IELTS Speaking Part 2 – Topic: Describe a happy family event from your childhood

A happy family event that I still remember clearly from my childhood was making Chung cake for Tet holiday at my grandparents’ house.

What you saw and did: When I was small, our family would get together to make Chung cake for Tet holiday. My grandparents had six children; therefore, I had many cousins. And the great thing was that my cousins and I were around the same age. At that time, we were too small to do anything, so basically, we played with each other while we watched the adults prepare the ingredients for the cake. Sometimes, we got to eat the leftover food after all the cakes were finished. Tet holiday was the only time of the year that we were allowed to stay up late, one reason why it is so memorable. Although the winter was cold, we all felt cozy inside; we had so much fun together.

And explain why you remember this event so well: Since my grandfather passed away a couple of years ago, we stopped our family tradition. In addition, some of my cousins had already gotten married and had their own families, and some had gone to study abroad. Consequently, it was very difficult for us to get together like old times. Missing this special family tradition makes it so unforgettable for me and I hope we can start doing it again in the future.

– remember clearly – to see something in your mind with detail from before, to remember something very well. “I remember very clearly where I was when J.F.K. was shot.”

– to be around the same age – to describe when a group of people have similar ages – they are around the same age. In this context, the person and his cousins were young, so maybe they were between 4 and 7 years old. “All my classmates who went to the concert were around the same age.”

– basically – used to indicate that a statement summarizes the most important aspects, or gives a roughly accurate account, of a more complex situation. “So basically, I am one of the best students in the class.”

– leftover food – the food that remains after you have created something with certain ingredients and don’t need any more of those ingredients or it is the food that is left over after everybody has already eaten what they wanted. “They said they’d eat the leftover food for lunch tomorrow.”

– to stay up late – to stay awake past your normal bed time. In this context, the child was young and so staying up until later in the evening was special. “My son wants to stay up late every night during the summer.”

– memorable – when something is easy to remember or when you actually remember it well. “Her wedding was a memorable event for all.”

– felt cozy – to feel nice and warm and good inside. “It felt cozy to snuggle up to my lover in bed.”

– passed away – to die. “My friend’s husband passed away this evening. He had cancer.”

– to study abroad – to go to a foreign country to study. “Many Chinese students are studying abroad these days.”

– Consequently – as a consequence of, as a result of something. “My airplane arrived late last night. Consequently, I didn’t make it to the meeting on time.”

– like old times – used to describe when something happens like it used to, in the past. “They danced and danced, just like old times.”

– missing (this event)- to miss something means that you wish it were happening still, but it isn’t. In this context, he misses getting together with his family to make the special cakes. “I was missing our family dinners, now that all the kids were away at college.”

– unforgettable – something that you can’t forget. “The Taylor Swift concert was unforgettable.”