Questions about friends ask you to describe people, relationships and how you spend time together. The topic is good preparation for "Describe a person..." cue cards in Part 2.
What the examiner asks on this topic
Do you have a lot of friends?
How do you usually spend time with your friends?
Do you prefer having a few close friends or many friends?
How did you meet your best friend?
Is it easy to make new friends as an adult?
Model answers (aimed at band 7+)
Do you have a lot of friends?
Not a huge number, but I have a small group of close friends I've known since school. We've been through a lot together, so I feel I can rely on them completely.
How do you usually spend time with your friends?
Nothing too exciting, really. We usually meet up at a café on Friday evenings, or play football on Sundays. In summer we sometimes rent a place outside the city and spend the whole weekend together.
How did you meet your best friend?
We sat next to each other on the first day of school, when we were seven. Apparently we argued about a pencil, and we've been inseparable ever since, even though we now study in different cities.
Is it easy to make new friends as an adult?
I think it gets harder. At school you see the same people every day, but as an adult everyone's busy with work and family, so friendships take more effort to build and to keep going.
Useful words and phrases
| Phrase | Meaning |
|---|---|
| close friends | close friends |
| rely on someone | rely on someone |
| go through a lot together | go through a lot together |
| meet up | meet up |
| inseparable | inseparable |
| ever since | ever since |
| take effort | take effort |
| keep a friendship going | keep a friendship going |
How to answer
- Instead of "good friend": "close friend", "a friend I can rely on", "we're really close".
- For how you met, use the past simple, then "ever since" with the present perfect.
- One vivid detail makes an answer memorable: "we argued about a pencil".
- For a general question ("Is it easy...?"), compare two stages: school and adult life.
Practise this topic now
The AI examiner asks you these questions, listens to your answers and shows your mistakes.
Everything about Part 1: the Part 1 guide. More topics: all articles.
Practise this topic now
The AI examiner asks you these questions, listens to your answers and shows your mistakes.
