IELTS Speaking Part 2 & 3 Topic: Describe a special meal you have had

The most special meal I’ve ever had in my life was on my Dad’s birthday last year, which was prepared by all of my family members.

The idea was put forward by my sister. We planned to surprise him and prepare his favorite foods. On that day, my Mom cooked Pho, a Vietnamese beef noodles, while I baked a birthday cake for him. My siblings were in charge of decoration and music. Everything had been done properly a little bit earlier before he came home. When he opened the door, he was astonished because of seeing a colorful “Happy birthday Daddy” banner sticked on the wall in the living room. Standing in front, my mom gave him a bouquet of red roses, his favorite flowers. We enjoyed the food and shared our best memories with my Dad.

After washing dishes, we gathered together in the living room. My Dad made a wish and blew candles. He said in tears that he was over the moon and he was proud of us, his home and his family. We gave each other great hugs before going to sleep.

Vocabulary

Put forward (phrasl verb) to offer an idea, opinion, reason etc

To be in charge of (adj) to take responsibility for Sth

To astonish (v) to fill with sudden and overpowering surprise or wonder; amaze

Over the moon (idiom) very happy

QUESTION FOR PART 3

1. Describe what you think is a healthy diet.

Developing healthy eating habit isn’t as confusing or as restrictive as many people imagine. Personally, a healthy diet is the one which combines enough nutrients for one’s life. Therefore, consuming a variety of foods is very important because eating a wide assortment of foods helps ensure that you get all of the nutrients, especially the disease-fighting potential that foods offer.

Assortment (noun) a group or set of things of various types

2. Are there many vegetarians in your country?

Yes, they are. The number of people following vegetarianism has been increasing recently. It is thought that old people or those following a religious, like Buddhism, will be vegeterians; however, youngsters also join to vegetarian community because of many reasons.

3. Why do you think some people choose to be vegetarians?

People become vegetarians for many reasons, including health, religious convictions, concerns about animal welfare or the use of antibiotics and hormones in livestock, or a desire to eat in a way that avoids excessive use of environmental resources. Some people follow a largely vegetarian diet because they can’t afford to eat meat. Vegetarianism has become more appealing and accessible, thanks to the year-round availability of fresh produce, more vegetarian dining options, and the growing culinary influence of cultures with largely plant-based diets.

Antibiotics (noun) a drug that cures illnesses and infections caused by bacteria.

Livestock (noun) animals such as cows, sheep, and pigs that are kept on farms

Year-round (adj) happening, continuing, or available through the whole year

Culinary (adj) relating to food and how to cook it

4. Is the food that people eat today in your country different to the food that people used to eat in the past? (if yes, in what ways has it changed?)

Personally, eating style of most people has been changed recently. Significantly, food hygiene is mentioned everyday in news. Therefore, people are very cautious when they choose ingredients in reliable market/supermarket and cook properly. Those fat-free or low-fat food and veggies are more preferred in daily meal compared to in the past, choosing food were mostly based on interests.

Hygiene (noun) the practice of keeping yourself and the things around you clean, in order to prevent illness and disease

Veggie (n) a vegetable

5. How do you think the way we eat will change in the future?

Yes, I do. I think people nowadays pay more attention to healthy foods because the awareness of health has been raised among young and old people. Therefore, it will be a remarkable innovation in food consuming in the future.

6. Is American-style ‘fast food’ popular in your country? (Why? Popular with whom?)

Due to the trend of globalization, fast foods have become more and more popular such as KFC, Lotteria, Burger King or Domino. Why are those brands popular in our country? The first cause is needs of modern community which have intensive activities. In a family, both husband and wife have a tendency to have a job. Consequently, they do not have enough time to cook and the frequency of eating out increases. Secondly, efforts of fast food restaurant companies to enhance the nutritional quality of their products and services are also the cause of their popularity.

7. What do you think of this popularity- is it as good thing?

The popularity of fast food restaurants has certainly influenced some of the changes in the community. It brings benefits to this busy life with its quick service and convenience place. Other than that, the increasing number of customers that come to restaurants became the

reason for greater number of restaurant staff to be needed and the demand for restaurant personnel made it possible for more people to consider work in a restaurant as an attractive option. With this said, there are many more entry level job opportunities for people.

8. More and more people are becoming overweight nowadays. What do you think might be the causes of this?

One major consequence of eating fast food every day is excess calorie consumption. Most fast food contains calories from refined sugar and fats. It is also high in sodium from salt and other additives which can lead to some one to eat it more and more. Consuming more calories than human needs lead to obesity which causes some health problems such as hypertension, diabetes, heart disease and even cancer.