IELTS NGOC BACH ĐỀ THI SPEAKING HAY RA NHẤT TRONG THỜI GIAN GÂN ĐÂY Describe the first time you used a foreign language to communicate You should say: who you communicated with what the situation was * what you said (or wrote) and explain how you felt during this experience ANSWER: I have been learning English for a long time, but I haven’t had many chances to practice speaking English with native speakers To the best of my recollection, the first time I used it was on Christmas Eve three years ago At that time, I was hanging out with my friends Suddenly, a foreigner came up to me and asked for directions to a supermarket Honestly, he spoke too quickly for me to catch everything But after he repeated his words, I finally understood and showed him the way to the nearest supermarket I used body language a lot to explain the directions to him, since I didn’t speak English well then After that, he said “Thank you” to me and headed for the supermarket I realize that English plays an important role in our life, despite the fact that we don’t live in English-speaking countries It is spoken globally and it’s becoming the dominant language Therefore, I have been trying to practice speaking English daily so that I can have a good command of this language, and I can talk confidently with foreigners, whatever the topic of conversation VOCABULARY to the best of my recollection: [expression] if I remember correctly Example: I was not present at that meeting, to the best of my recollection hanging out: [phrasal verb] spending a lot of time in a particular place, but doing no special activity Example: My friends and I enjoy hanging out at our local coffee shop, just chatting and enjoying a coffee came up to: [phrasal verb] approached IELTS NGOC BACH Example: The manager came up to me and shook my hand catch everything: [expression] hear or understand everything that he said Example: At the train station it was too noisy to hear all the information clearly, and I was unable to catch everything body language: [noun] the way that you show what you feel or think by moving your body Example: Sometimes, our teacher uses body language, not words, to help to communicate an idea headed for: [phrasal verb] moved in a particular direction Example: After the show finished, everyone headed for the exits have a good command of: [expression] have a good knowledge of something Example: People who apply for this job must have a good command of English, in order to communicate with our American customers Describe a piece of good news that you received You should say • • • • what the news was where you were when you received this news [Or: What you were doing when you received this news] who gave you this news and explain why you felt this was good news ANSWER: - - I’m going to talk about the time when I received the official notification of my scholarship to study in Japan over a year ago It’s been a long time but I can still remember that day so well At the time I got the news, I was taking a quick nap, then the alert sound from my phone woke me up A new email had arrived It was an email from the International Affairs Office of a university in Japan informing me that I had been chosen to receive a scholarship during my exchange semester there Several months before that day, I had applied for IELTS NGOC BACH - an academic exchange program in this university, they had accepted my application and nominated me to the Scholarship Committee So, when I received this email, it took my brain a few seconds for this news to sink in, and then my heart suddenly jumped I leapt out of my bed and screamed out loud, because I was extremely excited I had been waiting for this email for two months since I gained the admission If I hadn’t won the scholarship, my living expenses would have become a heavy financial burden for my parents, but thanks to the monthly grants that I received from the university, I could really enjoy my time in Japan without worrying about financial problems Even now, I still keep this lucky email in my mailbox to remind me of that day VOCABULARY Take a nap: take a short sleep, especially during the day Example: I usually take a nap after lunch Nominate: to formally suggest that somebody should be chosen for an important role, prize, position, etc Example: He was nominated as the best actor Scholarship Committee: the committee in charge of reviewing and selecting recipients for university’s scholarship Example: The Scholarship Committee has announced the list of scholarship recipients this semester Sink in: be fully understood or realised Example: I was so surprised by the news of the disaster that it took a few moments to sink in Jump: to make a sudden movement because of surprise, fear or excitement Example: Her heart jumped when she heard the news Leap: to move or something suddenly and quickly Example: She leapt out of bed Scream out loud: to give a loud, high cry, because you are hurt, frightened, excited, etc (in this situation: excited) Example: I screamed out loud when I saw my old friend Admission: the act of accepting somebody into an institution, organization, etc.; the right to enter a place or to join an institution or organization Example: She failed to gain admission to the university of her choice IELTS NGOC BACH Burden: a duty, responsibility, etc that causes worry, difficulty or hard work Example: His illness placed a heavy financial burden on his family Grant: a sum of money to be used for a particular purpose – in this case, given by the university to pay for my education during that semester Example: The university awarded me a grant, which enabled me to undertake a new piece of research Describe an event that resulted in a positive change in your life Or Describe a positive change that you made to your life You should say: • • • • when it happened where it happened what the change was and explain how you have benefited from this change ( or, explain how you feel about this change) ANSWER • • • • Well, I’d like to talk about the very first time that I rode a bicycle It was a long time ago, the summer after I finished primary school At that age, most of my friends could already cycle, but for me it was quite difficult, as I was extremely bad at keeping my balance and so I was very reluctant to learn However, that summer, my grandfather decided to teach me how to ride and we practised every morning And after suffering from several bad falls, eventually I was able ride the bicycle myself, without my grandpa’s help It was a real thrill and I remember feeling extremely happy as I rode around my neighborhood, although actually I was also a little bit nervous and afraid of crashing into others Thanks to my grandpa, that day I realized that I was not as weak as I had thought and I could conquer my fear to take on any challenge ahead From that time on, I started to go to school and go out with friends on my bike and finally I was able to enjoy the pleasure of feeling independent and mature Maybe at that time, my grandpa’s purpose was only to encourage me to ride, but thanks to it, I became stronger and more confident about myself in general Several years later, I read a quote that says “Life is like riding a bicycle To keep your balance, you must keep moving on” It reminded me of that day and the important basic lesson that my grandpa taught me IELTS NGOC BACH VOCABULARY Balance: the ability to keep steady with an equal amount of weight on each side of the body Example: I struggled to keep my balance on my new skates Reluctant: hesitating before you something because you not want to it Example: I am reluctant to try mountain-climbing, because I am afraid of falling Suffer: to be badly affected by a disease, pain, sadness, a lack of something, etc Example: He is suffering from a headache Thanks to: used to say that something has happened because of somebody/something Example: It was all a great success—thanks to a lot of hard work Conquer: to succeed in dealing with or controlling something Example: The only way to conquer a fear is to face it Take on: to tackle something by deciding to it Example: She has taken on the task of looking after her elderly parents Quote: a group of words or a short piece of writing taken from a book, play, speech, etc and repeated because it is interesting or useful Example: I write my favourite quotes in a notebook Move on: start doing something new Example: After doing the same job for 10 years, I decided that it was time to move on and think about a change of career Remind of: to make somebody remember or think about the other person, place, thing, etc because of the similarities Example: You remind me of your father when you say that