Part 1 — IntroductionQ3/2026Difficulty 2/5

Shopping

IELTS Speaking questions reported by recent test-takers, compiled each quarter. Cambridge does not publish the active list, so this is a compilation of reports, not official material.

Questions

Question 145s to speak

Do you prefer shopping online or in shops?

Question 245s to speak

Do you think people buy things they do not need?

Model answer

Written by 8020 teachers. Do not memorise it — take the structure and the way ideas are developed, then speak about your own life.

Do you enjoy shopping? Not really, no. I like having the thing; I don't like the process of choosing it, and I'll usually buy the first acceptable option to end the situation. Do you prefer shopping online or in physical shops? Online for anything I've bought before, shops for anything I haven't. Clothes I still need to try, because sizes here are so inconsistent that ordering is a gamble. How often do you buy clothes? Rarely — maybe four times a year, and usually because something wore out rather than because I wanted something new. Do you think people buy too many things they do not need? Yes, though I'd say it's less about people being greedy and more about how easy it's become. Buying something now takes about eight seconds. Deciding not to takes longer than that, which seems like the wrong way round.

Vocabulary you can use today

I like having the thing, not the process
tôi thích có được món đó, không thích quá trình chọn
to end the situation
để cho xong chuyện
ordering is a gamble
đặt hàng là đánh cược
something wore out
cái gì đó bị hỏng, sờn
less about X and more about Y
không hẳn vì X mà vì Y — mẫu ghi điểm
which seems like the wrong way round
nghe có vẻ ngược

Common traps for Vietnamese speakers

Trả lời "không thích" cũng được điểm y như "thích", miễn là bạn giải thích được. Nhiều học viên tưởng phải tỏ ra tích cực. Mẫu "less about X and more about Y" là mẫu quý nhất trong đề này — nó biến một câu trả lời thường thành một câu có phân tích, và dùng lại được ở mọi đề Part 3. Câu cuối so sánh tám giây với thời gian để quyết định KHÔNG mua. So sánh kiểu đó không cần từ khó nhưng thể hiện tư duy.

âm cuối /ŋ/ trong shopping, choosing, buyingâm cuối /z/ trong clothes, sizes, thingsâm cuối /t/ trong bought, wanted, acceptable/ð/ trong clothes, the, that

Try this topic and see your band

Record 90 seconds. You get four criteria, the exact words that slipped, and your own sentence rewritten two levels up.

Related topics