IELTS Speaking 2025 Part 2&3: Describe an interesting decision that you and a friend made together.

IELTS Speaking Part 2 Cue Card

Describe an interesting decision that you and a friend made together.
You should say:

• When and why you made the decision

• What the decision was about

• Why you made the decision together
  And explain why you think it was interesting

1. Speaking Expressions

A. When and why you made the decision

• It was last spring when… (Cách đây mùa xuân năm ngoái khi…)

• We were at a crossroads… (Chúng tôi ở ngã ba đường…)

• Driven by a shared desire to… (Bị thôi thúc bởi mong muốn chung là…)

B. What the decision was about

• We decided to… (Chúng tôi quyết định…)

• The choice was to… (Lựa chọn là…)

• Essentially, we opted for… (Về cơ bản, chúng tôi chọn…)

C. Why you made the decision together

• We pooled our resources because… (Chúng tôi góp nguồn lực vì…)

• It made sense given our complementary skills… (Nó hợp lý vì kỹ năng bổ sung nhau…)

• We felt more confident tackling it as a team… (Chúng tôi tự tin hơn khi làm cùng nhau…)

D. Why it was interesting

• What made it fascinating was… (Điều làm nó thú vị là…)

• I was intrigued by how… (Tôi bị cuốn hút bởi cách…)

• In hindsight, it stood out because… (Nhìn lại, nó nổi bật vì…)

2. Ideas & Collocations

• Launch a weekend pop‑up café (mở quán cà phê tạm vào cuối tuần)

• Enter a regional startup competition (tham gia cuộc thi khởi nghiệp cấp vùng)

• Combine finances and split equity (góp vốn và chia cổ phần)

• Draft a business model canvas (lập mô hình kinh doanh trên giấy)

• Leverage each other’s networks (tận dụng mạng lưới của nhau)

• Prototype a minimum‑viable product (thử nghiệm sản phẩm khả dụng tối thiểu)

• Pitch to local investors (thuyết trình trước nhà đầu tư địa phương)

• Navigate unexpected setbacks (đối mặt với khó khăn bất ngờ)

• Celebrate small wins (ăn mừng từng thành công nhỏ)

• Reflect on the journey (suy ngẫm về hành trình)

3. Sample Answer 

It was last spring when my friend Minh and I were feeling stuck in our office jobs. Driven by a shared desire to explore entrepreneurship, we decided to enter a regional startup competition called InnovateVN. The choice was to develop a weekend pop‑up café concept that fuses Vietnamese traditional snacks with modern coffee culture.

We were at a crossroads career‑wise and realised we had complementary skills—Minh excels at marketing and I’m good with finances. It made sense to pool our resources and split equity, each bringing in a small investment and committing our weekends for planning. We spent evenings drafting a business model canvas, sourcing vintage décor, and prototyping a minimum‑viable product—a special condensed‑milk latte served with bánh mì kaya.

Because it was a competition, we also had to pitch to local investors. We practised our presentation dozens of times in Minh’s living room, refining slides to highlight our unique selling points and projected returns. We agreed that tackling it as a team would boost our confidence and spread the workload: Minh handled branding and social media teasers, while I negotiated with suppliers and mapped out our cost structure.

What made it fascinating was how quickly we adapted to unexpected setbacks. Our first batch of kaya was too sweet, so we pivoted to a lighter version within hours. When the pop‑up venue lost power mid-event, we turned it into a “candle‑lit café” which actually drew a crowd intrigued by the ambiance. I was intrigued by how every challenge taught us something—teamwork, resilience, and creative problem‑solving.

In the end, we didn’t win the grand prize, but we did earn a special mention for “most innovative concept.” More importantly, we celebrated small wins—sold‑out opening day, positive feedback on social media, and an invite to another local food fair. In hindsight, it stood out because the whole journey—from drafting that initial plan over coffee to executing under pressure—felt like an accelerated crash course in running a real business. It was hands‑on, high‑stakes, and incredibly rewarding, leaving me proud that we turned an office chat into a tangible venture.

IELTS Speaking Part 3

1. At what age do children start making their own decisions?

Expressions:

• Generally speaking… (Nói chung…)

• By around age 7 or 8… (Khoảng 7–8 tuổi…)

• It depends on maturity levels… (Phụ thuộc vào độ chín chắn…)

Collocations:

• Personal preferences (sở thích cá nhân)

• Simple choices like clothes selection (lựa chọn trang phục đơn giản)

• Basic daily routines (thói quen hàng ngày cơ bản)

Sample Answer:
Generally speaking, children begin making simple decisions—like what to wear or which snack to eat—by around age 7 or 8, though maturity levels and parental guidance play a big role.

2. What kinds of decisions can children make by themselves?

Expressions:

• Children can handle… (Trẻ em có thể tự quyết…)

• They’re capable of… (Chúng đủ khả năng…)

Collocations:

• Time management for homework (quản lý thời gian làm bài tập)

• Choosing extracurricular activities (chọn hoạt động ngoại khoá)

• Setting personal goals (đặt mục tiêu cá nhân)

Sample Answer:
Children can handle basic time management for homework, choosing extracurricular activities they enjoy, and setting personal goals like learning an instrument, which fosters independence and responsibility.

3. Do you think it’s better to make important decisions alone or with others? Why?

Expressions:

• It depends on the context… (Tùy tình huống…)

• Group input can… (Ý kiến nhóm có thể…)

• Solo decisions ensure… (Tự mình quyết giữ đảm bảo…)

Collocations:

• Weighing pros and cons (cân nhắc ưu nhược điểm)

• Shared accountability (trách nhiệm chung)

• Speed of decision‑making (tốc độ ra quyết định)

Sample Answer:
It depends on the context. For career or financial choices, weighing pros and cons with trusted friends or mentors can provide shared accountability and diverse perspectives. However, for personal values and ethics, solo decisions ensure you stay true to yourself and can be made more quickly.

4. How do cultural values affect the way people make decisions together?

Expressions:

• In collectivist cultures… (Trong văn hóa tập thể…)

• High regard for hierarchy… (Tôn trọng thứ bậc cao…)

• Emphasis on consensus… (Nhấn mạnh sự đồng thuận…)

Collocations:

• Respect for elders’ opinions (tôn trọng ý kiến người lớn tuổi)

• Group harmony (hòa khí nhóm)

• Indirect communication (giao tiếp gián tiếp)

Sample Answer:
In collectivist cultures, group harmony is paramount, so decisions often involve consulting elders and seeking consensus. Respect for hierarchy may mean junior members defer to senior voices, and indirect communication is used to avoid confrontation.

5. Are group decisions usually more effective than individual ones? Why or why not?

Expressions:

• Group decisions can be… (Quyết định nhóm có thể…)

• However, they may suffer from… (Tuy nhiên, chúng có thể gặp phải…)

• Individual decisions excel at… (Quyết định cá nhân mạnh ở…)

Collocations:

• Diverse perspectives (quan điểm đa dạng)

• Groupthink risk (nguy cơ đồng nhất tư duy)

• Faster execution (thực thi nhanh)

• Personal responsibility (trách nhiệm cá nhân)

Sample Answer:
Group decisions can be effective due to diverse perspectives, but they sometimes suffer from groupthink or slow consensus building. Individual decisions excel at faster execution and clear personal responsibility, making the best approach context‑dependent.