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Describe A Time You Bought Something From A Street Market: IELTS Speaking Cue Card

You should say

  • When was it?
  • Where was the market?
  • What did you buy?
  • And how do you feel about it?
Show all 41 answers

Cue 1:When was it?

  • Begin by mentioning the specific time or occasion when you visited the street market.
  • You can include details like the season or a festival that made the visit special.

Example

It was last summer, during the month of June, when I visited a vibrant street market in my city. The weather was warm, and the market was bustling with people, which added to the lively atmosphere.

Cue 2:Where was the market?

  • Describe the location of the market, including any notable landmarks nearby.
  • Mention what makes this market unique or popular among locals.

Example

The market was located in Connaught Place, a well-known area in Delhi. It is famous for its variety of street food and local handicrafts, making it a favorite spot for both locals and tourists.

Cue 3:What did you buy?

  • Specify the item you purchased and why you chose it.
  • You can also describe any interesting interactions you had with the vendor.

Example

I bought a beautiful handwoven scarf made from natural fibers. I was drawn to its vibrant colors and intricate patterns. The vendor was very friendly and shared stories about how the scarves were made, which made my purchase feel even more special.

Cue 4:And how do you feel about it?

  • Express your feelings about the experience and the item you bought.
  • You can mention how this purchase has significance or a memory attached to it.

Example

I felt really happy about my purchase. The scarf not only serves as a lovely accessory but also reminds me of that joyful day spent exploring the market. It brings back memories of the lively atmosphere and the friendly people I met.

Conclusion

    Example

    Overall, visiting the street market was a delightful experience. It allowed me to connect with my culture and support local artisans, making it a memorable day that I cherish.

    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: Lack of Specific Details

    Avoid vague answers that lack specific details about the market, the item purchased, or the experience. This can make your response less engaging and informative.

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    Tip

    Include specific details such as the name of the market, the exact item you bought, and any interesting facts about your experience.

    2: Ignoring Emotional Response

    Failing to express how you felt about the purchase can make your answer seem flat. Emotions add depth to your response and engage the listener.

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    Tip

    Share your feelings about the purchase, such as excitement or satisfaction, to make your answer more relatable and vivid.

    Rushing Through the Answer

    Speaking too quickly can lead to unclear communication and missed opportunities to elaborate on your experience. It may also affect your fluency score.

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    Tip

    Take your time to speak clearly and pause to gather your thoughts, ensuring you cover all the cues in a structured manner.

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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

    so I did buy a keychain from a market in 2018 it was during the konark festival time and that place was in konark which is approximately 20 kilometer away from my home I along with my friends were there to visit the festival and have some good time and I saw a beautifully decorated keychains that were hanging from the ceiling in a shop so my eyes gazed upon that and I also stumbled upon that shop it wasn't intentional and that was in 2014 or 15 something I was quite young so you know teenage adrenaline rush so I decided to have a one and the specialty of that keychain was you could imprint your own name on that and give any shape as for your own wish so I made myself one it was a guitar shaped keychain with my name imprinted on it and at that time I felt so happy and excited because in my mind I was constantly thinking the next day I'll be going to my school and sew it would be sewing it to all my friends and they will be like wow what a keychain and I would be unique among my friends because I have a unique keychain that's it thank you

    Band 6-7

    I recently bought a pair of earrings for my mom in Vadodara street market. I have shopped many jewellery for her because I find them cheaper in Vadodara than in my hometown. And also the quality and the appearance are far more better than what I get in hometown. Why would I not buy if I get something in quality and which is cheap. I really felt happy after trying them out. They look very good and also they are very trendy. Street shopping is like where you find all the trendy items at less price. You can cope up with the trend and also get in less price. You don't have to feel left out that only wearing a big brand can give happiness. No, it's not like that. You can wear anything and be happy.

    Band 6-7

    This one time I bought a cleaning dusting cloth, right, from this hawker on the street and that was a great buy, I think. I still use it. It's a really nice thick fabric piece which is square and the edges are nicely stitched and one side is colored grey and the other side is yellow. It looks fabulous, right. It looks really premium, what they call it, like the microfiber, right. It's made of those microfiber and it really has that ability to trap dust and I use them everywhere, right. I use them everywhere, like when I'm dusting my car, the car interiors, I'm dusting, you know, furniture at home, like some showpieces I'm supposed to clean, I do all of that with this, you know, cleaning cum dusting cloth. It's so soft, you know, it doesn't leave any sort of marking on the items that you wipe it with, wipe with it, so it's very, you know, clean and everything. It also has that, the softness, right, it's so, the softness of a cotton ball. I have never seen that sort of a dusting cloth, it doesn't look like a dusting cloth actually, it's a very premium looking, expensive sort of a cloth that I use for dusting and it was a great buy.

    Band 6-7

    I would like to talk about a time when I bought a churidar from a street market. For the last Christmas celebration, I went to Shivajinagar market, which is in Bangalore, to purchase certain items which I would use for Christmas decoration and also for a party. At first I thought I would wear a saree, but later when I did not get a color code, I switched to buy a churidar. I went into the market and I could feel that there were so many shops and I was not able to select a churidar. But then we had a theme, so I could buy a green color churidar because it was suiting me. After searching so many churidars, I at last found a green color churidar. In fact, in these markets, it is very common to bargain and I bargained. The shopkeeper told it is almost around 5000 because it had got all the tassels, then some glass works, the shawl was with beautiful print, so it is a bit expensive. But still I bargained and I purchased the churidar with half price, almost 2500. Overall, it was splendid, I really could enjoy the market view. There were so many other collections and even I went to the other shops for decorations. They also had the decorations.

    Band 6-7

    I am really a fan of buying things from roadside vendors as it is quite reasonable. Moreover, I have experienced that we will get to, I really do get things which is quite similar what we get from the malls. But in the malls, the tag price really increases as they do include the maintenance charges. And the prices for the same product in the malls really cost a fortune which I am not ready to pay. So, last time when I had been to the street market, I had picked a few pairs of earrings. They were elegant and very beautiful, exquisite, shiny and it is one of the best shopping thing for me as I am very much connected to those types of jewelry. I really do feel like matching each one with the dress. If I am wearing a particular color, I want to buy and have the same color of earrings. I am not very particular with any other thing but I do, I feel like having earrings really adds beauty to the dress. So, the last time I am remembering it was an earring and therefore, I do purchased it from the roadside as it was very cheap, reasonable and affordable as well.

    Band 6-7

    On the eve of the Mela and the Vaisakhi festival at the canal road, I bought something very special. It is actually a hand-woven top, basically I usually do not go to these places because they are very crowdy and very suffocating places but I wanted to go here because I heard from my mother that a variety of things are being sold there so you should go and just have a look if you like anything. So when I reached there, I was just walking with one of the cousins and then I saw this lady selling these hand-woven things, cloths, soft toys, scarves, tops, hankies. So I liked it because the amount of effort it takes is a lot because I know what it means to be a small business owner or an artist. So to support her, not only to support her, I actually liked what she was selling. So it was a two-way thing for me, firstly, I wanted to support her and secondly, I really liked the top. So that's why I just bought that from her and it was not very costly or very cheap, it was reasonable and affordable for me. So that's why I just, in order to honour her work, I just bought it. So yes, I liked it.

    Band 6-7

    It is very quite often, it is very often that I go for street shopping with my friend named Sophia. We would finish our college and there is a market nearby in Malleshwaram, our college is also in Malleshwaram, therefore we prefer shopping, also we prefer roaming around. So one day what happened, I went for my birthday shopping, I saw a very nice dress and it was in the pavement basically, it was not in the actual store, it was in the pavement and there were many vendors like that and then I found a very cute dress which was one piece and then it was not kind of body fit but it was very comfortable and then I bargained with the seller and I did not get the price which I wanted to. I was targeting 500 and the seller told it will not come less than 750, so I compared it with other sellers also but I don't know why it was all the same price, it was all 750 and they did not even lessen one rupee from that and then after a few days when the trend, the dress trend was gone, I went to the street again and I did not go to buy that exact piece, however I got that and then it was comparatively less, it was somewhere around 550 or 600 and I happily bought that because I was so much fond of that dress and I did not give up on it and yeah I found some happiness.

    Band 6-7

    I went to Delhi with my family and my uncle auntie. It was really a good experience for me. We went, to be more accurate, we went in Sarojini market there. As you know it's a well-known street market for cheap and stylish clothing brands and other accessories. I bought some of the things for myself and for my friends like hair accessories, some of the clothes and footwear. It was really a good experience for me as I can as I found lots of things on cheap rates. It really influenced me that how that how many people were, how many shop sellers were sitting over there and having the and having the self confidences on themselves that someone will come to the shop and and take something from them. And there were different, there were queues of shops which indicate that

    Band 6-7

    I would like to talk about a flower pot that I bought 3 years back from the street market. I usually don't buy so many things from the street market but I was just gazing and walking on one fine evening. This flower pot caught my eye. I was not able to take my eye away from it. This was so attractive although it did not have bright colors it had mild tone of floral paintings on it. It is a ceramic material although it is a breakable one and I had pets in my home which can cause to break it easily. I wanted to have it. So I kept my hands on it, bought it back to my home and it's been 3 years now. It is still the same how I have bought it. I have planted button roses on the flower pot which makes it even more beautiful. The button roses grow denser and the denser colorful roses that pops up from the pot makes it more attractive and makes it look even more beautiful. If you would ask me will I buy any other pot the same way, maybe if I find something catchy the same way I had this one, I would definitely buy it. I am not a person who is interested in buying show pieces and having it in my home but this one proved me wrong. I also had some interest on buying some show pieces to put it in my home.

    Band 6-7

    One of the most interesting items that I have picked up from the street is a painting of a girl facing the mountains. It's a painting set in a beautiful backdrop. It uses a variety of colors. Its color palette is more on the softer side. It uses a lot of pink and blue and creates like monotone hues. I found it at a flea market near my house. That was very unexpected. I wasn't expecting to find any paintings there but there was a guy who was selling paintings. He made those paintings and I was very impressed with his art because usually you don't find such creative, beautiful paintings on the street like this and they were very cheap. He was selling them for Rs.200 a piece which is so severely underpriced for a painting of that quality. It was very beautiful and whenever I look at that painting, it brings me a lot of peace and I almost feel like I am that girl looking towards the mountains, looking towards nature. The color palette is very calming and very beautiful. I have that painting in my bedroom now. Whenever I look at it, I just feel a sense of happiness and I also get reminded of that artist who sells these beautiful arts for this really less price which doesn't justify his work.
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