A time when you could not buy an item

IELTS Cue Card/ Candidate Task Card 504 with Model Answer:

Describe a time when you could not buy an item that you needed to buy.

You should say:

• when it was
• what you wanted to buy
• why you could not buy it

and explain how you felt about it.

[You will have to talk about the topic for one to two minutes. You have one minute to think about what you are going to say. You can make some notes to help you if you wish.]

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Model Answer 1:
Well, I think that we all go through such situations where we may need certain things, and yet we can not buy them for whatever reasons that might be. It’s not a great feeling to go through such a situation, but still, we have to deal with it just like I did about a year ago.

It was the Christmas holiday season, and all of my family members and close relatives were busy preparing for the holiday. And as we all know, preparing for the Christmas holiday means buying all kinds of gifts and other stuff for our families and friends. Needless to say, I was no exception as I also wanted to buy something for myself – something which I really needed to protect myself from the bone-chilling cold weather of the winter.

Well, I wanted to buy a nice leather jacket, as you might have already guessed, and I wanted it because it would help me stay warm during the winter season while riding my motorbike. Now, if you are wondering why I needed to wait until the Christmas holiday season to buy my jacket, my answer would be that it is mostly during this holiday season that top-quality jackets and sweaters are found and sold in the markets where I live. In fact, I had even selected and chosen a few nice leather jackets in advance, actually the previous day, before coming to pick one the very next day. But, unfortunately, when I actually arrived at the store the very next day to pay for the jacket, which I had chosen earlier, the manager told me that jacket had already been sold.

Needless to say, after learning that I won’t be able to buy that jacket anymore, I naturally felt a bit frustrated, and even a bit mad at myself because I had failed to anticipate that someone else could also have liked the same jacket and bought it before me. I also felt that I lacked the much-needed urgency in me to acquire something that I needed badly for my own good.

Sample Answer 2:

Three years ago, I could not buy something that I really wanted and needed. I had been saving up for a motorbike for quite some time, as I wanted to have the freedom and independence that it would provide when it comes to commuting to and from my college. However, despite my best efforts and intention, I was unable to purchase the motorbike. For this topic, I'd like to share this experience with you.

I could not buy the motorbike primarily because my parents did not want me to have one at such a young age as motorbike accidents are often fatal. They were concerned about my safety and did not think that I was ready for owning a motorbike. Additionally, I did not have enough money to purchase the motorbike on my own, despite all the savings I had done.

Honestly speaking, I was quite disappointed when I realized that I would not be able to buy the motorbike. I had been looking forward to it for so long and had saved up some money to buy it. I felt frustrated that my parents did not believe in my ability to handle such a responsibility and that I could not afford the motorbike on my own. Despite my disappointment, I understood my parent's decision, and eventually, I came to realize that it was for my own good. A few months later, when one of my friends had a deadly accident when he was driving a motorbike that he bought a few weeks ago, I realised that my parents are the wisest!