Describe your hometown - IELTS speaking

Bài viết 1

You should say:

- Describe the place

- What is special about it?

- Compare it to other cities?

Câu trả lời mẫu:

    My hometown is called Sorsogon. I was born and raised there and I can say it is definitely my favorite place. It is located in the southernmost tip of the largest island in my country. I cannot tell that it is a very big province. The town is both traditional and modern. I call it traditional because there still are many festivals celebrated by the locals, yet modern, as it is starting to be developed just like other province having much more sophisticated infrastructure.

  Sorsogon is a province that is about a 12-hour bus ride from the capital city of the Philippines. Main roads are part of the national highway, so they are wide and huge. The highway happens to be an important place, because it is a key passage for buses and cars that cross it on their way from the North to the South.

   Sorsogon is also special as it offers many tourist attractions. For example, in a close vicinity, there are an active volcano and a lake with very beautiful scenery.

   Among all the places I have been to, I think Sorsogon is one of the best. There are wonderful places to visit – not crowded and not polluted. I frequently go to beautiful and clean beaches. Sogroson is located on many islands that are not yet developed and are very peaceful and relaxing to stay in. On top of that, natural cold and hot springs are popular here as well. Many people visit this place to experience them.

Bài viết 2

   When I read the cue card, the first thing springing to mind was Bao Phuc – my small village in a town on the outskirts of Hanoi.

    To be specific, it’s located in the far south of the city. This small, tranquil and picturesque village is typical for the outdoors in Vietnam with winding alleys, paddy fields and rivers.  I still vividly remember as a child during summertime, I used to participate in various outdoor activities with my friends such as playing football, fishing and swimming. At night, we even sat on the rooftop to admire the beauty of the sky with billions of shining stars.

    My hometown is becoming more and more vibrant as time goes by. It used to be very dull and seemed to fall behind with development, but now, everything has changed. It’s got a new lease of life with a great economic situation with an increasing number of factories and chain stores and a developed education system with many schools springing up over the years.

    I love my hometown from the bottom of my heart. It’s where I was born and raised and where my loved ones settle. Whenever I want to temporarily get out of the rat race, I get back to my hometown to see my parents and friends. It’s an excellent way to alleviate stress. The people there are so warm-hearted and amiable and they give me a great sense of community that I can hardly find in my current residential area where neighbours see each other as strangers.

Vocab highlights:

- spring/ come to mind (idiom): đột nhiên hiện lên trong tâm trí

- picturesque /ˌpɪk.tʃərˈesk/ (adj): tuyệt đẹp

- the outdoors ~ the countryside (noun): vùng quê

- vividly remember /ˈvɪv.ɪd.li/ (verb phrase): nhớ như in

- admire (verb): chiêm ngưỡng

- vibrant /ˈvaɪ.brənt/ (adj): náo nhiệt, sống động

- as time goes by (adv): theo thời gian

- a new lease of life /liːs/ (idiom): (cuộc đời bước sang) một trang mới (tốt đẹp hơn)

- spring up (verb): mọc lên, xuất hiện

- the rat race /ˈræt ˌreɪs/ (noun): cuộc sống bon chen

- alleviate stress /əˈliː.vi.eɪt/ (verb phrase): giảm stress

- warm-hearted /ˌwɔːmˈhɑː.tɪd/ (adj): có trái tim ấm áp

- amiable/ˈeɪ.mi.ə.bəl/ (adj): thân thiện

- a sense of community/kəˈmjuː.nə.ti/(noun phrase): cảm giác gần gũi như mình thuộc về một cộng đồng

Các từ vựng hay chủ đề Talk about your hometown

+ Cost of living: chi phí sinh hoạt;

+ Pace of life: nhịp sống;

+ Poverty: sự nghèo nàn;

+ Amenities: tiện nghi;

+ The rat race (idiom): cuộc sống quá bận rộn;

+ Atmosphere: không khí;

+ Rush hour: giờ cao điểm;

+ Pollution: sự ô nhiễm môi trường;

+ Public transport: phương tiện công cộng;

+ Overcrowding: quá tải;

+ Sense of community: ý thức cộng đồng;

+ Residential area: khu dân cư;

+ Outskirts: ngoại ô;

+ Inner city: khu vực nội thành;

+ Heart of the city: trung tâm thành phố;

+ Neighbourhood: khu vực lân cận;

+ Housing estate: khu vực quy hoạch thành khu dân cư;

+ Industrial zone: khu công nghiệp;

+ Suburbs: vùng ngoại ô;

+ Rich natural resources: tài nguyên thiên nhiên dồi dào;

+ Go shopping, go sight-seeing: đi mua sắm, đi tham quan;

+ It’s historic but modern at the same time: nó vừa cổ kính nhưng cũng vừa hiện đại;

+ The hustle and bustle of city life: sự tấp nập và hối hả của cuộc sống thành phố;

+ Fantastic public transport system (buses, commuter trains, subway systems,…): hệ thống giao thông công cộng tuyệt vời (xe buýt, xe lửa chở khách, hệ thống xe điện ngầm,…);

+ Famous tourist destinations: các điểm đến du lịch nổi tiếng;

+ Much higher/lower living costs: chi phí sống cao/thấp hơn nhiều;

+ The pace of life is faster/slower: nhịp điệu cuộc sống nhanh hơn/chậm hơn;

+ The people are more laid back and friendly: con người thư thả và thân thiện hơn.