Describe a time when you received some positive feedback.
You should say:
- when it was
- what the feedback was related to
- who gave you the feedback
and explain how you felt about it.
[You will have to talk about the topic for one to two minutes. You have one minute to think about what you are going to say. You can make some notes to help you if you wish.]
Sample Answer 1
I have been lucky to receive many positive feedbacks on many occasions, although I must admit, I don’t think all of them were well-deserved. In fact, I feel like much of the positive feedback was thrown at me just to be nice to me. But, I can remember at least one feedback I received about 7 years ago as a university student, as a genuine one.
To tell the story, when I was a university student, I used to do home tutoring for high school students, mainly teaching general science subjects, including physics, chemistry, biology, and mathematics. By the way, I liked to do this home tutoring because it allowed me to remain in the mood for studying since I was also studying science as a university student. Besides, it also helped me a little with my pocket money.
Anyway, while all of my students, taking home lessons from me, were reasonably smart and talented, at least one was weak in understanding the science subjects, especially, mathematics. So I decided to inform his parents about his weakness while asking the student to spend extra time with me weekly to get proper math lessons. Needless to say, his parents agreed, and I started my mission to help him understand math as best I could.
If I remember correctly, I gave him home tutoring for only about 5/6 months, but his improvement and performance were stunning,, which was reflected in his subsequent final examination. In fact, on his next math test, he got an 80% mark, while his average score was only around 45 in the previous years. After seeing such a huge improvement in the result of their son, the parents of that student gave me lovely feedback.
After receiving that huge note of appreciation, I felt excellent and proud of my achievement. In fact, I took it as a challenge. Besides, in this way, I also achieved higher confidence in my studies and professional goal. All in all, it was a great experience.
Sample Answer 2
People are boosted by positive responses to their efforts from others. This is where I’d want to share a story of a time I conducted volunteer work and was applauded for it.
My friends and I volunteer every year, but this time, a group in our area asked if we could help. Many university professors have banded together to form this group with the hopes of doing good in the world. They founded a charity called Blooming Flower to help financially struggling students and the homeless.
So, to go back to the narrative, last year, when I was unemployed and accessible throughout the summer, I volunteered my time with them. Twenty people, including myself and a group of four friends, attended one of five rural schools in Vietnam’s northern countryside.
The students in the classroom needed help with their English, so I was assigned to teach them using my laptop. Other participants were also given tasks according to their skill sets. To begin, I introduced them to the fundamentals of the English language, such as dialogue, grammar, and vocabulary. As a result, I instructed them on the finer points of speaking and listening to facilitate the completion of their homework. It was the first time I’d done anything like this on vacation. We stayed for a whole month and had a wonderful experience.
Thankfully, after 30 days, when students were given mini-tests to gauge their development, they all did well. This resulted in widespread praise for my teaching style and efforts from the administration.
I felt a sense of calm and personal fulfillment due to my volunteer efforts. And so it was at that point that I began to get encouraging comments.