Describe a friend you have known for a long time

In IELTS Speaking Part 2 you get this card, one minute to prepare and up to two minutes to speak. Below: the notes a strong candidate might make in that minute, a natural Band 7–8 answer, the words that make it work, and the Part 3 discussion the examiner usually moves on to.

The cue card

One-minute notes

Notes in the preparation minute should be keywords, not sentences — one line per bullet, plus the one detail that makes your story yours. Something like:

• Deniz, friends for ~18 years
• met on first day of primary school, same desk
• now: long walks, cooking, voice notes (she lives abroad)
• very different personalities
• lasted: honest with each other, no keeping score

Band 7–8 sample answer

The friend I'd like to talk about is Deniz, who I've known for about eighteen years now, which is a bit frightening when I say it out loud.

We met on the very first day of primary school, when the teacher put us at the same desk. According to my mother, I came home that day and announced that I had a best friend, although I don't think Deniz had been consulted about that. Anyway, it worked out. We went through primary and secondary school together and only separated when we went to different universities.

These days she lives abroad, so what we do together has changed a lot. When she's back for the holidays, we usually go on long walks around our old neighbourhood or cook something complicated that never turns out as well as the recipe promises. The rest of the year we send each other ridiculously long voice messages — sometimes ten minutes long — about absolutely everything.

I think the friendship has lasted for a few reasons. We're very different — she's organised and cautious, and I'm neither — so we balance each other out. We're also completely honest with each other, even when it's uncomfortable. But perhaps the most important thing is that neither of us keeps score. There have been years when one of us needed much more support than the other, and it was never an issue. That kind of trust is hard to build, and I think it only really comes with time.

About 251 words — roughly two minutes at a relaxed pace. Notice what it does: one specific story instead of general statements, every bullet covered, natural spoken linking rather than "firstly… secondly…", and the "why" part of the card answered properly at the end — that is where many candidates run out of things to say. Use it to see the structure; don't memorise it. Examiners are trained to spot memorised answers, and your own story will always sound more fluent.

Useful vocabulary

• work out — to develop in a successful way
• balance each other out — when two different people complement each other
• keep score — to count who has done more for whom
• go back a long way — to have known each other for a long time
• drift apart — to slowly become less close
• through thick and thin — in good times and bad times

Part 3: questions and model answers

After your two minutes, the examiner moves to a discussion linked to the card's topic. These questions are more abstract: give an opinion, a reason and an example, and it's fine to say "it depends" — as long as you explain on what.

Is it easier to make friends as a child or as an adult?

Probably as a child. Children are put together in classrooms every day and don't worry much about first impressions. Adults have less free time and are more cautious, so friendships usually take longer to form. Adults do tend to choose friends more deliberately, though, based on shared values rather than just sitting together.

Can online friendships be as strong as real-life ones?

They can be strong, especially when people share a very specific interest that nobody around them understands. But I think most online friendships benefit from meeting in person at some point. There's a level of trust that comes from spending real time together that's hard to build only through screens.

Why do some friendships end?

Often for quite undramatic reasons — people move, change jobs or have children, and they simply stop making time. Sometimes friends grow in different directions and find they don't have much in common anymore. Big arguments end some friendships, but I think neglect ends far more.

Do people have fewer close friends than in the past?

Studies seem to suggest so, especially in cities. People have hundreds of contacts online but fewer people they could call at three in the morning. Long working hours and moving away from home both play a part. On the other hand, many people today are more open about their emotions, which can make friendships deeper.

More cue cards about people

• Describe a person who has influenced you
• Describe an older person you admire
• Describe a teacher who helped you
• Describe a person who is very good at their job
• Describe a person you know who speaks a foreign language well

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