Model answer
Written by 8020 teachers. Do not memorise it — take the structure and the way ideas are developed, then speak about your own life.
I'd like to talk about Mrs Hanh, a woman in her late fifties who sells sticky rice from a cart outside my dormitory in Cau Giay, Hanoi. I've been buying breakfast from her for nearly three years, so by now she knows my order, my exam timetable and, embarrassingly, most of my love life. She gets up at half past three every morning to steam the rice, and by six she's on the pavement in a faded pink jacket, greeting every customer by name. A portion costs fifteen thousand dong, and if you're a student who looks tired she piles on extra fried shallots without being asked. What strikes me is that her life isn't easy at all. Her husband passed away some years ago, she rents a tiny room with her daughter, and she's on her feet for five hours before most of us have opened our eyes. Yet I have honestly never seen her in a bad mood. Once, on a miserable rainy morning, I asked how she stayed so cheerful, and she said, 'I sold out yesterday and I woke up today, so what is there to complain about?' I think that sums her up. She doesn't compare herself with anyone, and she takes real pleasure in small things, like a regular customer coming back after the holidays or her daughter getting a good mark. Being around her puts my own problems in perspective. I tend to sulk for a whole day over one bad grade, and then I see her waving a spoon at me through the drizzle, and I feel slightly ridiculous, in a good way.