Speaking: Shopping and Money Vocabulary Pack

Shopping may appear in different parts of IELTS Speaking, but it is not guaranteed in every test. Possible Part 1 questions include: Do you enjoy shopping? or Do you prefer shopping online or in physical stores? In Part 2 the cue card may be: Describe something you bought recently that made you happy. Part 3 may explore broader issues such as consumer society, the influence of advertising and young people's spending habits.

Basic words such as buy, cheap, expensive are useful. Using expressions such as shop around, on a budget, impulse buy appropriately may help you express ideas more precisely. No single expression earns marks automatically: Speaking is assessed across the whole performance using four criteria. In this material you will practise five core expressions, an extended phrase bank, a Part 2 model answer and Part 3 frames.

Practise the five expressions below for the shopping topic and aim to use them appropriately:

A few important notes: impulse buy can be used both as a noun (make an impulse buy) and as a verb (I impulse-bought a pair of shoes). Second-hand and used can both describe an item previously owned or used by someone else. The choice depends on context; neither is automatically more positive or a scoring advantage. Build a sentence from your own life for each expression: for example, when did you last shop around?

Memorising the expressions separately is not enough — you must use them naturally inside answers. Look at the examples:

1. Do you enjoy shopping? — To be honest, I see shopping as a chore rather than a hobby. I do my research, shop around for the best deal and get out as quickly as possible.
2. Are you careful with money? — Fairly careful, yes. I set a monthly budget and try to stick to it, although I will admit I occasionally make an impulse buy when there is a sale.
3. Do you prefer new or second-hand items? — It depends on the item. Furniture and books are great second-hand, but I would never buy electronics used because you do not get a warranty.

Here are three examples of using expressions in context: in the first answer the comparison a chore rather than a hobby enriches the opinion; in the second the collocation stick to it is a classic link with the budget topic; in the third the It depends on... structure helps introduce an opinion that varies with the circumstances. These are personal model responses, not universal buying rules. Practise the answers aloud, then adapt the details to your own life and the specific question. This may help you recall expressions; do not memorise a ready-made script.