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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

    well this happened a few weeks ago while I'm trying to buy a new TV for my home which is needable because of my old one is exhausted and repaired for a while and in the offers half of time I tried to buy a new television for my own with 55 inch of requirement of basic 55 inch TV with good amount of picture quality and also in decent amount of sound output but once I got the good deal I ordered it and they delivered in a speedy time also but once I received my order the TV didn't work well I shocked and surprised I called customer care according to the e-commerce website I order from they have firstly no response from them I tried eventually so many times I do it I call so many times test them and even email them my problems about the situation but they didn't get proper response from them after a while I go into the e-commerce website customer care and call them so several times once they pick up the call and get good response from them I explained my situation about that device I bought from them they responded very well give suggestions and their team came to my home and replaced that damaged item into the new brand new one but now that TV is very well working in this situation I conclude that every buying is a device from online gives to some problems if you have ready to face it then you can go

    Band 6

    The problem which I faced was when I ordered a table mat in Amazon. So the color which I ordered and the design was totally different from what I received physically. So I just raised a complaint in customer portal and I got a call from the manager. And I just raised my issues and concerns on it that what I ordered didn't match with what I received. So then they asked whether I wanted a refund or the replacement of the product which I actually ordered. And then finally they have accepted for returning the product and giving me the right one. So this thing happened two months ago. And after that since then I am getting the right product as they have received and they are just themselves correcting themselves. So now it's fine.

    Band 6

    So, a month ago I was shopping with one of my friend at the Zodiac store which is in Patiala. I was shopping my cloths and everything accessories like shoes and clothes and jewelry you know. And after I bought everything I wanted, I proceeded for the payment but when I was doing the payment, my card was not working with their paying machine so it was a huge problem because I really wanted to buy the clothes but I was unable to proceed the payment because of my card issues. I don't know what was the issue but the payment was not proceeding. I tried a lot of time but I didn't have cash on me so the problem was solved earlier because the friend I was with paid on behalf of me so it was a really big mistake that I should carry cash afterwards. It also gave me a lesson that we should always carry cash if we have cards but we should also carry cash. So, it was a very difficult moment for me because I become nervous if there is a situation like this so my friend really helped me at that time if she wasn't there, I would not have to able to buy that clothes and accessories I have bought there.

    Band 6

    So, problem which I had while doing shopping was online shopping, which I had done on last month 14th, where I bought new dresses and makeup products for my upcoming friend's marriage function. So, I ordered a medium size lehenga and makeup products like foundation, lipstick, mascara, which matches to my color, but the problem with that is the dress size was sent wrongly. I ordered extra small size, but they have sent me large size and I ordered brown shade foundation, but they have sent me a dark brown color shade, which doesn't match my skin tone and I couldn't able to return it also, because I purchased all those items in a great discount with previous notice of not returning it, but I trusted them a lot about it, but they have proven that the trust which I have kept them is unduly waste. It was a miso platform, which was extensively used by many publics to purchase things at discounted price and most budget friendly, but their customer service is really bad and I don't recommend this online platform, in-store shopping is much better to get the right products, which doesn't waste money.

    Band 6

    Hm. Hm. Let's see. Recently, I got scanned by an online application. It was cleared as back while I decided to order some food items from an application. And that application is based on O-N-D-C, the latest digital tech prepared by Indian government. It is fully backed by Indian government and open source. So, different companies, different organizations can use this O-N-D-C platform to promote their own products. Or to use it and customize it. So, I ordered from an application in Barola. It is just the same platform that I mentioned. I ordered some noodles to satisfy my midnight hunger. And I prayed for it in arguments. I think the time was approximately 40 minutes. So, in my mind, I was like, okay, let's chill. 40 minutes, I could wait. But then, 40 minutes passed. 1 hour, 2 hours. The food didn't reach my home. It was around 2 am in the night and I decided to sleep. I thought food won't be delivered. So, I slept after waking up in the morning. When I checked the notification, it said the food has been delivered but were roasted. At around 4 am. Which was fishy. Because I didn't save the OTP. Because to complete any payment through e-commerce applications, you need an OTP. I didn't save and the transaction was completed. So, I got scammed and this is one of the horrible experiences.

    Band 6

    The major problem that I have faced while shopping in-store was the size and price issues, especially when I loved the product. For instance, during back in the time when I went to lifestyle stores to purchase an outfit for a party, I saw a beautiful pretty blue frock which cost around 2200, which was not at all in my budget. But then I also had a solution, since I am a shopaholic, I have some tricks and tips for you as well. So let me go through it. So I found out the product brand, so it was from Fabeli. So what happened now, I went to the app store of lifestyle and found the same exact replica of the product and it was cost around 1100 with a 50% discount. That's when I came to find out that it was a product from Fabeli. So then I again went to check in with the Fabeli online website. So there the price was around 880, but did I stop there? No. So I also checked with Nykaa app store and also Myntra app store, the price was 880. But then I need my size. So when I checked with sizes, Myntra and Fabeli didn't have my size. Luckily, Myntra had my size. So I went for Myntra. So it was my solution as well. But it does not apply on all cases. Sometimes these app stores will have more prices as well as the original website or in-store will have less prices. So it depends totally upon the situation of the availability and the cost of the price. I feel this tip was useful to you as well to face or overcome.

    Band 6

    The problems I had while shopping online or in a store is a topic of my today's to-go, right? So, as a problems I had while shopping online is the mostly the online shoppings are not intelligent. It is like a winter shopping, right? So, sometimes we can't tell the exact size of that shirt. So, through this we can book and we can buy this. We can purchase this shirt. In case if I brought the shirt from online shopping then later when I receive this product so that time the shirt might be in a different color. So, the problem is that there are so many chances of fraud. In 2018, I brought one power bank and watches. They are showing in Instagram advertisement. They are showing that it's only just for rupees 1000, I mean 999, right? So, at that time I feel like it's quite cheap and it's worth to this money. So, I brought this one. Later I got to know that it's about fake, yeah. So, at that time I feel like that online shopping is a cause of problems. There are so many chances of facing fraud and issues of not working, right? When we go to the shops, at that time we can check and we can purchase, right? So, the problem to the shopping online is mostly the big or the sizes are not expected as we are in.

    Band 6

    So, a problem I had while shopping online was very recent. I guess some 2 months ago, I was searching for new bracelets for birthday gifts as my cousin had a birthday party coming very short. So basically, I was searching it on some online browsers on Amazon website and eventually I got the bracelet actually and it was really looking pretty and then I was placing the order. Now, the problem I had with the website was, at that time the website actually was getting updated and I didn't really realize that when I was actually buying, when I was actually trying to hit the go to cart button, that time the website was updated recently, very recently it was updated at that time, at that moment. So basically, all my cart which was saved before, the bracelet which was there in my cart was actually having an updated price. So the problem here was, I was trying to buy it with my new price, like I was trying to buy it with the old price but actually I didn't hit the refresh button. So what happened is, some of the things which I wanted to buy were removed from my cart, only the bracelet came.

    Band 5-6

    I had a problem while shopping online, was the size problem which I had while I was shopping online. I have bought it, paid for it and after I received the package I found out that it was not a good cloth where I want to return it and I was about to go somewhere wearing that and had a problem and then have to wait and have had to return it while I think shopping in store also has problem but that could be solved within an hour because you can go back onto the store and can return it and buy something other than that like or you can exchange the thing that you buy while shopping online takes a process where you have to put your booked item and then place a replacement and have to wait like for a week to get back your order.

    Band 5-6

    Last weekend I went out on shopping with my fiancee for her jewelry we went to a lot of stores with the good brand names such as Malibar, Corona Jewelers or Mahes and as we are going to get married in upcoming November so we thought to buy our traditional outlets such as Mangalsutra or engagement ring and we went to shop and she liked one of the ring and we started processing for that amount that was of about 2 lakh I decided to pay that money half in cash and half through UPI but instantly my mobile data went out of amount so I was on my nerves and I asked my fiance to recharge my phone so that I couldn't complete my payment on the spot she helped me regarding that and we bought that ring and it was quite fun on that day because I never delayed any kind of payment in my entire life
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