Describe an item of clothing you like.
A strong long turn names the subject in the first sentence, spends most of the two minutes on the last bullet — the why — and arrives at a prepared final line rather than trailing off.
The question, as the examiner gives it
Describe an item of clothing you like.
You should say
- what it is
- where you got it
- when you wear it
- and explain why you like it
60 seconds to prepare, up to 2 minutes to speak
A band 7 to 8 answer
About 196 words at a natural pace — roughly what 120 seconds holds.
Answer it yourself first
Record your own answer first. A model you have read three times comes out with a flattened rhythm, and examiners are trained to hear exactly that. Read it afterwards for the vocabulary and the shape, not to memorise the sentences.The thing I would describe is a dark green jacket that belonged to my father in the nineteen eighties and which I have been wearing for about six years. It is heavy cotton, slightly too big across the shoulders, with four outside pockets and a lining that was replaced at some point by somebody who did not match the colour. I found it in a suitcase in my parents' house when we were clearing out a room, and my mother was baffled that I wanted it. I wear it most of the winter, which here is about ten weeks, and on any evening that turns cold. Why I like it is a combination of things. It is genuinely well made in a way that new clothes at that price are not, the pockets are big enough for a book, and it has reached the stage where it looks better worn than clean. And there is the obvious reason, which is that my father wore it at roughly the age I am now. One of the pockets has a hole in it that I keep meaning to have repaired, and I am fairly sure I never will.
The words that earn marks
Each one links to how it is pronounced.
- lining
the precise noun for the inside of a jacket
- shoulders
concrete garment noun with a silent l sound pattern
- suitcase
compound noun placing the discovery
- baffled
vivid adjective for total incomprehension
- pockets
concrete detail that earns its place
- combination
four syllables with the stress on the third
- roughly
adverb with a gh pronounced as f
How a strong answer is built
- 1Name the item and its history in one sentence.
- 2Describe it physically with three details.
- 3Say when you wear it.
- 4Give several reasons, saving the emotional one for last.
Sounds to watch
The ones this answer leans on most.
Straight answers
How long should my answer to “Describe an item of clothing you like.” be?
You get 60 seconds to make notes and then speak for up to two minutes without interruption. Aim to still be talking at ninety seconds: finishing at forty is the commonest way to lose marks on this part.
Should I memorise the model answer?
No. Record your own version first, then read the model for the shape and the vocabulary. A memorised answer changes rhythm and pace noticeably, and examiners are trained to hear it — it usually costs more than the better wording gains.
Does sayit score this answer?
It scores what a microphone can observe: an estimate from fluency and pronunciation only — not an official band, and not a mark for vocabulary or grammar.
What the band on your result means
An estimate from fluency and pronunciation only — not an official band, and not a mark for vocabulary or grammar.One question a day until your test
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