A close friend, a friend you have not seen for years, someone who helped you through a difficult time: friendship is one of the most common themes in IELTS Speaking Part 2, and it leads naturally into Part 3 questions about relationships.
The best answers include a small story that shows what the friendship is like, rather than a list of the friend’s good qualities. Below you will find four friendship cue cards with band 7+ sample answers, useful vocabulary, and typical Part 1 and Part 3 questions about friends.
You get a cue card and 1 minute to make notes. Then you speak for 1 to 2 minutes. Cover every point on the card, add a short example or story, and finish with the “explain” part.
Friendship cue cards with sample answers
Describe a close friend.
You should say:
- who the friend is
- how you met
- what you do together
and explain why you are close to this friend.
Sample Answer:
My closest friend is Marta. We met on the first day of secondary school, when the teacher seated us next to each other in alphabetical order, so you could say a seating plan started our friendship.
These days we live in different parts of the city, but we still meet almost every week. Usually we go for a long walk by the sea on Sunday mornings, and once a year we take a short trip together, just the two of us. Last year we went hiking in Norway, and the year before we spent a weekend in Prague.
I think we are close because we have known each other through every stage of our lives: exams, first jobs, break-ups, moving house. She is also completely honest with me. If she thinks I am making a mistake, she says so, kindly but clearly, and I have learned to value that much more than polite agreement.
Describe an old friend you have lost touch with.
You should say:
- who the friend is
- how you became friends
- why you lost touch
and explain how you feel about it.
Sample Answer:
I would like to talk about Tom, a friend from the language course I did in Dublin about eight years ago. We were in the same class for three months and shared a flat with two other students.
We became friends almost immediately, because we were both the only ones in the class who loved football, and we spent most evenings watching matches in a small pub near our flat. For a while after the course, we wrote to each other regularly and even met once in his home city, Lyon.
We lost touch slowly, not because of any argument, but because life got busy: new jobs, new cities, different time zones. I feel a bit sad about it, because he was a really good friend. Writing this down actually makes me think I should try to find him online and send him a message.
Describe a person you recently became friends with.
You should say:
- who the person is
- where you met
- what you have in common
and explain why you became friends.
Sample Answer:
Someone I recently became friends with is Daniel, a colleague who joined my team at work about six months ago. He moved to our city from abroad for the job, so at first he did not know anyone here.
We met properly at a team lunch in his first week, when we discovered that we both play chess and both grew up in small towns by the sea. Since then we have played chess most Fridays after work, and I have shown him some of my favourite places in the city.
I think we became friends partly because I remember how lonely it felt when I moved to a new city myself, so I made an effort to include him. But it quickly stopped being an effort, because he is funny, curious and very easy to talk to. Now it feels as if I have known him for years.
Describe a time when a friend helped you.
You should say:
- who the friend was
- what the problem was
- how the friend helped
and explain how you felt about it.
Sample Answer:
The time a friend helped me most was about three years ago, when I lost my job without any warning. The company I worked for closed its local office, and I suddenly had no income and rent to pay.
My friend Kate, who works in recruitment, came round the same evening with a bag of groceries and a laptop. Over the next two weeks she helped me rewrite my CV, practised interview questions with me and sent my details to several people she knew.
Within a month I had a new job, which I probably would not have found so quickly without her. I felt grateful, of course, but also a little embarrassed at first, because I am usually the one who helps others. She told me that is exactly what friends are for, and I have tried to be that kind of friend to other people since.
Useful friendship vocabulary for IELTS
Try to replace basic words like “friend”, “nice” and “help” with more precise vocabulary:
| Topic | Words and phrases |
|---|---|
| Kinds of friends | a close friend, a lifelong friend, a childhood friend, an acquaintance, a colleague who became a friend |
| Starting a friendship | to hit it off, to get on well with, to have a lot in common, to click immediately, to make friends with |
| Keeping a friendship | to keep in touch, to catch up, to drift apart, to lose touch, to stay close |
| Describing a friend | loyal, supportive, trustworthy, easy-going, down-to-earth, a good listener |
| Useful phrases | to be there for someone, a friend in need is a friend indeed, to go back a long way, to have someone’s back |
IELTS Speaking Part 1: questions about friends
Part 1 questions are short and personal. Give a direct answer and add one reason or example.
1Do you have many friends?
Not a huge number, but I have four or five close friends and a wider group I see now and then. I prefer a few close friends to a lot of casual ones.
2How often do you see your friends?
I see my closest friend almost every week, and the others maybe once or twice a month, usually at weekends.
3Where do you usually meet your friends?
Often in a café or at someone’s home, and in summer we like to meet in a park or by the sea.
4Are your friends mostly from school or from work?
A mix. My oldest friends are from school, but in the last few years I have become close to several colleagues too.
IELTS Speaking Part 3: questions about friendship
In Part 3 the examiner asks about friendship in general. Give longer answers with reasons, examples and both sides of the argument.
1Is it easier to make friends as a child or as an adult?
I think it is much easier as a child. Children spend all day with people their own age and are more open, so a friendship can start with one game in the playground. Adults are busier and more cautious, and most new friends come through work or shared hobbies, which takes more time and effort.
2Can social media replace face-to-face friendships?
I do not think it can replace them, although it can help keep them alive. Social media is great for staying in touch with friends who live far away. However, real closeness comes from spending time together, sharing experiences and seeing each other in difficult moments, which a screen cannot really provide.
3Why do some friendships last a lifetime while others end?
Often it depends on shared values more than shared interests. Interests change, but if two people have similar ideas about honesty and loyalty, they usually find a way to stay friends. Distance and busy lives end many friendships, but the strongest ones survive because both people make an effort to stay in touch.
Practise on your own
Choose one of the cue cards above, set a timer for 1 minute to make notes, and then record yourself speaking for 2 minutes. Listen back and check whether you covered every point and used some of the vocabulary from this page. For more topics, see IELTS Speaking Part 2 topics and cue cards with answers.