Part 2 cue cardShopping and consumerism

Describe a shop you like to go to

Most answers say what the shop sells and stop. The marks are in why you like it, and the strongest reasons are about what happens there and who runs it, not the prices or the products.

1 minute to prepare
Up to 2 minutes
Samples at Band 6, 7 and 8
Updated 20 October 2026

Describe a shop you like to go to.

You should say:

what the shop sells
where it is
how often you go there
and explain why you like it

Rehearse the long turn

1 minute to prepare · 2 minutes to speak

Sit this card with the AI examinerThen the Part 3 discussion, and a full report

A 60-second plan

what the shop sellssecond-hand film cameras, film, developing
where it isunder railway arches, near my station
how often you go thereevery three weeks: drop off, collect
and explain why you like itKuroda-san: patient, lent me a camera

Sample answers

227 words · about 1:58 spoken at a Band 6 pace

The shop I like is a second-hand camera shop in Osaka. It sells old cameras which use film, not digital, and also lenses and films. They can develop the films too, and nowadays not many shop do this.

The shop is under the railway, near the station which is close to my apartment. It is very small and when the train is passing, everything is shaking. Also the sign is very old, so many people walk past and don't notice it.

I go there one time every three weeks, more or less. I bring my film for developing, and then the next week I go again to take my photos. I always stay there long time because I like to look at all the cameras.

I like this shop mostly because of the owner. His name is Mr Kuroda and he is maybe seventy years old. He is very kind and he explains everything very patient, even when I ask stupid questions. He never pushes me to buy anything. The first time I went, I couldn't choose between two cameras, so he gave me one camera to try for one week, and he didn't ask my phone number. I was very surprised. There is also a board in the shop where customers put their photos, and one time he put my photo there. I was so proud.

The mistakes that keep it at Band 6

not many shop do this should be not many shops do this
when the train is passing, everything is shaking should be when a train passes, everything shakes
one time every three weeks should be once every three weeks
to take my photos should be to collect my photos
stay there long time should be stay there for a long time
explains everything very patient should be explains everything very patiently
didn't ask my phone number should be didn't ask for my phone number

Why this is Band 6, not Band 7

Fluency and coherence: Willing to talk and answers all four bullets in order, with a story to support the last one. Not Band 7 because sentences are mostly short and joined with "and" or "so", and points such as "I was so proud" are stated without being developed.
Vocabulary: Enough to describe the shop ("second-hand", "lenses", "develop the films"), but some choices are inaccurate: "take my photos" means photograph rather than collect, and "one time every three weeks" avoids the simpler word. Band 7 needs more precise and less common words.
Grammar: A mix of simple and complex structures, with frequent errors: a plural in "not many shop do this", continuous forms for a repeated event in "when the train is passing, everything is shaking", and an adjective for an adverb in "very patient". Two or three errors every eighty words is Band 6.

Pronunciation is the fourth criterion; it is judged from your voice, so a written sample cannot show it.

259 words · about 2:00 spoken at a Band 7 pace

I'm going to talk about a small second-hand camera shop in Osaka, which I've been going to for about two years. It mainly sells old film cameras, the kind people used before smartphones, and also lenses and film. They also develop your photos for you, which is quite unusual these days.

It's located under the railway line, close to my nearest station, so it's quite noisy, and the building shakes a little every time a train passes. It's very easy to miss, because the sign above the door is really old and faded.

I go there roughly once every three weeks. Usually I take in a roll of film to be developed, and then I come back the next week to collect the prints. Honestly, I always stay longer than I plan to, because there's always something interesting to look at.

The main reason I like it is the owner, Mr Kuroda, who's probably in his seventies. He knows an incredible amount about cameras, and he's always willing to explain things for beginners like me. What I really appreciate is that he never pressures you to buy anything. The first time I went in, I couldn't make up my mind between two cameras, so he let me borrow one for a week to see if I liked it. I couldn't believe he trusted a complete stranger like that. There's also a board on the wall where customers can put up their photos, and when he put up one of mine, I felt really proud. It's a very friendly place.

The slips

explain things for beginners should be explain things to beginners

Why this is Band 7, not Band 8

Fluency and coherence: Speaks at length without effort and moves clearly through the bullets ("Honestly", "The main reason I like it", "What I really appreciate is"). Not Band 8 because the answer ends on a flat summary ("It's a very friendly place") instead of a point that pulls the story together.
Vocabulary: Some less common, natural items ("make up my mind", "a complete stranger", "an incredible amount", "pressures you to buy"). Band 8 would describe the place more vividly than "quite noisy" and "really old and faded".
Grammar: Frequent error-free complex sentences: a cleft ("What I really appreciate is that"), a passive infinitive ("to be developed"), relative clauses. One slip, "explain things for beginners", where the verb needs to.

Pronunciation is the fourth criterion; it is judged from your voice, so a written sample cannot show it.

274 words · about 1:53 spoken at a Band 8 pace

The shop I'd like to talk about is a tiny second-hand camera shop in Osaka that I've become slightly obsessed with over the past couple of years. It sells old film cameras, mostly from the seventies and eighties, along with lenses and rolls of film, and it still develops film on the premises, which is increasingly rare.

It's tucked away under the railway arches near my local station, so every few minutes the whole place shakes as a train goes over. Unless you know exactly where to look, you'd never find it, because the sign has faded so badly that it's almost unreadable.

I go roughly every three weeks, which is about how long it takes me to finish a roll of film. I drop it off on a Saturday morning and pick up the prints the following week, and I nearly always end up staying half an hour longer than I meant to.

As for why I like it, it's almost entirely down to the owner, Mr Kuroda, who must be in his seventies. He's endlessly patient with beginners, he'll happily spend twenty minutes explaining why a photo came out blurry, and he never tries to talk you into buying anything. When I first went in, I couldn't decide between two cameras, so he lent me one for a week to try out, without even asking for my phone number. I've since bought three cameras from him. There's also a wall where customers pin up their best prints, and seeing one of mine up there for the first time was ridiculously satisfying. It feels less like a shop and more like a club.

Why this is Band 8, not Band 9

Fluency and coherence: Fluent and coherent, with each bullet answered through detail rather than statement, and an ending that sums up the whole answer ("less like a shop and more like a club"). Short of Band 9 only because "As for why I like it" is a standard signpost.
Vocabulary: Wide, precise and idiomatic: "tucked away under the railway arches", "on the premises", "talk you into buying anything", "ridiculously satisfying". Band 9 would sustain that precision in the plainer middle paragraph.
Grammar: A wide range used accurately: a hypothetical ("you'd never find it"), a modal of deduction ("must be in his seventies"), "so badly that" for a result, a present perfect with since. No errors; the gap to Band 9 is the occasional safe structure.

Pronunciation is the fourth criterion; it is judged from your voice, so a written sample cannot show it.

Rounding-off questions

Do people prefer shopping online or in person?: For everyday things, most people I know shop online because it's quicker. But for anything you need to touch or try, or where advice matters, like a camera, people still prefer a real shop with a real person in it.
How have shops changed in recent years?: A lot of small independent shops have closed, and the ones that survive tend to offer an experience, like expert advice or a café corner. The big chains, meanwhile, have mostly replaced cashiers with self-service machines.