IELTS Speaking Part 2 – Topic: Describe a piece of good news that you received

I’m going to talk about the time when I received the official notification of my scholarship to study in Japan over a year ago.

It’s been a long time but I can still remember that day so well. At the time I got the news, I was taking a quick nap, then the alert sound from my phone woke me up. A new email had arrived.

It was an email from the International Affairs Office of a university in Japan informing me that I had been chosen to receive a scholarship during my exchange semester there. Several months before that day, I had applied for an academic exchange program in this university, they had accepted my application and nominated me to the Scholarship Committee.

So, when I received this email, it took my brain a few seconds for this news to sink in, and then my heart suddenly jumped. I leapt out of my bed and screamed out loud, because I was extremely excited. I had been waiting for this email for two months since I gained the admission. If I hadn’t won the scholarship, my living expenses would have become a heavy financial burden for my parents, but thanks to the monthly grants that I received from the university, I could really enjoy my time in Japan without worrying about financial problems. Even now, I still keep this lucky email in my mailbox to remind me of that day.

– Take a nap: take a short sleep, especially during the day.
Example: I usually take a nap after lunch.

– Nominate: to formally suggest that somebody should be chosen for an important role, prize, position, etc.
Example: He was nominated as the best actor.

– Scholarship Committee: the committee in charge of reviewing and selecting recipients for university’s scholarship.
Example: The Scholarship Committee has announced the list of scholarship recipients this semester.

– Sink in: be fully understood or realized.
Example: I was so surprised by the news of the disaster that it took a few moments to sink in.

– Jump: to make a sudden movement because of surprise, fear or excitement.
Example: Her heart jumped when she heard the news.

– Leap: to move or do something suddenly and quickly.
Example: She leapt out of bed.

– Scream out loud: to give a loud, high cry, because you are hurt, frightened, excited, etc. (in this situation: excited).
Example: I screamed out loud when I saw my old friend.

– Admission: the act of accepting somebody into an institution, organization, etc.; the right to enter a place or to join an institution or organization.
Example: She failed to gain admission to the university of her choice.

– Burden: a duty, responsibility, etc. that causes worry, difficulty or hard work.
Example: His illness placed a heavy financial burden on his family.

– Grant: a sum of money to be used for a particular purpose – in this case, given by the university to pay for my education during that semester.
Example: The University awarded me a grant, which enabled me to undertake a new piece of research.