IELTS Speaking Part 2 – Topic: Describe an occasion when you got up very early

Like many other young people, I don’t have the habit of waking up early every day, only for special occasions. Last weekend, I and a group of my friends decided to go on a trip to the mountainous area of Vietnam called Mu Cang Chai. We had to leave very early in the morning so that we did not get stuck in the traffic. In addition, we would have more time to spend there.

It wasn’t easy to get up early in the morning, because I had been so excited about the trip that I had barely slept that night. I had never been to Mu Cang Chai before. It is located in the northern part of Vietnam, so I knew that we faced a long drive ahead. We had decided to go by car since, that way, all 5 of us could travel together. Moreover, everyone reckoned that it would be safer than going by motorbike. / Waking up early did not feel that bad at all, even though it was the first time I had done so for many months. To begin with, I felt a bit sleepy, but then the pure morning air freshened me completely.

After 5 hours driving, we arrived at our destination. We were amazed to see a vast land filled with the yellow color of terraced rice fields, ready to be harvested. Under the sunlight, these rice fields sparkled like gold.

We stayed for one night with a local host and helped the family with their regular tasks before setting out for home the next day. It was such an amazing trip, and it helped us to learn more about the countryside and the way of life of those who live there. I’d love to make more trips like that in the future.

– get stuck: [verb phrase] to be in an unpleasant situation that you can’t escape from.
Example: I left work early, because I didn’t want to get stuck in traffic on my way home.

– barely: [adverb] something that can be achieved, but only with difficulty.
Example: We barely had time to catch the train, so we ran all the way to the station.

– faced a long drive ahead: [verb phrase] a long car journey.
Example: My advice is to sleep well if you face a long drive ahead the next day.

– reckon: [verb] to think or have an opinion about something.
Example: If I want to lose weight, I reckon that I will have to eat less bread.

– freshen: [verb] to make something cooler and more pleasant.
Example: The rain freshened the air.

– vast: [adjective] very big.
Example: The Amazon is a vast rainforest.

– harvest: [verb] to cut and collect a crop, such as rice.
Example: Every year, bananas are harvested from the trees on my uncle’s farm.

– sparkle: [verb] to shine brightly.
Example: The sky sparkled with thousands of stars.

– setting out: [phrasal verb] leaving a place and beginning a journey.
Example: I finished my breakfast and set out for the train station.