Speaking Part 2 (Cue Card)
Question :
Describe a time you bought something from a street or outdoor market.
You should say:
when it was?
Where the market was?
What did you buy?
and explain how you felt about it.
A Modal answer with band 7+
Well! I love shopping, usually, I go to shopping malls to buy groceries and clothing. However, last month I have been to the city centre to meet some of my friends. Once we gathered together, we had a plan to buy new costumes for coming Halloween. Some friends suggested visiting a shopping mall, but one of my friends encouraged us to visit the nearby street market.
The market was within 10 minutes walking distance from the place where we met. It was very close to Times Square on Winston avenue. Though it was nearest, we grab 2 taxies to accommodate of all us, so that we could reach quickly. The street market is big enough to spend the whole day there. You could say it is expanded in two-kilometre length.
There are various shops available, such as electronics, clothing, home appliances, toys and many more. It took us around an hour to find the fancy costume shops. As per the plan, I bought a Dracula Halloween costume. Initially, they said it cost 150 US dollars, but I am an expert at bargaining and finally bought it for 90 US dollars. In this deal, I also got some free accessories gifts.
I felt surprised that on the street market we could get quality clothing at a reduced price. I was fully satisfied with what I purchase from the street market. I share about this street market with many of my other friends and family, and they are looking forward to shopping from there. I would also like to visit there again next week.
Speaking Part 3 Discussion
What kind of markets are there in your country?
Well in my country, there are many kinds of markets. The first and most famous is a shopping mall, we can find there many branded shops, cinemas and activities for kids. There is also a wet market you can find a variety of fish, mutton and poultry items. Another is the night market, I love being here you can find branded items here with up to 90 per cent discount price, we also called it a black market. The street market is another kind where the chain of shops are situated along the roadside and going here bargaining tricks are very important. What's more, yeah you can also find Hawkers in some streets.
Do you think small markets will disappear in the future?
Yeah of course, in fact, this change we can see nowadays also. As compared to a few years before, now many small markets have closed temporarily. I had read a business insider article, almost 40 per cent of small markets have shut their business in the last ten years. From these facts, in my prediction, we could not see any small business in the next 20 years. Either they will upgrade to themselves or close it.
Have people's shopping habits changed in recent years?
Well, certainly yes. These days people are choosing online purchases rather than physically visiting shops. There are many e-commerce websites available that are user-friendly, comparison tools and many other useful functionalities. These customer retaining functions attracts more users and change their habit of shopping. To tell the truth, I also have changed my tendency from physical shops to online shopping.
What are the differences between shopping in street markets and big shopping malls?
There are several reasons between shopping in street markets and big shopping malls. First, the cost of items buying in malls is very high as compared to street markets. People shell out in the big malls. Second, in big malls, we can find various shops under one roof, which is not something on the street market. Another difference is the chain shops, any shopping malls you go to, you will find similar shops and similar items; but for small market shops, you will not find their franchises anywhere.