# Describe your best friend from childhood: IELTS Speaking sample answers Speaking Part 2 - People Describe your best friend from childhood. You should say: - who this friend was - how you met - what you used to do together - and explain why this person was your best friend Source: Sample answers and examiner notes are written by Testmigo. ## Band 6 sample I am going to talk about my best friend when I was a child, his name is Rohan. We lived in same building in Kathmandu, he was on the second floor and my family was on the fourth floor. We met when I was around six years old. Actually our mothers became friends first, because they used to go to the vegetable market together every morning. So one day my mother took me to his flat and we played with his toy cars the whole afternoon. After that we were together almost every day. We used to do many things together. In the evening we played cricket in the small ground behind our building, and one time we broke the neighbour's window, so we had to run and hide. On holidays we watched cartoons and we also made a small club with other kids in the building. Rohan was always the leader because he was more braver than me. The reason he was my best friend is that he always helped me. For example, when I was in grade four I was sick for two weeks and I missed many classes. Rohan came to my house every day and he explain me what the teacher taught. I think he was very kind and honest, and he never lied to me. Unfortunately, when we were thirteen his family moved to Pokhara because his father got a new job. We still talk sometimes on Facebook, but it is not same like before. Still, when I remember my childhood, the first person I think about is Rohan. **Examiner notes.** This answer covers every point on the card and moves along steadily, which is typical of Band 6. The story is clear, but the vocabulary stays general ("many things", "very kind and honest") and linking relies on "and", "so" and "also". Slips are noticeable but never block meaning: "in same building", "more braver than me", "he explain me" and "not same like before". To reach Band 7, the speaker would fix these patterns, add a few natural phrases such as "we were inseparable", and develop the reason with a more reflective comment. ## Band 7 sample The friend I'd like to talk about is a girl called Lucía, who was my closest friend from about the age of seven until we finished primary school. We actually met on my very first day at a new school. My family had just moved to the city and I didn't know anyone, so I spent most of the morning sitting on my own. At lunchtime Lucía came over, sat down next to me and offered me half of her sandwich without saying a word. It sounds like a small thing, but it meant a lot to me, and from then on we were pretty much inseparable. Most of what we did together was fairly ordinary. We walked home from school together, swapped books and comics, and spent hours in her back garden building what we called 'secret bases' out of old blankets and chairs. We also had a habit of inventing our own codes, which drove our teachers mad because we'd pass notes in class that nobody else could read. As for why she was my best friend, I think it came down to the fact that I could be completely myself around her. I was quite a shy child, but with her I never felt I had to put on an act. She was also incredibly loyal. If anyone picked on me, she'd be the first to stand up for me, even though she was smaller than most of the kids in our class. We drifted apart a little when we went to different secondary schools, but we still meet up whenever I go home. **Examiner notes.** This Band 7 answer is well organized and easy to follow, with clear signposting such as "As for why she was my best friend". The speaker uses natural phrasal verbs and collocations ("put on an act", "picked on me", "drifted apart") and controls a range of tenses, including "had just moved" and "we'd pass notes". The lunchtime sandwich gives the story a vivid, specific detail. For Band 8, the vocabulary would need to be less predictable and the reflection deeper, for example explaining what the friendship taught the speaker rather than listing two qualities. The Band 8 sample is free with an account on the [topic page](https://testmigo.com/ielts/speaking/topics/describe-your-best-childhood-friend). ## Part 3 follow-up questions 1. Is it easier to make friends as a child or as an adult? 2. Why do some childhood friendships last while others fade? 3. How has social media changed the way people keep in touch with old friends? 4. Should parents have a say in who their children are friends with? 5. What qualities do you think make someone a good friend? ## Common questions ### How long should an IELTS Speaking Part 2 answer be? You get one minute to prepare and then speak for up to two minutes; the examiner stops you at two. Aim to keep talking for the full time, which is usually 220 to 300 words. ### Can I use these sample answers in my test? No. Examiners are trained to spot memorised answers, and a learned script is marked down. Use the samples to see what each band does, then answer in your own words.