Describe a shop or store that you often go to

Hey everyone, welcome back. I’m Archer, and today we’re practising a super common cue card.

Describe a shop or store that you often go to.

You should say:
– what shop it is
– where it is
– what it sells
– and explain why you like it.

We’re going to hear two model responses — one from Joseph, and one from Blondie. After each response, I’ll go over the answer and highlight some vocabulary you can actually use in your own speaking. Let’s start with Joseph.

There’s this little menswear store I go to quite a lot called “Nine One Seven” It’s close to the subway station near my apartment, so it’s super convenient for me to just pop in after work. It’s not a big chain — it’s like a boutique that curates really clean, minimal, street-casual pieces.

Most of the stuff they sell is everyday clothing: hoodies, cargos, loose-fit tees, and simple jackets in neutral colours. But the reason I like this place is that the quality is consistent and the silhouettes are on trend without being flashy. So I can look put together without looking like I’m trying too hard. They also focus on local emerging designers, so I feel like I’m supporting something more meaningful than fast fashion.

Another reason I keep going is because the staff there actually have taste. They don’t try to upsell you. They give honest styling advice. Sometimes they’ll straight up say “nah, this cut doesn’t suit your proportions, try this instead.” And I appreciate that because it feels like they care about how the outfit actually looks on me, instead of just pushing sales.

I go there maybe once a month, sometimes even when I don’t strictly need anything. Just browsing new drops and seeing how they style outfits on the mannequins helps me upgrade my wardrobe slowly, in a more intentional way. So that store has become my go-to place whenever I want to refresh my look.

Alright, now that we’ve heard Joseph, let’s take a closer look at what he said and some useful language he used.

So basically what Joseph told us is that there’s this menswear boutique called Nine One Seven, right next to the subway near his apartment. And he stops by often because it’s super convenient after work. The shop sells simple everyday streetwear — hoodies, cargos, loose tees, that clean, minimal aesthetic that’s trendy but not loud.

He really enjoys that store because the quality is solid and the clothes make him look stylish without it feeling like he’s trying too hard. And another thing he pointed out is the staff. They actually give real, honest styling advice. They don’t push unnecessary purchases. They literally tell him what suits his proportions and what doesn’t. And that makes the whole experience feel trustworthy.

He goes maybe once a month. Sometimes he doesn’t even buy anything. He just browses new drops, sees how the mannequins are styled, and slowly refines his wardrobe that way.

Now, let’s mine this answer for high-scoring language. Here are a couple key expressions Joseph used that are really nice if YOU want to sound more natural.

When he said “on trend without being flashy” — that’s a super native way of showing balance. Trendy… but in a chill way. If you ever want to show that something is stylish but not loud, that phrase is perfect.

He also said “emerging designers.” That phrase tells the listener that he’s aware of the creative industry behind clothing. It instantly upgrades your vocabulary from just “clothes” to “fashion culture”.

And finally, he used “go-to place.” That’s a short, common, everyday phrase meaning “this is my usual favourite place.” You can use that in any part 2, for any topic — restaurant, gym, café — it always sounds native.

Also, just to make sure nobody feels lost, Joseph used a few fashion words that might not be familiar. Let’s break them down.

When he said “cargos” — that’s just cargo pants, the casual pants with extra side pockets. Super practical and easy to style.

“Tees” — that’s just T-shirts, plain and casual, perfect for everyday wear

“Silhouettes” — that means the overall shape of the clothes when you wear them. It’s about how the outfit looks on your body.

“Mannequins” — those are the models in the store that display clothes, usually plastic, so you can see how the outfit looks together.

And remember, these aren’t complicated concepts — it’s just vocabulary to make your speaking sound more natural and detailed.

Now we’re going to switch to a very different category. Instead of clothes, we’re moving into stationery — pens, notebooks, and a slower, quieter world.

Let’s listen to Blondie.

One shop I frequent is a little independent stationery shop near my office called “Journal House.” It’s on a quiet side street near the city library, so it’s not the kind of place you’d just stumble across — you kind of have to know it exists.

They mainly sell pens, notebooks, planners and art-adjacent accessories. But it’s not like a generic chain stationery store — everything there is beautifully curated. Most of their notebooks are Japanese or Korean brands, the kind with that super smooth paper that even fountain pens don’t bleed through. They also sell a lot of limited-edition gel pens and brush markers, so every time I go in, there’s always something new to look at.

I like this shop for two main reasons. First, it genuinely sparks joy. Buying nice stationery feels like a tiny life upgrade — it makes you want to write more, journal more, and generally be more intentional. Second, the owner is extremely knowledgeable and she gives personalised recommendations. For example, when I started testing out fountain pens, she actually let me try different nibs on sample paper so I wouldn’t waste money.

So I go there about once every two weeks. Even if I don’t actually buy anything, just browsing and touching the paper is oddly relaxing. I know that sounds weird, but it almost feels like therapy — and I think that’s why I’ve kept going back for years.

Okay, let’s go over Blondie’s response, and highlight some key vocabulary you can use in your own speaking

So Blondie’s story is this quiet hidden stationery shop called Journal House. It’s tucked away near the city library. They sell really curated pens, planners, Japanese and Korean notebooks. The paper is super smooth. And for her, going there is not about consumption. It’s about joy. It’s about being intentional. She even said the experience feels therapeutic. And that’s why she keeps returning — not just to buy, but just to exist in that space for a few minutes and enjoy that quality.

 let’s talk about some language Blondie used that you can borrow.

She used the phrase “beautifully curated.” That basically means “carefully selected with taste.” Native speakers use this to talk about boutiques, indie shops, museums, playlists — anything with selective quality.

She also said, “a tiny life upgrade.” That is such a nice conversational phrase. It means: a small thing that makes daily life feel slightly better. If YOU drop a phrase like that in your part 2, it instantly sounds like natural spoken English, not textbook English.

And one more — “almost feels like therapy.” That metaphor is brilliant. When she says that, we don’t think of stationery anymore — we think of how the store makes her feel. And that is exactly why the examiner listens. Because she’s not just labelling objects — she’s describing an inner experience.

Also, let’s unpack a few stationery terms she used, because they might not be words you normally say in IELTS.

“gel pens” — these are pens with thicker, smoother ink. The colour looks stronger and more vibrant than normal ballpoint pens.

“fountain pen” — this is the older, elegant style pen. You fill it with liquid ink, and it writes very smoothly. It’s kind of the luxury version of a pen.

“nib” — that’s the tiny metal tip of the fountain pen that actually touches the paper.

“brush markers” — these are markers where the tip behaves like a paintbrush. You can do calligraphy, hand-lettering, and artistic strokes with them.

and remember “bleed through” — that means the ink soaks through the page to the back side of the paper.

So you’ve now heard two totally different shops — but both answers fulfilled the cue card beautifully. And this is your takeaway: speak about a real place you go to, tell what’s inside, where it is, and then tell the emotional reason behind why you personally go there often. Remember, a strong Part 2 answer tells a story and clearly covers every point on the card

That’s it for today’s episode.
I’m Archer. Thanks for listening, and I’ll see you next time.