Describe a time you received good service in a shop.
This test has appeared in 9 seasons · 5 reported by test takers
- Sep–Dec/2026
- May–Aug/2026
- Jan–Apr/2026
- Sep–Dec/2025
- May–Aug/2025
- Jan–Apr/2025
- Sep–Dec/2024
- May–Aug/2022
- Jan–Apr/2022
Reported by test takers Forecast only
Part 1
The examiner asks about you and two familiar topics. About 4–5 minutes.
Your home town
- Where is your home town? (Tell me more about that.)
- What do you like most about it? (Tell me more about that.)
- Has it changed much since you were a child? (Why is that?)
- Would you like to live there in the future? (Why is that?)
Stars and outer space
- Do you like looking at the stars? (Why is that?)
- Is it easy to see the stars where you live? (Why is that?)
- Did you learn about space at school? (Why is that?)
- Would you like to travel into space one day? (Why is that?)
Headphones
- Do you use headphones a lot? (Why is that?)
- What do you usually listen to with them? (Tell me more about that.)
- Do you prefer big headphones or small earphones? (Why is that?)
- Do you think using headphones too much is bad for people? (Why is that?)
Part 2
One minute to prepare, then speak for one to two minutes.
Describe a time you received good service in a shop.
You should say:
- what the shop was
- what you bought
- what the staff did
and explain why you think the service was good.
Follow-up question after your talk: Have you been back to that shop since then? / Did you tell anyone about that experience?
Part 3
A broader, more abstract discussion of the Part 2 topic. About 4–5 minutes.
service in shops
- Can you explain why customers remember bad service longer than good service?
- In general, what do customers expect from the staff in a shop?
- How would you compare service in small local shops with service in large stores?
shopping and technology
- Can you explain why many people now buy things online instead of in shops?
- What could be done about shops that customers no longer visit in person?
- Can you speculate on how shopping in towns will change over the next ten years?
Test titles follow test-taker reports and each season's forecasts — IELTS does not publish its papers. "Reported" means someone reported meeting this topic in a dated test. The questions are written by us in the format of the real test.