In the IELTS Speaking test, being able to narrate a personal story with emotion and precision is key to achieving a high score. A very common prompt that has appeared recently is to describe an old friend you had lost touch with and got in contact with again, which requires you to balance past and present tenses while using evocative vocabulary. This post provides a Band 9 model answer, a detailed breakdown of the marking criteria, and essential practice tips to help you succeed.

The Cue Card

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

Band 9 Sample Answer

I’d like to talk about a childhood friend of mine named Leo, whom I’d known since we were toddlers. We were absolutely inseparable throughout primary school, essentially joined at the hip, and I have countless memories of us playing in the woods behind our houses. However, when his family relocated to Canada when we were about eleven, we gradually drifted apart. Back then, social media wasn’t really a thing, and despite our best intentions to write letters, the distance eventually took its toll, and we lost track of each other for nearly fifteen years. It wasn’t until about eighteen months ago that I managed to track him down. I was actually browsing through a professional networking site when his profile popped up as a suggested connection. My heart nearly skipped a beat! I sent him a rather tentative message, and to my absolute delight, he responded almost instantly, expressing the same level of shock. We decided to hop on a video call that weekend, and honestly, it was like a blast from the past. We spent hours reminiscing about our old teachers and the various scrapes we used to get into as kids. What struck me most was how, despite the intervening years and the vast geographical distance, our rapport was still as strong as ever; it felt as though no time had passed at all. Reconnecting with Leo was profoundly moving for me because it served as a poignant reminder of my roots. It’s quite rare to find someone who knew you before you were “grown up,” and rekindling that bond has been incredibly rewarding. Since then, we’ve made a concerted effort to keep in the loop with each other’s lives, and we are even planning a reunion trip next summer.

Band 7 Sample Answer

I want to tell you about my friend Sarah. We were best friends in high school and did almost everything together, like studying for exams and going to the cinema. But after graduation, she went to a different city for university and I stayed in our hometown. At first, we sent a few messages, but then we stopped talking because we both got very busy with our new lives and new friends. Last year, I saw a photo of her on Instagram through a mutual friend’s post. I decided to send her a direct message to say hello and see how she was doing. She was very happy to hear from me, and we ended up talking for a long time on the phone that night. We found out that we still have a lot in common, like our taste in music and movies. We actually met for coffee last month when she came back to visit her parents. It was really nice to see her again after five years of silence. I’m glad we are back in touch because she was always a very kind person who listened to my problems. It taught me that it’s never too late to reach out to someone from your past, even if you haven’t spoken for a long time.

How the Band 9 Answer Scores Top Marks

Fluency and Coherence

The speaker maintains a natural, effortless flow throughout the response. There are no noticeable hesitations for language; instead, the speaker uses cohesive devices naturally. For instance, phrases like “However,” “It wasn’t until,” and “What struck me most” help to guide the listener through the timeline of the story. The transition from describing the past friendship to the moment of reconnection is seamless, which is a hallmark of a high-level candidate. For a deeper dive into these skills, you might want to check out the General Overview of IELTS Speaking Test to understand how examiners track your coherence.

Lexical Resource

The vocabulary used is both precise and idiomatic. Instead of saying “we were close friends,” the speaker uses “absolutely inseparable” and “joined at the hip.” To describe the loss of contact, terms like “drifted apart” and “lost track of each other” are employed. The use of “reminiscing,” “poignant reminder,” and “rekindling that bond” demonstrates a high level of lexical sophistication. This level of detail is similar to what you would need when you describe a person who always has interesting ideas or opinions, where character-specific adjectives are vital.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy

The response showcases a variety of complex structures. The speaker uses the past perfect (“whom I’d known since we were toddlers”) to establish the background, and the past continuous (“I was actually browsing”) to set the scene for the reconnection. There is also a great use of cleft sentences (“What struck me most was…”) and conditional-style logic (“it felt as though no time had passed”). These structures are used accurately and contribute to the overall sophistication of the speech.

Pronunciation

While we cannot hear the text, the Band 9 answer is written to encourage natural intonation. Words like “profoundly moving” and “tentative message” allow for expressive stress and pitch variation. High-scoring candidates use word stress and sentence stress to highlight important information, making their speech easy to follow and engaging for the examiner. Mastering these nuances is a core part of our IELTS English Speaking Course.

Vocabulary and Idioms to Use

Grammar Structures That Boost Your Band Score

• Past Perfect for Background: “I had already moved away by the time she tried to call me.”
• Cleft Sentences for Emphasis: “What I found most surprising was how little he had changed.”
• Third Conditional (Regrets/Reflections): “If we hadn’t found each other on social media, we probably would never have spoken again.”
• Used to / Would for Past Habits: “We would spend every summer at the lake when we were kids.”
• Present Perfect for Recent Events: “We have recently started planning a trip together.”
• Relative Clauses: “The town where we grew up has changed significantly since then.”
• Participle Phrases: “Looking back on it now, I realize how much I valued that friendship.”
• Inversion for Emphasis: “Not only did we talk for hours, but we also made plans to meet the following week.”

Part 3 Follow-up Questions

Why do you think people lose touch with their friends?

In my view, the primary reason people drift apart is simply the natural progression of life. As we transition from adolescence to adulthood, our priorities shift dramatically. We might move to different cities for career opportunities or become consumed by the responsibilities of starting a family. When you are no longer in the same physical environment, such as a school or workplace, maintaining a bond requires a significant amount of conscious effort. From my perspective, if that effort isn’t mutual, the connection inevitably withers over time, even if there was no specific conflict or falling out between the individuals involved.

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

Undoubtedly, social media has revolutionized the way we maintain relationships. It provides a low-pressure platform to keep a pulse on people’s lives without needing to have constant, deep conversations. You can see milestones, like weddings or new jobs, through their posts. However, there is a double-edged sword here. While it’s easier to “stay in touch” superficially, it can sometimes lead to a “passive” friendship where you feel you know someone because you see their photos, but you haven’t actually spoken to them in years. It’s a great tool for initial reconnection, but it cannot replace the depth of a face-to-face interaction or a long phone call.

Is it important to have long-term friendships?

I believe long-term friendships are incredibly valuable because they provide a sense of continuity and shared history. A friend who has known you for decades understands your background, your family dynamics, and your personal evolution in a way that a new acquaintance simply cannot. These relationships often provide a safe harbor during difficult times because there is a foundation of trust that has been built over years. This is quite similar to when you have to describe a time when it was important to tell your friend the truth; that level of honesty is only possible when you have a deep, long-standing rapport with someone.

How has the concept of friendship changed compared to our parents’ generation?

The fundamental nature of friendship—loyalty, support, and companionship—remains the same, but the “logistics” have changed. Our parents’ generation typically had a smaller, more localized circle of friends. If someone moved away, the friendship often ended because international calls were expensive and letters took weeks. Today, our social circles are much more global. We can be best friends with someone living on the other side of the planet. However, I think our parents might have had more “undivided attention” during their social interactions, whereas today, our time with friends is often interrupted by the constant pings of our smartphones.

Should people try to reconnect with everyone they have lost touch with?

I don’t believe it’s necessary or even healthy to reconnect with everyone. Some friendships are “seasonal,” meaning they served a specific purpose during a certain chapter of your life, like a college roommate or a former colleague. Sometimes, people grow in such different directions that there is no longer any common ground. I think it’s better to focus on quality over quantity. If a memory of someone brings a smile to your face and you genuinely wonder how they are, then reaching out is a wonderful idea. But trying to maintain every single connection you’ve ever had can be emotionally draining and ultimately superficial.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Being Too Vague: Don’t just say “we talked about stuff.” Be specific—say you talked about “old teachers” or “childhood mischief.”
• Tense Inconsistency: This cue card requires switching between the past (when you were friends) and the present (how you feel now). Make sure your verb endings are accurate.
• Focusing Only on the App: Don’t spend the whole two minutes talking about how Facebook or LinkedIn works; the focus should be on the relationship and the feeling of reconnection.
• Lack of Emotion: This is a personal topic. If you speak in a flat, robotic tone, you won’t score well on pronunciation or discourse management. Show some excitement or nostalgia.
• Over-complicating the Reason: You don’t need a dramatic reason for losing touch. “Life getting in the way” is a perfectly valid and very common reason that examiners understand.

Practice Tips for This Cue Card

• Mind Map Your Story: Before you speak, quickly jot down three key stages: The Past (who they were), The Gap (why you lost touch), and The Present (the reunion).
• Record and Review: Use your phone to record a 2-minute version of this answer. Listen back specifically for your use of the past perfect tense.
• Practice “The Hook”: Work on a strong opening sentence that immediately tells the examiner who you are talking about and why they are important.
• Use Transitions: Practice using phrases like “Fast forward ten years” or “To my surprise” to make your story more engaging.
• Simulate the Environment: Set a timer for exactly one minute of preparation and two minutes of speaking to get used to the pressure of the real IELTS Official Website test format.

Conclusion

Reconnecting with an old friend is a rich, emotional topic that gives you a great opportunity to show off your range of English. By using idiomatic language and a variety of grammatical structures, you can easily aim for a Band 8 or 9. Remember, the key is to make the story sound personal and authentic. For more practice on similar topics, explore our IELTS Speaking Tips or sign up for a full mock test to get professional feedback on your performance.