Describe a Childhood Friend IELTS Cue Card

IELTS CUE CARD TOPIC

Describe a Childhood Friend

You should say:

Who this person is?
How you became friends with this person?
What kinds of things do you like to do with this person?
Explain why you like him/her.

NOTE – The examiner gives you one minute to plan your answer, and to help you prepare for the topic, the examiner provides you with a pencil and a notepad. You’ll have to answer the questions given on the topic for one-to-two minutes

Sample Answer 1

Introduction

Although I have many childhood friends with whom I am in touch, one of them is special, and hence he is worth mentioning.

Who is this person?

He is my bosom friend Andrew, and we have been best buddies for ten years.

How you became friends with this person?

I was in my 6th standard when Andrew was admitted to my class after migrating from a different city.

I was weak at mathematics and used to get low grades. Upon seeing my plight, Andrew came to my rescue. As he was good at maths, he helped me find solutions to complex questions.

He worked with determination, dedication and discipline to improve my performance in mathematics. In the end, his hard work paid off, and I got 2nd position in the class in maths subject.

From that day, we became all-weather friends.

Explain why you like him.

I like him because of his optimistic attitude. He knows how to handle challenging situations adroitly. Whenever I get into trouble, he helps me by providing unabated support.

Under his guidance, I experienced a paradigm shift in my career. He is selfless and finds immense happiness by working for others’ benefit.

What kinds of things do you like to do with this person?

Andrew is a good badminton player. Whenever we have spare time, we play this game together.

Apart from this, we both are travel enthusiasts, and we usually go on excursion trips to nearby locations.

Moreover, Andrew is an amazing cook. I usually visit his home for dinner, and he pampers my appetite by making various mouth-watering delicacies.

Vocabulary from Sample Answer 1

1. Worth mentioning

Meaning: Important enough to require a comment.

Sentence: Vaccines’ role in curbing the coronavirus’s menace is worth mentioning. After taking the dose, many people comfortably came out of their homes and started working, losing the fear of the deadly virus.

2. Plight

Meaning: A bad or difficult state or situation

Situation: During the lockdown, I went through a challenging phase and seeing my plight, my father came to my rescue and provided me with much-needed emotional support.

3. Excursion

Meaning: A short trip or outing to someplace

Sentence: Excursion trips help us to think beyond the conventional domain because we experience new things and people.

Sample Answer 2

Introduction

Being an extrovert, I have developed many friendships. One of my friends is a person whom I befriend during childhood, and to date, we are best buddies.

Who is this person?

This person’s name is Gordon, and we have studied together for 10 years.

How you became friends with this person?

I vividly remember when I was in 10th standard, one day, I forgot to bring my lunch box. During the break, Gordon saw me not eating the food. He immediately came to me and shared his tiffin with me, and from that day, we became bosom friends.

What kinds of things do you like to do with this person?

Since Gordon and I share the same interests, we often do many things together. Firstly we both are voracious readers, so whenever we meet, we exchange books and explain the summaries of the ones we read.

Secondly, we play badminton together as doubles players. I am good at smashing, and Gordon is good at serving; together, we make a lethal combination and have won many trophies too.

Lastly, we are food enthusiasts; we cook mouth-watering delicacies twice every month. The last time we met, Gordan cooked delicious paste, and I baked a red velvet cake.

Explain why you like him.

I like Gordon because he always gives positive vibes. Whenever I go through a challenging situation, I consult him because he helps me handle the conflicts adroitly.

Moreover, I seek flashers of inspiration from him to lead my life toward an impressive growth trajectory.

Vocabulary from Sample Answer 2

1. Bosom friend

Meaning: A very close friend

Sentence: During corona pandemic, I went into depression due to the lockdown; in that lean period, my bosom friend Mini provided me with unabated support to handle the conflicts adroitly.

2. Lethal Combination

Meaning: two or more things that are dangerous/more effective when they are together or when they happen at the same time

Sentence: Pizza with Pepsi forms a lethal combination, and when one of them is not available, the taste becomes banal.

3. Mouth-watering

Meaning: Food with good looks or aroma.

Sentence: Earlier, I was terrible at cooking, but now I am a seasoned cook, and I can make various mouth-watering delicacies.

Follow up Questions

Here are some examples of follow-up questions that the examiner might ask during your speaking part 3 related to the cue card “Describe a Childhood Friend”.

1. How do people make new friends?

People use numerous ways to initiate friendship. It thrives primarily on age and gender. Children develop friendships in educational institutions. They also find buddies in the playgrounds and parks by playing and doing other activities together. Women make new pals by participating in kitty parties, and men make friends at workplaces or by joining social clubs.

2. What do you think makes people have a long friendship?

Mutual trust is the bonding factor in long friendships. If people ignore each other’s shortcomings and be clear and blunt, friendships can become long-term.

3. Does it make things easier in a friendship if you have similar interests?

There is no denying this conviction that people with similar interests can spend time together without getting bored; hence their friendships are more successful. They usually find similar topics for discussion. In a lasting friendship, your likes and dislikes must be more or less similar.

4. How do people make friends now?

Nowadays, people thrive primarily on the Internet to make friends. They achieve this aim by joining social networking sites like Instagram, Twitter, etc.

5. Do you think we meet new people differently now than in the past?

Yes, without any doubt. These days, we find like-minded people through cyberspace by joining social networking sites such as Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat, Facebook etc. People had a boatload of leisure time in the past, and they used to develop friendships by meeting new people face-to-face.

6. What do you think? What type of personality do people of the young generation admire?

The young generation is usually people who exhibit opulent lifestyles by becoming rich and famous. They admire budding actors and sports stars.

7. Why is friendship nowadays so volatile?

Friendships turn volatile these days due to numerous reasons. The prominent reason is that most individuals do not have sufficient time to maintain friendships. People have turned into workaholics due to fierce competition and spiralling inflation, leaving no stone unturned to earn a boatload of money. So, friendship is not on their agenda.

Secondly, today friendship thrives primarily on what we get in return and is made by looking at the potential benefits the other person can offer you. Such friends are not all-weather friends and usually disappear when you require their unabated support. Lastly, these days friendships develop through cyberspace. Sometimes you encounter strangers with whom you have never met in real life. There can be fake online profiles, so many friendships are usually short-term.

8. How do people in your country make friends these days?

People in my nation develop friendships at educational institutions, workplaces, social gatherings, adventure trips etc. Moreover, making friends online is gaining momentum these days.

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