Sample 1:

This actually happened the last time I took the IELTS test. It was scheduled for 8 in the morning so naturally I had to get up at 6. It was still dark outside, when I got out of the house.

The test was going to take place (diễn ra) at a hotel, which is only 20 minutes from my home. So actually if everything had gone according to plan, I’d have had an hour or so to relax or revise. But unfortunately, it didn’t.

After riding for about 5 minutes, my bike started to make weird noises, then the whole engine began shaking violently. I hurriedly shut the engine, got off the bike to examine it. But I was no mechanic. And as I suspected (nghi ngờ), the engine wouldn’t start again.

So I had to drag (kéo) it along the street, looking for a repair shop. Luckily it didn’t take me long to find one, and the mechanic only needed 10 minutes to fix my bike. It wasn’t a happy experience but at least I wasn’t late for the test.

(Nguồn: Ielts Zim)

Sample 2:

Talking about an occasion when I got trouble with my car broken down, I remember it was last year. It was my first time I drove my own car with my friends. I was cutting it fine to a birthday party. But the road works caused serious delays on highway. So, I decided to drive off and follow the trail that my friends suggested.

About 10 minutes later, my car started making odd sounds (âm thanh kì lạ) out of the engine, and I had to change down (chậm lại). Then it suddenly stopped. I tried to rev the engine (khởi động lại) but it just died. I realised we got stuck in the middle of nowhere without any repairing shop nearby. Then, we walked to highway and flagged down (vẫy ai đó để đi nhờ hoặc yêu cầu gì đó)  any vehicle we saw to ask whether they could give us a lift. Fortunately, we met a mechanic, and he said that he could diagnose (chuẩn đoán) the problem and make a temporary (tạm thời) fix so that we can keep going.

The funniest part is that he wasn’t able to figure out any problem with the engine. But he and my friends just laughed on me that my car just run out of petrol as I forgot to fill it up. Then, he pulled my car to nearest petrol station. This is a valuable lesson for me, and since then I’ve never forgotten to check my car carefully. Any way, I shown him my appreciation and luckily I just went to the birthday party on time.

(Nguồn: Ielts Duc Thang)