Friends Topic
Part 1 Questions
Short, personal questions. Answer directly, then add one extra sentence to extend your answer naturally.
1. Do you have a lot of friends?
"Not a huge number, but I have a small group of close friends who I have known for a long time."
2. Who is your best friend?
"My best friend is someone I met at university, and we have stayed close ever since, even though we now live in different cities."
3. How did you meet your best friend?
"We actually met in a group project during our first year of university and just got along really well from the start."
4. What do you usually do together?
"Mostly just grab coffee or dinner and catch up, though we occasionally travel together when our schedules allow it."
5. Is it easy for you to make new friends?
"It takes me a little time, since I am fairly reserved at first, but once I open up, I find it fairly natural."
6. Do you prefer having a few close friends or many friends?
"Definitely a few close friends. I would rather have deep, meaningful friendships than a large number of casual acquaintances."
Part 2 Cue Card
You get 1 minute to prepare, then speak for up to 2 minutes.
Describe a close friend of yours
You should say:
- Who this person is
- How you met
- What they are like
- And explain why you are close to them
Full model answer
I'd like to talk about my friend Daniel, who I would honestly consider my closest friend outside of family.
We met almost eight years ago now, during our first year at university, when we happened to be placed in the same student accommodation. We did not get along immediately, if I'm being completely honest, but after being paired together for a group assignment, we realised we actually had a lot in common and got on really well once we got past the initial awkwardness.
He is a fairly calm, easy-going person, but also incredibly loyal and reliable, the kind of friend who will drop what he is doing if you genuinely need help with something. He has a great sense of humour too, quite dry and sarcastic, which took me a little while to get used to, but now it is honestly one of my favourite things about him.
We do not live in the same city anymore, which makes it harder to see each other regularly, but we still talk almost every week, and whenever we do meet up, it feels like no time has passed at all.
The reason we have stayed close, I think, comes down to trust and honesty. He is someone I can talk to about literally anything without worrying about being judged, and he has always given me honest advice, even when it was not necessarily what I wanted to hear at the time. That kind of honesty is genuinely rare, and it is exactly why I value our friendship so much.
Part 3 Discussion
Deeper, more abstract questions. Give your opinion and explain your reasoning with an example.
1. What qualities make a good friend?
I think honesty and reliability are probably the most important. A good friend should be someone you can trust completely and rely on when things get difficult, but a good sense of humour and genuine empathy matter a lot too.
2. Do you think it is harder to make friends as an adult compared to childhood?
Definitely, yes. As children, you are naturally surrounded by peers at school every day, which makes friendships form quite easily. As an adult, people are busier, more settled into existing routines, and often more guarded, so it takes far more effort to build new friendships.
3. How has social media changed the way people make and keep friendships?
It has made it much easier to stay loosely connected with a large number of people, even across long distances, which is genuinely valuable. However, I think it has also made some friendships feel more superficial, since liking a post is a poor substitute for actually spending real time together.
4. Is it better to have friends who are similar to you or different from you?
I think a mix is ideal, honestly. Friends who are similar to you tend to understand you more easily and share common interests, while friends who are different can challenge your perspective and introduce you to new ideas, which is just as valuable in its own way.
5. Do you think online friendships are as valuable as real-life ones?
They can be genuinely valuable, especially for people who share niche interests that are harder to find locally, but I do think something is lost without physical presence and shared real-world experiences. Online friendships often work best as a complement to in-person relationships rather than a full replacement.
6. How important are friendships compared to family relationships?
I would say they serve different but equally important roles. Family relationships often provide unconditional support, while friendships are chosen and tend to reflect shared interests and values more directly. Both contribute significantly to a person's overall happiness and wellbeing.
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