IELTS Speaking Part 1: Neighbours questions and model answers

Do you know your neighbours well?

How often do you see your neighbours?

Have your neighbours ever helped you?

What makes a good neighbour?

Is it important to have good relationships with neighbours?

Are neighbours closer in the countryside or in cities?

Do you know your neighbours well?

Most of them, yes. We live in a mahalla in Tashkent, and some of the families have been our neighbours for over twenty years, so they feel almost like relatives. The people in the new flats at the end of the street are a different story, though: I'd only recognise them by face.

Have your neighbours ever helped you?

Many times. The most memorable was when our roof started leaking during a storm. Within half an hour, three neighbours had come round with buckets and plastic sheets, and one of them fixed it properly the next morning without asking for anything.

What makes a good neighbour?

Someone who's there when you need them but doesn't interfere when you don't. For me, that means keeping the noise down at night, saying hello, and being willing to help with small things, like keeping an eye on the house when you're away.

Are neighbours closer in the countryside or in cities?

In the countryside, definitely. In villages everyone knows everyone, and people share food and lend a hand at weddings or during the harvest. In big apartment blocks, people often live next door to each other for years without knowing each other's names.