IELTS Speaking 2025 Part 2&3: Describe a Difficult Decision You Made That Had a Very Good Result 🤔✅

Describe a Difficult Decision You Made That Had a Very Good Result 🤔✅

Ideas 💡

• Common difficult decisions: Choosing a university 🎓, changing jobs 💼, moving to a new city 🌍, ending a friendship 🚶‍♂️
• Why was it hard? Fear of failure 😨, uncertainty 🤷‍♂️, pressure from others 😓
• What helped you decide? Advice from mentors 📢, self-reflection 🪞, research 📚
• Why was it a good decision? Personal growth 🌱, new opportunities 🌟, happiness 😊

Useful Grammar & Structures 🏗️

✅ Third Conditional (If I hadn’t made that decision, I wouldn’t have achieved this success.)
✅ Narrative Tenses (At first, I was unsure, but then I realized…)
✅ Contrastive Structures (Although it was challenging, it turned out to be the best choice.)

Collocations & Idioms 🌟

1. Make a life-changing decision 🛤️ (đưa ra quyết định thay đổi cuộc đời)
2. Step out of my comfort zone 🚀 (bước ra khỏi vùng an toàn)
3. Weigh the pros and cons ⚖️ (cân nhắc lợi hại)
4. Take a leap of faith 🎯 (đánh cược với niềm tin của mình)
5. Hindsight is 20/20 👀 (nhìn lại thì thấy quyết định đó đúng đắn)

Full Sample Answer (2+ minutes) 🎤

One of the most difficult decisions I ever made was quitting my stable job to pursue further education abroad. At the time, I had a decent job with a steady income, but I always dreamed of studying in another country to gain new experiences and knowledge. The idea of leaving everything behind—my family, my friends, and my career—was terrifying, and I kept wondering if it was the right choice.

This decision was incredibly hard because I had to weigh the pros and cons carefully. On one hand, it was a huge investment, and I didn’t know if I would find better career opportunities after graduating. On the other hand, I knew that stepping out of my comfort zone would help me grow as a person.

What helped me make the final choice was the support of my family and mentors. They encouraged me to take a leap of faith and reminded me that if I didn’t try, I would regret it later. After months of thinking it over, I finally applied for a scholarship—and I got it! That moment confirmed that I had made the right choice.

Looking back, I realize that hindsight is 20/20. Studying abroad turned out to be one of the best decisions of my life. Not only did I gain valuable knowledge, but I also met amazing people and experienced different cultures. It completely changed my perspective on life and opened up so many opportunities that I wouldn’t have had if I had stayed in my comfort zone.

🎤 Part 3: Follow-up Questions & Answers

1. What decisions do people usually make in their daily lives? 🤔🗓️

Ideas 💡

• Small decisions: What to eat 🍽️, what to wear 👕, how to spend free time 🎮
• Bigger decisions: Career choices 💼, financial decisions 💰, relationships ❤️

Collocations 🌟

1. Make snap decisions ⚡ (quyết định nhanh chóng)
2. Weigh options carefully 🧐 (cân nhắc các lựa chọn kỹ lưỡng)
3. Stick to a routine 🔄 (duy trì thói quen hàng ngày)

Sample Answer 🎤

In daily life, people make both small and big decisions. Simple choices like what to eat for breakfast or what to wear are easy, but bigger decisions like choosing a career path or buying a house require more thought. Some people make snap decisions, while others prefer to weigh their options carefully before making a choice.

2. Which is easier: making a decision by yourself or making a decision after group discussion? 🤝🧠

Ideas 💡

• Individual decisions: Faster ⚡, more independent 🏆
• Group discussions: More perspectives 👀, better for big decisions 🤔

Collocations 🌟

1. Come to a consensus 🤝 (đi đến thống nhất chung)
2. Seek advice from others 🗣️ (tìm kiếm lời khuyên từ người khác)
3. Overthink the situation 😵‍💫 (nghĩ quá nhiều về vấn đề đó)

Sample Answer 🎤

It depends on the situation. Making a decision alone is quicker and allows for independence, but sometimes, discussing with others is helpful. For major life choices, I prefer to seek advice from others before deciding. However, too many opinions can cause confusion and make people overthink the situation.

3. Why are many young people unwilling to follow their parents’ advice? 🙅‍♂️👨‍👩‍👦

Ideas 💡

• Generational gap 🌍
• Desire for independence 💪
• Parents’ advice may be outdated 📜

Collocations 🌟

1. Think independently 🧠 (suy nghĩ độc lập)
2. Have different perspectives on life 🌏 (có góc nhìn khác về cuộc sống)
3. Trial and error 🔄 (học từ những sai lầm của mình)

Sample Answer 🎤

Many young people think independently and don’t want to follow their parents’ advice because they have different perspectives on life. They believe that the world has changed, and their parents’ experiences may not be relevant anymore. Also, young people often want to learn through trial and error, even if that means making mistakes.

4. Do people usually regret making difficult decisions? Why? 😕🔄

Ideas 💡

• Yes: Fear of making the wrong choice 😨
• No: Every decision teaches a lesson 📚

Collocations 🌟

1. Live with the consequences ⚖️ (sống với hậu quả của quyết định)
2. Second-guess their choices 🤯 (đắn đo lại quyết định của mình)
3. Learn from past mistakes 🎓 (học hỏi từ sai lầm trong quá khứ)

Sample Answer 🎤

Some people second-guess their choices and regret difficult decisions, especially if the outcome isn’t what they expected. However, I believe that every decision teaches us something. Even if it doesn’t turn out well, we can always learn from past mistakes and do better in the future.