Part 1 · Band 5

Do you have many friends?

Source-reported band score · 47 words

Sample answer

I have more than 10 friends, and I'm not sure if I should say this, but I have more than 50 friends in my neighborhood. I like all of my friends. If I need help, I can seek them out on the phone and rely on them.

Answer analysis

Fluency & Coherence

The answer develops in a clear sequence: you say how many friends you have, add the neighborhood detail, express that you like them, and explain how they help. The closing point about relying on friends gives the response a relevant ending. A timed practice: speak for 20–25 seconds, keeping this sequence, and add one brief example of a time a friend helped you. Fluency cannot be rated from text alone.

Lexical Resource

You use relevant everyday vocabulary, including “rely on them” and “in my neighborhood,” to answer the question directly. “Seek them out on the phone” is an awkward collocation because “seek out” usually suggests finding someone, rather than contacting them. For a more natural expression, say “contact them by phone” or simply “call them.” You could also add one precise detail about the help your friends provide.

Grammatical Range & Accuracy

Your sentences are generally clear, and “If I need help, I can seek them out on the phone and rely on them” uses a correct conditional structure. The answer also combines ideas with “and” and “but.” However, most sentences follow simple patterns, and several begin with “I.” For more variety, connect a reason or example to one point, such as explaining why you value your friends, while keeping the sentence easy to follow.

Pronunciation

A pronunciation score cannot be estimated from this text, and this practice guide is not an assessment of a recording. Practise the word stress in “neighborhood” and “rely on them,” then group the answer into thought groups: “I have more than 10 friends / and ... more than 50 friends in my neighborhood.” Record yourself saying it, check that each phrase is clearly separated, and compare your recording with a reliable dictionary audio model for the target words.

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

Keep the answer’s clear progression, but use “call them” instead of “seek them out on the phone.”
Add one short example of the kind of help you can rely on your friends for.
Practise delivering the answer in 20–25 seconds, with a brief pause between the friend-count detail and the point about support.

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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