If you are preparing for your upcoming exam, you might be asked to describe an old friend you got in contact with again during the Speaking Part 2 segment. This particular prompt has become a staple in recent tests because it allows examiners to assess your ability to narrate past events while expressing complex emotions and reflections. In this comprehensive guide, we provide a Band 9 model answer, a Band 7 alternative, and expert strategies to help you master this cue card and boost your overall score through our IELTS English Speaking Course resources.

The Cue Card

Describe an old friend you got in contact with again. You should say:
• Who this person is
• How you knew them and why you lost touch
• How you got back in contact with them
• And explain how you felt about getting in touch with them again.

Band 9 Sample Answer

To be perfectly honest, life has a funny way of pulling people apart, only to bring them back together when you least expect it. The person I’d like to talk about is a guy named Leo, who was actually my best friend throughout my secondary school years. We were practically inseparable back then; we shared the same sense of humor and spent countless hours playing football or obsessing over indie rock bands. However, as is often the case, once we headed off to different universities in different cities, the distance began to take its toll. We didn’t have a falling out or anything like that; it was just a slow drift where the frequent texts turned into occasional birthday messages, and eventually, we just lost track of each other’s lives entirely for nearly a decade. It’s funny how time flies when you’re focused on building a career and navigating adulthood. Anyway, the way we reconnected was completely serendipitous. About six months ago, I was browsing through a professional networking site, LinkedIn, looking for a consultant, and his profile popped up as a suggested connection. I noticed he was working in the same industry as me, just a few blocks away in the city center. On a whim, I sent him a brief message asking if he’d like to grab a coffee and catch up. To my surprise, he replied almost instantly, sounding just as enthusiastic as I was. When we finally met up at a small café, it was initially a bit surreal seeing how much he’d changed physically—he’d traded his messy teenage hair for a sharp suit—but within five minutes, it felt like no time had passed at all. We spent hours reminiscing about our school days and realized that despite our different paths, our core values remained the same. Getting back in touch felt incredibly nostalgic and heartwarming; it reminded me of the importance of maintaining long-term bonds. It was like finding a missing piece of a puzzle I didn’t even realize was incomplete.

Band 7 Sample Answer

I would like to describe an old friend named Sarah who I recently started talking to again. We were very close friends in primary school and we used to do everything together, like playing in the park and helping each other with homework. However, when my family moved to another city when I was twelve, we slowly lost touch. This was before social media was really popular, so it was hard to keep in contact. Recently, I found her on Facebook because we had a mutual friend from our old neighborhood. I decided to send her a friend request and a short message to see how she was doing. She accepted it right away and told me she was living back in my current city. We decided to meet for lunch last weekend at a local restaurant. It was very interesting to hear about her life and her job as a teacher. I felt really happy and a bit relieved that we could still talk easily even after more than ten years of silence. It made me realize that true friendship can last a long time even if you don’t speak every day. I am glad we are back in touch now and we plan to meet again soon to talk more about our childhood memories.

How the Band 9 Answer Scores Top Marks

Fluency and Coherence

The Band 9 response flows naturally without any noticeable effort or hesitation. The speaker uses sophisticated discourse markers and transition phrases like “To be perfectly honest,” “However, as is often the case,” and “Anyway,” to guide the listener through the narrative. The story follows a logical chronological order, moving from the past friendship to the period of silence, and finally to the reunion. This coherence is essential for a high score, much like when you describe a journey that didn’t go as planned, where the sequence of events must be crystal clear to the examiner.

Lexical Resource

The vocabulary used is both precise and idiomatic. Phrases like “practically inseparable,” “take its toll,” “serendipitous,” and “reminiscing” demonstrate a high level of lexical sophistication. The speaker avoids repetitive language and uses collocations effectively, such as “navigating adulthood” and “core values.” Using 6 alternatives for ‘In My Opinion’ can also help vary your language, but in this specific answer, the speaker uses natural conversational fillers that serve a similar purpose of showing range.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy

The answer showcases a variety of complex structures. For instance, the use of the past perfect tense (“I didn’t even realize was incomplete”) and conditional-style reflections (“It’s funny how time flies when…”) adds depth. The speaker also uses relative clauses (“who was actually my best friend”) and cleft sentences to emphasize points. This level of accuracy and range is what separates a Band 9 from lower bands, similar to the grammatical precision required when you describe a person who always has interesting ideas or opinions.

Pronunciation

While the text doesn’t show sound, a Band 9 speaker would use natural intonation to convey emotion. For example, the phrase “To my surprise” would be spoken with a rising pitch to indicate excitement. The speaker would also use “chunking”—grouping words together into meaningful phrases—to ensure the rhythm of the speech sounds like a native or highly proficient speaker. This is a key focus in any high-level general overview of IELTS Speaking preparation.

Vocabulary and Idioms to Use

Grammar Structures That Boost Your Band Score

• Past Perfect for Background: “We had lost touch long before I moved to London.”
• Used to / Would for Past Habits: “We used to spend every weekend at the library.”
• Mixed Conditionals: “If we hadn’t met that day, I wouldn’t be working at this company now.”
• Relative Clauses: “The café, which was located near my old school, was the perfect meeting spot.”
• Gerunds as Subjects: “Getting back in touch was the best decision I made last year.”
• Modals of Deduction: “It must have been at least ten years since we last spoke.”
• Cleft Sentences for Emphasis: “What surprised me most was how little his personality had changed.”

Part 3 Follow-up Questions

Why do you think people lose touch with their childhood friends?

I believe the primary reason is simply the natural progression of life. As people transition from adolescence to adulthood, their priorities shift dramatically. When individuals move away for higher education or career opportunities, the physical distance often creates a psychological gap. Furthermore, people evolve; the interests that bonded two ten-year-olds might not exist when they are thirty. Unless there is a conscious and concerted effort from both parties to maintain the connection, it’s quite easy for even the best of friends to drift apart. It’s rarely about a specific conflict and more about the “busyness” of modern life getting in the way of maintaining those early bonds.

Do you think social media makes it easier to stay in touch with friends?

Undoubtedly, social media has revolutionized how we maintain our social circles. Platforms like Instagram or LinkedIn act as a digital safety net, ensuring that even if we aren’t talking daily, we are still aware of major milestones in our friends’ lives. It lowers the barrier to re-entry; sending a quick direct message is much less intimidating than making a formal phone call after years of silence. However, there is a downside. Sometimes social media provides a “false sense of connection” where we feel we are in touch because we see their photos, but we lack the deep, meaningful interactions that truly sustain a friendship. It’s a tool that requires active use rather than passive observation.

Is it important to have long-term friendships?

In my view, long-term friendships are vital because they provide a sense of continuity and shared history that newer acquaintances simply cannot match. An old friend is a witness to your growth; they knew you before you had your current job or family, which offers a unique perspective. These relationships often provide a safe harbor during turbulent times because there is a foundation of deep-seated trust. Moreover, making a positive change in your daily routine is often easier when you have a long-term friend to support you, as they understand your personality and habits better than anyone else. They are essentially the “anchors” in our social lives.

What qualities make a friendship last for a long time?

The bedrock of any enduring friendship is definitely mutual respect and adaptability. Since people inevitably change over the decades, a lasting friendship requires both individuals to accept these changes rather than clinging to who the person used to be. Transparency is also crucial; as discussed in the topic to describe a time when it was important to tell your friend the truth, honesty builds a level of trust that can withstand long periods of absence. Finally, there must be a shared effort. Friendship is a two-way street, and it requires both people to prioritize the relationship, even when life becomes chaotic or stressful.

How do friendships change as people get older?

As people age, the quantity of friends often decreases while the quality increases. In our youth, we tend to have large social circles based on proximity—like being in the same class or neighborhood. However, as adults, we become much more selective with our time. Friendships become more about shared values and emotional support rather than just shared activities. Additionally, adult friendships often have to accommodate more “baggage,” such as professional responsibilities or family commitments. Consequently, we might see our friends less frequently, but the interactions we do have tend to be more profound and meaningful. We trade the quantity of social outings for the depth of personal connection.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Being Too Generic: Avoid saying “I met a friend and we talked.” Use specific details like the name of the friend, the specific place you met, and what exactly you talked about to make the story come alive.
• Overusing “And then”: Relying on “and then” to connect sentences makes your speech sound repetitive and low-level. Use varied connectors like “consequently,” “subsequently,” or “as a result.”
• Ignoring the “Why”: Many students forget to explain the emotional aspect. The prompt asks how you felt. Spend time describing the feeling of nostalgia or surprise.
• Tense Inconsistency: This cue card requires shifting between the past (when you were friends), the present (how you feel now), and the present perfect (how long you have been back in touch). Watch your verb endings!
• Focusing Only on the Reunion: Don’t forget to mention why you lost touch in the first place. The examiner is looking for a complete narrative arc.

Practice Tips for This Cue Card

• Record and Review: Use your phone to record a 2-minute answer. Listen back and count how many “ums” and “ahs” you use, then try to replace them with silent pauses or fillers like “Let me see.”
• Mind Map Your Story: Before speaking, spend the 1-minute preparation time writing down 5-6 keywords (e.g., Leo, LinkedIn, café, nostalgic, 10 years). Do not write full sentences.
• Check Official Criteria: Regularly visit the IELTS Official Website to stay updated on the assessment rubrics for Speaking.
• Practice Different Scenarios: Try telling the story as if you met the friend by accident at a wedding, or as if you found them through a mutual friend. This builds flexibility.
• Focus on Idioms: Try to incorporate at least three idioms from the table above into your practice sessions until they feel natural to say.

Mastering the “describe an old friend you got in contact with again” cue card is all about balancing a personal narrative with advanced linguistic features. By following the structures and vocabulary outlined in this guide, you will be well on your way to achieving a high band score. For more personalized feedback and mock tests, consider enrolling in our IELTS English Speaking Course today!