Describe something you bought recently that you are happy with

The cue card

Describe something you bought recently that you are happy with. You should say:

• what you bought
• where you bought it
• why you bought it
• and explain why you are happy with it

You have 1 minute to prepare and should speak for 1 to 2 minutes.

🎙 Practise this card with the examiner

Notes you could make in 1 minute

Write key words only, one line per bullet point:

• a good office chair
• online, on sale
• back pain, working from home
• comfortable, no pain

Band 7+ sample answer

Something I bought recently that I'm really happy with is a proper office chair. It's not a very exciting purchase, but it's probably made more difference to my life than anything else I've bought this year.

I bought it online from a furniture store's website about three months ago. I spent a long time shopping around and reading reviews first, and in the end I waited until it was on sale, which saved me about a hundred dollars.

The reason I bought it is that I work from home three days a week, and for the first year I was just using a cheap kitchen chair at my desk. After a few months I started getting a sore lower back and neck, and by the end of the day I was often really uncomfortable. A physiotherapist told me that my posture was a big part of the problem and suggested I invest in a chair that could be properly adjusted.

I'm happy with it for several reasons. It's fully adjustable, so I can set the height, the armrests and the back support exactly how I need them. Since I started using it, my back pain has almost disappeared, and I find it much easier to concentrate for long periods. It was more expensive than anything I'd normally spend on furniture, but considering I sit in it for seven or eight hours a day, I think it was a very worthwhile investment, and I have no regrets at all.

🔊 Listen to the sample answer

About 248 words, or roughly 2 minutes at a natural speaking pace.

Useful vocabulary for this topic

• a worthwhile investment
• to shop around
• good value for money
• it was on special
• to make a difference to
• I have no regrets

Why this answer works: it covers every bullet point, tells a short story with specific details (names, places, numbers), uses a range of tenses, and finishes with the "explain" point, which is where you show your best vocabulary.

Follow-up and Part 3 questions

Examiner's follow-up (Part 2): Was it expensive?

Part 3 discussion questions:

• Do people buy too many things they don't need?
• Is online shopping better than shopping in stores?
• How do advertisements influence what people buy?
• Should products be designed to last longer?

Answer Part 3 questions in 3–4 sentences: your view, a reason, an example, and the other side.

More cue cards

• Describe a news story you found interesting
• Describe a website or app you use often
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