IELTS Speaking Part-2 A practical skill you learned recently

Describe a practical skill you learned recently

You should say:

·         What it was

·         When you learned it

·         Why you learned it

·         And explain how you felt about it

I was struggling to think of what to talk about for this topic because I haven’t learned any practical skills recently, as far as I can remember, but I did learn how to make chocolate brownies a few years ago so I’ve decided to talk about that.

I’ve always been a pretty decent cook, but I tend to cook savoury things like curry, pasta and suchlike as I don’t really have a sweet tooth. A year or so ago, I invited a few mates around for a meal to celebrate my birthday and you can’t really have a dinner party without a pudding so I decided to have a go at making something. As it was my first attempt at making something sweet, I didn’t want to be too ambitious and make something really fancy so that’s why I chose brownies – they’re fairly simple to make and they seem to be popular and liked by most people.

Although these are somewhat straightforward, I made triple chocolate brownies so they were slightly more complex than a plain chocolate brownie. And I’d like to add that there is an art to cooking brownies – if you undercook them, they are too runny and if you overcook them, they are too dry.

I was delighted with my first attempt because they were spot on – not too runny nor too dry. All of the guests complimented me and said they were the best brownies they had ever tasted. I would like to say that I have progressed onto making other desserts, but that would be a lie.

Every time I need to cook something sweet, I make the same brownies – they are my signature dish. Hopefully, in the near future, I will try and make a few other things – I’d love to make a lemon tart, but I’m so snowed under with work at the moment so it’ll have to wait.

Describe a Practical Skill You Learned Recently

One practical skill I learned recently is how to make chocolate brownies. Although I had not acquired any new skills for a while, this was a memorable experience from a few years ago that I’m excited to share.

I’ve always enjoyed cooking, but I generally focus on savory dishes like curries and pasta. My sweet tooth isn’t particularly strong, so I haven’t experimented much with desserts. However, about a year ago, I hosted a dinner party for my birthday and realized that no gathering is complete without a dessert. I decided to give baking a try for the first time.

Since it was my initial foray into baking something sweet, I chose to make brownies. I opted for triple chocolate brownies to add a bit of flair while keeping the recipe manageable. Brownies are quite popular and relatively straightforward to prepare, making them a perfect choice for a novice baker like myself.

Baking brownies involves a delicate balance. Undercooking them makes them too gooey, while overcooking results in a dry texture. Getting it just right requires careful attention. I was thrilled with how my first batch turned out—they were perfectly moist, with a rich chocolate flavor, and none of the issues of being too runny or dry. My guests praised them highly, claiming they were the best brownies they had ever tasted.

Although I haven’t branched out into making other desserts, these brownies have become my signature dish. Every time I need to bake something sweet, I return to this recipe. I am eager to try making a lemon tart or other desserts in the future, but my busy schedule has kept me focused on perfecting my brownie recipe for now.

Learning to bake brownies has been a rewarding experience, adding a new dimension to my cooking skills and bringing joy to my gatherings.

Vocabulary and Phrases Table

Vocabulary/Phrase	Bangla Meaning	Russian Meaning	Hindi Meaning
practical skill	ব্যবহারিক দক্ষতা	практическое умение	व्यावहारिक कौशल
savory dishes	নোনতা খাবার	соленые блюда	नमकीन व्यंजन
sweet tooth	মিষ্টি প্রেম	любовь к сладкому	मिठास के प्रति प्रेम
foray into	প্রথম চেষ্টা	первый опыт	पहली बार प्रयास
manageable	সহজে পরিচালনাযোগ্য	управляемый	प्रबंधनीय
delicate balance	সূক্ষ্ম সমতা	тонкий баланс	नाजुक संतुलन
undercook	কম রান্না করা	недоваривать	कम पका हुआ
gooey	গাঢ় এবং মোটা	липкий	चिपचिपा
overcook	অতিরিক্ত রান্না করা	пережаривать	अधिक पकाना
dry texture	শুষ্ক গঠন	сухая текстура	सूखा बनावट
thrilled	আনন্দিত	в восторге	रोमांचित
signature dish	বিশেষ কৃতিত্বের খাবার	фирменное блюдо	विशेष डिश
branch out	বিস্তৃত হওয়া	расширять	फैलाना
rewarding	পুরস্কৃত	вознаграждающий	पुरस्कृत
eager	আগ্রহী	стремящийся	उत्सुक
schedule	সময়সূচী	расписание	कार्यक्रम