IELTS Speaking Part 2 & 3 Sample – Topic: Something Special You Saved Money to Buy

IELTS Speaking Part 2

Describe something special that you saved money to buy
You should say:
• What was this thing.
• Why was it special to you.
• How much did it cost you.
• How you felt after you bought it.

Band 8 Sample:

I am going to talk about a clock necklace that I gave my best friend, Julie. It was at the end of grade 10 that she left me to continue her study abroad. For fear that I would be forgotten someday, I tried to think of a farewell gift that could make her think of me every time she saw it. It was not an easy task to find the right present; maybe it was because I was being too picky. She was more than a friend to me, she’s more like my sister, or my soul mate. I didn’t want to give her something meaningful but useless, or something useful but emotionally empty. I wanted something that was special, something that would
make her say “wow” when she received it. I wandered from shop to shop to look for something, but I didn’t know what.

One day, I came across something reminding me of her right away – a vintage necklace with a clock pendant. It perfectly suited her style, so she could wear it with any of her clothes. What I liked about the clock was that it was custom-made, I could design the number and write a message on it too. The thing is, when giving her the necklace, I set the clock to the local time, so whenever she needed to tell the time she would feel annoyed because of the difference in time zones, and I hoped that she would think of me right at the moment. The price wasn’t expensive at all, about $20, but to a high school student like me at that time it was a fortune. I had to skip breakfast for an entire month to purchase it, but it was totally worth it. She had no clue about how I bought it but she liked it anyway. I felt exhilarated when I could buy my bestie something beautiful that she deserved, and I hoped that this chain would tie us forever.

Vocabulary highlights:
• Picky: being careful in making the right choice; discerning.
• Suit one’s style: matches a persons character or personal appearence.
• Custom-made: made to fit a particular person.
• It was a fortune: it cost a lot; was expensive.

IELTS Speaking Part 3

 Do young people in your country like to save money?
Well, to be honest, I don’t have much information about this. However, I guess that they do since saving money has always been a part of our tradition.

 Why do some people like to save money?
In my opinion, I believe that there are 2 main reasons to save money. Firstly, some people would like to accumulate a large amount of money for some big decisions like buying a new house or investing in the financial markets with the aim of making profits. Secondly, others may just simply save for a rainy day since they would have the fear that something bad may accidentally happen to them, like being sick or getting involved in an accident, for example.

 What is the best way of saving money?
Well, in the past, people used to have a traditional method of saving money, which was putting all their money into a large safe or chest. However, this can’t be applied in the modern world anymore. Personally, I believe that the easiest and most convenient way of saving money would be opening a “savings account” at a local bank.

 What are the consequences of not saving money?
I think that there would be 2 main consequences of this. First, when people suddenly encounter some accidents in their life, which makes them lose the ability to earn money, not having any kind of savings may be a great burden upon the shoulders of their relatives. Secondly, people grow old. That’s nature. One day, all of us will be too old and weak to be able to work hard and make money. Therefore, not saving when we are still young would cause us to be financially dependent on our children in the future.

 Do you agree with the idea that the more you save, the better life will be?
To me, this idea is only true to some extent. We all agree that saving is good, but focusing too much on saving is actually not good. I know a lot of people who refuse to take part in any kind of party or even just coffee gathering since they want to save more money for their future. And the consequence is that their lives are extremely boring since they always worry about saving. In my view, it is necessary for us to save money but also need to spend some to enjoy our life.