1. Describe a time when you received good service in a restaurant or cafe
You should say:
- when this was
- what kind of restaurant or cafe 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
- book a table: đặt bàn
- family-run: gia đình tự quản
- catch up with someone: trò chuyện, cập nhật tình hình
- approachable (adj): dễ gần
- attentive (adj): biết lắng nghe
- bring out: mang ra
- thoughtful (adj): chu đáo
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
- distracted (adj): bị phân tâm
- a change of scenery: thay đổi không gian
- concentrate (v): tập trung
- take pride in: tự hào về
- decaf: cà phê đã loại caffeine
- focus on: tập trung vào
- distraction (n): thứ gây 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
- leave something until the last minute: đến phút chót mới làm
- assignment (n): bài tập
- struggle with: gặp khó khăn với
- procrastinate (v): trì hoãn
- put something off: trì hoãn
- hand in: nộp bài
- force somebody to do something: buộc ai đó làm gì
- make notes: ghi chú
- summarise (v): tóm tắt
- synthesise (v): tổng hợp
- Describe something you did that made you feel proud of yourself. You should say
what you did when you did it why you felt proud of what you had done and explain how you felt when this happened. One of my proudest achievements was completing my undergraduate degree at the university of ….. (name). The key moment that I remember was when I received my final exam results; I was delighted to have passed with better scores than I expected. I graduated from university in …… (year). As far as I recall, we received our final exam results in May and the graduation ceremony was in July. Our exam scores for individual course modules were posted on the noticeboard in the corridor of the university department, and I remember getting into the lift in the department one morning, knowing that I would soon see my results. The particular moment when I really felt overjoyed and proud of what I had achieved was when I saw my exam results on the department noticeboard. This was the precise point in time when I realised that I had passed and that my hard work had paid off. I was proud because I had overcome some setbacks earlier in the course, and I had proved to myself that I could achieve my goals. As I approached the department noticeboard I felt really nervous but also excited; I knew that the moment of truth was just seconds away. And when I saw my final exam results I was surprised, thrilled and relieved all at the same time. I didn’t shout out with joy, but I think I probably clenched my fist and said “yes” to myself. I certainly remember walking back down the corridor with a spring in my step, feeling elated and knowing that four years of study were finally over.
delighted (adj) = very pleased: vui mừng recall (v) = to remember something: nhớ graduation ceremony = a ceremony at which degrees, etc. are officially given out: lễ tốt nghiệp course modules: mô-đun khóa học noticeboard (n) = a board for putting notices on: bảng thông báo hard work had paid off: sự chăm chỉ đã được đền đáp approach (v) = đến gần shout out with joy: hét lên vì sung sướng clench your fists/teeth/jaw etc: nắm chặt tay
- Describe a piece of clothing that you like wearing. You should say
what the item of clothing is where and when you bought it when you wear it and explain why you like wearing it. I’m going to describe a coat that I often wear at the moment. The coat is dark blue in colour, and it’s made out of a lightweight, waterproof material, which makes it perfect for wearing at this time of year here in the UK. It also has a detachable hood, which I used yesterday when it was raining, and various pockets on the outside and on the inside. I bought the coat last year at the beginning of autumn when the weather started to get colder. It was easy to buy because I had had the exact same coat before; my old coat was starting to look a bit worn out, so I decided to buy a new version. As I knew which size I needed, I simply went online and found the best offer; I bought it through a shopping website, and it was delivered to my house a few days later. As I said, I’m wearing this coat a lot at the moment. It’s my everyday coat for going to work or for when I go out shopping or for any other reason. The reason why I like this coat is that it’s so practical and functional. It’s waterproof and it keeps me warm, but it also comes in handy for carrying things like my phone, wallet, loose change, a pen, and even a notebook; I tend to fill my pockets with whatever I can. It even folds up small enough to fit in my bag when I don’t need it.
made out of = được làm từ waterproof (adj) = không thấm nước a detachable hood = mũ trùm có thể tháo rời pocket (n) = túi worn out = cũ, sờn practical (adj) = thiết thực functional (adj) = hữu dụng come in handy = tiện lợi fold-up = gấp/gập lại
- Describe a time when you had to do something in a hurry. You should say
what you were doing when this was why you had to hurry and explain how you felt at that time I’m going to talk about a time when I had to hurry to get ready for a trip with some colleagues while I was working in a previous job. It was a Monday morning about five years ago. A group of us had to catch an early flight, and a senior member of our department had volunteered to drive us to the airport. I was supposed to be ready and waiting to be picked up from my home at 5.30am, and my colleague had asked me to look out for his car so that he didn’t have to ring my doorbell. The problem was that I overslept. I had set my alarm, but somehow I must have turned it off and carried on sleeping. Suddenly, at 5.30am, my doorbell rang and I looked over at my alarm clock. I immediately realised what had happened, and I sprang out of bed and got dressed in record time. I splashed some water on my face, quickly brushed my teeth, and put my shoes on without properly tying the laces. Then I picked up my suitcase and coat, and left the house. I can still remember the moment when the doorbell woke me up and I saw the time: I was filled with a sense of panic and fear as I realised that my colleagues were waiting outside. Then, when I left my house and walked towards the awaiting car, I felt so embarrassed because it was obvious that I hadn’t been ready on time.