WHAT IS A CUE CARD?
In the IELTS speaking test, the candidate is required to speak on a topic for about 1 to 2 minutes. The pattern of IELTS exam is designed to check the understanding level of English. The important thing to keep in mind that the topic given in IELTS speaking test cannot be changed. With the speaking topic, 3 to 4 cues are provided which helps candidates to answer the question to the point.
A street market in your city / A street market where you did shopping
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Where is it
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What can you buy there
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How you felt about it
Sample 1:
- In today’s fast-paced world, it is more prevalent among individuals to buy stuff online and in big shopping malls, instead of visiting local markets.
- But, here I would like to talk about an open-air market in New Delhi, which is famously known as Sarojini market.
- It is situated in the centre of the town, which makes it quite accessible to everyone.
- This market is not only famous among city dwellers but also tourists.
- This street market opens every day from 11 am to 8 pm, except Monday.
- This is a wonderful place to buy clothes, footwear, groceries, electronic items, handicrafts, ornaments and other day-to-day products because there are a number of shops.
- I must say one can easily buy anything at a reasonable price here.
- Moreover, there are a lot of food vendors and restaurants, where visitors enjoy super delicious meals with their friends and family members.
- Every day more than thousands of people visit this particular place to make their purchases.
- The shopkeepers and food vendors are quite friendly in nature and welcoming, so customers, especially ladies, feel comfortable while purchasing goods.
- I like visiting this place in my leisure time.
- Sometimes I go there with my best friends in order to taste some snacks and sometimes with my family to buy some daily life products, like fruits, vegetables and groceries.
- This market has a number of essential facilities, like free parking, toilets and sitting tables.
- Overall, this open-area market gives people opportunities to buy whatever they want at affordable prices and to spend some quality time with their family and friends.
Follow ups:
- Do you like shopping online or going out shopping?
Well, I personally like both, as both options have their own benefits. I love to buy things on the internet because of the attractive offers and discounts. Moreover, I get more products to choose from in online stores. On the other hand, I like to purchase goods from local stores because there I can easily check the quality of any product. This also gives me the opportunity to catch up with my best friends.
- What is the difference between shopping with friends and shopping alone?
I would say there is a vast difference between shopping with mates and alone. One can easily discuss various options and get advice while shopping with best friends. They enjoy more with friends because they can eat together and chat with each other, whereas shopping alone can lead to boredom. We don’t have anybody to discuss anything while shopping, which often makes us uncomfortable.
- What are the disadvantages of shopping in a big mall?
There are some potential drawbacks of buying stuff in huge shopping complexes. Firstly, people usually spend more when they visit any shopping mall, as the price of goods is comparatively higher than local shops. Secondly, these places get overcrowded, especially at the weekends, which sometimes gives people a bad shopping experience. Finally, parking is a major issue in most shopping centres, mainly on Sundays.
- Why do people like to buy branded products?
Well, there are multiple reasons behind this. People prefer to purchase branded items due to the quality of the products and the name of the company. They buy branded clothes, shoes and gadgets as these items represent their status in society. Moreover, they don’t hesitate while spending money on branded products because they are trustworthy.
- In your opinion are big discounts real or just an advertisement?
I personally feel that big discounts are used for advertisement purposes, mainly to attract more customers. Sometimes, these fake discounts are launched to sell faulty products to customers. However, customers can avail big discounts during festivals. Therefore, individuals need to be careful while getting discounts.
Sample 2
In this fast-paced world where more and more people are turning to online shopping, open-air markets seem to have lost their popularity. But, I come from a town in which such markets are still quite popular. Today, I am going to talk about a well-known bazaar that I loved visiting.
It is called Sunday Market. Every weekend local shopkeepers set up their stalls in a huge ground that covers an area of about 4 square kilometers, making it one of the biggest open-air markets in my state, Punjab. This place has a lot to offer to shoppers. The main items sold in the market include traditional seasonal clothes, shoes, utensils, bed sheets, duvets and blankets etc. Some stalls sell fresh fruits, pulses, spices, herbs and vegetables as well.
I visited this market last year. I felt that it was a great place to shop at. Everyone was so friendly and welcoming there. Not only the products were of high quality but their prices were very reasonable too. There was plenty of space for people to walk and shop. This matters a lot in my country because some markets can be overcrowded at times, making it almost impossible to move.
Normally, buyers in open-air markets don’t have the privilege to return any purchased items, but to my surprise, shopkeepers were encouraging people to buy what they wanted and return it later if there was a problem. The best thing about this market was that the facilities such as toilets and car-parking were well-maintained. All in all, this market had everything which customers require.
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