SET 1

PART 1: Describe an important conversation that you had with someone

 When you had this conversation
 Who you had the conversation with
 What the conversation was about and explain why this conversation was
important to you

PART 2: To have a successful conversation, it is important that the two speakers

share the same opinions on what they are discussing. To what extent do you
agree or disagree? Give reasons and examples to support your point of view. Để
có một cuộc trò chuyện thành công, điều quan trọng là hai người nói có cùng
quan điểm về những gì họ đang thảo luận. Tới mức độ nào bạn đồng ý hay không
đồng ý? Đưa ra lý do và ví dụ để hỗ trợ quan điểm của bạn.

A: What's up? You look upset

B: I’ve just fallen out with my mom this morning. As always, you know. Sometimes
I really wish I could have a close relationship with mom like you but it seems like
we have nothing in common. Everytime I try to start a serious conversation with
my mom, it definitely ends up being an argument.

A: Don’t be so pessimistic. I don’t think a conversation is just successful when

people share the same opinions. It depends on how you express yourself and the
way you listen to the other person.

B: Express yourself? I don’t understand this point.

A: I mean, if you know how to get out of yourself and make it about the other
person you are talking with, the conversation will be much greater as both of you
have the chance to show your ideas and to be listened to. Nobody wants to be in
a dialogue where someone talks endlessly about a topic that you don’t even have
a slight interest in, right?

B: Yes you’re right, but to be honest, it’s really hard to keep yourself focused on
something that is out of your interest. And if both of you lose your temper, your
conversation suddenly turns into an argument.
A: I got you. Maybe it depends on our personality too. However, I still believe that
you can have a great conversation with someone that has a different perspective
from yours And it is a good way to broaden your horizon.

SET 2
PART 1: Describe a time when you felt very lucky or unlucky
 When it was
 What happened during that time
 Who got involved during that time and explain ehy you felt lucky or
unlucky at that time

PART 2: When people succeed, it is entirely because of hard work. Luck has
nothing to do with their success. To what extent do you agree or disagree with
the statement? Give reasons and examples to support your view.
A: My test’s horrible, I’m gonna cry my eyes out tonight. I shouldn’t have eaten a
banana this morning. Especially after stepping my left foot before the right one
when I got out of bed.

B: So, you believe that those superstitious factors can cause you bad luck, which
makes you fail your test?

A: Yes! I forgot, why do I bother to tell you this anyway. You’re always a top
student. How lucky you are.

B: Hey, I’m a little offended, okay? I’m a hard-worker. Do you think I would allow
myself to fail on exams? Absolutely no dear. There is no good luck or bad luck
here. I’m on my own.

A: Now girl, you don’t tell me you never ever have a bad day before. Like,
suddenly you feel like all of the bad things just happen in the same day and you
couldn’t do anything about it.

B: When I'm seriously thinking about it, I do have those days once in a while. But,
it’s not like one day with bad luck can ruin my whole successful career. Come
on,do you really think it would really happen?
A: You could try. One day you will suddenly realize that your luck can decide
whether you will get what you want or not. It happens to me and my family a lot.
It’s not like I want to believe in it. It just happened and I couldn’t do anything.

B: Although I don’t fully trust those superstitious phenomena, I can’t say that I’m
against what you just said. We don’t even know if we are going to be alive
tomorrow or not. So I guess it is up to luck then.

SET 3
PART 1: Describe a time when you or your acquaintance had to see a doctor
 When it was
 Why you had to see him/her
 What advice you got from him/her

PART 2: Some people claim that prevention is better than cure. To what extent
do you agree or disagree with this saying? Give reasons and examples to
support your point of view.

A: Do you think people nowadays are underestimating the importance of

healthcare?

B: What do you mean by “underestimate the importance of healthcare?

A: Like, people especially youngsters are living without any tension to protect
themselves from illness. They eat whatever they want to, junk food, soft drinks,..
They stay up till the morning. And right here, in our class for example, a lot of
people don’t wear masks anymore. I mean, prevention is better than cure, you
know.

B: Yes, I totally agree. We should take action to protect our health. Bring it back to
our hard time fighting against covid 19, if we hadn’t prevented the disease, hadn’t
taken 5K measures, the consequences would have been very unpredictable. So no
matter how rich you are, you can’t buy your health.
A: And the medicines used for treatments usually have side effects, which can
cause headache, fever, etc. And in a long term, these chemicals can have negative
effects on your body.

B: It’s exactly what I wanna say. I feel like you can read my mind. We shouldn't
underestimate the importance of healthcare

SET 4
PART 1: Describe an old and wise person that you know
 Who the person is
 How old the person is
 What the person is like and explain how wise the person is

PART 2: Nowadays, young people often send their aging parents to nursing
homes. Do you think this is a positive or negative trend? Give examples to
support your view.

A: My mom talked to me this morning and it kinda bothers me.

B: What was the conversation about then?

A: She suddenly told me it was okay if she and my father got old and I decided to
send them to a nursing home. I just never give a second thought about the fact
that people can get old, and weak, and they will leave this life eventually.

B: Do you want to send them there?

A: I don’t. I want to keep them by my side. But I don’t think I’m capable enough to
look after them like how they look after us. I will probably have my own family in
the future, and it will be really exhausting if I have to run around, taking care of
everyone.
B: Well, my grandma and grandpa are both in the nursery home right now. And I
think they are having a great time there. We usually pay them a visit, mostly every
week. And I think it will be okay to do what your parents told you.

A: Why?

B: Just put yourself in their shoes. They have their own miserable occasions, their
own suffering, we can’t bear it for them. That’s why it's best to let them take their
own responsibilities to their lives and their loved ones.

A: That actually makes sense. Now I understand why my mother didn’t tell me her
reasons directly. It would have been really awkward.

B: It’s all up to your decision. As long as you don’t carry it as a burden. Staying
with your parents in their old age is meaningful, they can have fun with you and
your children, too.

SET 5
PART 1: Describe a memorable trip in your life
 When the trip took place
 Where the event took place
 What happened during the trip and explain why this trip was memorable
for you

PART 2: Recently, while young people often consider backpacking as a thrilling

way to travel, parents only see dangers out of this trend. Do you think the
advantages of this outweigh the disadvantages? Give examples to clarify your
viewpoint.

A: Summer is coming girl. Have you had a plan for this summer?
B: Of course yes. I’m gonna have a backpacking trip to Dalat. Sounds cool right?

A: Wait, what? So you're gonna travel to Dalat with all of your things in your
backpack? Are you kidding?

B: No. I’m serious. Why are you acting like that? Backpacking is one of the most
interesting ways to travel.

A: Yes, I know. But I’m just surprised that your parents let you go. You know,
there are many dangers out there. Like you’ll be unaware of the places to stay,
the tourist spots to go to, and where to find good local delicacies. And you will get
lost easily. Especially when you are a girl.

B: Common, even my mom isn’t old-fashioned like that. I’m 19 already. I know
how to deal with life. And a backpacking trip is much greater than you think.
Being a backpacker, you don’t have to follow any strict schedule. You can go
everywhere and do everything you want freely.

A: Wake up girl. Life is not like a dream. There might be a sudden emergency and
you have no one but yourself. No guide, no help, no friends. How can you survive?

B: Just look on the bright side. Maybe it will be an ideal situation to boost my
social skills and make new friends.

A: Alright. It’s up to you. I didn’t mean to annoy you, I was just worried you know.
Take care of yourself and have a good trip..

SET 6.
PART 1: Describe an environmental problem in your city
 What the problem is
 What has caused the problem
 What effects it has on the city and suggest solutions to the problems
PART 2: Plastic bags should be banned completely to help protect the
environment. To what extent do you agree or disagree? Give examples to
support your view.

A: I really remember this city when it had a minority population. There wasn’t a
piece of trash on the street. Now, plastic bags are everywhere. It’s painful to look
at.

B: Yeah, I wish we could get rid of every single plastic bag out of this planet. But
that’s impossible. Even when you don’t even use plastic bags, there will always be
other plastic products.

A: But can’t we, like, invent an alternative solution? Disposal plastic products?

B: Maybe, I think they’ve already figured out those alternatives. But it will take a
long time for us to officially put that in use. Probably it will cost us a lifetime. All
we can do right now is to reduce the usage of plastic as much as possible.

A: Yeah, we can also continue to figure out our own ways to store our food
instead of using plastic boxes. I saw people wrap their food in banana leaves.

B: Interesting. Besides, using tote bags to contain our shopping products is also a
good idea and helps protect our environment more than we think.

A: Absolutely, if every single person can acknowledge that through small actions,
we can save our planet!

SET 7:
PART 1: DESCRIBE AN ACTIVITY YOU HAVE DONE TO KEEP FIT
 What kind of activity it is
 What you do exactly
 How long you have done this activity and explain why it can help you
keep fit
PART 2: Some people think that working out at the gym is more effective than
working out at home. To what extent do you agree or disagree? Give examples
to support your point of view.

A: Heyy. I just bought a gym membership. I’m gonna be hot and healthy this
summer.

B: You go to the gym?

A: Yes, what’s wrong?

B: You know what, I've never ever thought of going to the gym in my life. I prefer
exercising at home.

A: Well, I think working out at home is not really effective. Firstly, you don’t have
access to equipment that supports your exercise. When working out at home, it
always goes for hiit, cardio, which doesn’t require special equipment. I find these
exercises kinda boring though.

B: But being at the gym means that you don’t have privacy. there can be a lot of
people staring at you when you’re trying a new move for example. It’s so
embarrassing. On the other hand, if you work out at home, you can do everything
you want. Turn on your favorite music, breath heavily, and feel completely
comfortable. And on top of that, home workout is much cheaper.

A: But what if you do an exercise wrong? It is not only dangerous, but also causes
muscle imbalances and leads to many serious injuries. You really need a trainer to
teach you the techniques and so far he can be a friend to boost your motivation
on the way to keep fit.

B: Hmm. You really have a point. Maybe I will consider going to the gym.

SET 8
PART 1: Describe a teacher who had an important influence on your education
  What he/she was like
 What subject he/she taught
 What you liked about his/her teaching and explain how the teacher
influenced you

PART 2: Subjects like art and music should be made compulsory in schools. To
what extent do you agree or disagree? Give examples to support your view.

A: Now when you come and think of it, if Hitler had been able to pursue his
passion as a painter, would it have been possible to save our world from World
War 2?

B: There will be World War 2 nevertheless. But at least Hitler wouldn’t have
committed such a crime. Do you know Leonardo Da Vinci, that famous artist was
also given the title ‘’The King’s First Painter, Engineer and Architect’’ by King Louis
XIV?

A: So what you mean is, artists in art and music are usually geniuses?

B: Yes! Just think about it. Art and music trigger our imagination and maybe help
us find our inner strength, passion in life. Scientists also proved that babies
listening to Mozard can make them become more intelligent.

A: That’s why schools definitely teach us more about art and music. I have been
struggling to find a way to put the melodies in my thoughts into music, or my
ideals into specific artworks but I can’t do that since I didn’t take any music or art
classes. I would love to study them in our school.

B: Self-teaching is also possible, but I think we would be much better if we could

be taught by someone else, who is a professional and has a unique way to express
their actions into music and art.

A: Let’s go to the school office and give them our suggestion about the idea then.
SET 9
PART 1: Describe a cultural event that you are interested in
 What the event is
 When the event takes place
 What activities there are in the event and explain why you find this
cultural event interesting
PART 2: People think that foreign cultures threaten the identity of the nation.
To what extent do you agree or disagree? Give examples to support your point
of view.

A: Do you reckon that many aspects of culture are becoming increasingly similar
throughout the world?

B: Yes, you mean globalization right? Anyways, I think there’s nothing wrong with
it.
The globalization of fashion, brands, and eating habits has many benefits. For
example, we are now able to experience foreign food, try their style of dressing,
and watch their films. So that we can explore the diversity of cultures and expand
our knowledge.

A: Yes, I can't deny. However, there’s the dark side of globalization. I think it
somehow threatens the identity of the nation. As the difference between
countries becomes less and less evident, the traditional value can be extinct. For
example, there are many xenophiles nowadays, who always claim that everything
is better as long as it comes from foreign countries. Most people from different
countries speak only English rather than their mother tongue and wear almost
same clothes all over the world

B: It depends, you know. Not everyone is like that. I believe that we have claimed
many valuable things from foreign culture. For example, Vietnam once was super
strict with lgbtq+ community. Like, many people thought that gay was a sickness ,
and people who belong to lgbtq+ community had to suffer from extreme
discrimination. But now, as you can see, people are being more open, there are
organizations to support and protect lgbtq+ human rights.
A: Yes you got a point. Well, globalization brings a lot of benefits as long as we are
aware of choosing what to internalize. And also we should pay more attention to
cultural preservation and maintain cultural tradition by sharing it with others.

SET 10:
PART 1: DESCIBE a project you had to do on your own (or with classmates) as
part of your studies
 What the project was about
 What you (and your classmates) needed to do
 How successful the project was and say what you learned or enjoyed
when working on the project
PART 2: Are social skills more important than education when looking for a job?
Give examples to support your view.

A: I want to go looking for a job but I’m afraid I can’t find any. I have no social
skills, or experience in any kind of jobs before. Now I regret just studying all the
time.

B: Believe me. Education is more important than social skills. When they look at
your study results, they will be mind-blown. Just put everything that you got in
your CV, things will be okay.

A: That’s what I thought at first. But the time has changed. Now they acquire you
to have particular experience in the field, especially social skills in order to
interact with people. For me, someone who has zero experience in
communicating with people, this is a disaster.

B: That’s weird. I wish I had been more concentrated in my studying before, I

wouldn't have to struggle this much with my job right now.

A: At least you have a job. You’re perfect when it comes to talking and doing your
tasks in front of everyone. You’re always in the spotlight without knowing it.

B: I just do my best, you know? Social skills are all about observation and reacting
against any circumstances. You just need to spend your time, go out more and
learn how people would react if you do something for them. You spend a lifetime
studying, even when you’re playing, eating or sleeping. Although I’m influenced
by going out a lot, I don’t have such impressive records like you when it comes to
education.

A: You’re right, I should give myself more credit. I will take your advice and try to
be more outgoing.