Cue Card # 119: Describe an open-air or street market

IELTS Cue Card/ Candidate Task Card # 119

Describe an open-air or street market which you enjoyed visiting.

You should say:

• where the market is
• what the market sells
• how big the market is

and explain why you enjoyed visiting this market.

[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.]

Model Answer:

People in Kuala Lumpur and adjacent areas know this place as a shopping district. But, to me, it is a shopper’s haven and one of the most vibrant street markets in Malaysia that I really enjoy visiting from time to time.

Located on the Petaling Street in Chinatown, this street market is not as glamorous as its counterparts, like Bukit Bintang and KLCC markets, but it has no shortages of customers. This open-air market is a very much well-known shopping district area, that remains open for 24 hours, even though, it is during the night time that the market transforms into a lively and vibrant market after dark, with hundreds of stalls selling all kinds of stuff at dirt-cheap prices.

Anyway, this street market is chock-full of shops and stalls selling goods and food. Handbags, watches, trainers, clothing – you name it, they have got it. Louis Vuitton sits side-by-side with Rolex, and you can sometimes get the latest cinematic releases at less than RM 10 each. It is also offers a wonderful opportunity to try a delightful array of local cuisines.

Chinese and seafood restaurants can also be found at every corner, and stalls selling all kinds of snacks are stretched along the street, resulting in an interesting mixture of aroma filling the air that is quite hard to resist. But, of course, you will have to haggle a little with the vendors if you really want to get a bargain price. By the way, there are some fake branded items also in this street market, so you will have to exercise a bit caution, especially, when you are trying to buy some fashionable merchandise items.

Anyway, I enjoy visiting this market, primarily because it offers shoppers on a tight budget, or those looking for cheap and cheerful ‘branded’ goods, the opportunities to buy their products at a very affordable price. Besides, this place also has numerous cultural landmarks, to give me a feeling of a happy and peaceful multi-cultural society, including one of the largest mosques in Kuala Lumpur, Masjid Jamek, and Sri Maha Mariamman Temple, home of the Hindu Lord Murugan’s Chariot.