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Describe A Problem You Had While Shopping Online Or In A Store: IELTS Speaking Cue Card

You should say

  • When it happened
  • What you bought
  • What problem you had
  • And describe the party.
Show all 99 answers

Cue 1:When it happened

  • Begin by mentioning the time frame when the online shopping experience occurred, such as during a festival or sale.
  • Provide context about your shopping habits, like if you usually shop online or prefer physical stores.

Example

Last month, during the Diwali festival, I decided to do some online shopping to buy gifts for my family. I usually prefer shopping online because of the convenience it offers.

Cue 2:What you bought

  • Clearly state the item you intended to purchase, including any specific details that make it relatable.
  • Mention why you chose this particular item, perhaps due to its significance or popularity.

Example

I was looking to buy a beautiful set of traditional Indian sweets to gift to my relatives. These sweets are a staple during Diwali, and I wanted to ensure I got the best quality.

Cue 3:What problem you had

  • Describe the specific issue you faced while shopping, whether it was related to the website, delivery, or product quality.
  • Explain how this problem affected your shopping experience and your feelings about it.

Example

Unfortunately, after placing my order, I received a notification that the sweets I ordered were out of stock. I was really disappointed because I had planned to surprise my family with them.

Cue 4:And describe the party

  • Talk about the significance of the occasion and how the problem impacted the celebration.
  • Share how you resolved the issue or what alternative you found to still make the occasion special.

Example

Diwali is a time for family gatherings and celebrations, and I wanted to make it special. After the issue, I quickly searched for another vendor and found a local store that offered similar sweets. I managed to get them in time for the celebration, and my family loved them!

Conclusion

    Example

    Overall, while my online shopping experience had its challenges, it taught me the importance of having backup plans. In the end, I was able to enjoy Diwali with my family, which was the most important part.

    Following this structure will ensure you cover all the essential points while providing a clear and engaging response to the cue card topic.

    Tips to answer this Cue Card

    1: Vague Descriptions

    Being vague can make your answer less engaging and informative. Avoid general statements that do not provide specific details about your experience.

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    Tip

    Use specific examples and details about the product, the problem, and your feelings to create a vivid picture for the examiner.

    2: Ignoring the Cues

    Failing to address all the cues can lead to an incomplete answer. This may result in a lower score as it shows a lack of organization.

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    Tip

    Structure your response by clearly addressing each cue: when it happened, what you bought, the problem, and your feelings about it.

    Overly Negative Tone

    Focusing too much on negativity can make your response less appealing. It’s important to balance your experience with some positive aspects.

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    Tip

    While discussing the problem, also mention any positive outcomes or lessons learned to create a more balanced narrative.

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    All Answers

    Here are all the answers by real-users practicing speaking for IELTS Cue Cards on our IELTS Prep App.

    Band 6-7

    it was Diwali weekend last week when I with my friend Natasha we visited to a store we were buying some necessary grocery for our home I was looking for a packet of Surf Excel to be able to wash clothes since the store was very big I asked an employee there to help me out to be able to reach to the place where washing powders were collected upon reaching there I picked up a washing liquid and came to the reception now as the receptionist was building my all the groceries there was lots of liquid which was leaking now I argued that I didn't open up the washing liquid it was already leaking but the employee there was fighting with me saying that it was me who opened up the washing liquid and I'm supposed to pay the bill for that now firstly why should I pay the bill for something which I didn't do and I was so pissed

    Band 6-7

    Well, I would like to talk about a problem I faced a few months ago while shopping on Amazon. It happened around last month when I was buying a pair of earphones for myself. Everything seemed perfectly fine while ordering the product. It had good reviews, the delivery date was convenient and I was quite excited to receive it. However, when the final package arrived, I was really disappointed to find that the box was empty except for a charging cable and a manual. The actual earphones were missing. At first, I thought maybe it was some kind of mistake during the packaging, so I immediately contacted the customer care and explained the situation. They asked me to upload some images of the package and after a few verifications, they finally agreed to replace the product. Though I did get a new pair eventually, the whole process was quite frustrating and time consuming. This experience made me realize that online shopping isn't always reliable. Even though it is a branded thing, we should go to a stall and purchase it. Since I have become more cautious, I always double check all the product ratings, selling details and even recording unboxing videos just in case something goes wrong. Overall, it was an unpleasant experience but it also taught me to be more careful and patient while shopping.

    Band 6-7

    As I live in a city which is very high during summers and here the temperature is very unbearable and as I'm staying in hostel over here and it is my last semester of the university so I decided to bought an air cooler in order to bear the hotness of the city and last month I was searching for air cooler on Meesho which is an online application which is very affordable and I usually buy a lot of products over there so I decided to buy air cooler which is easy to carry and very cute small pink colored air cooler which is convenient to provide air for at least one person so when my order arrived it was working very good and suddenly after a week it stopped working and the plastic quality started to deteriorate after one week only so I decided to return it as usually the written policies of 10 days and on visiting the website from where the product I bought I saw that it is not returnable and I think they have never given me disclaimer that the product you bought is not returnable so it was my worst experience

    Band 6-7

    This incident happened last year in October. I bought this item a moisturizer from Amazon from COSRX brand and when I bought the item I already prepared for it so when the item arrived I opened the box and checked but it was not the original item. The original item in the moisturizer should be semi-liquid and a very sticky type but the item that arrived was like a more liquid one so it was not the original product so when I checked back at Amazon the seller had already removed all its information from the app so I couldn't find anything about the seller and return the product so this was the one incident in Amazon where I bought the product but couldn't got I bought the product got a duplicate product and cannot replaced it in the app

    Band 6-7

    It happened in year 2023 when I and my friend Vitesh Khoshal went to a shopping mall to buy myself some clothes and so did I, I bought a bag full of clothes of semi winter and winter clothes and I get a heavy discount on those clothes so I buy a lot of clothes but when the time of payment came I just forwarded them my card and told them to put all the bill on my card but when they put the card in the machine the machine didn't work and they said that there is a fault in my card but I precisely remembered that my father told me that the card has enough money to support to buy me clothes so I checked by calling my father and he told that the card still has a balance so I asked the company to do a favor to check their machine and they checked their machine and there was a fault in it and they solved the problem as soon as possible and just in few minutes they apologized to me and the bill was settled with the 10% discount of inconvenience that I faced and that was not a really great experience but I was happy that I got a discount.

    Band 6-7

    Well, if I say about shopping online first, it creates ruffle in a few feathers as we get to see different and yet stylish things and clothes. Shopping is actually that upsets my mood and it actually tempts me a lot as I am a shopaholic person and most of the time when I am in pensive mood, I am completely exhilarated by the idea of buying more and more. I am completely spendthrift person who loves to buy different dresses which is like a jewel in the crown in aspect of shopping. Thank you.

    Band 6-7

    One problem that I feel that I usually have when I am shopping online is that because there is too much you know products and too much information and everything is in your fingertips so it is very difficult to concentrate and you know I easily get distracted because I see so many things and I get the temptation to see all of that at once and to purchase anything whatever I see because it feels like if I have that everything feels important you know like everything feels like okay if I have seen a bottle so I would feel that okay this is also important for me if I have seen a mixer I would feel that okay this is something I also need so this happens that I always feel that I have nothing and I need to buy something in order to get enough supplements in my home this is a common problem when I am shopping online and in a offline store well there is not much problem but the only problem I have is that they do not have the variety this is quite opposite to what I am having problem in online so sometimes it happens that if I have thought that I want to buy this thing and if I'll go and I'll search for the thing in the offline store so even if I you know find something which I really like so it will happen that I would not be having the color options in that or there would be size differences and the size might not be available so yeah these are

    Band 6-7

    The worst nightmare I had with this online shopping brand was I faced a huge issue with their return pickups. This happened recently when I had ordered few dresses for my daughter from one of the online shopping app which is called as Max Fashion. When I ordered the dresses they looked good on the website, the photos, the size looked really good but once they arrived there was a issue with their size and also the quality of the fabric. It didn't meet up to my expectation. I bought like three t-shirts, a jean and a few flare dresses.

    Band 6-7

    A few months ago, I went to shop for clothes to a branded store in the mall. When I entered the store, I saw that they had a wide variety of clothes and the collection was good. So I got excited and found a few interesting ones that I liked. But the problem was that they didn't have those particular outfits in my size. I asked the people around to check in their storage if they have it, but they didn't. I asked them if it would be available online, but they refused to answer my query. So I had to go back disappointed. And another problem that I came across was a payment issue. So many of these stores do not have good internet connection. So why make online payments? There can be a lot of discrepancies with the money transfer. And also, since many people don't carry cash with them nowadays, having a stable internet connection is crucial for such stores.

    Band 6-7

    Well, I would like to talk about a problem I faced last year while shopping online. It happened when I ordered a pair of sneakers from Amazon because there was a big discount going on. I had been planning to buy those shoes for quite some time, so I was really excited for the offer. However, when the parcel arrived after about a week, I was quite disappointed. First of all, the size was completely wrong. I usually wear size 9, but they sent me size 7. On top of that, the color was totally different from what I had selected. The order was white sneakers, but the ones I received from were dark blue, which I didn't like at all. I immediately contacted customer service and explained the issue. Thankfully, they were very helpful and arranged for a return refund. Although the process took around 10 days, I finally got my money back. This experience taught me to be more careful while shopping online. Now, always done check product details, reviews and seller rating before making any purchase. Even though online shopping is more convenient, sometimes it bit frustrating while things go wrong.
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