Describe a shopping mall you like
IELTS Speaking Part 2 cue card with a full sample answer, a Band 9 model of the two-minute long turn.
The cue card
Describe a shopping mall you like
You should say:
- where it is
- how often you go there
- what you do there
- and explain why you like it
Sample answer
I'd like to describe a shopping mall that I really like — a large, modern shopping centre located in the heart of my city.
The mall is situated right in the centre of the city, making it very convenient and easy to reach by public transport. It's one of the biggest and most popular malls in the area, spread across several floors and housing hundreds of shops, restaurants and entertainment facilities.
As for how often I go there, I'd say I visit roughly once or twice a month. It's not somewhere I go every week, but it's my go-to destination whenever I need to do some serious shopping or simply fancy a pleasant day out, especially at the weekends.
There's a huge amount to do there, so I do a variety of things during my visits. Naturally, I browse the many clothing and electronics shops and pick up anything I need. However, the mall is about far more than just shopping. It has a fantastic food court and numerous restaurants where I love to grab a meal with friends, as well as a large cinema, where I often go to watch the latest films. There are even entertainment areas with games, so it's a great place to spend several hours.
There are several reasons why I like this particular mall so much. Firstly, I appreciate the sheer convenience of having everything under one roof, which means I can shop, eat and be entertained all in one place, regardless of the weather outside. Secondly, it has a lovely, modern atmosphere, with clean, spacious interiors and a lively but comfortable environment. Most of all, though, I enjoy it as a social space — it's the perfect place to meet up with friends and spend quality time together.
In short, this mall offers the ideal combination of shopping, dining and entertainment, which is exactly why it remains one of my favourite places to visit in the city.
324 words — roughly 2–3 minutes at a natural speaking pace.
Reading a model answer is not the same as saying one. The sample above shows what a strong Part 2 answer sounds like. What it cannot tell you is how yours sounds — whether you hesitate, repeat the question back, or run out of things to say at forty seconds.
You can record an answer to this exact question and get it marked on fluency and coherence, lexical resource, grammatical range and pronunciation — the same four criteria the examiner uses.
Common questions
How long should I speak for in Part 2?
Between one and two minutes. The examiner stops you at two, so aim to still be talking at the ninety-second mark rather than finishing early — running out at forty seconds is the most common problem in this part.
What do I do with the one minute of preparation time?
You get one minute and a pencil and paper. Most candidates waste it writing full sentences they then read aloud, which sounds flat. Note a few keywords against each bullet instead, so you have four things to say and can speak naturally from them.
Do I have to cover all four bullet points?
They are prompts, not a checklist, and you are not penalised for skipping one. In practice they are the easiest way to fill two minutes, so covering them is usually the simplest way to keep going.
Does it matter if the story is not true?
No. You are assessed on your English, not on whether the events happened. Inventing detail is fine and often easier than recalling a real memory under pressure.
Model answers written and reviewed by The English All-in-One IELTS team. They are teaching models showing what each band looks like, not real candidate scripts.