Describe something you bought recently.
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 something you bought recently.
You should say
- what you bought
- where you bought it
- why you chose it
- and explain how you feel about the purchase
60 seconds to prepare, up to 2 minutes to speak
A band 7 to 8 answer
About 200 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.About two months ago I bought a pair of walking boots, which is the most I have ever spent on footwear and I had to talk myself into it over about three weeks. I bought them from a small shop in the old part of town rather than online, specifically because I wanted to try them on with the socks I would actually wear, which is advice my uncle gave me and which turned out to matter. The man in the shop spent forty minutes on it and sold me a cheaper pair than the ones I had gone in for. I chose them because I had ruined a trip the previous year with entirely unsuitable shoes, and a blister on the second morning of a four-day walk is a lesson you only need once. How I feel about it is unusually good. I have used them perhaps a dozen times already, they have stopped being new, and I suspect they will outlast several pairs of everything else I own. It is the only purchase this year I have not questioned once, and I suspect that is because I bought it to solve a problem rather than to feel better.
The words that earn marks
Each one links to how it is pronounced.
- footwear
compound noun, more precise than shoes
- specifically
adverb that sharpens the reason
- unsuitable
four syllables with the stress on the second
- blister
concrete noun that makes the lesson vivid
- purchase
the question's own noun, with a weak second syllable
- outlast
a compact verb that closes the answer well
- ruined
strong verb, two syllables, clearly stressed
How a strong answer is built
- 1Name the item and signal its significance.
- 2Say where and why you bought it that way.
- 3Give the reason as a story about a past mistake.
- 4Answer how you feel, with evidence.
Sounds to watch
The ones this answer leans on most.
Straight answers
How long should my answer to “Describe something you bought recently.” 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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