Bài mẫu chủ đề “Describe an interesting traditional story” của giáo viên Hồng Linh cung cấp ý tưởng mạch lạc, từ vựng đa dạng và chiến lược trả lời hiệu quả cho IELTS Speaking Part 2.
Part 2: Describe an interesting traditional story
You should say:
- What the story is about
- When/how you knew it
- Who told you the story
- And explain how you felt when you first heard it
1. Bài mẫu (Sample)
I have never considered myself a talented storyteller and to be completely honest here, I don’t know any interesting old stories, and I have no option but to go with a cliche one you may have listened to thousands of times. That’s the Legend of Hoàn Kiếm Lake, or the Lake of the Returned Sword, which is one of the most famous myths in Vietnam.
The story tells about King Lê Lợi, a national hero who fought against Chinese invaders in the 15th 16th century, well, forgive me here but history is for sure out of my depth. According to the legend, he was given a magical sword by the King of Turtle to help him win the war. After defeating the intruders, one day while he was sailing on the lake, a giant golden turtle appeared and asked him to return the divine sword. The king immediately gave it back, and the turtle disappeared into the water. Since then, the lake has been called “Hoàn Kiếm,” meaning “Returned Sword.”
I first learned this story when I was about six, seven years old during a school trip to Hoàn Kiếm Lake. Our teacher told us the legend right by the lake itself, pointing toward the Turtle Tower in the middle of the water. Then, we also paid a visit to Ngoc Son Temple to see the preserved specimen of a giant turtle.
When I first heard it, I was deeply fascinated. I remember imagining the scene of the shining sword and the giant golden turtle emerging from the water. It felt surreal but also patriotic, as the story represents our country’s bravery and the spirit of independence. Even now, every time I visit Hoàn Kiếm Lake, I still think of that legend and feel proud of our long-standing history.
Sample band 7.0+ by Hong Linh, IELTS Teacher at The IELTS Workshop
2. Từ vựng (Vocabulary)
- cliché: điều rập khuôn
- invaders = intruders: kẻ xâm lược
- out of my depth: không biết, không hiểu rõ
- divine (adj): liên quan đến thần, thần thánh
- preserved specimen: mẫu vật được bảo quản (ý là xác ướp)
- surreal: siêu thực
- long-standing: lâu đời
Xem thêm: Cách học từ vựng IELTS hiệu quả từ thầy Đặng Trần Tùng 9.0
Part 3:
1. What kind of stories do children like?
Children generally enjoy stories that are imaginative and easy to follow with colourful illustrations. They are naturally drawn to tales with magical elements, such as talking animals, superheroes, or mythical creatures like dragons or mermaids. These stories allow them to escape reality and explore worlds that feel exciting and unpredictable. I remember vividly when I was a kid, I was so obsessed with Norse mythology. Besides fantasy, many children also like humorous stories probably because they help to kill time and provide some light relief from schoolwork. So in short, what children like most are stories that spark their curiosity and give them a sense of wonder.
- Norse mythology: thần thoại Bắc Âu
- light relief: giải tỏa nhẹ nhàng
2. What are the benefits of listening to stories before bed?
This relaxing activity helps children relax and fall asleep more easily. They also support language development because kids hear new words and ideas in a calm setting, especially when parents read these narratives aloud instead of audiobooks. On top of that, reading together creates a close bond between parents and children, which gives kids a sense of comfort and security before sleeping.
- narratives: câu chuyện, lời dẫn/kể chuyện
3. Why do most children like listening to stories before bedtime?
Most kids enjoy bedtime stories because they create a soft, comforting routine at the end of the day. It’s a moment when they receive full attention from their parents, which makes them feel loved and cared for. Plus, stories let them escape into a fantasy world, which is a nice way to unwind before going to sleep and also supports creativity and imagination. I also believe that this is a great way to encourage children to take up reading from an early age.
4. What can children learn from stories?
Most stories written for children can be didactic and carry educational values. More specifically, these books teach children moral values like kindness, honesty, and courage through fairy tales like Cinderella, Beauty and the Beast, the Boy Who Cried Wolf or Little Red Riding Hood. They also help kids understand different emotions and perspectives by putting themselves in the characters’ shoes. This can easily be seen in the Little Mermaid when children can not only understand the values of love and curiosity but also see the point in sacrificing for love and the pain of it. Aside from that, stories build imagination and critical thinking because children often predict what will happen next, so these abilities are all important for their personal development.
- didactic: có tính giáo dục
5. Do all stories for children have happy endings?
No, not all of them. While many do end happily when the main characters live happily ever after, some have sad or bittersweet endings to reflect real life or teach deeper lessons, so that children understand bad things do happen, quite frequently indeed, but that’s why we need to build our resilience and overcome those hardships. More importantly, even if the ending isn’t cheerful, the story usually aims to help children build empathy or understand difficult situations.
- resilience: sự cứng cỏi bền bỉ
6. Is a good storyline important for a movie?
Definitely. Even with famous actors or impressive special effects, a movie won’t be memorable without a solid storyline and well-developed characters. A good plot helps the audience connect with the characters and keeps the movie engaging. In many cases, it’s the story, not the visuals, that stays with people after the film ends. An example I can tell here is a famous series called “Courage the Cowardly Dog”, my all-time favourite cartoon. It had simple, weird and even crude animation by modern standards, but still the stories hit in a unique way with dark humour and all the meaningful lessons Courage learned while protecting its owners.
- Courage the Cowardly Dog: phim hoạt hình về chú chó Courage dũng cảm (chú chó hồng tai cụp mà chiến đấu với cả thế giới)
Tạm kết
Hy vọng bài mẫu trên đã giúp bạn hình dung rõ cách triển khai ý tưởng và sử dụng ngôn ngữ phù hợp khi gặp chủ đề Describe an interesting traditional story trong IELTS Speaking Part 2 & 3. Tham khảo các nguồn tài liệu hữu ích như KHO BÀI MẪU IELTS SPEAKING và Bộ đề dự đoán IELTS Speaking cập nhật mới nhất.
HỌC IELTS MIỄN PHÍ – lớp học độc quyền chỉ có trên website của The IELTS Workshop. Đăng ký để bắt đầu lộ trình học bài bản cùng thầy cô tại TIW ngay nhé!
