IELTS Speaking Part 2: A Friend you are Proud of

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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Comments

  1. 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.

  2. 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.

  3. Rubine James says

    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?

  4. 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 🙂

  5. your lecture is simply super…amazing…..and….beyond words….you have done a great job and i salute for it….thank you

  6. Will it be off-topic of I talk about family members, because the question is asking about Friends but not family.

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