Describe a time you received good news.
A card about one moment — an exam result, a job offer, a visa grant, a birth in the family. The scene of receiving it is the answer; the news itself is just the label.
Describe a time you received good news.
You should say:
- what the news was
- how you received it
- who you told first and why
- explain why this news mattered to you
You have one minute to think about what you are going to say. You can make notes if you wish.
How to approach this card
Anchor the answer in the physical scene: where you were standing, what the phone showed, who was in the room. Two sentences of scene give the examiner more language than two minutes of summary.
The 'who you told first' point is a gift — it lets you talk about a relationship. Say why that person: they had helped, they had worried, they had predicted it.
Keep the timeline tight. One moment, told slowly, beats the whole year retold quickly.
Useful vocabulary for this topic
- I had to read it twice
Natural disbelief; instantly believable.
- the first person I thought of was
Moves the answer from event to relationship.
- a weight lifted
Idiomatic relief without cliché overload.
- it changed the shape of that whole year
Strong closing move.
Part 3 discussion questions
In the test, the examiner follows your long turn with a discussion on the same theme. Practise answering these with reasons and examples, not one-line replies.
- 1Do people prefer to share good news in person or online now?
- 2Why do some people play down their good news?
- 3How has instant messaging changed the way news travels in families?
- 4Is it better to hear important news privately or publicly?
- 5Does good news travel faster than bad news?