Speaking Session Structure:

15-30p:
Speaking Part 1 - 2-3 topics

1h-1h15:
Speaking Part 2 - 3 topics + 2 topics (at home)

The remaining time:

Speaking Part 3

Speaking Part 1:
- 1. Work/Study
Do you work or are you a student?
+ I am currently a full-time student at (name of the school), studying (name of the major). I am
particularly interested in the field of (name of the sub-major) / I would like to break into the
field of (name of the major)
+ I’ve been working for a company that specialises in (the field of work). I’ve been here for
around (number of time working) and I am often in charge of (the field of professional /
duties)

Work
- What sort of job do you do?
+ I’m actually a (name of the job), which means that I have to + V (your scope of profession). I
am in charge of / I am the person behind + N
- Do you find the work easy? Why/Why not?
+ I wouldn’t say it’s a walk in the park. While many people think my job is quite simple /
straightforward, I actually have to stay on my toes to meet all the deadlines - I have to
endure a lot of stress from my heavy workload, doing unnamed tasks.
- Do you think your job will change much in the future? Why/Why not?
+ Yes, I think in the near future my job will go through a lot of changes. Due to the breakneck
pace of technological advancement, I suppose / believe that my field of profession will have
to adapt to the new changes such as … and … and become + adj.
+ No, I doubt that there would be any drastic difference. Despite all the technological
advancements, I think my job requires many other things beyond that such as the delicate
human touch or outstanding cognitive abilities of each individual.

Study
 - What subject do you study?
+ Among all the subjects at a normal high school in Vietnam, I am particularly interested in
the subject of (name of the subject).
+ I’ve got my nose in the books, studying different subjects like … and …
+ I’ve been hitting the books hard to study …
+ I am particularly drawn to … / I find the subject of … particularly interesting.
- Do you find this/these subject/s easy? Why/Why not?
+ Well, it’s not exactly a piece of cake. The most difficult yet intriguing part of it is …
+ I mean, it’s a mixed bag actually. While I find … very interesting and easy to do, other parts
of it are quite challenging to tackle / sometimes I don’t feel like I am well suited / cut out for
the tasks of …
- What job do you hope to do after finishing your studies? Why?
+ I haven’t made up my mind yet. Probably after my sophomore or junior year would I make a
decision to pursue the path of … or …
+ Even though I am about to wrap up my studies, I am currently at a crossroads / am
between two minds right now since I don’t know if I want to become a … or a …
+ Once I’ve got my degree under my belt, I aspire to become … / I would love to pursue the
career of …

- 2. Where you live now

- Do you like the place where you live now? Why/Why not?
- Do you know many people who live near you? Why/Why not?
- Is your area a good place for families with children? Why/Why not?
Speaking Part 2: DESCRIBE A PERSON

Describe someone you know who often helps others

You should say:
Who he/she is
How often he/she helps others
How he/she helps others
And explain how you feel about this person.

BACKGROUND -> MAIN POINT -> FEELINGS

Background: Who he/she is + your relationship
Well, the person who/that immediately springs to my mind when seeing this topic is …, who is
the leader of a charitable organisation that I’m currently involved in. [who is the driving force
behind a charitable …]

I have known her since I joined the organisation about two years ago. Immediately after seeing her
for the first time, I knew that she would be the kind of person who’d always reach out to lend a
hand to those in need.

Main point: How often he/she helps others + How he/she helps others
- So every weekend, she dedicates her time to cook vegetarian meals with other members
of the organisation, including me of course, and distribute those to the less fortunate
patients of a nearby hospital. And trust me, despite being the leader of the group, she’s
still ready to roll up her sleeves to join every step of the cooking process instead of just
telling people what to do [ordering people around], which is something I really admire.
- In addition to that … / And her benevolence doesn’t stop there. As far as I know, she
even visits the hospital on weekdays to support the patients there. She may dip into her
own pocket and help people out financially or she just stays by their side to cheer them
up.

Feelings: And explain how you feel about this person.

- To be honest, I feel so lucky / fortunate to work by her side as I always hold her in high
esteem for her selflessness / altruism. She has really inspired me to do more charitable
work, to look beyond my own needs and to be more willing to help others / to do
good deeds / to do a favour for the less fortunate individuals in society / to fulfil my
social responsibility.
2. Describe a popular person in your country
You should say:
Who this person is
What he/she is like
Why you think this person is popular
And explain how this person influences the public

BACKGROUND:
- Who this person is: Huong Giang, who is a singer but better known as the first
transgender pageant queen of Vietnam.
- What he/she is like: she has an outstanding appearance - not everyone can recognise her
as a transgender person.

MAIN POINT:
- Why you think this person is popular: after winning the beauty contest, she participated
in many game shows and reality shows -> this is where her reputation was carved out of.
She would be at the centre of attention since people would be so curious about her
gender identity.
- And explain how this person influences the public: her influence on the public goes
beyond piquing their curiosity. -> inspire people with her activities as a transgender
celebrity -> break down stereotypes and discrimination against transgender people and
the LGBTQ+ community as a whole.

FEELING:
- I get to know more about transgender people and their struggles to be accepted - I look
forward to her future projects.

Sample Answer
Well, it’s quite tough to pick only one popular figure in Vietnam to describe here. But I think I am
gonna talk about Huong Giang, who is widely known in Vietnam as one of the first transgender
celebrities.

Actually, she started as a singer, but she wasn’t really that famous back then. I think her current
reputation was carved out of her identity as a pageant queen who won an international beauty
contest for transgender contestants only. So after winning the contest, she participated in various
game shows and reality TV programs, to draw public attention apparently. And her presence on
those programs really put her in the limelight, as you know people in Vietnam were not really
familiar with transgender people at all [and they still don’t].
But I think her influence on the public goes beyond piquing their curiosity. Since she gained her
celebrity status, she has been an active participant in awareness-raising campaigns to break down
stereotypes and discrimination against transgender people and the LGBTQ+ community as a
whole. I admire her so much because she is brave enough to live her truth in the public eye and
provide visibility for her own community to help people like her overcome any prejudices that might
have a negative bearing on their lives.

I can’t help but hold her in high regards as a celebrity as an activist for LGBTQ+ rights, and I am
looking forward to her future projects with enthusiasm and support.
3. Describe a person you met at a party who you enjoyed talking with
You should say:
What party it was
How you met this person
What you talked about
And explain why you enjoyed talking with him or her

BACKGROUND - MAIN POINT - FEELINGS

BACKGROUND:
What party it was: a birthday party of my friend
How you met this person: she stood out as …, and I couldn’t help but approach her to strike up a
conversation.

MAIN POINT:
What you talked about: The differences between Vietnam and her country in terms of consumer
behaviour.
And explain why you enjoyed talking with him or her:
+ She brought so much insightful information to the table / to the conversation, and I
actually hadn’t thought about these differences / distinctions ever.
+ She presented the information in a very open-minded way - allowing discussion from both
sides.

FEELINGS:
+ I felt intellectually invigorated -> I was fortunate to have a conversation with her
+ I hope to have more talks like this with her in the future.

Sample Answer:
This topic immediately transports me back to a memorable birthday party of a close friend of mine,
where I chanced upon a great conversation with Jane. Among all the familiar faces I saw that day,
she stood out the most since she was actually the only foreigner at the party. As far as I know, that
was only two weeks after her relocation to Vietnam for her job.

So basically, Jane has been working as a business analyst and market research specialist for an
international firm in Vietnam that wants to enter the Vietnamese market. And during our
conversation, she really shined as a highly intellectual individual who has been in the field for a
long time and trust me she really knows a lot about Vietnam.
The most interesting thing that we talked about in our conversation was the differences between
Vietnam and Denmark in terms of consumer behaviour. Well, I mean I had never thought
Vietnamese people would be so impulsive with their purchases while people in Denmark would be
much more careful with anything that they spend money on.

And what made this interaction even more enjoyable was her ability to present it in a stimulating
and engaging manner. The whole conversation wasn't a one-sided lecture but an open exchange
of thoughts between me and her, which I didn’t expect to see in a professional like her. I honestly
came away from the conversation feeling intellectually invigorated.

I think I was so fortunate to have a conversation with Jane and I hope that we will be able to meet
again in the future.
4. Describe a person you have met who you want to work/study with
You should say:
Who this person is
How you met this person
How long you have known him/her
And explain why you want to work/study with him/her

Among all the people that I’ve met, I think there is one who really stands out as an exceptionally
good business partner and I am talking about …, a classmate from my university days.

As I can still recall, we first crossed paths in a philosophy class, where we were grouped together
for a joint project. Since then, we’ve had several occasions to talk and believe me, she is the one
that I would be thrilled to work with.

So during our time together in the philosophy class, I was consistently impressed by her ability to
dissect complex ideas and present well-reasoned arguments, which I believe would be the perfect
skills I need in a business strategist for my future start-up. In addition to that, she is a business
consulting major, which makes her even more qualified for such a role.

But her qualities do not just stop there. She also shines in a team as an extremely responsible
person. I can remember vividly when she was in our project group, she always met deadlines with
admirable punctuality, even sometimes three or four days in advance. And she even went the
extra mile to lend a helping hand to other group members when they required any assistance in
the areas where she had expertise.

All the qualities that I’ve mentioned above already justify my desire to work with her. I just can’t
wait to have her on board with me in my upcoming projects.
5. Describe someone you know who has recently moved to a new place
You should say:
Who he/she is
What the new place is like
Why he/she moved to a new place
And explain whether his or her move has a positive impact

I immediately think of a highschool friend of mine who just moved to London a few months ago to
pursue higher education, for a master’s degree to be specific. For a girl who spent most of her life
in Hanoi, relocating herself to a faraway place like London is like going into a whole new world.

Even though I know she could have chosen the distant learning option and just stayed in Vietnam,
she decided to go all the way to the UK. So from a private home with all the necessities, she
settled in a small room in a shared living apartment, which, according to her, is a way to cut
corners on her expenses.

But in contrast to my thought that she would struggle while living there, she told me that this move
had been a life-changing experience for her. Well, I mean living alone has been a crash course in
independence for my friend, which really pushed her out of her comfort zone and forced her to
stand on her own feet in order to adapt to a new environment.

I truly feel so happy for my friend that she’s been going through some of the best moments of her
life while immersing herself in the rich culture and history of the city of London. I just can’t wait to
listen to all of the interesting stories that she has to tell when she comes back to Hanoi.