Part 1 · Band 8

Do you have many friends?

Source-reported band score · 25 words

Sample answer

I have a few close friends rather than many. I prefer quality over quantity because true friends are the ones who support and understand me.

Answer analysis

Fluency & Coherence

The response has a clear progression: it first says you have “a few close friends,” then contrasts quality with quantity and explains why. That gives the answer a complete, focused shape, though it is brief. Fluency cannot be assessed from text alone. For practice, speak this answer for 20–30 seconds, adding one relevant explanation while keeping the same main point.

Lexical Resource

“A few close friends” and “quality over quantity” are concise, natural choices that express your preference clearly. “Support and understand me” also gives a specific reason for valuing close friendships. The vocabulary is accurate and well suited to the question, although the short answer offers limited variety. As an optional extension, add one relevant phrase about what makes a friendship meaningful to you.

Grammatical Range & Accuracy

The answer uses accurate sentence structures, including the contrast in “rather than many” and the reason clause introduced by “because.” The relative clause “who support and understand me” clearly describes “true friends,” and the sentences are easy to follow. There is no clear grammatical error to correct. To show a little more range in a longer spoken response, you could add a sentence with a conditional or contrast.

Pronunciation

Pronunciation cannot be assessed from text, and this practice guide is not an assessment of a recording. Practise stressing the key words in “quality over quantity,” then say “support and understand me” as one thought group. Record yourself reading the answer, mark the stressed words, and listen back to check that the key contrasts and ideas are easy to identify.

A transcript shows language and organisation. Fluency, delivery and pronunciation require an audio recording; the synthetic voice demonstrates the text, not the original speaker.

Practise extending your answer to 20–30 seconds by adding one explanation of why support and understanding matter to you, without adding unsupported personal details.
Use a clear contrast when answering: state that you have a few close friends, then explain why quality matters more than quantity.
Record one practice response and check whether “quality over quantity” and “support and understand me” are clearly emphasised.

Plan your answer

Try your own response before reading the samples.

Ideas to explore

Contrast having many acquaintances in the past with having fewer now.
Explain that a smaller social circle does not necessarily feel like a negative change.
Describe lasting closeness as the quality that makes someone a true friend.

Suggested structure

Begin with a direct answer about your past social circle.
Explain how the number of acquaintances has changed over time.
Give your view on whether that change is bad.
End with the reason: the people who stayed close are your true friends.

Useful vocabulary & examples

a lot of acquaintances: many people you know but may not be close to
I used to have a lot of acquaintances from different parts of my life.
diminish over time: become smaller or less numerous gradually
The number of people I see regularly has diminished over time.
stay close to someone: continue to have a strong relationship with someone
A few friends have stayed close to me over the years.
true friends: people regarded as genuinely close and dependable friends
I value the true friends who have remained part of my life.

Practise your answer →

Learning Tools

Do you have many friends?

Sample answer

Answer analysis

Fluency & Coherence

Lexical Resource

Grammatical Range & Accuracy

Pronunciation

Plan your answer

Ideas to explore

Suggested structure

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