IELTS Speaking Part 1

Coupons: questions and Band 8 answers

The examiner asks three to five short questions on two or three everyday topics in the first four to five minutes. Here are 5 questions about coupons written by BandLadder in the examiner's style, each with a Band 8 sample answer. Aim for two or three sentences each: answer, reason, one detail.
  • 5 questions
  • 5 Band 8 answers
  • 4 to 5 minutes

5 answers

Sample answers

1

Do you often use coupons or vouchers when you shop?

Yes, quite frequently, especially when I buy groceries online. If there is a discount code available, I will definitely hunt around for it. Just last week, I managed to knock ten pounds off my weekly food shop with a promotional code I received by email.

2

Where do you usually find coupons?

Mostly on mobile apps or in newsletters from my favourite clothing retailers. Occasionally, I still get paper flyers through the letterbox with discounts for local takeaway restaurants, which comes in handy if I fancy a pizza on a Friday evening.

3

What kind of things do you usually buy with discounts?

Usually everyday essentials like toiletries and cleaning supplies in the supermarket, or sometimes higher-ticket items like electronics. To be honest, I rarely buy a new gadget unless I have a voucher code to soften the blow to my bank balance.

4

Did your family use coupons when you were a child?

Not really, no. My parents were not the type to clip coupons out of newspapers or magazines. They thought it was too much hassle, so we usually just bought items that were on standard special offer on the supermarket shelves instead.

5

Do you think more people will use digital vouchers in the future?

I reckon so, definitely. Almost everyone does their shopping on a smartphone these days, and digital loyalty schemes make it effortless to apply discounts automatically at the checkout, so traditional paper vouchers will probably become obsolete quite soon.

Details are invented. Use the shape, not the sentences: examiners mark memorised answers down.

Answer out loud and get a band

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8 words

Useful vocabulary

  • knock [money] off

    reduce the price of something by a specific amount

  • comes in handy

    proves useful in a particular situation

  • everyday essentials

    basic items needed for daily living

  • soften the blow

    make a high cost or difficult situation easier to bear

  • clip coupons

    cut paper discount vouchers out of a publication

  • too much hassle

    involving more effort or trouble than it is worth

  • loyalty schemes

    rewards programmes offered by shops to regular customers

  • obsolete

    no longer used because something newer exists

  • →Use natural synonyms like discount codes, promotional offers, and vouchers to avoid repeating the question.
  • →Include a quick, realistic example of a recent purchase to demonstrate everyday spending vocabulary naturally.
  • →Keep answers conversational by using natural spoken fillers like to be honest and I reckon.

Keep practising

More Part 1 topics

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