Sample IELTS Speaking Part 2: Describe a good service you received

The topic of "Describe a good service you received" falls under the larger theme of Experience. Although it is not explicitly mentioned in the prompt, we need to understand that the main objective of this task is for the candidate to recount a personal experience. Specifically, you are required to narrate a service that left a positive impression on you. So, how should we approach this task to impress the examiner while addressing the topic effectively?

I. Task analysis: Describe a good service you received

1. Task

If you come across the topic "Describe a good service you received" during your IELTS preparation, how would you approach it? Let's refer to the following task!

2. Task analysis

The prompt "Describe a good service you received" requires the candidate to describe a positive service they have received. Specifically, you need to clearly present:

• What the service was (Point 1)
• When you received the service (Point 2)
• Who you received the service with (Point 3)
• How you felt about the service (Point 4)

To handle the prompt "Describe a good service you received," the easiest and most effective way is to closely follow the cues and provide the clearest possible information, avoiding generalizations.

• For the primary query (Point 1), regarding "What the service entails," the response tends to be relatively straightforward given the abundance of services encountered in our daily routines. Examples encompass dining, educational offerings, payment facilities, entertainment provisions, and the like. Your task is to hone in on a specific type of service that holds your interest or instills confidence in your presentation.
• Next, we need to delve into more details with the second question (Point 2), "When you received the service." In this question, we will provide additional information about the timing and circumstances of receiving the service. Suppose you choose to talk about a dining service at any random restaurant. Include the reason and situation that led you to decide to have a meal there at a specific time. For example, "Since it's my birthday this weekend, I decided to have dinner at XYZ Japanese restaurant."
• Continuing from this point, you can also answer question three (Point 3), "Who you received the service with," to provide further understanding of the space and time of the incident for the listener.
• Last but not least, and the most crucial part, we need to address question four (Point 4), "How you felt about the service." Candidates should allocate more time to this question as it is the main content of the story about the service experience. To express personal emotions effectively, we need to connect emotions with specific events rather than simply listing or describing them vaguely. This way, the listener will be able to follow and understand your story better.

In summary:

The prompt "Describe a good service you received" may not be familiar or easy to handle because it requires the candidate to have specific personal experiences. If the candidate lacks life experiences or flexible adaptability skills, they may encounter some difficulties in generating ideas for the topic.

However, by closely following the requirements of the prompt "Describe a good service you received" and incorporating some variations in vocabulary and grammar, there is no question that can make us struggle, right?

3. Sample Outline

II. Sample IELTS Speaking Part 2: Describe a good service you received

I consume countless services every day but if I have to name one particular outstanding one, I would have to praise Spaghetti box - a lovely restaurant where I had my recent dining experience. 

Spaghetti box is a small restaurant located in Hanoi that serves affordable Italian dishes namely pasta, pizza, and steak. This address is much vaunted among youngsters in the capital, nonetheless, I have never been here before. 

Last week was in fact my niece’s birthday and she begged me to take her to the place as it was her all-time favorite. Initially, I was not excited about the plan, whereas, my niece heaped too much praise on the little place, I started to hold out hope. 

Exceeding my expectation, the restaurant left the best impressions regarding customers service. As the two of us found our table and sat down, the waiter promptly came to introduce himself, led us through the menu, and spared us some time alone to choose the food. A few minutes later, he returned to take our order and apologized to us in advance as the pizza may take longer than usual due to the dinner rush. I consider his apology proved his professionalism and how much he cared for the diners.

Later on, he even proceeded to ask whether we were dining out for a special occasion. My niece replied that it was her birthday and the waiter was kind enough to inform the host and offered us a 5% discount on the total bill. At that moment, the service really made me feel respected and appreciated.

Overall, it was a wonderful experience, hospitable staff, delicious dishes, beautiful presentation, and such approachable pricing. I would recommend this cozy place for everyone, especially young people who want warm and cost-effective dates after school.

For more information, please refer to the following article:

• Sample Speaking Part 2: Describe a place where you go to relax
• Sample Speaking Part 2: Describe a time you saw something interesting on social media
• Sample Speaking Part 2: Describe a bicycle/motorcycle/car trip you would like to go

III. Useful vocabulary and grammar structures in the sample essay "Describe a good service you received"

Below are some vocabulary and sentence structures used in the sample essay "Describe a good service you received":

1. Vocabulary 

• Dining experience: the experience of having a meal
• Affordable: inexpensive, reasonably priced
• Be much vaunted: be highly praised or acclaimed
• All-time favorite: a favorite that has lasted over a long period of time
• Heap too much praise on: excessively praise
• Hold out hope: maintain hope or remain optimistic
• Exceed one's expectation: surpass or go beyond what one expected
• Leave the best impressions: create a very positive impression
• Promptly: quickly or without delay
• Lead one through the menu: guide or assist someone in navigating the menu
• Spare some time: allocate or set aside some time
• Take one's order: receive or record someone's order
• In advance: beforehand or prior to an event
• The dinner rush: a period of high customer demand during dinner time
• Professionalism: the quality or behavior of being professional
• Offer a discount: provide a reduction in price
• Hospitable: friendly and welcoming
• Approachable: easy to approach or talk to
• Cost-effective: providing good value for the cost

2. Grammar

• First conditional sentence: expresses a possible action in the present + hyphen to provide additional information + relative clause introduced by "where": If I have to name one particular outstanding one, I will have to praise Spaghetti box- a lovely restaurant where I had my recent dining experience.
• Reduced relative clause + relative clause introduced by "that": Spaghetti box is a small restaurant located in Hanoi that serves affordable Italian dishes namely pasta, pizza, and steak.
• "As" clause: expresses two progressing and changing situations + past simple tense to describe a sequence of past actions: As the two of us found our table and sat down, the waiter promptly came to introduce himself, led us through the menu, and spared us some time alone to choose the food.
• Subject-verb-object (SVO) clause as the subject: I believe the fact that he apologized to us proved his professionalism and how much he cared for the diners.
• Reported speech: My niece replied that it was her birthday and the waiter was kind enough to inform the host and offer us a 5% discount on the total bill.
• Passive voice: At that moment, the service really made me feel respected and appreciated.
• "Would" for recommendations: I would recommend this cozy place for everyone, especially young people who want warm and cost-effective dates after school.

IV. Conclusion

This article has provided a highly detailed sample for the IELTS Speaking Part 2 topic "Describe a good service you received," which provides you with more ideas for the IELTS Speaking test. Join Prep's IELTS preparation course to achieve your desired score.