IELTS Speaking Questions: Shopping and Money
Shopping and money questions in the Speaking test usually start in Part 1 with your own habits: what you buy, where, and with whom. These are personal and present-focused, so the examiner is listening for a direct answer plus one added detail, not a general essay about consumer culture.
Part 3 turns the same subject abstract, asking about spending trends, advertising, and how buying habits differ across generations or might change in future. Prepare two or three real details from your own shopping habits, plus one clear opinion on a related trend, rather than trying to memorise a full answer for either part.
Part 1 questions
Short, personal, present-tense. Answer the question directly first, then add the one detail the tip suggests — the extension is what separates a one-line answer from a Band 7 one.
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Do you enjoy shopping?
How to extend itSay yes or no, then add why in one clause.
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How often do you go shopping?
How to extend itGive a rough frequency, then name what you usually buy.
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What kind of things do you usually buy?
How to extend itName a category, then a recent specific example.
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Do you prefer shopping online or in physical shops?
How to extend itPick one, then give one practical reason.
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Who do you usually go shopping with?
How to extend itName a person, then say why you shop together.
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What kind of shops do you like visiting?
How to extend itName a shop type, then say what draws you there.
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Do you use cash or cards when you pay?
How to extend itState your habit, then explain why it is convenient.
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Did you enjoy shopping when you were a child?
How to extend itContrast then with now in one extra sentence.
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Do you save money for anything in particular?
How to extend itName a goal, then how long you have been saving.
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What was the last thing you bought?
How to extend itName the item, then say why you needed it.
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Do you like buying gifts for other people?
How to extend itSay yes or no, then describe your gift-buying style.
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Is shopping relaxing or stressful for you?
How to extend itPick one, then give a concrete moment that shows it.
Part 3 questions
The same topic, pitched at the abstract level the examiner moves to after your cue card. These want reasoning — a position, a cause, an example, a concession — not a description of your own life.
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How has online shopping changed the way people buy things?
How to structure itState the main change, then one concrete effect.
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Do people spend more money now than in the past?
How to structure itGive a view, then one likely cause.
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Should companies be allowed to advertise freely to children?
How to structure itTake a position, then concede one counterpoint.
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What are the advantages and disadvantages of paying by card rather than cash?
How to structure itCover both sides, then say which matters more.
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How might shopping habits change over the next twenty years?
How to structure itPredict a trend, then explain what is driving it.
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Does advertising influence people more than they realise?
How to structure itTake a side, then support it with a plausible example.
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Is it healthy for a society to place a high value on owning things?
How to structure itGive a stance, then weigh one benefit against one cost.
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Do older and younger generations save money differently?
How to structure itCompare the two groups, then suggest a reason for the gap.
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Should schools teach children how to manage money?
How to structure itState a position, then one reason schools are well placed for it.
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What effect does easy access to credit have on how people spend?
How to structure itName an effect, then a likely consequence for households.
Say the answers out loud, then sit the whole test
Reading a question and answering it are different skills. Work through the list above aloud, then put the topic inside a full timed test where you cannot stop to think.
- Describe a gift you received that was special to you Part 2 cue card, with the one-minute prep timer
- Describe something you own that you want to replace Part 2 cue card, with the one-minute prep timer
- Money and shopping vocabulary 30 band-graded phrases and a self-test
Part 1, a cue card, then Part 3 — timed, in your browser, about 13 minutes.
One cue card a day on Telegram
A new Part 2 card every morning, a vocabulary topic on Sundays.
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