1. Describe a time when you received good service in a restaurant or café
You should say:
- when this was
- what kind of restaurant or café you were in
- why you were there
- and why you thought the service was good
I’m going to talk about the service we received in a restaurant where a friend of mine celebrated his birthday last Saturday evening.
My friend had decided to book a table in a local Italian restaurant for the party. It was a small, family-run place, but this made it feel all the more welcoming and inviting. The atmosphere was great and the service was excellent.
As I mentioned, I went to the restaurant because a friend had invited me to celebrate his birthday there. There were about ten of us there – mostly people I’ve known since university – and it was really nice to catch up with them and chat about what we had all been up to since we last got together.
The service was good because the restaurant staff and owners really made us feel at home. From the moment we walked in, the waiters were polite, approachable and attentive; nothing was too much to ask. They brought out a cake with candles and sang “Happy Birthday” to my friend, although we hadn’t asked them to do this, and the restaurant owners kept checking whether we were happy with everything, which was thoughtful of them.
All in all, the delicious food, good company and friendly service made it an unforgettable evening.
| Vocabulary | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Celebrated his birthday | Tổ chức sinh nhật của anh ta |
| Book a table | Đặt bàn |
| Family-run place | Nơi do gia đình điều hành |
| Catch up with | Bắt kịp, trò chuyện lại |
| Chat about what we had all been up to | Trò chuyện về những gì đã làm |
| Feel at home | Cảm thấy như ở nhà |
| Polite | Lịch sự |
| Approachable | Dễ gần |
| Attentive | Niềm nở |
| Brought out a cake with candles | Mang ra bánh với nến |
| Thoughtful | Chu đáo |
| An unforgettable evening | Buổi tối khó quên |
2. Describe a café that you have been to
You should say:
- where it is
- why you went there
- what you ate or drank
- and explain why you liked or disliked the café
I’m going to describe a café that I go to maybe once a week. It’s just down the road from where I live, near Manchester, so it’s really convenient for me to walk down there for a coffee or a bite to eat, and to use the wifi.
The last time I went to this local café was on Friday afternoon. I was trying to do some work at home, but I found myself getting distracted by little jobs around the house. So I decided to have a change of scenery; I put my laptop in my bag and made the short walk to the café, where I spent the next few hours getting all of my work done. With a nice cup of coffee and just the right level of background noise, I found it much easier to concentrate.
Over the course of the afternoon, I drank two cups of coffee and a glass or two of water. The café owner takes a lot of pride in making the best “flat white” coffee in the area, so that’s what I tend to drink. If I remember correctly, the second coffee that I ordered was a decaf, because I try to avoid drinking too much caffeine in the afternoon. I didn’t have anything to eat on that occasion, but I do sometimes have one of the home-made cakes that they sell.
There are a few reasons why I like going to my local café. I suppose the main reasons are the coffee, the free wifi and the friendly staff. However, on Friday I also managed to sit at my favourite table near one of the windows, and the café wasn’t very busy. So the atmosphere and noise level were just right, and I was able to focus on my work without distractions for most of the afternoon.
| Vocabulary | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Walk down there for a coffee or a bite to eat | Đi xuống đó để uống cà phê hay ăn gì đó |
| Found myself getting distracted | Nhận ra mình bị phân tâm |
| Have a change of scenery | Thay đổi khung cảnh |
| Getting all of my work done | Hoàn thành toàn bộ công việc |
| The right level of background noise | Mức độ tiếng ồn vừa phải |
| Over the course of | Trong suốt |
| Takes a lot of pride in | Rất tự hào về |
| Flat white coffee | Cà phê flat white |
| Decaf | Cà phê không caffeine |
| Home-made cakes | Bánh tự làm |
| Without distractions | Không bị phân tâm |
3. Describe a time when you were really busy
You should say:
- when this was
- why you were so busy
- how you managed the situation
- and explain how you felt at the time
I’m going to talk about the time I left a university assignment until the last minute and had to work flat out to get it finished. This was about ten years ago when I was doing my Master’s degree.
I had to do several 3000-word assignments for the modules on my Master’s course, but I remember that there was one in particular that I really struggled with. I had been procrastinating and putting it off for weeks, and in the end I left myself just two days to get the whole assignment done. This included finding and reading relevant books and articles, deciding on my thesis and assignment title, and producing a final draft which had to be handed in to the department office before the deadline.
The pressure of such a close deadline actually forced me to manage the task in a really efficient way. My first step was to decide on the general area that I wanted to write about, and then I limited myself to just ten research sources. I printed the most relevant pages, highlighted the key paragraphs and made some notes to summarise and synthesise the ideas that I found interesting. Finally, I just started writing the main body of the assignment, and I wrote the title and the introduction last.
| Vocabulary | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Assignment | Bài tập, bài luận |
| Work flat out | Làm việc hết sức |
| Master’s degree | Bằng thạc sĩ |
| Struggled with | Gặp khó khăn với |
| Procrastinating | Trì hoãn |
| Putting it off for weeks | Hoãn lại trong nhiều tuần |
| Thesis and assignment title | Luận điểm và đề tài bài viết |
| Final draft | Bản thảo cuối cùng |
| Handed in | Nộp bài |
| Research sources | Nguồn nghiên cứu |
| Summarise and synthesise | Tóm tắt và tổng hợp |
4. Describe a place away from your home and you want to visit in the future
You should say:
- where you would like to go
- when you would like to go
- who you want to go with
- and explain why you want to visit the place
There are many places I would love to visit, but one that has always been at the top of my list is Japan. I’ve been fascinated by Japanese culture for as long as I can remember, and I think it would be an amazing experience to see it in person.
Ideally, I’d like to go there in spring, probably in April, because that’s when the famous cherry blossoms are in full bloom. I’ve seen so many beautiful photos of cities like Tokyo and Kyoto covered in pink cherry blossom trees, and I’d love to see that in real life.
If possible, I’d like to travel with my best friend, who also loves Japanese food, anime, and history. We’ve often talked about exploring Japan together — visiting ancient temples, trying authentic sushi, and even spending a night in a traditional ryokan, which is a Japanese-style inn.
The main reason I want to go is to experience a completely different culture. Japan is known for its unique combination of tradition and modernity: you can visit a thousand-year-old shrine and then take a bullet train to a futuristic city within hours. I also really admire the politeness and discipline of Japanese people, so I’d like to experience that atmosphere firsthand.
| Vocabulary | Meaning |
|---|---|
| At the top of my list | Trong danh sách ưu tiên hàng đầu |
| Fascinated by | Bị cuốn hút bởi |
| In full bloom | Nở rộ |
| In real life | Ngoài đời thật |
| Authentic sushi | Sushi chuẩn vị |
| Traditional ryokan | Nhà trọ truyền thống kiểu Nhật |
| Combination of tradition and modernity | Sự kết hợp giữa truyền thống và hiện đại |
| Bullet train | Tàu cao tốc |
| Experience something firsthand | Trải nghiệm trực tiếp |
5. Describe a film that you would like to see in the future
You should say:
- what it is
- what it is about
- how you know about it
- and why you want to see it
A film that I would really like to see in the near future is “Avatar 3”, which is the next part of the famous science fiction movie series directed by James Cameron. I watched the first two films, “Avatar” and “Avatar: The Way of Water”, and I was completely blown away by their stunning visuals and creative storytelling.
From what I’ve read online, “Avatar 3” will continue the story of Jake Sully and Neytiri, the main characters, as they face new challenges on the planet Pandora. The director has mentioned that this movie will introduce new tribes and explore a different part of Pandora’s ecosystem, possibly focusing on volcanic or desert regions instead of the forests and oceans we’ve seen before.
I first heard about “Avatar 3” from a movie news website that I follow, and since then I’ve been keeping track of updates about its release. I think it’s supposed to come out sometime next year, and I’ll definitely go to the cinema to watch it in 3D when it’s released.
The main reason I’m so excited about this film is that the “Avatar” series isn’t just visually spectacular — it also carries powerful environmental and social messages. It reminds viewers about the importance of respecting nature and living in harmony with it. Besides, I’ve always been a fan of science fiction, and I love seeing how filmmakers imagine futuristic worlds and advanced technologies.
| Vocabulary | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Be blown away by | Bị choáng ngợp, cực kỳ ấn tượng |
| Stunning visuals | Hình ảnh tuyệt đẹp |
| Creative storytelling | Cách kể chuyện sáng tạo |
| Face new challenges | Đối mặt với thử thách mới |
| Ecosystem | Hệ sinh thái |
| Keep track of updates | Theo dõi các cập nhật |
| Visually spectacular | Hoành tráng về mặt hình ảnh |
| Environmental messages | Thông điệp về môi trường |
| Live in harmony with | Sống hòa hợp với |