IELTS Speaking 2025 Part 2&3: Describe a Special Cake You Received from Others 🎂

Describe a Special Cake You Received from Others 🎂

Suggested Ideas for Each Part

• When it happened ⏳

  • On my birthday last year 🎉
  • During my graduation party 🎓
  • On a special occasion like Tết or Mid-Autumn Festival 🌕

• Where it happened 📍

  • At home with my family 🏠
  • At a restaurant with friends 🍽️
  • At my workplace as a surprise from colleagues 🎁

• Who you got the cake from 🎂

  • From my best friend who baked it herself 👩‍🍳
  • From my parents as a heartfelt gesture ❤️
  • From my students as a token of appreciation 🏫

• Why it’s a special cake 🎀

  • It was homemade with love and effort 💖
  • It had a unique flavor that I had never tried before 🍫
  • It had a personal message that made me emotional ✍️

Useful Grammar Structures

1. Past Simple & Past Continuous for storytelling

   • I was celebrating my birthday when my best friend brought out a homemade cake.
   • Last year, my students gave me a cake, which touched my heart.

2. Relative Clauses for additional details

   • The cake, which was beautifully decorated, was the highlight of the party.

3. Comparatives for describing differences

   • It tasted much better than store-bought cakes.

4. Conditionals for reflection

   • If I had known they were planning a surprise, I would have prepared something in return.

Collocations

1. A homemade cake 🍰 (bánh làm tại nhà)
2. A heartfelt gesture ❤️ (hành động đầy tình cảm)
3. A labor of love 🥰 (một thứ làm bằng tất cả tình yêu thương)
4. Melt in my mouth 🤤 (tan ngay trong miệng)
5. A delightful surprise 🎊 (một điều bất ngờ thú vị)
6. A personal touch 🖋️ (một dấu ấn cá nhân đặc biệt)
7. A one-of-a-kind cake 🎂 (chiếc bánh có một không hai)

Full Sample Answer (2 Minutes)

One of the most special cakes I have ever received was a surprise birthday cake from my best friend last year. It happened at my house, where I was having a small gathering with family and close friends. I wasn’t expecting anything extraordinary, but out of nowhere, my best friend brought out 🎂 a beautifully decorated cake that she had baked herself.

The cake was a one-of-a-kind 🎂 creation because it wasn’t a typical birthday cake with vanilla or chocolate flavors. Instead, she made a matcha and red bean cake, which happens to be my favorite combination. She even decorated it with fresh strawberries and wrote my name on top using white chocolate. The moment I took my first bite, it melted in my mouth 🤤—the sweetness of the red bean perfectly balanced the slightly bitter taste of matcha.

What made it even more special was the effort she put into making it. She told me she had spent hours researching recipes and practicing to get it just right. It wasn’t just a cake; it was a heartfelt gesture ❤️ that showed how well she knew me. That cake wasn’t just delicious—it was a labor of love 🥰, and that’s what made it unforgettable.

Part 3: Discussion Questions & Sample Answers

1. What are the differences between special food in Vietnam and foreign countries? 🍜🍕

Ideas

• Vietnamese special food often has a balance of flavors: sweet, sour, salty, and spicy.
• Vietnamese celebrations often feature traditional dishes like bánh chưng for Tết, while Western countries focus more on cakes and roasts.
• Western food is often richer and heavier, while Vietnamese food tends to be lighter and healthier.

Collocations

1. A unique culinary identity 🍽️ (bản sắc ẩm thực độc đáo)
2. A harmonious blend of flavors 🍜 (sự kết hợp hài hòa của các hương vị)
3. Traditional delicacies 🥢 (những món ăn truyền thống đặc sắc)

Sample Answer

Vietnamese cuisine has a unique culinary identity 🍽️ that sets it apart from Western food. Our special dishes, like phở or bánh chưng, focus on a harmonious blend of flavors 🍜—sweet, salty, sour, and spicy—all in one bite. In contrast, special food in foreign countries tends to be richer, often with cheese, butter, and heavy sauces. For example, while we celebrate Tết with traditional delicacies 🥢 like sticky rice cakes, Westerners enjoy turkey and mashed potatoes during Christmas. Each culture has its own way of celebrating through food, which makes global cuisine so fascinating.

2. Do people usually cook special food in Vietnam? 👩‍🍳🍲

Ideas

• Yes, especially during important celebrations like Tết, Mid-Autumn Festival, or weddings.
• Cooking at home is a family tradition, and older generations pass down recipes.
• However, in modern times, some people prefer to buy food instead of cooking.

Collocations

1. A long-standing tradition 🏮 (một truyền thống lâu đời)
2. Pass down through generations 👨‍👩‍👧 (truyền lại qua các thế hệ)
3. Labor-intensive dishes 🍲 (những món ăn tốn nhiều công sức)

Sample Answer

Yes, Vietnamese people often cook special food, especially during major celebrations like Tết or family reunions. Preparing dishes like bánh chưng or thịt kho trứng is a long-standing tradition 🏮 that has been passed down through generations 👨‍👩‍👧. However, in recent years, many busy families opt to buy special food instead of making labor-intensive dishes 🍲 at home. While homemade food is still valued, convenience has changed some habits.

3. Should special food be easily available? 🍣🌮

Ideas

• Yes, because people should have access to cultural dishes anytime.
• No, because making it rare keeps it meaningful for special occasions.
• Some foods require rare ingredients, making them hard to produce on a large scale.

Collocations

1. Preserve cultural heritage 🎭 (bảo tồn di sản văn hóa)
2. An occasional treat 🍰 (một món ăn chỉ dành cho những dịp đặc biệt)
3. Lose its significance ⚠️ (mất đi giá trị đặc biệt của nó)

Sample Answer

I think it depends. On one hand, making special food easily available helps preserve cultural heritage 🎭 and allows more people to enjoy traditional flavors. On the other hand, if we eat special food too often, it may lose its significance ⚠️ and become less meaningful. For example, if we had bánh chưng every day, it wouldn’t feel as exciting during Tết. In my opinion, it’s nice to have traditional food as an occasional treat 🍰 rather than something we take for granted.