A noisy-place card is a rare chance to describe sounds: who shouts what, what bangs, what plays. A place like Chorsu Bazaar gives you all of them, and a change of feeling ("overwhelmed... then I started to enjoy it") rounds the answer off.
The cue card
Describe a noisy place you have been to.
You should say:
where it is
when you went there
what made it noisy
and explain how you felt about being there.
One-minute notes
- where: Chorsu Bazaar, old part of Tashkent, blue dome
- when: Saturday before Navruz with my mum, busiest day
- noise: sellers shouting prices, bargaining, porters with carts, music from stalls, phone calls
- feel: overwhelmed at first, then the energy; childhood memory; would miss it
Model answer (about 2 minutes)
The noisiest place I've been to recently is Chorsu Bazaar, the huge market in the old part of Tashkent, under a big blue dome. I went there with my mother on the Saturday before Navruz, which is probably the busiest day of the whole year.
The noise hits you as soon as you walk in. Sellers shout their prices and call out to anyone who walks past, "Come and try, the sweetest apricots in Tashkent!", and everywhere you look, people are bargaining loudly. On top of that, porters push heavy carts through the crowd, shouting at everyone to move, there's music coming from the stalls selling phone cases, and half the people around you are talking on their phones.
I have to admit that for the first ten minutes I felt completely overwhelmed. It was hard to hear my mother even when she was standing right next to me, and I kept being bumped by bags and carts.
But after a while, I started to enjoy it. There's a kind of energy in that noise that you don't get anywhere else. It sounds as if the whole city is alive and doing business at once, and it reminded me of going there as a child, holding my grandmother's hand.
So although I wouldn't want to spend every day somewhere that loud, I think I'd miss it if Chorsu ever became quiet.
Useful words and phrases
| Phrase | Meaning |
|---|---|
| hit you | hit you |
| call out to | call out to |
| bargain | bargain |
| porters | porters |
| overwhelmed | overwhelmed |
| be bumped | be bumped |
| alive | alive |
| I'd miss it | I'd miss it |
How to answer
- List the sounds by source: sellers, buyers, porters, music.
- One short line of direct speech brings the place to life.
- Show the feeling changing: "at first... But after a while...".
- An unexpected ending is strong: "I think I'd miss it if...".
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The AI examiner asks you these questions, listens to your answers and shows your mistakes.
Part 3: follow-up discussion questions
Is noise pollution a serious problem in cities?
I'd say so. Constant traffic and building work affect people's sleep and stress levels, even if they stop noticing it consciously. In many cities, people who live near main roads rarely get a truly quiet night.
Is modern life too noisy?
In some ways, yes. Even when we're alone, there's usually something playing, a video, music or notifications, so a lot of people almost never experience real silence, and some even find it uncomfortable.
How can cities reduce noise?
Are some people better at working in noisy places than others?
Part 2 strategy: the cue card guide. Next step: the Part 3 guide.
Practise this topic now
The AI examiner asks you these questions, listens to your answers and shows your mistakes.
