Things to consider:
- When you talk about a coffee shop (or any other building) you should focus on talking about a few features:
- the design
- the atmosphere
- the menu
- the music or the ambiance
- If you haven't been to a coffee shop or don't like spending time in one, it doesn't matter. You can just describe a random coffee shop like Starbucks or another famous cafe from your local mall.
- When you describe a cafe you can go in two ways. You can describe the menu and different types of food or drinks that they have, or you can focus on the design and atmosphere. A good answer in this topic will balance both, but you can choose to focus more on one or the other.
*House blend means a coffee mix they made at that coffee shop. Their own taste.
On The Menu:
When talking about a cafe or a restaurant, it is important to mention some things from the menu. In this case, in a cafe, we can have many types of drinks, food, snacks and so on. Here are some examples you can talk about:
Part 2: Sample Answer
Ok, so first I’d want to say that I’m more of an indoor type of person. From time to time I enjoy nature and hanging outside, however in most cases I prefer to stay somewhere with air conditioning and easy-to-access facilities, especially during the summer. I will tell you about a café I visit occasionally to enjoy a lazy afternoon and have a nice snack.
I begin mentioning the type of person I am and connect that to a coffee shop.
The place I'm talking about is called My Coffee. It is a café near the district I used to live and it is quite unusual. Most coffee shops are light, open, and have a very similar style and design. This coffee shop is kind of the opposite. It is dim, dark, and kind of closed off. It takes a whole floor in a building and that makes it quite spacious. As for the decoration over there... It is weird. Imagine if the owner went online and searched for the strangest types of tables, chairs, sofas, and lamps, picked one of each (just one), and put them in. That's the design. Every piece of furniture is different from the rest. This adds to the atmosphere and makes it kind of unique.
I introduce the cafe and its design, atmosphere and feel.
I go there once or twice a month. Since I moved from that area, it's been less, but I still remember how I used to hang out at that place. They prepare some delicious ice-creams, milkshakes and even pizza or sandwiches. And of course, I drink coffee, for instance, ice coffee or a cappuccino. It is a coffee shop, however, their food menu is much larger than their drinks menu. I believe mainly because of the food and drinks, I spent a good deal of time over there. Oh and obviously for some delicious cake.
I describe the menu and some of their food and drinks.
As I mentioned already, I go to the place to kill some time. The place is nice, comfortable and because it’s not bright and very lighted, it's a perfect location to chill after a busy day. Not every place needs to be lit up and shiny, to help you calm down and de-stress. So it is a great place for me to hang out and I'd definitely keep visiting it in the future.
Explaining my feelings about the cafe.
Sentence starters and Linking words
Vocabulary related to the topic
PART 3 QUESTIONS
In Part 3 we continue discussing the topic of drinking coffee and what different ages of people think about drinking coffee.
Examiner: What kind of people would like to go to a café?
Young People
- Coffee shops are usually full with many young people, as they enjoy spending time there, drinking or eating something and relaxing. You will see many college students, ordering a drink and even studying or researching on their laptops or tablets. And some would just hang out there with their friends and talk or even play board games.
Business People
- There are many small business owners that have meetings or even do recruitment at coffee shops like Starbucks. It is very common to see a group of well-dressed businesspeople chatting, drinking a coffee, discussing a new business venture, or simply brainstorming new ideas. A cafe could stimulate their creativity.
ANSWER:
Examiner: Why do young people like studying in a café instead of at home?
Piece of Mind
- A cafe can stimulate a person to feel more relaxed and stress-free. There are many distractions that usually bother people at home or at school, and a cafe can offer a nice, free environment for a person to concentrate and focus fully on his work or study. That's why you can see many college students studying at cafes.
Popular Activity
- Going out and hanging out at the cafe means having an independent lifestyle, and in a way, young people want to leave "the shackles" of their homes earlier these days. What's more, drinking at a cafe might signal being financially stable and living a "lifestyle" different from the normal school-home routine.
ANSWER:
Examiner: Do old people like to drink coffee?
Those who do...
- There are people who grew up with it. People in countries like Italy, Spain, Greece, Bulgaria, or South American like Brazil, would drink coffee regularly, as it's part of their culture and tradition. They have discovered the benefits of drinking coffee and continue doing it all life long.
Those who don't...
- There are plenty of people who can't drink coffee as they are not tolerant to caffeine, have some pre-existing medical conditions like diabetes, high or low blood pressure or dizziness, and more. They would not drink coffee, and that's perfectly fine for them as they shouldn't risk their health, and can supplement that with drinking tea or other liquids.
ANSWER:
That actually depends. Some elderly like my grandparents got used to it and drink black coffee every day. I believe they drink it every morning and then another one in the afternoon. That is a habit for them, and they got used to the "strong kick" a black coffee can give. On the other hand, there are people who never had any experience drinking coffee and for them, it could be dangerous. People who suffer from high or low blood pressure, dizziness or diabetes would not and should not drink any coffee, as it may cause dangerous side effects. So overall, if those old people drank coffee all the time in their youth, they probably continue later on, and the rest probably avoid it altogether.
Examiner: Do Chinese* people like to drink coffee?
*The question was given for China, as I live here, but you can replace that with your own country.
A New Industry
- For China, the coffee industry is rather new, and it exploded with popularity just recently. This means that some people would go to coffee shops just because it's the latest cool new thing in town. In terms of drinking, many have discovered the benefits of coffee and begun enjoying it daily.
Traditional Values
- In China, people have a long historic tradition of drinking tea. This has still remained, and many would drink it daily. Although coffee shops became hot for young people, many would still drink tea in their daily life. Further than that, there is bubble milk tea that is a hot drink everyone drinks, and as it's similar to coffee, it creates huge competition for the coffee industry.
ANSWER:
Answer for China, as I live here at the moment.
The coffee industry was almost non-existent 5 years ago. Since then, many coffee shops spurted out at every corner. At first, it was Starbucks and Pacific Coffee, two huge international brands, but then in some time, many private, small, well-designed coffee shops appeared as well. The Chinese even invented their own Starbucks-like huge corporation – Luckin Coffee. Now, the question still is – do Chinese drink coffee? I believe yes, although it’s mixed. Many Chinese have discovered the benefits of coffee like giving you energy, waking you up in the morning, and so on. But on the other hand, many still continue to drink their own traditional drinks with similar effects like different types of local tea, and especially Milk Tea. So, yes many began to drink coffee, but not everyone.