonder that playing piano will help you be more creative, improve memory and patience, and give you a sense of achievement That’s why I highly recommend you continue chasing your passion no matter how exhausting and demanding your school stuff is Whenever you want to stop, think of the reasons you set out I know it’s easier said than done However, finding ways to balance your school time and practicing piano is an urgent need at the moment From my perspectives, you can change your current piano class to the ones during weekend when you are free from going to school Many music centers now offer classes at weekends for those who are very busy during weekdays You can enroll into the morning classes and practice playing piano yourself at home in the afternoons With regards to your school assignments, you can form a study group of 5-6 people, and then you altogether finish these tough issues In this way, I believe you can save more time in doing homework and have more free time for your passion That’s enough for now I hope my information is useful for you Write to me if you need any further advice Best wishes, Mary (318 words) Topic 7: Your English friend, Cathy, is going to organize an extra-curriculum activity for her students in England about Mid-Autumn Festival in Vietnam Read part of her letter: Hi Mary! I am going to organize some activities for my students in England to know more about Mid-Autumn Festival in Vietnam Could you tell me what kinds of activities that Vietnamese children often during this occasion? And what kinds of foods they usually have? If possible, could you suggest some kinds of presents to give children on this occasion? Thanks so much and looking for your information Write a letter to respond to Cathy Model letter: Dear Cathy, It was really great to hear that you are going to organize some activities for your students in England to learn more about Mid-Autumn Festival, which is also known as Full Moon Festival, one of the most important traditional festivals in Vietnam You know, this one is mainly celebrated for Vietnamese children This festival usually falls on the middle of September each solar calendar year Regarding the most common activities, children in Vietnam usually take part in lantern parades on major streets, either with other children or with their parents Besides, they can enjoy stunning views of floating lanterns on the rivers In addition, about week before the festival, children could help parents to decorate their houses and participate in making lanterns contests at school On the festival night, children and their parents can visit their relatives to enjoy parties together and strengthen family bond In terms of foods, like other Asian countries, the typical festive food on this day in Vietnam is mooncakes Vietnamese people usually buy mooncakes to eat and give to others as gifts Besides mooncakes, other seasonal foods like grapefruits and other autumn fruits, snow skin mooncakes, jelly mooncakes, and green rice are also preferred among family members The family and mainly the kids will participate in the feast, adults often eat mooncakes while drinking tea One more thing, Mid-Autumn Festival is also a gift-giving occasion Many parents want to take advantage of this date to create happiness for children by buying lanterns of different sizes and shapes, colorful masks, celebrating the traditional feast and letting the kids enjoy the lantern parade under the bright full moon I think that’s enough for now I hope my information is useful for you If you need any further information, feel free to write to me Best wishes, Mary Topic 8: Your English friend, Cathy, is going to organize an extra-curriculum activity for her students in England about Mid-Autumn Festival in Vietnam Read part of her letter: Hi Mary! I am going to organize some activities for my students in England to know more about Mid-Autumn Festival in Vietnam Could you tell me what kinds of activities that Vietnamese children often during this occasion? And what kinds of foods they usually have? If possible, could you suggest some kinds of presents to give children on this occasion? Thanks so much and looking for your information Write a letter to respond to Cathy Model letter: Dear Cathy, It was really great to hear that you are going to organize some activities for your students in England to learn more about Mid-Autumn Festival, which is also known as Full Moon Festival, one of the most important traditional festivals in Vietnam You know, this one is mainly celebrated for Vietnamese children This festival usually falls on the middle of September each solar calendar year Regarding the most common activities, children in Vietnam usually take part in lantern parades on major streets, either with other children or with their parents Besides, they can enjoy stunning views of floating lanterns on the rivers In addition, about week before the festival, children could help parents to decorate their houses and participate in making lanterns contests at school On the festival night, children and their parents can visit their relatives to enjoy parties together and strengthen family bond In terms of foods, like other Asian countries, the typical festive food on this day in Vietnam is mooncakes Vietnamese people usually buy mooncakes to eat and give to others as gifts Besides mooncakes, other seasonal foods like grapefruits and other autumn fruits, snow skin mooncakes, jelly mooncakes, and green rice are also preferred among family members The family and mainly the kids will participate in the feast, adults often eat mooncakes while drinking tea One more thing, Mid-Autumn Festival is also a gift-giving occasion Many parents want to take advantage of this date to create happiness for children by buying lanterns of different sizes and shapes, colorful masks, celebrating the traditional feast and letting the kids enjoy the lantern parade under the bright full moon I think that’s enough for now I hope my information is useful for you If you need any further information, feel free to write to me Best wishes, Mary