IELTS Speaking 2025 Part 2&3: Describe a goal you set that you tried your best to achieve.

IELTS Speaking Part 2 Cue Card

Describe a goal you set that you tried your best to achieve.
You should say:

• What the goal was

• When you set it

• What you did to achieve it
  And explain how you felt when you achieved (or tried to achieve) it

1. Speaking Expressions

A. What the goal was

• I decided to challenge myself with… (Tôi quyết định thử thách bản thân với…)

• My target was to… (Mục tiêu của tôi là…)

• I set my sights on… (Tôi đặt mục tiêu…)

B. When you set it

• Back in… (Vào…)

• At the start of… (Đầu…)

• After realizing that… (Sau khi nhận ra rằng…)

C. What you did to achieve it

• I mapped out a plan… (Tôi vạch ra kế hoạch…)

• Step by step, I… (Từng bước, tôi…)

• I pushed myself to… (Tôi tự thúc ép bản thân…))

• I sought advice from… (Tôi xin lời khuyên từ…)

• I tracked my progress by… (Tôi theo dõi tiến độ bằng…)

D. How you felt

• I felt on top of the world… (Tôi thấy mình như ở trên đỉnh thế giới…)

• It filled me with a sense of pride… (Nó tràn ngập tôi bằng niềm tự hào…)

• I was over the moon… (Tôi rất hạnh phúc…)

• It boosted my confidence enormously… (Nó nâng cao sự tự tin của tôi rất nhiều…)

2. Ideas & Collocations

• Complete a full marathon (hoàn thành cuộc chạy marathon)

• Learn a new language (học một ngôn ngữ mới)

• Acquire a professional certification (đạt được chứng chỉ nghề nghiệp)

• Set SMART goals (thiết lập mục tiêu SMART)

• Break it into milestones (chia mục tiêu thành các mốc nhỏ)

• Burn the midnight oil (thức khuya làm việc)

• Stay the course (kiên trì đến cùng)

• Reap the rewards (gặt hái thành quả)

• Track progress weekly (theo dõi tiến độ hàng tuần)

• Ask for feedback (xin phản hồi)

3. Sample Answer 

Back in January of last year, I set my sights on running a full marathon in Ho Chi Minh City. I’d always enjoyed casual jogging but never dared to tackle the full 42-kilometre distance. After realizing that my fitness plateaued, I decided to challenge myself with this ambitious goal.

I mapped out a plan that spanned four months. First, I broke it into milestones: 10K by week 4, half‑marathon by week 8, and 30K by week 12. Step by step, I increased my weekly mileage, burning the midnight oil on winter mornings when the city was still quiet. I also sought advice from a seasoned runner in my local club, who taught me proper pacing and injury‑prevention stretches.

To keep myself accountable, I tracked my progress weekly using a running app and a simple journal. On rest days, I cross‑trained with cycling and yoga to improve flexibility. There were setbacks—knee pain after a 25K run and humid weather that left me drained. I pushed myself to rest when needed rather than risk injury, and I swapped a long run for an indoor treadmill session during heavy rain.

Race day arrived in May. The air was warm at dawn, and I felt butterflies in my stomach, but I stayed the course by sticking to my pacing plan: slow and steady for the first half, then gradually picking up speed. At kilometre 35, I hit a wall and doubted I could finish. But remembering the hours of early mornings and reaping the rewards of my training, I pushed through. When I finally crossed the finish line in just under 4 hours, I felt on top of the world. It filled me with a sense of pride that I had turned a distant dream into reality.

That achievement boosted my confidence enormously. Not only did I gain physical endurance, but I also learned that consistent effort—step by step—could conquer even the toughest challenges. To this day, I look back on that marathon as proof that setting a clear goal and tracking progress diligently can lead to extraordinary outcomes.

IELTS Speaking Part 3

1. Do people in your country often set goals?

Expressions:

• Generally speaking… (Nói chung…)

• Goal-setting culture is growing… (Văn hóa đặt mục tiêu đang phát triển…)

• Some are more spontaneous… (Có người sống ngẫu hứng hơn…)

• It varies by profession and personality… (Tuỳ nghề nghiệp và tính cách…)

Collocations:

• Personal development plans (kế hoạch phát triển cá nhân)

• Annual performance reviews (đánh giá hiệu suất hàng năm)

Sample Answer:
Generally speaking, many Vietnamese now embrace personal development plans, especially in corporate environments. However, others prefer to be spontaneous and adapt to opportunities as they arise. It varies by profession and personality, with younger professionals more likely to set detailed goals.

2. Do people usually set short-term or long-term goals?

Expressions:

• Short-term goals are more common… (Mục tiêu ngắn hạn phổ biến hơn…)

• Long-term visions require more planning… (Tầm nhìn dài hạn cần nhiều kế hoạch hơn…)

• A healthy mix is ideal… (Kết hợp cả hai là lý tưởng…)

• Immediate rewards motivate… (Thưởng ngắn hạn tạo động lực…)

Collocations:

• Quarterly targets (mục tiêu hàng quý)

• Five-year plans (kế hoạch 5 năm)

Sample Answer:
In my observation, people often set short-term goals—like quarterly targets at work—because they provide immediate rewards and a sense of progress. Long-term visions, such as five-year plans, require more commitment and regularly get adjusted. A healthy mix is ideal to maintain both motivation and direction.

3. Why is goal setting important in the workplace?

Expressions:

• It provides clarity… (Nó mang lại sự rõ ràng…)

• Aligns individual and company objectives… (Đồng bộ mục tiêu cá nhân và công ty…)

• Drives performance and accountability… (Thúc đẩy hiệu suất và trách nhiệm…)

• Facilitates performance reviews… (Hỗ trợ đánh giá hiệu suất…)

Collocations:

• Key performance indicators (KPIs) (chỉ số hiệu suất chính)

• Milestone tracking (theo dõi các mốc)

Sample Answer:
It provides clarity on what needs to be achieved and aligns individual and company objectives. By setting KPIs and using milestone tracking, employees know exactly where they stand, which drives performance and accountability. Moreover, managers can conduct performance reviews more effectively based on these concrete goals.

4. How do the goals of young people differ from those of older people?

Expressions:

• Young people tend to… (Người trẻ thường…)

• Older generations often focus on… (Thế hệ trước thường tập trung vào…)

• Priorities shift with life stages… (Ưu tiên thay đổi theo giai đoạn đời…)

• Experience influences ambition… (Kinh nghiệm ảnh hưởng đến tham vọng…)

Collocations:

• Career advancement (thăng tiến nghề nghiệp)

• Work–life balance (cân bằng công việc – cuộc sống)

• Retirement planning (kế hoạch nghỉ hưu)

• Personal fulfilment (thỏa mãn cá nhân)

Sample Answer:
Young people tend to set goals around career advancement and skills acquisition, often prioritizing ambitious leaps early on. In contrast, older generations often focus on work–life balance and retirement planning. Priorities shift with life stages, and experience influences ambition—someone mid‑career may value personal fulfilment over climbing the corporate ladder.