IELTS Speaking Part 2: Describe a friend

1. Describe a person who has interesting ideas or opinions
2. Describe an intelligent person you know
3. Describe a person you know who helps to protect the environment
4. Describe someone you would like to study or work with

I would like to talk about one of my friends who is very smart; her name is Phuong. She studied in the same high school class with me. Phuong is a fun person to be around with since she always comes up with many interesting ideas. She is also a person who constantly supports environment protection acts. One of her greatest opinions was to convince our teacher to take our class to My Khe beach for camping and while we were there, we could also help clean up the garbage on the beach. In recent years, the beach has been flooded with tourists, thus the beach is always full of litters disposed by them. With the help of our teacher, our class went on the trip as suggested by Phuong. Although we were able to be there for only 3 days, we had such a great time bonding with each other. At the same time, we also did help clean up part of the beach. To our surprise, our action that day somehow raised awareness for people on the beach; some even joined us to pick up the garbage. After the trip’s success, our class all agreed to have such trip every year and we still continued to keep this tradition until now. Thanks to Phuong’s idea, our trip was more meaningful. I felt so lucky to know and study with her.

(IELST Ngoc Bach)

IELTS Speaking Part 2: Describe a foreign language

1. Describe a second foreign language you would like to learn
2. Describe a skill that took you a long time to learn

I would like to talk about a skill that took a long time to learn which is to learn a new language. In my case, that is English. Although it is one of the compulsory subjects at school, I am struggling to master all four skills like an English speaker.

There are many reasons that make it difficult to master. First of all, there is big difference in grammar usage between English and Vietnamese. While Vietnamese grammar is quite simple, English has many tenses and grammar structure to remember. The second reason is about pronunciation. For example, in English we have to really pay attention to the stress on syllable which we do not have in our mother tongue. If we pronounce wrong, nobody will be able to understand us no matter how good our grammar and vocabulary are. Thanks to advance in technology, it is now easier than ever for one to learn English anytime anywhere via internet, phone apps or English centers across our country.

Since English has become very popular nowadays. It is helpful for us to be able to speak English fluently. With good English skill, we have more chances to get better jobs, go study abroad or travel the world.

(IELTS Ngoc Bach)

IELTS Speaking Part 2: Describe a bad experience

1. Describe a time when you made a complaint and were satisfied with the result
2. Describe a time you received terrible service

Maybe because I am not the picky type, I rarely felt upset about anything at all. However, there was one time I got so frustrated with this restaurant service that I almost exploded there.

It happened two months ago on my parents’ anniversary weekend. Our family decided to go to a famous restaurant in town to celebrate this special occasion. We came about 5 minutes earlier than scheduled; one waitress greeted us and showed us to our table. We were all excited as our food arrived. After taking some photos together with the table full of food like usual, we started eating. To our surprise, my sister dropped the chopsticks, with a terrifying look on her face, she trembled: “Look! There was a worm crawling out of the vegetable plate!!!”. I immediately asked to meet the restaurant manager and complained with him about the food. He kept saying sorry to us, constantly explained that this incident had never happened here before. I got so angry that I didn’t even let him explain further. I told him that I would report this restaurant for its unhygienic food preparation. In the end, the manager offered us a new vegetable dish and our bill was on the house that night. Though I was not happy with the incident since it ruined my family’s special night, I was glad that the restaurant manager had resolved our case quickly and reasonably.

(IELTS Ngoc Bach)

IELTS speaking: Describe a famous person

1. Describe a singer that you like
2. Describe a foreign star that you would like to meet
3. Describe a person you wanted to be similar to when you were growing up

I would like to talk about a famous singer whom I really admired/would like to meet since I was small, that is Alicia Keys. Keys is an American singer-songwriter, musician, and philanthropist. She was born and raised mostly by her mother in a tough neighborhood in Manhattan, New York.


I first knew about Alicia Keys through her song named “Fallin’”. At that time, I was struck by her angelic voice and started following her since then. What makes Alicia Keys different from other artists is that her music lyric is always meaningful and uplifting; especially when they are sung through her powerful yet emotional voice. Not only is she a talented singer with 15 Grammy wins through her musical career, Alicia Keys is also a great philanthropist. Keys is the co-founder and Global Ambassador of Keep a Child Alive, a non-profit organization that provides medicine, orphan care, and social support to families with HIV and AIDS in Africa and India. She actively supports the feminism wave, inspiring women all over the world through her songs as well as actions like “Make up free” movement. She has stopped wearing makeup since 2016, even when she attended events in order to promote natural beauty and embracing self-confidence among women in our society.


To me, Alicia Keys is such a good example of modern woman that I want to become in the future. I dreamed one day I would be able to meet her in real life.

IELTS writing task 2: Some students take a year off between school and university, to work or to travel. Do the advantages of this outweigh the disadvantages?

IELTS writing task 2: Some students take a year off between school and university, to work or to travel. Do the advantages of this outweigh the disadvantages? 

It is true these days that many high school leavers choose to start their work or take a trip before going to university. While a gap year can bring some immediate drawbacks, I am convinced that it is more likely to have long-term benefits for their lives.

On the one hand,  young students are very likely to encounter several difficulties when delaying their university study. One of these problem is the delay in academic progress caused by spending one year off school. It is understandably almost impossible for young people to enjoy their experiences in doing a job or travelling to new place but still arrange a certain amount of time for revision. As a result, gap-year takers may have to face the challenge of becoming familiar with the knowledge at school again, receiving more pressure of catching up with their peers. Besides, the life out of university campus may prove to be mentally and physically overwhelming for inexperienced school leavers. They, for instance, may be at risk of being exploited in an exhausting job or face potential dangers on their trips to a new country. If not well prepared for such possible obstacles, young high school graduates can suffer from unintended consequences.

On the other hand, I would argue that these disadvantages are outweighed by the positive effects. A gap year is an ideal opportunity for students to learn about what is not taught at university. Working with other people who are experts in a particular field can give these newcomers not only understanding of the job but also valuable practical lessons to help them become more mature. When it comes to applying for a position in a company, employer tend to favourably consider applicants who possess extensive experience in life and the occupation. Furthermore, in terms of recreation, having a year to relax can be advantageous as students can have a chance to relieve stress in study. With a comfortable and willing attitude, undergraduates can acquire knowledge more effectively in comparison with those who go to university straightaway.

In conclusion, despite some negative aspects, it seems to me that the benefits of a gap year are more significant for the reasons mentioned.

(365 words, written by Bao Nguyen)