Part 2 — Long turnQ3/2026Difficulty 3/5

Describe a person you helped recently

IELTS Speaking questions reported by recent test-takers, compiled each quarter. Cambridge does not publish the active list, so this is a compilation of reports, not official material.

Questions

Question 160s to prepare · 120s to speak

Describe a person you helped recently. You should say: • who you helped • what the situation was • what you did • and explain how you felt afterwards

Model answer

Written by 8020 teachers. Do not memorise it — take the structure and the way ideas are developed, then speak about your own life.

I'll talk about helping a neighbour of mine, an older man who lives two doors down. He needed help because his phone stopped working — or rather, he thought it had stopped working. What had actually happened was that a software update changed the layout, and every app he used was suddenly somewhere else. For him that meant he couldn't call his daughter in Da Nang, and that was the only way they spoke. What I did was sit with him for about an hour and a half. And honestly, the temptation was to just fix it in two minutes and leave. I nearly did. But then he'd be stuck again the next time it updated. So instead I made him do each step himself while I watched, which was slower and more frustrating for both of us. I also wrote the steps on paper, because a note in a phone is no use when the phone is the problem. How did I feel afterwards? Partly good, obviously. But mostly I felt a bit ashamed of how close I came to doing the fast version. Helping someone in a way that leaves them dependent isn't really helping — it just feels like it, and it feels like it because it's quicker for you. He calls his daughter every Sunday now, and he hasn't asked me again, which I take as the actual result.

Vocabulary you can use today

two doors down
cách hai căn nhà
or rather
hay nói đúng hơn — cụm tự sửa rất tự nhiên
the temptation was to just fix it
cái dễ làm là sửa luôn cho xong
be stuck again
lại tắc lần nữa
leave someone dependent
để người ta phụ thuộc vào mình
which I take as the actual result
và tôi coi đó mới là kết quả thật

Common traps for Vietnamese speakers

Đừng chọn việc giúp quá lớn (cứu người, cho tiền). Việc nhỏ mà bạn nhớ được chi tiết thì nói hay hơn nhiều, và giám khảo tin hơn. Ý thứ tư (cảm thấy thế nào) là chỗ đa số học viên nói dở nhất: "I felt very happy and proud". Cảm xúc PHỨC TẠP mới ghi điểm — trong bài là vừa vui vừa hơi tự thấy xấu hổ. Nó buộc bạn dùng cấu trúc đối lập, mà đó là điểm ngữ pháp. Kết bằng bằng chứng thay vì lời khen bản thân: "ông ấy không hỏi tôi lần nào nữa" mạnh hơn "tôi đã giúp ông ấy rất nhiều".

âm cuối /d/ trong needed, watched→/t/, asked→/t//θ/ trong thought, three, month/ʃ/ trong ashamed, sunday→/s/âm cuối /z/ trong doors, steps→/s/, apps→/s/

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