1.

Describe a change that will improve your local area

2. Describe a small and successful company you know.
3. Describe a person you know who dresses well/ a person who is fashionable
4. Describe a time that a child did something that made you laugh
5. Describe a time that you and your friend had a disagreement
6. Describe a place where you can read and write.
7. Describe a team you have been part of.
8. Describe an occasion you got up extremely early.
9. Describe a place you went to that was full of color.
10. Describe a time you were friendly to someone you didnt like.
11. Describe a piece of good news you heard from TV or internet
12. Describe an unusual building you have visited
13. Describe an interesting website you have visited.
14. Describe a situation that others didnt tell you the whole truth.
1. Describe a change that will improve your local area
The neighborhood that I am residing in is very nice. It is very quiet and people get along well
with each other. However, there is one problem that needs tackling immediately, which is a
dangerous threat from robberies. Indeed, locals who have to go out at night often get exposed to
the vulnerability of being robbed. Mobiles phones and motorbikes are the two most commonly
stolen stuff. Because of that, most of my neighbors are afraid of going anywhere after 10 pm
and often go to bed early.
So I think the best solution to this urgent problem is to have a modern system of cameras set up
in our surroundings. This system will definitely help to strengthen the local security in many
ways. Firstly, muggers will be afraid of being recognized and caught red-handed so they are less
likely to commit a robbery. Also, thanks to this system, local guards can easily observe any
situations to take immediate actions or help prevent any threats. Lastly, those recorded videos
will be helpful assistants of policemen in the process of recognizing and finding offenders.
Installing an effective system like I suggested is not easy for my neighbors to do because most
of whom are poor families. So, besides donations from all households in the area, we are badly
in need of financial support from the local government to make the project happen.
2. Describe a small and successful company you know.
Id like to talk about my favorite coffee shop named Cartus, which is, to me, operates really well.
That shop is pleasantly located in district 1 and very near my high school. So, back then, I used
to hang out there every day with friends after classes.
Cartus is specialized in iced blended coffee. It often takes customers a while to choose their

drinks because the store offers hundreds of flavor combinations. But each combination boasts
their own unique and amazing taste, which is also the main reason why I am attracted to this
coffee house. Besides drinks, Cartus also serves a variety of delicious and tempting cakes
which go well with blended coffee glasses here.
I think there are many reasons why the business thrives. Firstly, it is easily seen that all the staff
here put a great deal of efforts into making every drink. So the taste is very pleasant and
authentic in its own way, standing out from other stores. Another big plus lies in reasonable
prices for students with a tight budget like me. Lastly, it owes a professional and loyal staff. They
consider each other family members as their slogan says We are not a coffee shop. We are a
family. So, there is always a very strong team spirit within Cartus.
So, a large number of loyal customers including me are enticed into going there although its not
a high-class coffee shop.
3. Describe a person you know who dresses well/ a person who is fashionable
Fashion is something that I take a passionate interest in. So, I have a habit of paying a close
attention to what other people wear.
And I have to admit that the fashion style of Ms. Dung, the teacher in charge of my reading skill,
never fails to grab my eyes.
When coming to classes, she alternates between wearing suits and dresses. However, no
matter what she wears, they always look compatible. She is an expert in mixing and matching
different clothing items and accessories. It explains why she doesnt need to have an impressive
wardrobe but is still able to create a harmonious combination of clothes.
Whats more, she is a real fashionista because she always keeps up with the latest fashion. Any
hat or jeans she puts on is usually trendy.
But the reason why I look up to her so much is that she always take pride in her appearance.
Her confidence helps her look even more stunning and stand out from the crowd.
So, Ms. Dung is really my idol in fashion field.
4. Describe a time that a child did something that made you laugh
Last weekend, my cousin along with her 3-year-old son came by my house for a visit.
While my sister was in the living room chatting with my parents, my nephew ran into my room
where I was studying. In a courteous manner, he pleaded with me to play some English kid
songs on my computer. Once the songs were played, he sang along with them to my
amazement. Not only could he remember the melody of the songs, but he was also able to
pronounce English words quite clearly, especially in his favorite song Wheels on the bus. I was
totally blown away and attracted to his brilliance. While singing, he was also dancing all over the

place to the music, making me roar with wild laughter. Then out of the blue, he asked me to join
him. Not wanting to put him off his stroke, I excitedly sang and danced with him like there was no
one around. After all the singing and dancing, we look at each other and couldnt stop laughing.
We had a really good time together. All of my fatigue was completely reduced. Also, I was
deliriously happy when knowing that my nephew had such a flair for languages.
5. Describe a time that you and your friend had a disagreement
Conflicts often arise when people are working together even if they are really closed. My best
friend and I once had a flaming row while we were making a group presentation in
Intercommunication class last semester.
Back then, each member in our group was responsible for doing for a fair share of work and
combining all the shares to make up the final product. And I could only start doing my assigned
task once my closed friend had finished hers and left it to me so that I could continue working on
it. However, the deadline was coming without any communication from her. Waiting anxiously for
a couple of days, I decided to meet her and insisted her on speeding things up, she argued that
time was not up yet and my urging helped nothing but made things even worse. Seeing my
efforts was futile, I kept silent and let it be, going home angrily. However, the following night, I
received a message from her telling that she already emailed me her part and made profuse
apologies for what she had said. In reply to her, I told that I also owed her an apology for
imposing on her too much. After that, we reconciled with each other.
Life is full of ups and downs and so is friendship. And the key thing is we should learn to deflate
our ego to maintain a lasting relationship.
6. Describe a place where you can read and write.
Libraries are always an ideal place for people to indulge themselves in meaningful leisure
activities like reading books. And I myself often opt for the General Science Library as my
optimal choice.
The library is conveniently located in the center area of Ho Chi Minh City. So there are various
buses that I can take to go there.
From a quick glance at the outside, the building looks really peaceful and spacious. There is just
one square building but it is as huge as a palace. Surrounded by the library is a beautiful and
romantic garden with many golden lamppost and stone table sets.
However, only by going inside will you love the library even more. There are different function
rooms to meet various demands of library users. For example, in the technology room, users
can access state-of-the-art computers connected with high-speed Internet. Despite their high
quality, users can take advantage of them with a very competitive price.
What makes me most impressed with the library is the enormous number of books and

reference materials it owns. Although the library bears the name Science, library users can have
easy access to valuable books of all kinds.
So, all in all, the General Science Library is always the place I often turn to immerse myself in
my favorite novels without worrying to be disturbed by others.
7. Describe a team you have been part of.
Learning at my university, we are often required to work in teams to complete projects assigned
by our teachers. And the most memorable experience to me is the group presentation in
Intercommunication class last semester.
In this assignment, class members were required to divide into random groups of 8 and give a
presentation about basic cultural backgrounds of 2 assigned countries.
Interestingly and unforgettably, I had to work with some friends that I hadnt known. This was
quite a challenge to me because I was pretty shy and usually not comfortable to talk with
strangers. However, in order to create a successful presentation, I had to pull it off and get out of
my comfort zone. It turned out that these friends were extremely friendly and easy-going when I
tried to break the ice. Although not knowing one another for too long, we worked very
harmoniously together.
Another thing I loved my group was that we came from different departments so we had different
perspectives towards one problem. We complemented each other to bring out our best. I had
learned so many new things from these amazing friends after only 2 weeks
This experience taught me that we should always try to be step out of our comfort zone. By
doing so, you will gain wonderful experiences that you never have.
8. Describe an occasion you got up extremely early.
People often cannot sleep soundly before important events. And so do I. I hardly had a
goodnights sleep before the University Entrance Exam day, which is a life-changing day to most
Vietnamese students because it decides whether we can win a place in our dream universities.
To be best prepared for the important following day, I decided not to learn anything new but go
to bed early that night. However, I was so nerve-wracking that I couldnt close my eyes but
stared at the ceiling the whole time in the first three hours. Coming by my room and seeing that,
my mother comforted me that I had worked so hard to prepare for the test and had nothing to
worry about. Hearing that, I started to feel more relaxed and gradually fell asleep. However, I
suddenly got up at around 3 oclock in the morning. I tried to sleep again but I couldnt. After a
few minutes moving backwards and forwards on my bed, I decided to wake up and review the
lessons. Due to being busy reviewing, I didnt have time to fret over millions of imaginary fears,
which was a brilliant way to gain more confidence to me. Time flies quickly then and it was time
to get ready to the test venue. And I was so ready for it.

After the experience, it dawns on me that sometimes we have fears and worries but its OK as
long as we know how to keep them under control.
9. Describe a place you went to that was full of color.
Last summer, my friends and I took a vacation to Dalat, which is the most colorful city that Ive
ever known. Located in the Southern part of central highlands in Vietnam, Dalat has year-round
cool weather. Thanks to that weather, a lot of beautiful exotic flowers thrive here, which explains
why Dalat city bears another name City of flowers.
When I came here, the first thing I noticed was a huge number of multi-colored flowers grew
there. In other words, flowers grew everywhere we went, but the most gorgeous and colorful
place was Ho Xuan Huong Lake, which is pleasantly situated in the heart of the city. This
manmade lake is surrounded by spacious and beautiful gardens with many flowering plants and
trees. Orchids, roses, daisies and peach blossoms are among hundreds of flowers grown in the
gardens. Each of them with their distinct colors harmoniously contributes to color diversity that
captures attention of anyone passing by. There are many activities that visitors can do here such
as picnicking, jogging and horse-cart riding. But we decided to rent bicycles to ride around the
lake so that we could enjoy the nature beauty to the fullest. Time after time, we kept being blown
away by the attractiveness of these multi-colored flowers.
So, I strongly recommend Dalat to anyone who enjoys sightseeing, especially watching exotic
and colorful kinds of flowers.
10. Describe a time you were friendly to someone you didnt like.
Working in a team often requires people to work harmoniously together even when they dont
really get on well. I had been through this unforgettable experience once when I had to team up
with the girl I wasnt fond of.
Her name was Lan and we studied in the same department in university but had never talked to
each other before. One day, I was sitting next to her on the bus to our university. I intended to
break the ice and make friends with her. However, she showed no interest in talking with me but
sat still for a look at the windows, making her seem unapproachable and somehow arrogant to
me. I started to hold it against her since that moment. Not so long after that day, we met again in
the Intercommunication class and unluckily, had to pair up to do a mini-project assigned by our
lecture. Therefore, although I didnt like her at all, it was because of our assignment that I had to
politely initiate a conversation with her one more time. After a few exchanges, she started to
share her thoughts with me and I realized that she wasnt that cold. It was just because she
wasnt accustomed to talking a lot with strangers. Knowing that, I felt guilty about making an

unfair assumption about her. Later on, the more we work together, the more closed we grew.
Now, we are good friends and still keep in touch with each other.
11. Describe a piece of good news you heard from TV or internet
Last Sunday, while watching television with my parents, I came across a piece of news about a
free class operated by a university student whose name is Quang. Interested and curious to
learn more about that special class, I stayed tuned and watched attentively.
Quang is a senior student of Foreign Trade University, which is a very prestigious economics
school in Vietnam. Despite not majoring in education, he opened a free class to help students
prepare for the university entrance exam. And his class attracts more than 200 students and
some of whom are willing to travel more than 100 kilometers to the study site. In a respectful and
admiring manner, one of his students shared the teacher has a very understandable teaching
method and he is so easy-going that students always feel free to ask questions. Before coming
to class in the morning, Quang has to stay up very late at night to prepare lesson plan, which
takes a lot of his time and effort because his major is not education. However, despite his
enormous effort and time, this class is run totally free. The room rental fee is paid by saving
money from his part-time job and royalties of his published book. The driving force of his act of
extreme kindness and generosity, as he shared, is the students coming to the class and their
questions raised every day. Those are his source of happiness.
After hearing that news, I felt extremely happy and inspired. I promise to myself that I will devote
myself more to helping the community.
12. Describe an unusual building you have visited
I have visited a lot of distinctive buildings but none can leave me with a stronger impression than
Bitexco Financial Tower, which is pleasantly situated in the center of HCMC. With 68 floors, the
tower boasts the tallest building in the city.
The skyscraper was constructed to serve several purposes. Indeed, while the bottom half of
building is used for recreation activities such as cinema and shopping mall, the top half is hired
by major companies to open offices.
There are many features that make the tower stand out from others. First up is its unique shape,
which is inspired from the national flower of Vietnam lotus. Moreover, on the 52th floor, there is
a helipad that extends about 20 meters out from the main structure, which resembles a
blossoming lotus bud from a distance.
Among all the floors, I like the 49th most because there is an open area for visitors to go there to
savor the spectacular view of the whole city while taking a sip of coffee. Or to see the city more
clearly in any direction, people can rent telescopes, which is also a worth-trying experience.

Since the day of construction, Bitexco tower has become another source of pride of the city
citizens. And to visitors, it is an attractive landmark that they cannot miss.
13. Describe an interesting website you have visited.
Since the advent of the Internet, it is now very common for learners to make use of it to facilitate
their learning process. And I am no exception from that trend. Almost every day, I turn to the
website called ielts-simon.com to update latest information regarding the IELTS test.
The website was created by an IELTS expert named Simon, who is very popular among
students cramming for the test via the Internet.
I have to say that it is one of the most resourceful learning sites because new lessons of 4
language skills are provided on a daily basis. After each lesson, there is always application
exercise for learners to put what they have learned into practice and a detailed key and
explanation to check.
Also, the teacher also gives helpful and memorable tips on how to achieve high scores in the
IELTS test. These pieces of advice are extremely useful because they are realistic and easy to
apply.
Lastly, what I like most about the page is the Question-Answer section. From there, I can raise
any of my concerns regarding the test and receive multiple replies from other students or the
teacher. This tool really helps me to clear up my confusion and obtain different insights into one
problem.
So all in all, I strongly recommend this learning website to English learners in general and those
who are cramming for the IELTS test in particular.
14. Describe a situation that others didnt tell you the whole truth.
The topic brought me back to an unpleasant event happening last month. Back then, I was
applying for an exchange scholarship in my department. The scholarship would cover all the fee
of an one-week exchange study trip to South Korea. With a passionate interest in South Korea, I
applied for the scholarship without hesitation. At the interview, the interviewer guaranteed that
she would inform me of the result via phone by tomorrow no matter whether I succeeded or not.
She told that she wanted to congratulate those who won a place as well as comforted those who
didnt. Hearing that, I felt really happy and grateful for her thoughtfulness and generosity.
However, a couple of days had passed by, but I still didnt receive any call from the department.
My heart beat like a drum whenever my phone rang but all the calls were not from the one I
wished to receive. To end my mounting anxiety, I decided to make a call to the selection
committee and it turned out that I couldnt win the scholarship. I was so disappointed that I
couldnt say anything else except for thanking her and then hanging up the phone. Not only was

I dismayed by the undesirable result, but I was also upset that the interviewer did not keep her
promise. In other words, she had lied to me that she would contact me no matter the result was.

Let me tell you about the electronic machine that Id like to buy lately. Its just a Mac Mini, produced
by Apple. I first saw it in the Apple online store when I was buying the latest iPhone there this April.
Its very small, nearly as portable as notebook, and can be taken away in my bag. Besides, its very
energy-efficient which means that it can be running in my room all day long very quietly. So I wont
be bothered by the noise compared with other computers. Moreover, the cover of the machine can
be removed so that its very convenient to upgrade the memory myself.
While the small computer is so light-weighted, its still very powerful to deal with various hard tasks.
With the latest Intel processor and the large amount of memory, its performance is improved much
greatly. I want to buy it and put it in the corner of my room, letting it be running day and night to
provide home sharing services of movies, music and pictures for my whole family.

Well, recently I had a disagreement with one of my close friends. We were planning a long travel to
the Tibet several days later, but we were not sure how many people went there together. I suggested
that we just went on the trip with two or there people together because it would be very difficult to
organise the trip to meet different peoples needs. But my friend insisted that we should go with
group of people because it would be more fun and secure. I admitted his opinion was reasonable but
didnt want to compromise as I didnt want to take risk to plan everything for so many people in such
unfamiliar place, and I thought he didnt care.
Ultimately after endless disagreement and even quarrels, I found myself couldnt express myself well
and became more and more frustrated and less effective at explaining my feelings. So I left him that
day without any results. The next day, after I calmed down again, I sent him a text message to tell
him what I was concerning, attempting to communicate without angry or overly emotional exchanges.
Finally, he replied to me that he understood my consideration now, and agreed with my plan.
MATHS
1. When did you start learning maths?
It is difficult for me to recall exactly the time when I started learning maths, but I guess It was the first
year of school- my nursery school or kindergarten.
2. Do you like maths?
To be honest, I disliked maths at all because there were always too many abstract formulas I had to
remember. You know, I was not good at memorizing things, so I often used the incorrect formula,
made lots of mistakes and got low marks as a result.
I used to be a big fan of maths because It provided me with much intellectual stimulation. I can apply
maths to tackle many problems related to numeracy.

3. Who taught you maths?

My maths teacher was an elderly woman. She was very kind and patient, but she always tended to
be demanding with us, she liked making the simple theory very complicated and leaving endless
homework to us.
I would have to say my maths teacher had good attributes such as patience and conscientiousness.
When we found it difficult to do our tasks, she always made the best endeavors to explain until we
could understand.
5. Is maths difficult for you to learn?
Yes, Im afraid I cannot be brilliant at dealing with figures. I also find these abstract formulas so
tedious. It is very difficult to put them in practice.
Absolutely no. I find it easy to deal with. I always passed the exams with flying colours. Maths theory
is a precursor to my financial and economic acumen which helps me to have a decent job as a
result.
6. Do you like to use a calculator?
Yes, a calculator can help me to deal with figures with a high degree of accuracy. However, we
shouldnt use a calculator with basic mathematics because it cannot provide us with much
intellectual stimulation and reduce our acumen.
1. Compared with the toy children have these days, is there any toy you didnt have when
you were a child?
I think in my childhood, I didnt possess an intelligent pen which can tell us about legends
and mythology. Moreover, this pen can sing and pronounce a variety of foreign languages.
2. Do you think children should play with hi-tech toys?
Hi-tech toys such as intelligent pens can provide children with much intellectual stimulation.
That is the reason why I think children should be fostered to play with hi-tech toys.
Describe a person who is good at cooking
Well, its difficult to select just one person who is good at cooking. But if I have to name one, I would
say my mother.
In the deepest mind of mine, my mother is a wonderful woman. She always gives us some useful
guidance to become law-abiding citizens; hence, we simply have the same personality traits.
Another point well worth mentioning is that despite having age disparity, we have mutual interests in
watching action films and going swimming.
To be honest, my mom usually prepares beautifully most of delicious dishes for my family, but
sometimes my father and I give her a hand. In fact, I would have to say my mother is really a superb
cook; especially she often tries out new recipes that make all members in my family feel interested.
Now I live far away from her and I miss her good home cooking very much.
When I was young, my mother always had a strong desire that I would have a better life than she
had. That means juggling two jobs for many years to afford what we needed. She broke her back for
us.
As a consequence, I have been a teacher and my brother a dynamic entrepreneur with his

transaction going from strength to strength.

I feel grateful to my mother for what she did for me. We would never achieve such great success
without my mother's great sacrifices.
An exciting Sport You Like
Well, I want to kick off by depicting one of the sports that I enjoy playing. It is badminton.
To be honest, I took it up when I was in high school and my brother was my first teacher who taught
me how to play well.
You know,I am a complete novice at badminton, so I usually wake up early and go to Le Van Tam
park to play badminton with my brother.
Concerning the matter of why I love playing this sport I would like to say that there are several
reasons for this.
Firstly, it not only lets my hair down (relax) but also helps me ensure physical well-being and keep in
good shape.
Besides, after playing badminton with him in the park, I normally take a stroll around the park to find
inner peace, then it gives me chances to socialize with different kinds of people.
Moreover, I find this sport to be the most exhilarating which offers me lots of energy to kick off a new
day.
In the future, if I have more time, I will put all of my efforts to practice playing badminton and take
part in some professional competitions.
LIE
Describe a situation that others didnt tell you the whole truth
In our lives, sometimes, we need to tell lies. Yet, white lies which do not harm anyone or even make
them happy should not be a big deal.
I had a very best male friend when I studied abroad in Korea. I stayed there for 10 months and my
favorite food was pizza. I could eat pizza every day, especially at night when I needed to study late.
The result was that I gained 1 kg after 1month. So, that means I finally gained 10 kg after 10
months!
At that time, I asked my best friend if I was too fat. He kept telling me not to worry and saying that I
still looked pretty. 10 years later, when we talked to each other about the old times, he confessed to
me that he didnt tell me the truth. He admitted that I looked very fat at that time but he wanted to
make me happy and confident in myself. Therefore, he gave me a white lie. I was not mad or sad at
all but I fully appreciate the friendship since my best friend always wants me to be happy and
cheerful.
1. In what occasions does white lie happen?
White lie happens when it does not harm anyone or has any serious consequences.
2. Does lying help people feel less embarrassed?
Well, in some cases, yes. Sometimes, lying helps save face value and if a white lie can help, it
should not be a big deal.
3. Should friends be honest with each other all the time?
Yes, I think so. I think that honesty is the best policy. It helps build trust in any relationships, including

friendship. Sometimes, however, a white lie is still acceptable when it is considered as

encouragement.
4. Do you think lying is a crime?
In some case, yes, especially when someone tries to hide/conceal the truth in order to harm another
person or shield criminals from investigators.
5. Could you give me some examples of the lies you have told?
For the first time I hung out with my boyfriend when I was in high school, I dared not to tell my mother
the truth since she was very strict. So, I had to lie to her by saying I would go out with my best
girlfriend.
6. Do you think people should lie to their colleagues at work?
I think a professional working environment would consider integrity as one of core values. Therefore,
I dont think lying to colleagues at work is a good idea.
7. Should husband and wife tell a lie with each other?
Definitely not. I strongly believe that between husband and wife should not have any secrets.
Integrity will help build trust which is the most important value in a marriage.
7. Describe an ambition that you have not achieved yet?
Am a very ambitious person and I do have a lot of plans for my life. I would like to achieve something
that not so many people can make it. One of them is to get an 8 in IELTS.
To achieve this score, I went to British Council which is the most prestigious centers in Vietnam. all
teachers are devoted, experienced and stimulating.
I studied there 5 days a week with 3 teachers. In addition, I do a lot of homework as well. Someday, I
even stay up very late till 1 a.m. to finish some tests.
I think this is quite challenging. However, I always believe that only by diligence and persistence can
only success come. Therefore, I will try my best and totally focus so that I can achieve this ambitious
target.
8. Describe an occasion you got up extremely early.
People often cannot sleep soundly before important events. And so do I. I hardly had a goodnights
sleep before the University Entrance Exam day, which is a life-changing day to most Vietnamese
students because it decides whether we can win a place in our dream universities.
To be best prepared for the important following day, I decided not to learn anything new but go to bed
early that night. However, I was so nerve-wracking that I couldnt close my eyes but stared at the
ceiling the whole time in the first three hours. Coming by my room and seeing that, my mother
comforted me that I had worked so hard to prepare for the test and had nothing to worry about.
Hearing that, I started to feel more relaxed and gradually fell asleep. However, I suddenly got up at
around 3 oclock in the morning. I tried to sleep again but I couldnt. After a few minutes moving
backwards and forwards on my bed, I decided to wake up and review the lessons. Due to being busy
reviewing, I didnt have time to fret over millions of imaginary fears, which was a brilliant way to gain
more confidence to me. Time flies quickly then and it was time to get ready to the test venue. And I

was so ready for it.

After the experience, it dawns on me that sometimes we have fears and worries but its OK as long
as we know how to keep them under control.
9. Describe a place you went to that was full of color.
Last summer, my friends and I took a vacation to Dalat, which is the most colorful city that Ive ever
known. Located in the Southern part of central highlands in Vietnam, Dalat has year-round cool
weather. Thanks to that weather, a lot of beautiful exotic flowers thrive here, which explains why
Dalat city bears another name City of flowers.
When I came here, the first thing I noticed was a huge number of multi-colored flowers grew there. In
other words, flowers grew everywhere we went, but the most gorgeous and colorful place was Ho
Xuan Huong Lake, which is pleasantly situated in the heart of the city. This manmade lake is
surrounded by spacious and beautiful gardens with many flowering plants and trees. Orchids, roses,
daisies and peach blossoms are among hundreds of flowers grown in the gardens. Each of them
with their distinct colors harmoniously contributes to color diversity that captures attention of anyone
passing by. There are many activities that visitors can do here such as picnicking, jogging and horsecart riding. But we decided to rent bicycles to ride around the lake so that we could enjoy the nature
beauty to the fullest. Time after time, we kept being blown away by the attractiveness of these multicolored flowers.
So, I strongly recommend Dalat to anyone who enjoys sightseeing, especially watching exotic and
colorful kinds of flowers.
10. Describe a time you were friendly to someone you didnt like.
Working in a team often requires people to work harmoniously together even when they dont really
get on well. I had been through this unforgettable experience once when I had to team up with the
girl I wasnt fond of.
Her name was Lan and we studied in the same department in university but had never talked to each
other before. One day, I was sitting next to her on the bus to our university. I intended to break the ice
and make friends with her. However, she showed no interest in talking with me but sat still for a look
at the windows, making her seem unapproachable and somehow arrogant to me. I started to hold it
against her since that moment. Not so long after that day, we met again in the Intercommunication
class and unluckily, had to pair up to do a mini-project assigned by our lecture. Therefore, although I
didnt like her at all, it was because of our assignment that I had to politely initiate a conversation with
her one more time. After a few exchanges, she started to share her thoughts with me and I realized
that she wasnt that cold. It was just because she wasnt accustomed to talking a lot with strangers.
Knowing that, I felt guilty about making an unfair assumption about her. Later on, the more we work
together, the more closed we grew.
Now, we are good friends and still keep in touch with each other.
11. Describe a piece of good news you heard from TV or internet
Last Sunday, while watching television with my parents, I came across a piece of news about a free
class operated by a university student whose name is Quang. Interested and curious to learn more
about that special class, I stayed tuned and watched attentively.
Quang is a senior student of Foreign Trade University, which is a very prestigious economics school

in Vietnam. Despite not majoring in education, he opened a free class to help students prepare for
the university entrance exam. And his class attracts more than 200 students and some of whom are
willing to travel more than 100 kilometers to the study site. In a respectful and admiring manner, one
of his students shared the teacher has a very understandable teaching method and he is so easygoing that students always feel free to ask questions. Before coming to class in the morning, Quang
has to stay up very late at night to prepare lesson plan, which takes a lot of his time and effort
because his major is not education. However, despite his enormous effort and time, this class is run
totally free. The room rental fee is paid by saving money from his part-time job and royalties of his
published book. The driving force of his act of extreme kindness and generosity, as he shared, is the
students coming to the class and their questions raised every day. Those are his source of
happiness.
After hearing that news, I felt extremely happy and inspired. I promise to myself that I will devote
myself more to helping the community.
12. Describe an unusual building you have visited
I have visited a lot of distinctive buildings but none can leave me with a stronger impression than
Bitexco Financial Tower, which is pleasantly situated in the center of HCMC. With 68 floors, the tower
boasts the tallest building in the city.
The skyscraper was constructed to serve several purposes. Indeed, while the bottom half of building
is used for recreation activities such as cinema and shopping mall, the top half is hired by major
companies to open offices.
There are many features that make the tower stand out from others. First up is its unique shape,
which is inspired from the national flower of Vietnam lotus. Moreover, on the 52th floor, there is a
helipad that extends about 20 meters out from the main structure, which resembles a blossoming
lotus bud from a distance.
Among all the floors, I like the 49th most because there is an open area for visitors to go there to
savor the spectacular view of the whole city while taking a sip of coffee. Or to see the city more
clearly in any direction, people can rent telescopes, which is also a worth-trying experience.
Since the day of construction, Bitexco tower has become another source of pride of the city citizens.
And to visitors, it is an attractive landmark that they cannot miss.
14. Describe a situation that others didnt tell you the whole truth.
The topic brought me back to an unpleasant event happening last month. Back then, I was applying
for an exchange scholarship in my department. The scholarship would cover all the fee of an oneweek exchange study trip to South Korea. With a passionate interest in South Korea, I applied for the
scholarship without hesitation. At the interview, the interviewer guaranteed that she would inform me
of the result via phone by tomorrow no matter whether I succeeded or not. She told that she wanted
to congratulate those who won a place as well as comforted those who didnt. Hearing that, I felt
really happy and grateful for her thoughtfulness and generosity. However, a couple of days had
passed by, but I still didnt receive any call from the department. My heart beat like a drum whenever
my phone rang but all the calls were not from the one I wished to receive. To end my mounting
anxiety, I decided to make a call to the selection committee and it turned out that I couldnt win the
scholarship. I was so disappointed that I couldnt say anything else except for thanking her and then

hanging up the phone. Not only was I dismayed by the undesirable result, but I was also upset that
the interviewer did not keep her promise. In other words, she had lied to me that she would contact
me no matter the result was.