Why do people buy things they do not really need?
A strong Part 3 answer takes a position in the first clause, supports it with one reason and one concrete case, and then names where it stops being true. Around a minute.
The question, as the examiner gives it
Why do people buy things they do not really need?
no preparation, about 1 minute to speak
A band 7 to 8 answer
About 128 words at a natural pace — roughly what 60 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.Because buying something is a very quick way of changing how you feel, and almost nothing else available on a Tuesday evening works that fast. It is not really about the object. It is about the ten minutes of anticipation, which is why the pleasure so often collapses on delivery. There is also identity involved. A great deal of what people buy is a statement about the person they intend to be, the running shoes for the running they will start, and I have a cupboard that argues this convincingly. And I would not ignore how much effort goes into engineering the impulse. Removing every obstacle between wanting and owning is a solved problem now, and expecting individuals to out-think that on willpower alone seems a little unfair.
The words that earn marks
Each one links to how it is pronounced.
- anticipation
five syllables with the stress on the fourth
- collapses
vivid verb for a feeling disappearing
- identity
four syllables with the stress on the second
- convincingly
four syllables with a clean ng in the middle
- engineering
four syllables with the stress on the third
- impulse
the precise noun, stressed on the first syllable
- willpower
compound noun naming what is being tested
How a strong answer is built
- 1Give the emotional mechanism first.
- 2Explain why the feeling does not last.
- 3Add identity as a second cause, with an example.
- 4Shift some responsibility to the system and defend it.
Sounds to watch
The ones this answer leans on most.
Straight answers
How long should my answer to “Why do people buy things they do not really need?” be?
About 60 seconds. Long enough for the answer plus a reason or an example, short enough that the examiner can get through the rest of the set.
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
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