IELTS Speaking Part 2 Cue Card

Describe a sport you enjoyed when you were young.
You should say:

  • What it was

  • Where you played it

  • Who you played it with
    And explain how you felt about it

1. Speaking Expressions 

a. What it was

  • Back in the day… (Ngày xưa…)

  • When I was a kid… (Hồi còn nhỏ…)

  • I was totally into… (Tôi mê mẩn…)

  • The sport that defined my childhood was… (Môn thể thao gắn liền tuổi thơ tôi là…)

  • I couldn’t get enough of… (Tôi chơi hoài không chán…)

b. Where you played it

  • We usually played it in/at… (Chúng tôi thường chơi ở…)

  • There was this little spot… (Có một chỗ nhỏ…)

  • Right in front of… (Ngay trước…)

  • On a makeshift court/net… (Trên một sân/lưới tạm bợ…)

  • Whenever the school bell rang, we rushed to… (Cứ tan học là chúng tôi lao ra…)

c. Who you played it with

  • Mostly with my cousins/classmates/neighbors… (Chủ yếu với anh chị em họ/bạn cùng lớp/hàng xóm…)

  • We had a tight-knit group… (Chúng tôi có một nhóm rất thân…)

  • Anyone who happened to pass by would join in… (Ai đi ngang cũng nhảy vào chơi…)

  • It was our little crew… (Đó là nhóm “ruột” của chúng tôi…)

  • We bonded over the game… (Chúng tôi gắn kết nhờ trò chơi này…)

d. How you felt about it

  • It gave me such an adrenaline rush… (Nó cho tôi cảm giác phấn khích tột độ…)

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

  • It was the highlight of my day… (Đó là điểm nhấn trong ngày của tôi…)

  • I was over the moon every time we played… (Lần nào chơi tôi cũng sướng rơn…)

  • It helped me blow off steam… (Nó giúp tôi xả stress…)

2. Ideas & Collocations 

  • Play badminton in the alley (chơi cầu lông trong hẻm)

  • Community cultural house court (sân nhà văn hóa phường)

  • After-school pick-up games (trận đấu tự phát sau giờ học)

  • Makeshift net strung between two poles (lưới tạm bợ căng giữa hai cột điện)

  • Bond over sports (gắn kết qua thể thao)

  • Sweat buckets (đổ mồ hôi như tắm)

  • Neighborhood tournament (giải đấu nhỏ trong khu xóm)

  • Shuttlecock flies back and forth (quả cầu bay qua lại)

  • Hand-me-down rackets (vợt cầu lông “thừa kế” từ anh chị)

  • Streetlights as our spotlight (đèn đường như đèn sân khấu của chúng tôi)

3. Sample Answer

Back in the day, the sport I was totally into was badminton. When I was a kid, there was this little alley behind my house in Ho Chi Minh City, and we usually played it there on a makeshift net strung between two poles. Sometimes we even moved to the community cultural house court when it wasn’t crowded. I mostly played with my cousins and a couple of neighbors – we had a tight-knit group, and honestly, anyone who happened to pass by would join in if they had time.

Every afternoon after school, as soon as the bell rang, we’d drop our bags and sprint home to grab our hand-me-down rackets. The shuttlecock would fly back and forth under the streetlights as our spotlight, and we’d sweat buckets but still keep going until our parents yelled for dinner.

Why did I love it so much? Well, it gave me such an adrenaline rush whenever I landed a smashing shot, and it was the highlight of my day to just blow off steam with friends. I felt on top of the world whenever our little “team” won a neighborhood tournament or even just a friendly match. Looking back, badminton wasn’t just a game; it was how we bonded over sports and built lifelong friendships.

IELTS Speaking Part 3

1. Is it important to take breaks during work or study? Why?

Expressions:

  • Without a doubt… (Không còn nghi ngờ gì…)

  • Your brain needs a breather… (Não cần “thở” một chút…)

  • To recharge my batteries… (Để nạp lại năng lượng…)

  • Otherwise you’ll burn out… (Không thì sẽ kiệt sức…)

  • A five-minute pause can work wonders… (Nghỉ 5 phút cũng hiệu quả lắm…)

Ideas & Collocations:

  • Micro-breaks during cram sessions (nghỉ ngắn trong lúc ôn thi căng thẳng)

  • Prevent eye strain from screens (tránh mỏi mắt vì màn hình)

  • Top up your energy with a quick snack (nạp thêm năng lượng bằng đồ ăn nhẹ)

  • Stretching in the corridor (vươn vai ngoài hành lang)

  • Power nap at lunchtime (ngủ trưa ngắn để hồi sức)

Sample Answer:
Without a doubt, taking breaks is crucial. Your brain needs a breather, especially in Vietnam where students often have cram sessions before exams and office workers deal with long hours. Even a five-minute pause can work wonders—you can stretch in the corridor or grab a quick cup of trà đá to recharge your batteries. If you don’t, you’ll burn out, not to mention suffer from eye strain from screens. Personally, I love a short power nap at lunchtime; it helps me come back fresher and more focused.

2. What sports do young people like to play nowadays?

Expressions:

  • From what I see… (Theo như tôi thấy…)

  • There’s been a real craze for… (Đang có một cơn sốt với…)

  • It’s all the rage… (Rất thịnh hành…)

  • You name it, they play it… (Bạn kể ra là họ chơi đó…)

  • It has really taken off… (Nó đã bùng nổ…)

Ideas & Collocations:

  • Futsal in indoor courts (futsal ở sân trong nhà)

  • Basketball at public playgrounds (bóng rổ ở sân chơi công cộng)

  • Street workout parks (công viên tập calisthenics)

  • E-sports tournaments in cafés (giải đấu e-sports ở quán net/café)

  • Badminton and shuttlecock kicking (đá cầu) (cầu lông và đá cầu)

Sample Answer:
From what I see, futsal in indoor courts and basketball at public playgrounds are all the rage among Vietnamese teens. There’s also a real craze for e-sports tournaments in cafés, where groups gather to compete. Traditional games haven’t died out either—badminton and shuttlecock kicking are still popular because they’re cheap and easy to set up. Recently, street workout parks have really taken off, so you’ll see young people doing pull-ups and dips in public spaces. You name it, they play it, as long as it’s fun and social.

3. Are there more recreational activities for young people now than 20 years ago?

Expressions:

  • Absolutely, compared to back then… (Chắc chắn rồi, so với hồi trước…)

  • The options have multiplied… (Các lựa chọn đã tăng lên nhiều…)

  • We’ve gone from X to Y… (Chúng ta đã chuyển từ X sang Y…)

  • It’s a different world now… (Giờ là một thế giới khác rồi…)

  • Technology has opened the door to… (Công nghệ đã mở ra cánh cửa đến…)

Ideas & Collocations:

  • Indoor climbing gyms and skating rinks (phòng leo núi trong nhà, sân trượt băng/pa-tin)

  • Community centers with dance/yoga classes (trung tâm cộng đồng có lớp nhảy/yoga)

  • Riverside walking and cycling tracks (đường đi bộ, xe đạp ven sông)

  • Weekend maker workshops (xưởng chế tạo cuối tuần)

  • Theme cafés and board-game spaces (quán cà phê theo chủ đề và khu chơi board game)

Sample Answer:
Absolutely, compared to back then, the options have multiplied. It’s a different world now—20 years ago, kids mainly played outside or watched TV. Today, technology has opened the door to all kinds of activities: from indoor climbing gyms to theme cafés and board-game spaces. Cities like Da Nang or HCMC now have riverside walking and cycling tracks, and community centers with dance or yoga classes. We’ve gone from just a few playgrounds to a whole ecosystem of recreational choices.

4. Do adults and children have enough leisure time nowadays?

Expressions:

  • To be honest, not really… (Thực lòng mà nói, không hẳn…)

  • We’re stuck in an overtime culture… (Chúng ta mắc kẹt trong văn hóa tăng ca…)

  • Kids are swamped with homework… (Trẻ em ngập trong bài tập…)

  • It’s hard to strike a balance… (Khó mà cân bằng…)

  • When they do get a break, it’s precious… (Khi họ nghỉ được chút nào thì rất quý…)

Ideas & Collocations:

  • Overtime culture in offices (văn hóa tăng ca ở công sở)

  • Cram schools and extra classes (lò luyện thi, lớp học thêm)

  • Weekend family outings squeezed in (cố gắng dành chút thời gian đi chơi cuối tuần)

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

  • Screen time replacing real playtime (thời gian trước màn hình thay thế giờ chơi thực tế)

Sample Answer:
To be honest, not really. Adults in Vietnam are often stuck in an overtime culture, and it’s hard to strike a balance between work and family. As for children, many are swamped with homework and attend cram schools or extra classes. So even when they do get a break, it’s precious and sometimes just turns into screen time replacing real playtime. That said, some families try to squeeze in weekend outings to parks or cafes, but overall, true work–life balance is still a challenge.

By admin

Thầy Bình Tiền Giang là người sáng lập và giáo viên của Blearning Education, Phường Thới Sơn, tỉnh Đồng Tháp (mới). Với sứ mệnh mang đến nền giáo dục tiếng Anh chất lượng cao nhưng giá cả phải chăng cho mọi học sinh trong tỉnh, thầy Bình đam mê giảng dạy thông qua kỹ năng ngôn ngữ và truyền cảm hứng để các em phát huy tối đa tiềm năng của mình trong tiếng Anh và nhiều lĩnh vực khác.