Friends

Welcome to IELTS TIME. I’m Archer, and in this episode, we’re diving into Speaking Part 1 topic: friends. As always, let’s kick things off by listening to a dialogue first.

Do you like meeting new people?

Ugh, meeting new people? It’s… a mixed bag, honestly. Like, I can do it, and sometimes it’s fine, but it’s not exactly my favorite thing. It can be so draining, you know? All the small talk and trying to figure out if you have anything in common. I’d honestly much rather hang out with my close friends. So, yeah, I’m not always thrilled about meeting new people. It depends on the situation, I guess.

How important are friends to you?

Friends are super important to me. Like, seriously. They’re the people who get me, you know? The ones I can be myself around without feeling judged. We laugh together, we vent to each other, we just do life together. I don’t know what I’d do without my core group. They’re basically my chosen family. So yeah, friends are a huge deal for me. They keep me sane, basically.

Do you often go out with your friends?

We try to! It’s not always easy, everyone’s schedules are crazy, but we definitely make an effort. Sometimes it’s a big thing, like going to a concert or trying a new restaurant. Other times it’s just chilling at someone’s place, watching movies, or playing games. Even just grabbing coffee and catching up is good. We’re pretty flexible, whatever works, as long as we’re hanging out. It’s definitely a priority for all of us.

Where do you often meet each other?

It really depends! Sometimes we’ll meet up at someone’s house, especially if we’re just planning on chilling and watching movies or something. Other times, we’ll go out to a restaurant or a cafe. There’s this one cafe we all really like, it’s super cozy and they have great coffee. We also sometimes go to concerts or festivals together, which is always a blast. And if the weather’s nice, we might hit up a park or go for a hike. It’s all about what we’re in the mood for and what everyone’s up for doing.

What do you usually do with your friends?

Oh, we do a bit of everything! Sometimes we’re super low-key, like just hanging out at someone’s place, watching movies, playing board games, or just talking for hours. Other times we’ll go out – maybe to a concert, a new restaurant, or even just for coffee. We’ve also gotten into trying new things together, like escape rooms or that time we tried axe throwing (which was way harder than it looks!). It really just depends on what everyone’s feeling and what’s going on. The most important thing is just spending time together, honestly.

Hey everyone, and welcome back to IELTS TIME! Today, we’re focusing on the speaking part 1 topic of friends. We’ll build upon the sample dialogue we heard earlier, exploring how to craft compelling responses that demonstrate your language proficiency and effectively address the examiner’s questions. Remember, the goal is to showcase your ability to communicate clearly and accurately, using a range of vocabulary and grammatical structures. While expressing your personal experiences is important, the primary focus remains on your language skills. So, let’s dive into how to construct strong responses about friends, focusing on clarity, coherence, and effective use of language.

Let’s start with meeting new people. This question allows you to demonstrate your ability to discuss social situations and use relevant vocabulary. For example, you could say, “I find meeting new people can be quite stimulating, as it exposes me to diverse perspectives and backgrounds. Recently, at a workshop, I had the opportunity to connect with someone from a completely different field, and we had a fascinating conversation about the intersection of art and technology.” Notice the use of words like “stimulating,” “diverse,” “perspectives,” “fascinating,” and “intersection.” These demonstrate a range of vocabulary beyond the basics.

When discussing the importance of friends, you can showcase your ability to express abstract ideas and emotions. Instead of simply saying “friends are important,” you could say, “I consider my friends to be an integral part of my support network. They provide emotional sustenance and offer invaluable advice during challenging times. For instance, when I was preparing for a particularly stressful exam, my friends helped me maintain a sense of perspective and encouraged me to persevere.” Here, the language is more sophisticated, using phrases like “integral part,” “emotional sustenance,” “invaluable advice,” “challenging times,” “maintain a sense of perspective,” and “persevere.”

The question about how often you see your friends provides an opportunity to talk about routines and habits, using appropriate tenses and adverbs of frequency. You might say, “While our busy schedules don’t always allow us to meet as frequently as we’d like, we make a concerted effort to stay connected. We typically get together once or twice a month, either for a casual dinner or to attend a local event. We also keep in touch regularly through messaging apps and video calls.” This response uses phrases like “concerted effort,” “typically,” “once or twice a month,” “casual dinner,” “local event,” “regularly,” and “messaging apps,” demonstrating a good command of everyday language.

Talking about where you meet and what you do together allows you to use descriptive language and discuss leisure activities. You could say, “We often gravitate towards cozy cafes with a relaxed atmosphere, as they provide the perfect setting for intimate conversations. We also enjoy exploring new restaurants and trying different cuisines. Occasionally, we’ll indulge in a movie night at someone’s home or go for a scenic hike in the nearby hills.” Notice the use of descriptive adjectives like “cozy,” “relaxed,” “intimate,” and “scenic,” as well as verbs related to leisure activities like “gravitate towards,” “exploring,” “indulge in,” and “hiking.

So, remember, when preparing for the IELTS speaking test, focusing on clear and coherent communication is key. Practice using a variety of grammatical structures and vocabulary, and don’t be afraid to share your personal experiences to illustrate your points.

That’s it for today’s episode. Good luck with your IELTS test, and we’ll see you next time on IELTS TIME!