IELTS Speaking 2025 Part 2&3: Describe a place you visited that was affected by air pollution (or was not clean).

IELTS Speaking Part 2 Cue Card

Describe a place you visited that was affected by air pollution (or was not clean).
You should say:

• Where it was

• When you visited it

• What types of pollution you saw there
  And explain how the place was affected

1. Speaking Expressions

A. Where it was

• To set the scene… (Để vẽ bối cảnh…)

• It was smack in the middle of… (Nó nằm ngay giữa…)

• Tucked along a busy artery… (Nằm dọc theo một trục đường đông đúc…)

• Right by a construction site… (Ngay cạnh một công trình xây dựng…)

• My first impression was just “wow, this is grim.” (Ấn tượng đầu tiên của tôi là “trời, tệ thật”.)

B. When you visited it

• I was there back in… (Tôi ở đó vào…)

• It happened on a chilly morning in… (Chuyện xảy ra vào một buổi sáng se lạnh trong…)

• During a quick weekend trip… (Trong một chuyến đi cuối tuần ngắn…)

• Coincidentally, there was a pollution alert that day… (Trùng hợp là hôm đó có cảnh báo ô nhiễm…)

• I didn’t expect it to be that bad… (Tôi không ngờ lại tệ đến thế…)

C. Types of pollution you saw

• Thick smog hung in the air… (Sương mù dày đặc bao phủ không khí…)

• Exhaust fumes from endless motorbikes… (Khói xe từ vô số xe máy…)

• Construction dust flying everywhere… (Bụi công trình bay tứ tung…)

• Open burning of trash on the pavement… (Đốt rác ngoài vỉa hè…)

• Plastic litter clogging the drains… (Rác nhựa làm tắc cống rãnh…)

D. How the place was affected / how you felt

• People were coughing and rubbing their eyes… (Mọi người ho và dụi mắt…)

• Visibility was seriously reduced… (Tầm nhìn bị giảm đáng kể…)

• Shops kept their doors shut tight… (Các cửa hàng đóng chặt cửa…)

• I felt my throat scratchy after a few minutes… (Tôi thấy rát cổ chỉ sau vài phút…)

• It really drove home how urgent the problem is… (Nó khiến tôi nhận ra vấn đề cấp bách thế nào…)

2. Ideas & Collocations

• PM2.5 levels off the chart (mức PM2.5 vượt ngưỡng)

• Wear a medical/N95 mask outdoors (đeo khẩu trang y tế/N95 ngoài trời)

• Air quality index in the “red zone” (chỉ số chất lượng không khí ở mức đỏ)

• Illegal trash burning (đốt rác trái phép)

• Canals choked with floating debris (kênh rạch nghẹt rác nổi)

• Traffic congestion at rush hour (kẹt xe giờ cao điểm)

• Industrial chimneys belching smoke (ống khói nhà máy nhả khói)

• Eyes sting / throat irritation (xốn mắt / rát họng)

• Face-wash stations at the entrance (chỗ rửa mặt ở lối vào)

• Public outcry on local forums (dân mạng phản ứng dữ dội trên diễn đàn địa phương)

3. Sample Answer

To set the scene, the place I’m talking about was a stretch of Nguyễn Trãi Street in Hanoi—smack in the middle of a chaotic traffic corridor right by a construction site. I was there back in December 2023, on a chilly morning, hoping to grab breakfast with a friend. Coincidentally, there was a pollution alert that day, but I didn’t expect it to be that bad.

The moment I stepped off the bus, thick smog hung in the air, blurring the buildings into a grey blur. You could smell exhaust fumes from endless motorbikes, and every passing truck kicked up construction dust flying everywhere. On top of that, someone had started open burning of trash on the pavement, so this acrid smell just sat there, stinging my nose. Down the side alley, I even noticed plastic litter clogging the drains, making dirty water stagnate and smell.

How was the place affected? For starters, visibility was seriously reduced—I could barely see the traffic lights from a distance. Most people had medical masks on, some with N95s, and I saw a couple of commuters coughing and rubbing their eyes as they waited at a red light. Even the small shops had their doors shut tight, with only a narrow gap to pass drinks or collect money, just to keep the dust out. Personally, I felt my throat scratchy after a few minutes, and my eyes started to sting. We decided to skip eating outside and ducked into a café that had air purifiers running at full blast.

Walking through that murky air really drove home how urgent the problem is. It wasn’t just an inconvenience; it was a daily health hazard for people living and working there. The construction workers had scarves wrapped around their faces, but that barely did anything. By the time I left, I had a mild headache—probably from breathing in all those fumes. Honestly, the experience made me more conscious about checking the air quality index before going out and reminding my students to wear masks on bad days. It was a sobering reminder that, unless we change how we move and build our cities, scenes like that will become the norm rather than the exception.

IELTS Speaking Part 3

1. How serious is air pollution in your country?

Expressions 

• Frankly speaking, it’s pretty alarming… (Thẳng thắn mà nói, khá đáng lo ngại…)

• Major cities are often in the red zone… (Các thành phố lớn thường ở mức đỏ…)

• It spikes during rush hour / dry season… (Tăng vọt vào giờ cao điểm / mùa khô…)

• Long-term exposure is a ticking time bomb… (Tiếp xúc lâu dài là “quả bom hẹn giờ”…)

Ideas & Collocations

• Vehicle emissions & construction dust (khí thải xe & bụi công trình)

• Crop residue burning in rural areas (đốt rơm rạ ở nông thôn)

• Health costs: respiratory diseases, asthma (chi phí sức khỏe: bệnh hô hấp, hen suyễn)

Sample Answer:
Frankly speaking, it’s pretty alarming. In big cities, air quality is often in the red zone, especially during the dry season and rush hour. Emissions from motorbikes, trucks, plus construction dust make things worse. In rural areas, burning crop residue adds to the haze. Long-term exposure is a ticking time bomb for public health—people suffer more from asthma and other respiratory issues.

2. What are the differences between pollution in the countryside and in cities?

Expressions

• They’re polluted in different ways… (Ô nhiễm theo những cách khác nhau…)

• Urban pollution is traffic-driven… (Ô nhiễm đô thị chủ yếu do giao thông…)

• Rural areas deal more with… (Vùng nông thôn đối mặt nhiều hơn với…)

• The scale and density are worlds apart. (Quy mô và mật độ khác nhau hoàn toàn.)

Ideas & Collocations

• City: exhaust fumes, construction, industrial zones (Thành phố: khói xe, công trình, khu công nghiệp)

• Countryside: pesticide runoff, straw burning, livestock waste (Nông thôn: thuốc trừ sâu, đốt rơm rạ, chất thải chăn nuôi)

Sample Answer:
They’re polluted in different ways. Urban pollution is traffic-driven—you get exhaust fumes, industrial chimneys, construction dust. Rural areas deal more with burning straw, pesticide runoff, and livestock waste. The scale and density are worlds apart, but both harm the environment in their own way.

3. How can governments encourage people to keep cities clean?

Expressions

• A mix of carrot and stick works best… (Kết hợp “cây gậy và củ cà rốt” là tốt nhất…)

• Incentivise green habits… (Khuyến khích thói quen xanh…)

• Enforce fines for littering / illegal dumping… (Phạt nghiêm việc xả rác / đổ thải trái phép…)

• Public campaigns can shift mindsets. (Chiến dịch truyền thông có thể thay đổi tư duy.)

Ideas & Collocations

• Subsidies for public transport / recycling (trợ giá phương tiện công cộng / tái chế)

• More bins, better waste sorting systems (nhiều thùng rác hơn, hệ thống phân loại rác tốt hơn)

• Community clean-up days (ngày dọn dẹp cộng đồng)

Sample Answer:
A mix of carrot and stick works best. The government can incentivise green habits—like discounted metro fares—or support recycling programs. At the same time, enforce fines for littering and illegal dumping. Public campaigns and community clean-up days also help shift people’s mindsets toward keeping shared spaces clean.

4. What role do individuals play in protecting the environment?

Expressions

• Every little bit adds up… (Mỗi việc nhỏ đều góp lại…)

• We can vote with our habits… (Chúng ta “bỏ phiếu” bằng thói quen của mình…)

• Lead by example in your own circle… (Làm gương trong vòng tròn của bạn…)

• Collective action starts with personal choices. (Hành động tập thể bắt đầu từ lựa chọn cá nhân.)

Ideas & Collocations

• Reduce single-use plastics / bring your own bottle (giảm nhựa dùng một lần / mang bình nước cá nhân)

• Use public transport / carpool (đi xe công cộng / đi chung xe)

• Sort waste at source (phân loại rác tại nguồn)

• Plant trees / join eco-volunteer groups (trồng cây / tham gia nhóm tình nguyện môi trường)

Sample Answer:
Every little bit adds up. Individuals can reduce single-use plastics, sort waste at source, or use public transport. We can vote with our habits, showing companies and friends that sustainability matters. Collective action starts with personal choices, so lead by example in your own circle.

5. Do you think environmental education should be part of the school curriculum?

Expressions

• Absolutely, and the earlier the better… (Chắc chắn, càng sớm càng tốt…)

• It builds habits, not just knowledge… (Nó xây dựng thói quen chứ không chỉ kiến thức…)

• Hands-on projects make it stick… (Dự án thực tế giúp ghi nhớ lâu…)

• You can’t fix what you don’t understand. (Bạn không thể sửa cái mình không hiểu.)

Ideas & Collocations

• Eco-clubs, recycling competitions (câu lạc bộ môi trường, thi tái chế)

• Field trips to nature reserves / waste plants (tham quan khu bảo tồn / nhà máy xử lý rác)

• Integrate topics into science and civics (lồng ghép vào môn khoa học và công dân)

Sample Answer:
Absolutely, and the earlier the better. You can’t fix what you don’t understand, so teaching kids why pollution matters is key. It builds habits, not just knowledge, especially through hands-on projects like eco-clubs or recycling contests. Integrating it into science and civics ensures it’s seen as essential, not optional.