IELTS speaking part 3 topic about a friend you are proud of. I was recently asked by a student how to deal with this difficult topic in IELTS speaking part 2:
Describe a time that you felt proud of a friend.
Possible Answers
Below are some possible ways to answer this part 2 topic.
1. a friend who did well in their studies (for example, they did well in a test or project)
2. a friend who did well in work and received an award or was congratulated by their boss
3. a friend who had a difficult situation but dealt with it very well (for example, they were seriously sick or a parent was seriously ill)
4. a friend who experienced an unexpected event but fixed the situation (for example, they went on holiday and had their money stolen)
5. a friend who got a job they always wanted (for example, they did well in the interview and had worked hard to get the job)
6. a friend who defended you in a difficult situation
7. a friend who raised money for charity or did some volunteer work that made you feel proud
IELTS Speaking Part 2 Tip
It is often easier to talk about a family member that you were proud of because you know them better. So, if you get stuck, the best thing is to say “Although I have plenty of friends, I wouldn’t say that they’ve done anything to make me really proud but my cousin has. So I will tell you about him and what he has done that caused me to be so proud of him.” It is possible to adapt (not change) the topic as long as it still follows the prompts on the cue card.
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Hello Liz! I’ve just finished my IELTS speaking test an hour ago. I followed some tips in your website and I did quite good I think! I don’t remember much of the part 1 questions but I think the examiner asked me something about chatting, like do I like chatting with groups or with an individual, but like I said I don’t remember much else for part 1. But I’m gonna report some part 2 and part 3 questions:
So for part 2:
Describe a successful sportsperson you admire
Who it is
What is his/her life like
What achievements does that person have (I don’t remember this one)
Why you admire him/her
And for part 3 i got a few sports related questions (my memory is bad I don’t remember again-)
Like
If the government fund national teams would it affect normal citizens?
Is it possible for normal people to play sports in a sports field that was used by national teams? (I think the sentence is similar to this meaning idk I forgot)
Is getting a reward in a sports team or individual more satisfying? (Something like that)
What sports have successful achievements from your country? (Again it’s probably the same meaning as what the examiner asked idk the exact one tho)
And there’s others but I forgot
But I think I did well for my speaking test! I’m gonna have my other three tests 2 hours later
Thanks for sharing. The best of luck with the rest of your test !!
Hi Liz, my speaking test is in three days and I am concerned because I do not think I have the grammatical range to obtain a band 8. During my conversations, I only make use of clear and simple day to day English. What are my chances of success?
Most people are not good at evaluating their own grammar range or accuracy. Can you speak using the past tense? Can you give comparisons? Can you use a third conditional to talk about regrets you might have had or the second conditional to talk about a hypothetical situation? Can you talk about your hopes, plans and dreams of the future? All these will boost your score and are things that you practice including in your answers. Here are some examples for part 1:
Q. Can you swim?
A. Yes, I can but I rarely get the chance to because my work keeps me so busy.
A. Yes, I can. If I had the chance, I’d swim everyday but there isn’t a pool in my neighbourhood.
A. Yes, I can. I start swimming at a young age and loved it, but now I only get the chance to swim on holidays.
A. No, I can’t. If I’d known I was going to live so close to the sea, I would have learned sooner.
A. No, I can’t. I prefer playing tennis because it’s more competitive and much more exciting.
Each answers shows different things.
First answer = it shows the ability to talk about frequencies
Second answer = second conditional
Third answer = a mix of past tense and present to show the flexibility of moving from one tense to another
Fourth answer = third condition
Fifth answer = comparison
If you can produce such replies, you can aim for a very high score. Your task will be to make sure you can do this naturally in all parts of the test so that your answers appear like a natural part of your English. Does this help?
Hi Liz,
I think I have done a great mistake in my speaking test.
I spoke one word in “Arabic” by mistake during part 3. However, I think I’ve done pretty well in the rest of the speaking test.
How will this only word affect my score band?
You can’t be penalised in the speaking test. Of course, it doesn’t help your score. It is best to avoid it or at least paraphrase the word afterwards.
Hi Liz,
I gave my second ielts attempt on 28th Oct 2018. Following questions were asked:
What is your full name?
Do you work or study?
Where do you work?
What would you like to change in your daily routine?
Why do you want to change it?
How changing this habit can benefit you?
What is your favorite color?
Why is this your favorite color?
what is the color of your room?
Do you think colors impact moods of people?
SECTION II
Describe an interesting place of the your country?
Why do you find it interesting?
will you recommend this city to your friends?
Section III
Is this place in a city or rural area?
What is the difference between city and rural life?
what is the difference of people in city and rural area?
I think i tried my best to answer all the questions, even then i managed to score 7 in my speaking part. I spoke slowly and clearly. Made um, uhh sounds only once or twice.
My ideas might not be interesting and repetitive because the interviewer asked me same question about “how changing a routine activity can benefit me”. It happened during my first ielts speaking test as well, same question was repeated twice and I scored 7 then too. Please let me know where i am lacking and what can i do to improve my speaking score?
Your score is based on the level of English you presented. To get a higher score, you need to present better English and a broader range of language. Are you using second conditional statements? How often do you present the past tenses? How long can you speak in the past tense for? Are you offer comparatives freely? Think about the language you are presenting.
Greetings Liz,
Came upon a question “Do you think the media is manipulative? ”
What are your thoughts on this question?
This is a common question. Here is a paraphrase: Is all news and information reported by the media true?
Thank you, Liz! Your website is of great help to us! I’ll have my IELTS test on 11 Agust for the first time in China.
The tips are very useful and have solved a lot of questions I encountered when practicing on my own. And not like many reference books sold in our bookstores, which only lead us to view IELTS as a big obstacle, I feel that your posts just raise our interest to learn how to use English more naturally and confidently during the preparation of IELTS. Thank you very much😘！
I’m so glad my lessons are helping. I believe IELTS is completely achievable with the correct preparation – good luck 🙂
your lecture is simply super…amazing…..and….beyond words….you have done a great job and i salute for it….thank you
Will it be off-topic of I talk about family members, because the question is asking about Friends but not family.
https://ieltsliz.com/liz-notice-2015-2016/