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