IELTS Cue Card 80: Describe A Place Where You Like To Go Shopping

IELTS Speaking Cue Card with Sample Answer. Describe a place where you like to go shopping. IELTS Speaking Part 2 With Model Answer. Also Sample answer for Part 3 discussion.

Describe A Place Where You Like To Go Shopping

You should say:

• what type of place it is
• what this place looks like
• what this place sells

and explain why you like to shop at this place.

Model Answer:

I like to go shopping at a small family-owned convenience store near my apartment. I go there on most days to pick up a few things, mostly food.

It’s only a small shop compared to other places like supermarkets. It doesn’t even have a name. There’s a window display where you can see some of the things they have. There’s a pool table outside where people sometimes play pool in the evenings. There are a few chairs nearby for the owners to relax when they’re not working.

It‘s a convenience store so it sells a variety of things that are helpful for daily life. This is mostly food and snacks such as chocolate bars, bottled drinks and instant noodles. There are not a large variety of things there because it’s only a small place, but they have all the basic essentials that you need for daily life.

I like shopping at this store because it’s nearby. It’s close to my apartment and my place of work, so it‘s extremely easy to get to. Sometimes it’s a big hassle to walk farther away to a larger store with more things on sale. This store has everything I need and lots of things I like, so it’s a very convenient place to shop. Another reason I like shopping there is that I know the owner because I go there a lot. He’s a very friendly person and he recognizes me as a regular customer. It’s nice to go shopping at a place where you can have a conversation with the owner. Anyway, it offers not just a fantastic shopping experience but also a new lifestyle.

IELTS Speaking Part 3 Question and Sample Answer:

Why do some people like shopping and others not like it?

I’m going to go out on a limb and say that I think shopping is a boring, exhausting chore. l hate having to go around all the shops looking for a new piece of clothing or whatever. I just want to get what I want and go home. Other people go shopping not so much to buy something, but as a way to spend their time and enjoy themselves. They enjoy browsing the things on sale, trying on clothes and seeing what new products are being offered. This is often called “window shopping”, because people go to shops and look at what’s on sale but do not actually buy much.

What kinds of people dislike shopping?

My feeling is that the kinds of people who enjoy shopping are more relaxed and willing to just go with the flow. They don’t mind wandering around any different shops because they find it enjoyable to just look at the things on sale. People who dislike shopping are usually more impatient and direct. They probably dislike crowds of other people, standing in line to pay for something or travelling between a shop and their home. They’d rather just be able to purchase what they want without the fuss and bother of actually going shopping. For them, home delivery is ideal because they can buy something without even leaving the house.

What kinds of places are there for shopping in your neighborhood?

I live in a small village just outside Beijing, so although I’m near a huge city I’m afraid there’s not much in the way of shopping in my local neighborhood. There are a few reasonably large supermarkets that sell a wide range of food and household goods, but most of the shops here are small. They usually specialize in one product or another, such as bicycles, sports clothing, mobile phones or stationary. There’s also a local market here where you can buy almost anything, but you also need to keep your wits about you because it’s easy to get cheated by the stall owners.

Compare big shops such as supermarkets & department stores with small shops.

Big shops can be more convenient places to shop because they contain a huge variety of goods in one place, so you don’t have to go from place to place to complete your shopping. This is useful if you want to buy a lot of things. However, if you’re only after one or two items then it can be annoying to walk around a huge, sprawling supermarket. It‘s often nicer to visit a smaller shop. They are usually more local and easier to find, and there are more of them. Some people say that large department stores owned by rich companies take customers away from smaller, family-owned shops and hurt local people.

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