How long should my answer to this Part 2 cue card be?

Speak for 1 to 2 minutes. The examiner will stop you at 2 minutes, so aim for roughly 220-300 words that cover every bullet on the card and end with how you feel about it.

What Part 3 questions follow this cue card?

After "A Place You Go to That You Think Is Very Good for Shopping", examiners have asked 9 follow-up discussion questions, listed above. They move from your personal story to general opinions on the same theme.

Is this cue card still being used?

It was most recently reported by test-takers in May–Aug 2026. Cue cards rotate every four months, and many topics return in later seasons with slightly different wording.

IELTS Speaking Part 2

A Place You Go to That You Think Is Very Good for Shopping

Most recently asked in May–Aug 2026

The cue card

Describe a place you go to that you think is very good for shopping

You should say:

Where this place is
How often you go to this place
What you usually buy there

Sample answers: Band 6.5, 7.0 & 7.5

Three versions of the same answer, each written to sit genuinely at that band — compare them to see exactly what separates the scores.

Band 6.5

Plain adjectives like 'safe and comfortable' and a simple chain of clauses linked by 'and' and 'so' keep the answer clear but grammatically basic, typical of Band 6.5.

The place I want to talk about is Vincom Plaza, a big shopping mall in Da Nang. It's not far from my office, so it's very easy for me to go there after work.

I go there quite often, maybe once every two weeks, sometimes just to walk around with a coffee even if I don't plan to buy anything. It's a comfortable place, with air conditioning, which is really nice after a hot day in Da Nang.

What I usually buy there is clothes and skincare products, mostly. There are a lot of clothing shops with nice designs, and since my job means I sit in an office and meet clients sometimes, I like to have a few good outfits. I also buy skincare products from the shops there, because I trust that the products are real and not fake, which I worry about a little when I buy online.

I think Vincom Plaza is very good for shopping because everything is in one place, and it's organised by floor, so I always know where to go. It's also safe and comfortable, especially compared to shopping outside in the heat or the rain. Sometimes I meet my friend Phương there too, and we shop together and then get dinner, which makes it more than just shopping, it's also a nice way to relax after work.

226 words · about 2 minutes

Why this band

GRA“everything is in one place, and it's organised by floor, so I always know where to go.” — Three clauses are chained together using only the two most basic coordinating/consequence connectors, 'and' and 'so', each simply adding the next idea onto the last without any more sophisticated subordination (no relative clause, no participial phrase). This is grammatically correct and easy to follow, exactly the structurally basic pattern Band 6.5 targets, whereas a 7.0 answer might vary the connectors or compress two of the ideas into a single clause, and a 7.5 answer might use a semicolon or cleft structure instead. It still does its job clearly, giving three linked reasons why the mall's layout is convenient.
LR“safe and comfortable” — These two adjectives are about as common and unspecific as English vocabulary gets, describing the mall's key qualities without any attempt at a more precise word like 'reliable' or a collocation like 'a safe bet'. This flatness is the deliberate Band 6.5 profile — clear and accurate, with no reach for nuance — in contrast to a 7.0 answer that might soften or specify one of the words, or a 7.5 answer that might replace the pair with a more original description. The plain phrasing still communicates the point clearly: the mall feels secure and pleasant compared to shopping outdoors.
FC“it's also a nice way to relax after work.” — This closing clause adds one small extra idea (relaxation, not just shopping) onto the end of the sentence about meeting a friend, but it stops there without any further reflection on why that matters or how it compares to other ways of relaxing. Ending an answer on a single additional reason like this, rather than developing it further, is the modest level of elaboration Band 6.5 fluency and coherence expects, where a 7.0 answer would likely link it back to the day's stress with a short example, and a 7.5 answer would turn it into an evaluative closing remark.

Band 7.0

The comparative 'noticeably better, in my experience, than what you'd get pre-packaged' combines a natural spoken connector with accurate complex grammar, fitting Band 7.0 exactly.

The place I want to talk about is Chợ Hàn, a market near the river in the centre of Da Nang. It's not too far from where I live, so it's fairly convenient for me to pop in whenever I need something.

I probably go there once every couple of weeks, sometimes more if I'm looking for something specific. It's busier than a regular supermarket, and at first the layout can be a bit confusing, but once you know your way around, it's actually quite efficient.

What I usually buy there is mostly food — fresh seafood, fruit, and some dried goods that are hard to find in supermarkets. I also occasionally buy small souvenirs or gifts when relatives are visiting, because there's a section upstairs that sells handicrafts and local specialities that make good presents.

I think it's very good for shopping because the prices are generally better than in the malls, especially if you're willing to bargain a little, which is normal there. The quality of the fresh produce is also noticeably better, in my experience, than what you'd get pre-packaged in a supermarket. On top of that, there's a kind of atmosphere to it that a shopping mall just doesn't have — the sellers recognise regular customers, and you end up chatting with them while you shop, which makes the whole experience feel a lot more personal. It takes a bit more effort than shopping online or in a mall, but for the things I usually need, I honestly think it's worth it.

256 words · about 2 minutes

Why this band

GRA“once you know your way around, it's actually quite efficient” — This is a natural time-and-condition clause, "once you know your way around," that a fluent speaker uses fluidly to shift from describing a problem — a confusing layout — to a resolution — efficiency — without over-signposting the transition. It sits comfortably alongside the simpler sentences around it rather than being the only complex structure in the paragraph, which is the comfortable mix the 7.0 descriptor asks for. A 6.5 speaker would more likely use "but" to join the two ideas instead of the more natural "once" construction.
LR“noticeably better, in my experience, than what you'd get pre-packaged in a supermarket” — The phrase 'in my experience' functions as a natural spoken connector while 'noticeably better' is a precise comparative, both fitting Band 7.0 lexical range.
FC“there's a kind of atmosphere to it that a shopping mall just doesn't have” — This sentence adds an evaluative, comparative point about atmosphere on top of the more practical points already made about price and produce quality, which is exactly the kind of extra development the 7.0 descriptor wants beyond simple description. A 6.5 answer would likely stop at "the prices are cheaper" without this less tangible, more personal observation. The vague hedge "a kind of atmosphere" is itself a natural spoken habit, softening a claim that's hard to quantify, rather than overstating it.

Band 7.5

The bold claim 'it's the opposite of everything I design' followed by the concessive clause 'for all their air conditioning' shows the evaluative depth and grammatical range of Band 7.5.

The place I'd talk about is Chợ Cồn, the big covered market in the middle of Da Nang. It's not the famous one — tourists go to Han Market by the river — but it's where the city actually shops, and I go roughly once a month, usually on a Saturday morning before it gets too hot inside.

It's a sprawling two-storey building with a few hundred stalls, and the logic of it is invisible for the first year. Kitchenware is in one corner, dried goods and spices in a long alley that smells overwhelmingly of dried squid, fabric upstairs, and a food section at the back where you can eat bánh xèo standing up for a dollar. Everything is crammed, and nothing has a price on it.

What I usually buy is unglamorous. Kitchen things, mostly — a decent knife, the enamel bowls I like, a new rice-cooker pot when I burn the old one. Dried goods to send to my sister in Ho Chi Minh City, because she claims the ones in Saigon aren't as good. Gifts for relatives in Hue, since arriving with something from the Da Nang market counts more than something from a mall. And there's a fabric stall upstairs run by a very strict older woman who has, over three years, quietly upgraded my entire wardrobe by refusing to sell me anything she thinks looks bad.

Why I think it's very good for shopping is that it's the opposite of everything I design. There's no search bar, no reviews, no recommendations — you ask, you look, you touch, you bargain a little, and you end up talking to someone who's sold knives for thirty years and knows which one you need. It's slower and slightly stressful and I always come home with something I didn't plan to buy. That's shopping as an experience rather than a transaction, and the malls, for all their air conditioning, have never managed it.

325 words · about 2 minutes

Why this band

LR“the logic of it is invisible for the first year” — 'The logic of it is invisible' treats the market's internal organisation as something that exists but can't initially be perceived, a more abstract and figurative framing than a plainer statement like 'it's confusing at first.' Pairing that with the specific time frame 'for the first year' — rather than a vague 'at first' — adds precision to the figurative claim, exactly the combination of nuance and specificity the Band 7.5 lexical target rewards. It also sets up the rest of the paragraph, which goes on to describe the market's actual internal layout in concrete detail, so the abstract opening claim gets immediately substantiated.
GRA“That's shopping as an experience rather than a transaction, and the malls, for all their air conditioning, have never managed it.” — The concessive phrase 'for all their air conditioning' acknowledges a genuine advantage of the malls before dismissing it as irrelevant to the point being made, a more sophisticated concessive structure than a simple 'but malls are less interesting' contrast would be. Embedding that concession inside a longer sentence, alongside the abstract contrast between 'experience' and 'transaction,' is the kind of less-common structure the Band 7.5 grammar target rewards, since it requires balancing multiple clauses without losing clarity. The mild irony of dismissing air conditioning — usually a strong selling point in a hot city — also gives the sentence a bit of wit.
FC“it's the opposite of everything I design” — Rather than easing into the final point with a plain transition, the sentence opens with a bold, almost provocative claim — that this chaotic old market is 'the opposite of everything I design' — using the speaker's professional identity as a UI designer to frame an unexpected argument. That kind of confident, reflective claim, connecting a personal observation to the speaker's own field of expertise, is the evaluative depth the Band 7.5 coherence target rewards over a plainer statement like 'I like that it's not modern.' It also sets up the paragraph's central argument about human interaction beating digital convenience.

How this card was asked, by exam period

Describe a place you go to that you think is very good for shoppingMay–Aug 2026

Part 3 follow-up questions

These are the discussion questions examiners asked after this cue card. Sample answers are shown where available.

1. What places do people like to go shopping in your country?
May–Aug 2026
Compare Band 6.5 / 7.0 / 7.5 for this question
Band 6.5
The plain closing sentence 'What is interesting is that all three layers still work well together' states the observation with no elaboration, typical of direct 6.5 style.
Shopping happens in three layers here. For daily food, people still use wet markets and small street shops — my mother would rather go without than buy vegetables at a supermarket. For weekends, people go to malls, which are also entertainment for families with air conditioning. For everything else, people shop online, often late at night, through apps like Shopee, with fast delivery. Younger people also like small independent shops. What is interesting is that all three layers still work well together.
Why this band
GRA“people go to malls, which are also entertainment for families with air conditioning” — A single plain relative clause covers the idea. The 7.5 version instead uses the compact verb 'double as', 'which double as air-conditioned entertainment for whole families', a more economical phrasing.
LR“my mother would rather go without than buy vegetables at a supermarket” — Clear, functional wording. The 7.0 and 7.5 versions choose the more idiomatic 'my mother would sooner starve than buy vegetables', a stronger, more vivid exaggeration.
FC“For everything else, people shop online, often late at night” — A flat, listy transition. The 7.5 version instead uses 'And for everything else, increasingly, it's online', adding the adverb 'increasingly' to show a trend rather than just stating a fact.
Band 7.0
The hedge 'I'd say' inserted before the main claim keeps the observation sounding tentative and spoken rather than like a rehearsed conclusion.
Honestly, it works in three layers. For daily food, it's still the wet market and small street shops — my mother would sooner starve than buy vegetables in a supermarket. For weekends and anything electronic, there are the malls, which double as air-conditioned entertainment for families. And for almost everything else, increasingly, it's online: apps like Shopee, often browsed at midnight, with delivery the next afternoon. Younger people also love small independent boutiques. What's distinctive, I'd say, is that all three layers are healthy at once — the market hasn't died because of the app, at least not yet.
Why this band
GRA“which double as air-conditioned entertainment for families” — The verb 'double as' compresses two functions into one word, more fluent than 6.5's longer relative clause 'which are also entertainment... with air conditioning'.
LR“my mother would sooner starve than buy vegetables in a supermarket” — The idiom 'would sooner starve' is a vivid exaggeration, sharper than 6.5's flat 'would rather go without', and matches the intensity of 7.5's identical phrasing.
FC“the market hasn't died because of the app, at least not yet” — The qualifying tag 'at least not yet' adds a spoken, reflective closing touch that 6.5's plainer ending lacks entirely.
Band 7.5
The parallel structure 'the market hasn't been killed off by the mall, and the mall hasn't been killed off by the app' mirrors itself grammatically to make the point memorable.
It works in three distinct layers. For daily food, it's still the wet market and the small shops on every street corner — my mother would sooner starve than buy vegetables in a supermarket. For weekends and anything electronic or branded, there are the malls, which double as air-conditioned entertainment for whole families. And for everything else, increasingly, it's online: apps like Shopee, often scrolled at midnight, with delivery arriving by the next afternoon. Younger people also gravitate toward small independent boutiques and second-hand stalls. What's distinctive here is that all three layers thrive simultaneously; the market hasn't been killed off by the mall, and the mall hasn't been killed off by the app, not yet anyway.
Why this band
FC“the market hasn't been killed off by the mall, and the mall hasn't been killed off by the app, not yet anyway” — This mirrored parallel structure across a whole sentence is a far more developed closing device than 6.5's single flat sentence and 7.0's shorter version of the same idea.
LR“gravitate toward small independent boutiques and second-hand stalls” — 'Gravitate toward' is a more precise, almost scientific verb than 6.5's plain 'also like' and 7.0's near-identical 'also love'.
GRA“It works in three distinct layers” — The fragment-free but subject-fronted opener sets up the whole answer's structure in one compact clause, similar in economy to 7.0's opener but without the hedge 'Honestly', giving it a slightly more assured register.
2. Has shopping become a hobby for many people?
May–Aug 2026
Compare Band 6.5 / 7.0 / 7.5 for this question
Band 6.5
The direct opener 'For many people, yes, shopping has become a hobby' answers the question in the first sentence with no hedging at all.
For many people, yes, shopping has become a hobby. Two colleagues of mine walk around the mall near our office almost every lunch break, and they only buy something once every two weeks or so. The walking and looking is the real activity, not the buying. Online, it is even more common — people scroll shopping apps like they scroll videos, just for fun. I think shopping as a hobby is fine when it is about discovery, but it becomes a problem when it is really just about the quick feeling of buying something.
Why this band
GRA“The walking and looking is the real activity, not the buying” — A short, plain contrast sentence. The 7.5 version compresses the same idea into a dash-led aside within a longer sentence, 'the walking and looking is the activity, and the purchase is almost an afterthought'.
LR“people scroll shopping apps like they scroll videos, just for fun” — Plain, everyday phrasing. The 7.0 and 7.5 versions upgrade this to 'for pleasure rather than need', a more precise, evaluative contrast.
FC“it becomes a problem when it is really just about the quick feeling of buying something” — A flat statement with no further development. The 7.5 version extends the same idea with 'which fades almost immediately and demands to be repeated', giving the sentence a sharper, more considered edge.
Band 7.0
The semicolon in 'Online it's even more obvious, I'd say; people scroll shopping apps the way they scroll short videos' links two closely related ideas smoothly within one sentence.
For a lot of people, honestly, it clearly has. Two colleagues of mine spend most lunch breaks walking around the mall opposite our office, and they buy something maybe once a fortnight — the walking and looking is really the activity, and the purchase is almost incidental. Online it's even more obvious, I'd say; people scroll shopping apps the way they scroll short videos, for pleasure rather than need. Shopping as a hobby makes sense when it's about discovery, like browsing a market or a bookshop. It becomes a problem, to be fair, when the hobby is really about the small hit of buying, which fades fast.
Why this band
LR“the purchase is almost incidental” — 'Incidental' is a more precise, slightly formal word choice than 6.5's plain 'not the buying', though 7.5 goes further with the more conversational 'almost an afterthought'.
FC“It becomes a problem, to be fair, when the hobby is really about the small hit of buying, which fades fast” — The hedge 'to be fair' softens the judgement, a spoken touch that 6.5's flatter version of the same sentence doesn't include.
GRA“people scroll shopping apps the way they scroll short videos, for pleasure rather than need” — The comparative structure 'the way they scroll' is more grammatically developed than 6.5's simpler 'like they scroll videos, just for fun'.
Band 7.5
The closing phrase 'so-called retail therapy' uses scare-quotes-in-speech to signal light scepticism about a familiar term, a subtle evaluative touch.
For a lot of people, clearly, it has. Two colleagues of mine spend most lunch breaks circling the mall opposite our office and buy something perhaps once a fortnight — the walking and looking is the activity, and the purchase is almost an afterthought. Online it's even more obvious: people scroll shopping apps the way they scroll short videos, for pleasure rather than need. Shopping as a hobby makes perfect sense when it's about discovery and taste, the way browsing a market or a secondhand bookshop is. It becomes a problem when the hobby is really about the small hit of buying, which fades almost immediately and demands to be repeated. I suspect a good deal of so-called retail therapy is exactly that second kind.
Why this band
FC“I suspect a good deal of so-called retail therapy is exactly that second kind” — This closing sentence names and judges a familiar cultural term, a more developed final move than 6.5's plain closing statement and 7.0's shorter version.
LR“circling the mall opposite our office” — 'Circling' is a more precise, visual verb than 6.5's plain 'walk around' and 7.0's near-identical phrasing, suggesting aimless repetition rather than simple movement.
GRA“which fades almost immediately and demands to be repeated” — The personification in 'demands to be repeated' shows more flexible, figurative grammar than 6.5's flat 'which fades fast' in the 7.0 version.
3. Do you agree or disagree that most people waste too much time shopping?
May–Aug 2026
Compare Band 6.5 / 7.0 / 7.5 for this question
Band 6.5
The short final sentence 'Most of us waste time comparing too much' restates the whole argument in eight plain words.
I agree, but I think the waste is in deciding, not buying. I once spent three evenings comparing reviews for a monitor, and the actual purchase took ninety seconds. That is hours spent on a decision that would have been fine either way. Online shopping makes this worse because there are endless choices, and apps are designed to keep you browsing. But some shopping is not a waste at all — an hour talking to people in a market is time well spent. Most of us waste time comparing too much.
Why this band
LR“That is hours spent on a decision that would have been fine either way” — A simple relative clause states the point plainly. The 7.5 version instead adds the intensifier 'poured into', 'hours of my life poured into a decision', for a more vivid image.
GRA“I once spent three evenings comparing reviews for a monitor, and the actual purchase took ninety seconds” — Two facts joined with 'and'. The 7.5 version instead adds 'flat' after 'ninety seconds' for emphasis and restructures the sentence with a dash, giving it more rhythm.
FC“Online shopping makes this worse because there are endless choices” — A plain cause-and-effect sentence. The 7.0 version instead uses the more precise phrase 'by offering endless choice', turning the cause into a compact participial phrase rather than a separate clause.
Band 7.0
The phrase 'with an odd twist' flags a slightly unexpected angle on the question before explaining it, a more reflective opening than 6.5's flat agreement.
I'd agree, but with an odd twist: honestly, the waste is often in deciding rather than in buying. I once spent three evenings comparing reviews for a monitor, and the actual purchase took ninety seconds — hours of my life spent on a decision that would have been fine either way. Online shopping has made this worse by offering endless choice, and the algorithms are designed to keep you browsing longer than you meant to. On the other hand, some shopping isn't waste at all; an hour in a market talking to people is time well spent, to be fair. Most of us just overdo the comparing.
Why this band
FC“Online shopping has made this worse by offering endless choice” — The participial phrase 'by offering endless choice' packs the cause into the same sentence as the effect, more fluent than 6.5's separate 'because there are endless choices'.
LR“longer than you meant to” — A small added phrase gives a more precise, personal sense of the algorithm's effect, beyond 6.5's flatter 'designed to keep you browsing'.
GRA“some shopping isn't waste at all; an hour in a market talking to people is time well spent” — The semicolon joins two closely related clauses into one flowing sentence, a step up from 6.5's separate dash-marked sentence on the same idea.
Band 7.5
The closing hedge 'I'd wager' before a confident final judgement adds a slightly playful, idiomatic register to the conclusion.
I'd agree, but with an odd twist: the waste is usually in deciding rather than in buying. I once spent three evenings comparing reviews for a monitor, and the actual purchase took ninety seconds flat — hours of my life poured into a decision that would have turned out fine either way. Online shopping has made this considerably worse by offering endless choice, and the algorithms are engineered specifically to keep you browsing. On the other hand, some shopping isn't waste at all: an hour in a market chatting to stallholders is time well spent. So people waste time on shopping as comparison and consumption, and use it well when shopping becomes an experience. Most of us, I'd wager, do far too much of the first.
Why this band
FC“So people waste time on shopping as comparison and consumption, and use it well when shopping becomes an experience” — This tightly balanced summary sentence contrasts two categories in parallel structure, a more developed synthesis than 6.5's flatter final sentence and 7.0's shorter close.
LR“hours of my life poured into a decision that would have turned out fine either way” — 'Poured into' is a vivid, almost physical metaphor for wasted time, more evocative than 6.5's plain 'spent on' and 7.0's near-identical phrasing.
GRA“the algorithms are engineered specifically to keep you browsing” — The adverb 'specifically' plus the precise verb 'engineered' show more controlled, deliberate word choice than 6.5's plainer 'apps are designed to keep you browsing'.
4. Do you agree or disagree that people often buy things that they don't really need?
May–Aug 2026
Compare Band 6.5 / 7.0 / 7.5 for this question
Band 6.5
The plain opener 'I strongly agree' states the position bluntly, with the proof following immediately, in the direct style typical of 6.5.
I strongly agree, and I could open a drawer to prove it — old cables, four phone cases, and a bread maker I used only once. Need is small, but want is huge, and the whole retail industry tries to make wants feel like needs. Sales and easy one-click buying remove the moment where people used to stop and think. There is nothing wrong with buying something that makes you happy, but a lot of purchases become clutter within a week. I try to ask myself if I would still want it in a month.
Why this band
LR“Need is small, but want is huge” — A short, plain contrast sentence. The 7.0 and 7.5 versions use the more formal, precise pairing 'a small category' and 'enormous', which sounds like a more considered observation.
GRA“Sales and easy one-click buying remove the moment where people used to stop and think” — A single simple sentence with a relative clause. The 7.0 version instead lists three separate causes — 'Sales, free delivery and one-click buying' — giving a fuller, more developed picture.
FC“I try to ask myself if I would still want it in a month” — A plain closing statement. The 7.0 and 7.5 versions frame the same idea as 'The test I try to use/apply is whether', turning a habit into a named method, which reads as more reflective.
Band 7.0
The hedge 'I'd say' dropped mid-sentence into an otherwise assertive claim keeps the tone conversational rather than lecturing.
Strongly agree, honestly, and I could open a drawer to prove it: cables for devices I no longer own, four phone cases, and a bread maker used exactly once. Need is a small category and want is enormous, and the entire retail industry exists, I'd say, to make wants feel like needs. Sales, free delivery and one-click buying remove the moment of hesitation that used to stop people. There's nothing wrong with buying real pleasures — a book, a nice bowl — but a lot of purchases aren't even pleasurable; they're impulses that become clutter within a week. The test I try to use is whether I'd still want it in a month.
Why this band
LR“cables for devices I no longer own” — A more specific, slightly wry image than 6.5's plain 'old cables', giving a small reason for why the cables are useless.
FC“they're impulses that become clutter within a week” — The semicolon joins the observation directly to its cause, more fluent than 6.5's separate sentence structure for the same idea.
GRA“Sales, free delivery and one-click buying remove the moment of hesitation that used to stop people” — A three-item list as the subject of one sentence shows more grammatical range than 6.5's two-item 'Sales and easy one-click buying'.
Band 7.5
The closing admission 'I fail it more often than I'd like to admit' adds a self-deprecating evaluative touch that neither 6.5 nor 7.0 attempts.
Strongly agree, and I could open a drawer to prove it: cables for devices I no longer own, four phone cases, and a bread maker used exactly once. Need is a small category and want is enormous, and the entire retail industry exists to make wants feel indistinguishable from needs. Sales, free delivery and one-click buying have quietly removed the moment of hesitation that used to stop people cold. There's nothing wrong with buying genuine pleasures — a book, a nice bowl — but plenty of purchases aren't even pleasurable; they're impulses that curdle into clutter within a week. The test I try to apply is whether I'd still want it in a month's time. I fail it more often than I'd like to admit.
Why this band
FC“I fail it more often than I'd like to admit” — A short, wry closing sentence adds a personal, evaluative note beyond 6.5's flat report of the habit and 7.0's version without any such admission.
LR“impulses that curdle into clutter within a week” — 'Curdle' is a striking, almost unexpected verb borrowed from cooking, far more vivid than 6.5's plain 'become clutter' and 7.0's identical phrasing.
GRA“make wants feel indistinguishable from needs” — The adjective 'indistinguishable from' replaces a simple comparison with a more precise, technical-sounding construction than 6.5's plain 'make wants feel like needs'.
5. Does buying things really make people happy?
May–Aug 2026
Compare Band 6.5 / 7.0 / 7.5 for this question
Band 6.5
The direct opener 'Only for a short time, in my experience' answers the question in six plain words before any examples follow.
Only for a short time, in my experience. My new motorbike made me happy for about a week, and after that it was just the bike. But the Sunday cooking sessions I have with a friend, which cost almost nothing, have made me happy for years. Buying gives a real but short feeling, and the mistake is expecting it to last. Things that support an experience, like good shoes or a train ticket, bring more lasting happiness than things that are just things. Buying to feel better usually only works for a short while.
Why this band
LR“But the Sunday cooking sessions I have with a friend, which cost almost nothing, have made me happy for years” — A single relative clause carries the contrast. The 7.5 version adds 'running' at the end, 'made me happy for years running', a small idiomatic intensifier that gives the claim more weight.
GRA“Buying gives a real but short feeling, and the mistake is expecting it to last” — Two clauses joined with 'and'. The 7.5 version instead uses 'longer than it was ever built to', a more figurative extension of the same idea that treats happiness like a designed object.
FC“Buying to feel better usually only works for a short while” — A vague, unspecific closing phrase. The 7.5 version sharpens this to 'works for about as long as the walk home', a concrete, memorable image.
Band 7.0
The one-word opener 'Briefly' answers the question before the sentence even properly begins, a compact and slightly dramatic start.
Briefly, and then not, honestly, in my experience. My new motorbike made me happy for about a week, after which it was simply the bike; the Sunday cooking sessions with a friend that cost almost nothing have made me happy for years. Buying gives a real but short lift, and the mistake, I'd say, is expecting it to last. Things that support an experience — a decent pan, running shoes, a train ticket — tend to bring more lasting happiness than things that are just things. There's also relief buying, when a purchase genuinely solves a problem, and that's real. But buying to feel better usually works only briefly.
Why this band
FC“Briefly, and then not, honestly, in my experience” — A fragment-style opening answers the question in three words before the hedge 'honestly' softens it, more compact than 6.5's full-sentence opener.
LR“There's also relief buying, when a purchase genuinely solves a problem, and that's real” — This adds a whole extra category that 6.5's simpler answer never introduces, showing a more developed, nuanced argument.
GRA“the Sunday cooking sessions with a friend that cost almost nothing have made me happy for years” — A relative clause embedded mid-sentence with a semicolon link is more fluent than 6.5's separate 'But' sentence expressing the same contrast.
Band 7.5
The closing image 'works for about as long as the walk home' turns an abstract claim into something concrete and easy to picture.
Briefly, and then not, in my experience. My new motorbike made me happy for about a week, after which it was simply the bike; the Sunday cooking sessions with a friend that cost almost nothing have made me happy for years running. Buying gives a real but short-lived lift, and the mistake is expecting it to last longer than it was ever built to. Things that support an experience — a decent pan, running shoes, a train ticket — bring more durable happiness than things that are merely things. There's also relief buying, when a purchase genuinely solves a nagging problem, and that satisfaction is entirely genuine. But buying purely to feel better usually works for about as long as the walk home.
Why this band
FC“But buying purely to feel better usually works for about as long as the walk home” — A precise, concrete unit of time replaces a vague phrase, far more memorable than 6.5's flat 'for a short while' and 7.0's 'only briefly'.
LR“bring more durable happiness than things that are merely things” — 'Durable' is a more precise, almost technical adjective than 6.5's plain 'lasting' and 7.0's identical word choice, echoing the idea of something built to last.
GRA“expecting it to last longer than it was ever built to” — The passive construction 'was ever built to' treats happiness as a designed object, a more flexible and figurative grammatical choice than 6.5's plain 'expecting it to last'.
6. How much influence does advertising have when people are buying things?
May–Aug 2026
Compare Band 6.5 / 7.0 / 7.5 for this question
Band 6.5
The plain closing sentence 'which is exactly why it works so well' states the irony directly without any softening language.
More than people think, and I know because I have helped make it happen. A client of ours raised sales by thirty percent just by changing the photos in their ads — the same shoes, but sold better with a better picture. Advertising does not usually create desire from nothing, but it does guide which brand people choose and when they buy. Its influence is strongest on small everyday purchases and weaker on expensive things people research carefully. Everyone thinks they are not affected by ads, which is exactly why it works so well.
Why this band
GRA“More than people think, and I know because I have helped make it happen” — A simple opening claim with a short justifying clause. The 7.5 version intensifies this with 'considerably more' and a more formal 'I know because I've helped make it so'.
LR“Advertising does not usually create desire from nothing” — Plain negation. The 7.0 and 7.5 versions use the more vivid verb 'conjures' or 'creates... rarely', giving the sentence a slightly more figurative edge.
FC“Everyone thinks they are not affected by ads, which is exactly why it works so well” — A flat closing statement. The 7.5 version sharpens this with 'Everyone assumes they're immune, which is precisely what makes it work so well', using more precise, idiomatic vocabulary for the same irony.
Band 7.0
The colon-led list 'which brand, which version, and whether you buy now or wait' economically unpacks what 'steers it' actually means.
Honestly, more than people believe about themselves, and I know because I've helped make it so. A client of ours raised sales by thirty percent when we changed the photography in their ads and nothing about the product — the same shoes, sold better by a better picture. Advertising rarely creates desire from nothing, but it steers it: which brand, which version, and whether you buy now or wait. Its influence is strongest, I'd say, on small everyday purchases and weakest on expensive, researched ones. And its most powerful form now isn't the billboard but the recommendation that doesn't look like an ad at all.
Why this band
LR“Advertising rarely creates desire from nothing, but it steers it” — The verb 'steers' is a precise, almost mechanical metaphor, more developed than 6.5's plainer 'does guide which brand people choose'.
FC“Its influence is strongest, I'd say, on small everyday purchases and weakest on expensive, researched ones” — The hedge 'I'd say' inserted mid-clause softens what is otherwise a confident, structured comparison, a spoken texture 6.5's flatter version lacks.
GRA“the recommendation that doesn't look like an ad at all” — A relative clause adds a precise, contemporary detail beyond 6.5's simpler closing sentence about people believing they're unaffected.
Band 7.5
The closing antithesis 'Everyone assumes they're immune, which is precisely what makes it work so well' compresses the whole answer's irony into one sharp line.
Considerably more than people believe about themselves, and I know because I've helped make it so. A client of ours raised sales by thirty percent purely by changing the photography in their ads — nothing about the product itself, the same shoes sold better by a sharper picture. Advertising rarely conjures desire out of nothing, but it steers it with real precision: which brand, which version, and whether you buy now or wait until payday. Its influence is strongest on small everyday purchases and weakest on expensive, heavily researched ones. And its most powerful form these days isn't the billboard but the recommendation that doesn't announce itself as an ad. Everyone assumes they're immune, which is precisely what makes it work so well.
Why this band
FC“Everyone assumes they're immune, which is precisely what makes it work so well” — This closing line names the exact irony the whole answer has been building toward, more polished than 6.5's plainer version and 7.0's less pointed close.
LR“conjures desire out of nothing” — 'Conjures' is a vivid, almost magical verb choice, sharper than 6.5's plain 'create desire from nothing' and 7.0's identical phrasing.
GRA“the recommendation that doesn't announce itself as an ad” — The reflexive verb 'announce itself' personifies the recommendation, a more flexible grammatical choice than 6.5's simple relative clause and 7.0's 'doesn't look like'.
7. Why has consumerism continued to grow in most countries?
May–Aug 2026
Compare Band 6.5 / 7.0 / 7.5 for this question
Band 6.5
The plain phrase 'because it became very easy to spend money' gives the simplest possible version of a much larger economic argument.
Mainly because incomes rose and it became very easy to spend money. My grandmother owned one good pair of shoes for most of her life, but my sister now has fifteen pairs on a rack. That gap comes from higher wages, cheap manufacturing, and a lot of advertising. Shopping also became a way to show who you are, since people no longer show status through family or rank. Social media makes it worse, because everyone can see what everyone else owns. Governments like it too, because spending helps the economy grow.
Why this band
GRA“That gap comes from higher wages, cheap manufacturing, and a lot of advertising” — A simple three-item list. The 7.5 version extends this to four stacked causes, 'rising wages, cheap manufacturing, relentless advertising and easy credit, all stacked together', a more developed structure.
LR“Social media makes it worse, because everyone can see what everyone else owns” — Plain vocabulary. The 7.0 and 7.5 versions use the more precise phrase 'put everyone's belongings on permanent display', a more vivid, specific image.
FC“Governments like it too, because spending helps the economy grow” — A short, blunt closing-style sentence. The 7.5 version extends the argument with 'All the incentives point the same direction, so the growth isn't remotely surprising', tying every point together into one conclusion.
Band 7.0
The metaphor 'the machinery for spending them got very good' treats the whole retail system as a single mechanism, a more reflective opening than 6.5's plain cause-and-effect statement.
Honestly, because incomes rose and the machinery for spending them got very good. My grandmother owned one good pair of shoes for most of her life; my sister has a rack of fifteen, and that gap is basically one generation of rising wages plus cheap manufacturing plus advertising. Shopping also became a way of expressing identity once societies stopped telling people who they were by birth, so status is shown through possessions now rather than family. Social media put everyone's belongings on permanent display too, which fuels comparison. Governments encourage it as well, to be fair, because consumption drives growth.
Why this band
LR“the machinery for spending them got very good” — A light metaphor personifies the economic system, more figurative than 6.5's flat 'it became very easy to spend money'.
FC“Governments encourage it as well, to be fair, because consumption drives growth” — The hedge 'to be fair' softens what is otherwise a fairly confident claim about government motives, unlike 6.5's plain, unhedged final sentence.
GRA“that gap is basically one generation of rising wages plus cheap manufacturing plus advertising” — The repeated 'plus' structure stacks three causes into a single flowing clause, a more advanced coordination pattern than 6.5's simple comma list.
Band 7.5
The closing verdict 'All the incentives point the same direction, so the growth isn't remotely surprising' reframes a list of causes as a single, inevitable system.
Because incomes rose and the machinery for spending them got remarkably good. My grandmother owned one good pair of shoes for most of her life; my sister has a rack of fifteen, and that gap amounts to one generation of rising wages, cheap manufacturing, relentless advertising and easy credit, all stacked together. Shopping also became a way of expressing identity once societies stopped telling people who they were by birth — status is now displayed through possessions rather than family or rank. Social media then put everyone's belongings on permanent, comparable display, which fuels the whole cycle further. Governments quietly encourage it too, since consumption drives growth. All the incentives point the same direction, so the growth isn't remotely surprising.
Why this band
FC“All the incentives point the same direction, so the growth isn't remotely surprising” — This closing synthesis sentence draws every preceding point into one systemic conclusion, a more sophisticated ending than 6.5's flat final claim and 7.0's version without the same summarising force.
LR“all stacked together” — A compact idiomatic tag emphasises accumulation, more vivid than 6.5's plain listing with 'and' and 7.0's 'plus... plus' structure.
GRA“Social media then put everyone's belongings on permanent, comparable display, which fuels the whole cycle further” — The added adjective 'comparable' and the phrase 'fuels the whole cycle further' show more precise, controlled elaboration than 6.5's shorter sentence and 7.0's simpler 'fuels comparison'.
8. Does consumerism always have a positive effect on society?
May–Aug 2026
Compare Band 6.5 / 7.0 / 7.5 for this question
Band 6.5
The short standalone sentence 'That is consumerism too' repeats the earlier claim in exactly the same plain words, reinforcing the point without variation.
No, and I can see both sides in one place. Factories making goods for the world lifted my uncle's village out of real poverty within ten years — that is consumerism, and it is good. But the river next to those factories now runs a different colour, and young people who took those jobs rarely come home. That is consumerism too. It creates jobs and choice, but also waste and debt, and a feeling that a person is only what they own. I would not call it purely good or bad.
Why this band
LR“It creates jobs and choice, but also waste and debt” — A simple two-part list with 'but also'. The 7.5 version instead uses 'in the same breath it creates', a more idiomatic and vivid way of showing the two effects happening at once.
FC“I would not call it purely good or bad” — A plain final judgement. The 7.0 and 7.5 versions extend this with 'so much as simply powerful', adding a positive alternative rather than just a negation.
GRA“young people who took those jobs rarely come home” — A simple relative clause. The 7.0 and 7.5 versions use 'moved to those jobs', a slightly more precise phrasing of the same migration.
Band 7.0
The repeated verb structure 'It creates jobs, choice and comfort, and it creates waste, debt' balances two lists against each other within one sentence.
No, honestly, and you can see both faces of it in one province where I live. Factories making goods for the world lifted my uncle's village out of real poverty within a decade — that's consumerism, and it's clearly positive. The river beside those same factories now runs a different colour, and the young people who moved there for jobs rarely come home; that's consumerism too. It creates jobs, choice and comfort, and it creates waste, debt and a sense that a person is what they own. I wouldn't call it good or bad, to be fair, so much as simply powerful.
Why this band
LR“both faces of it in one province where I live” — The metaphor 'faces' personifies consumerism as something with two sides, more figurative than 6.5's plain 'both sides in one place'.
GRA“It creates jobs, choice and comfort, and it creates waste, debt and a sense that a person is what they own” — The repeated structure 'it creates... and it creates' balances two three-item lists against each other, more developed than 6.5's simpler 'creates jobs and choice, but also waste and debt'.
FC“I wouldn't call it good or bad, to be fair, so much as simply powerful” — The hedge 'to be fair' mid-sentence softens the final verdict, a spoken texture that 6.5's blunter closing sentence doesn't have.
Band 7.5
The closing financial metaphor 'those that don't tend to get the bill later' extends the essay's whole argument into one memorable final image.
No, and where I live you can watch both faces of it play out in a single province. Factories making goods for the world lifted my uncle's village out of real poverty within a decade — that's consumerism, and it's unmistakably positive. The river beside those factories now runs a different colour, and the young people who moved to those jobs rarely come home; that's consumerism too, quieter but just as real. It creates jobs, choice and comfort, and in the same breath it creates waste, debt and a nagging sense that a person is what they own. I wouldn't call it good or bad so much as simply powerful. Societies that set limits on it seem to keep the benefits; those that don't tend to get the bill later.
Why this band
FC“Societies that set limits on it seem to keep the benefits; those that don't tend to get the bill later” — This closing semicolon-joined pair introduces a policy-level conclusion that neither 6.5's flat ending nor 7.0's shorter close attempts.
LR“quieter but just as real” — A compact two-part adjective phrase adds nuance beyond 6.5's plain repetition 'That is consumerism too' and 7.0's identical repetition.
GRA“in the same breath it creates waste, debt and a nagging sense that a person is what they own” — The idiom 'in the same breath' compresses simultaneity into a single phrase, a more flexible grammatical device than 6.5's plain 'but also' and 7.0's repeated 'and it creates'.
9. What do you think of the view that it would be preferable to live in a society without consumerism?
May–Aug 2026
Compare Band 6.5 / 7.0 / 7.5 for this question
Band 6.5
The plain phrase 'I am doubtful' opens the answer with a direct, unhedged statement of position before any explanation follows.
I am doubtful, mostly because my parents lived in something close to that. Vietnam in the 1980s had almost no consumerism — rationing, queues, one kind of soap — and nobody I know from that time remembers it as a happier way to live. They remember wanting things badly. A society with no consumerism at all would also have very little choice, and choice is a real kind of freedom. What I would prefer is a society with much less of it, more repairing and sharing. Zero consumerism usually just means poverty for most people.
Why this band
GRA“They remember wanting things badly” — A short, plain sentence. The 7.0 and 7.5 versions instead use the more understated 'They remember wanting things', letting the earlier list of hardships carry the emotional weight rather than an added adverb.
LR“choice is a real kind of freedom” — A plain abstract claim. The 7.0 and 7.5 versions sharpen this to 'a real freedom, not just a marketing slogan', a more precise and slightly pointed phrasing.
FC“Zero consumerism usually just means poverty for most people” — A flat closing generalisation. The 7.5 version extends this to 'poverty for most and privilege for a few', adding a second half that sharpens the irony considerably.
Band 7.0
The word 'sceptical' is a more precise, slightly formal alternative to 6.5's plain 'doubtful', suggesting a more considered stance.
I'm sceptical, honestly, mostly because my parents lived in something close to it. Vietnam in the 1980s had almost no consumerism — rationing, queues, one kind of soap — and nobody I've met from that time remembers it as a purer, happier way to live. They remember wanting things. A society without any consumerism would be a society without much choice, and choice, I'd say, is a real freedom, not just a marketing slogan. What I'd prefer is far less of it: fewer disposable goods, less pressure to display, more repair and sharing. That's achievable, and it would genuinely be better.
Why this band
GRA“A society without any consumerism would be a society without much choice” — The repeated structure 'a society without... would be a society without' is a more deliberate rhetorical parallel than 6.5's simpler single-clause version of the same idea.
LR“a real freedom, not just a marketing slogan” — The added contrast 'not just a marketing slogan' sharpens the claim beyond 6.5's plainer 'a real kind of freedom'.
FC“That's achievable, and it would genuinely be better” — The adverb 'genuinely' adds a small emphatic, reflective touch to the closing sentence that 6.5's flatter version doesn't include.
Band 7.5
The closing antithesis 'poverty for most and privilege for a few' delivers the whole argument's final judgement in one balanced, memorable line.
I'm sceptical, mostly because my parents lived in something close to it. Vietnam in the 1980s had almost no consumerism — rationing, queues, one kind of soap for the whole neighbourhood — and nobody I've met from that generation remembers it as a purer, happier way to live. What they remember is wanting things and rarely getting them. A society stripped of all consumerism would also be a society stripped of most choice, and choice is a genuine freedom, not just a marketing slogan dressed up as one. What I'd actually prefer is a society with far less of it: fewer disposable goods, less pressure to display, more repair and sharing. That's achievable, and it would be a real improvement. Zero consumerism, in practice, usually just means poverty for most and privilege for a few.
Why this band
FC“Zero consumerism, in practice, usually just means poverty for most and privilege for a few” — This closing antithesis balances two contrasting outcomes in one sentence, more developed than 6.5's single-sided 'poverty for most people' and 7.0's version without this line at all.
LR“a marketing slogan dressed up as one” — The idiom 'dressed up as' adds a layer of figurative criticism beyond 6.5's plain 'not just a marketing slogan' and 7.0's identical phrase without the extra clause.
GRA“A society stripped of all consumerism would also be a society stripped of most choice” — The repeated participle 'stripped of' creates a more vivid parallel structure than 6.5's plain 'with no consumerism at all would also have very little choice' and 7.0's 'without... would be... without'.

Frequently asked questions

How long should my answer to this Part 2 cue card be?: Speak for 1 to 2 minutes. The examiner will stop you at 2 minutes, so aim for roughly 220-300 words that cover every bullet on the card and end with how you feel about it.
What Part 3 questions follow this cue card?: After "A Place You Go to That You Think Is Very Good for Shopping", examiners have asked 9 follow-up discussion questions, listed above. They move from your personal story to general opinions on the same theme.
Is this cue card still being used?: It was most recently reported by test-takers in May–Aug 2026. Cue cards rotate every four months, and many topics return in later seasons with slightly different wording.