IELTS Speaking, parties 2 et 3 : Describe a friend from your childhood
Carte aide-mémoire de la deuxième partie
Describe a friend from your childhood
Il faudrait dire :
- Qui il/elle est
- Où et comment vous vous êtes rencontrés
- Ce que vous faisiez souvent ensemble
- Qu'est-ce qui vous a fait l'aimer
Vous disposerez d'une à deux minutes pour aborder ce sujet.
Lire la transcription complète
Je vais parler d'un ami d'enfance appelé Jamie qui vivait à seulement deux rues de là. Nous nous sommes rencontrés pour la première fois à l’école primaire lorsque nous avions sept ans ; notre professeur nous a mis dans le même groupe de lecture et nous avons commencé à échanger des livres pendant les récréations, c'est ainsi que l'amitié a commencé. Après l’école, nous allions au parc voisin pour construire des tanières et faire semblant d’être des explorateurs, et parfois nous allions au bord de la rivière à vélo pour attraper des têtards – ces après-midi boueux devenaient une sorte de rituel. Le week-end, nous échangeions des bandes dessinées dans les jardins de nos grands-parents, créant ainsi plein de petites blagues intérieures. Ce qui m'a le plus fait aimer Jamie, c'est sa loyauté et son sens de l'humour ; il pouvait toujours me faire rire quand je me sentais mal à l'aise, et c'est lui qui m'accompagnait pour rencontrer mon nouveau professeur lorsque je changeais d'école à onze heures, ce qui m'a vraiment aidé. Ce sont ces petits actes fiables et la façon dont nous avons utilisé notre imagination ensemble qui le font ressortir dans ma mémoire.
État de préparation : cycle thématique prévu. Cette ressource de pratique indépendante n'est pas un document officiel de l'IELTS et les questions de votre test peuvent être différentes. Comment les sujets sont étiquetés.
Questions de discussion de la troisième partie
Déplacez une question à la fois : écoutez, répondez, comparez et réessayez. Le texte complet de la question reste dans la page HTML pour l'accessibilité et la recherche.
- 01Do you still keep in touch with your friends from childhood? Why or why not?
- 02How important is childhood friendship to children?
- 03What do you think of communicating via social media?
- 04Do you think online communication through social media will replace face-to-face communication?
- 05What's the difference between having younger friends and older friends?
- 06Has technology changed people's friendships? How?
Voir le sujet avant de parler
Utilisez les images comme invites à idées. Décrivez ce que vous remarquez, reliez-le à votre expérience, puis répondez à la vraie question.
Des réponses modèles, entendues côte à côte
Commencez par la réponse la plus simple, changez Band pour entendre comment la même tâche peut être développée, puis enregistrez une réponse personnelle. Ce sont des exemples pédagogiques, pas des réponses officielles ni des garanties de scores.
Partie 2 — Modèle de réponse
Part 2 cue-card response
I'm going to talk about a friend from my childhood called Mia. We met at primary school when we were seven because our parents signed us up for the same after-school club. We often played in the playground, drew pictures and rode our bikes together. At weekends we sometimes went to each other's houses to watch cartoons. I liked Mia because she was kind and always shared her snacks with me. She was easy to be with and made me laugh, so I enjoyed spending time with her.
I'm going to talk about my childhood friend Sam, who I met when I was about eight. We were both in the same primary school class and we ended up sitting next to each other by chance on the first day. He lived a few streets away, so after school we'd often walk home together and stop at the park. We used to play football every afternoon in the field behind his house; I can still picture the orange goalposts and how we'd argue over who got the front spot. What we did together varied — we built dens, swapped comics and once made a tiny home-made kite that flew for ten minutes before crashing. At weekends his family invited me round for dinner more than once, and I remember helping his mum peel vegetables while we planned adventures. I liked Sam because he was funny and honest, always ready to stand up for me if someone teased me. He was also really curious and would ask strange questions that made me see things differently, like why clouds look soft but are actually water. Even now, years later, that friendship taught me the value of loyalty and simple fun, and it still brings back happy memories whenever I think of it.
I'll describe a childhood friend called Leila, who became one of the most influential people in my early life. We met aged nine at a local youth theatre — we were paired for a scene and clicked instantly because we both loved being silly on stage. Outside rehearsals we spent hours inventing plays, collecting second-hand props and organising impromptu performances for our families; one summer we staged a two-scene show in her garden that everyone in the street came to see. Our friendship felt effortless because she was thoughtful, unusually patient for her age and genuinely interested in other people's ideas. She helped me through a difficult move between schools by introducing me to new groups and making me feel included, which meant a great deal at the time. I liked her honesty and the way she encouraged me to try things I was nervous about, from auditions to public speaking. Looking back, that friendship wasn't just fun — it shaped my confidence and taught me how to support others in return.
Partie 3 — Modèle de réponses
Do you still keep in touch with your friends from childhood? Why or why not?
I don't keep in touch with all my childhood friends. A few moved away or we just grew apart because of school and work. I still talk to one or two sometimes on social media or at reunions, but not every week.
I still keep in touch with a couple of childhood friends, though not as often as we used to. Life gets busy with jobs and families, but we make an effort — a message every now and then, and a reunion every few years. Those contacts feel easy because of our shared history, so when we do speak it's like no time has passed.
Yes, albeit selectively. I've stayed connected with a small number who share similar values or life stages; others naturally drifted apart. Maintaining those ties takes deliberate effort — a birthday message, occasional catch-ups or a yearly meet-up — but I value the continuity they provide. For me, quality matters more than quantity when it comes to old friends.
How important is childhood friendship to children?
Childhood friendships are very important. They help kids learn to share and play together. Friends make children happy and confident.
They're crucial. Friendships in childhood teach social skills — sharing, resolving fights, and cooperating — which children carry forward. They also build confidence: for example, doing a school project with a friend can make a child feel braver about speaking up in class.
Very important indeed. Early friendships provide a safe context to experiment with social roles, manage emotions and develop empathy. Through play and small conflicts, children learn negotiation and perspective-taking, which become templates for adult relationships. In short, these bonds are foundational for emotional and social development.
What do you think of communicating via social media?
I think social media is useful because it's quick and easy to contact people. But sometimes messages can be confusing and it's not the same as meeting face-to-face.
I see social media as a useful tool — it's great for keeping in touch, arranging meet-ups and sharing news. But it can be superficial; people curate their lives and that may give a distorted view. Still, for maintaining long-distance friendships it's indispensable.
Social media is ambivalent: it affords great convenience and scale, letting people sustain weak and strong ties across distance, but it also encourages curated selves and bite-sized interactions. The result is a trade-off — broader networks but sometimes shallower exchanges. Used thoughtfully, though, it can complement deeper, face-to-face relationships rather than replace them.
Do you think online communication through social media will replace face-to-face communication?
No, I don't think social media will replace face-to-face talking. People still need real contact to understand feelings and to build trust.
I don't think it will completely replace face-to-face contact. Certain things — emotional depth, body language and spontaneity — are hard to replicate online. However, many routine interactions may move online, especially with busy schedules and international relationships.
Unlikely. While online platforms will keep evolving and can mimic aspects of conversation, they struggle to reproduce embodied presence — the subtleties of tone, touch and shared context that underpin deep rapport. I expect a hybrid future: convenient online exchanges for everyday matters, and face-to-face encounters reserved for complex or emotionally significant interactions.
What's the difference between having younger friends and older friends?
Younger friends are more active and fun, while older friends are calmer and give better advice. Both are good in different ways.
Younger friends often bring energy, new trends and a different perspective, while older friends can offer experience and steadiness. For example, older friends may be better at giving career advice, whereas younger friends might introduce you to new music or hobbies.
Age differences bring complementary benefits. Younger friends can refresh your outlook and expose you to novel cultural currents, whereas older friends tend to provide context, mentorship and a broader life perspective. The best mix depends on your needs at a given life stage — social stimulation versus practical guidance.
Has technology changed people's friendships? How?
Yes, technology has changed friendships. It's easier to keep in touch but sometimes people talk less in person. There are more online friends now.
Definitely. Technology has made it much easier to maintain contacts across distance and to reconnect with old friends. At the same time, it has altered rituals — messages and likes partly replace phone calls or visits — which can make relationships feel less intimate if that's all you rely on.
Technology has transformed how friendships are maintained and practised. It lowers the cost of contact, allowing relationships to persist across geography, but it also reorganises attention — interactions can become fragmented and performative. New norms around availability, privacy and digital co-presence shape expectations, so sustaining depth now often requires intentional offline time and clear boundaries.
Comment répondre Décrivez un ami de votre enfance Questions orales IELTS
Pour la carte aide-mémoire Décrivez un ami de votre enfance, utilisez la minute de préparation pour construire un parcours à travers la discussion. Choisissez un sujet clair, ajoutez deux moments ou détails spécifiques et terminez par pourquoi c'est important. Utilisez ensuite les questions liées de la partie 3 pour pratiquer des explications et des comparaisons plus larges.
Invites de la carte aide-mémoire :
- Qui il/elle est
- Où et comment vous vous êtes rencontrés
- Ce que vous faisiez souvent ensemble
- Qu'est-ce qui vous a fait l'aimer
- Ouverture : identifier la personne, le lieu, l'objet ou l'événement.
- Développement : décrire deux détails ou moments dans un ordre logique.
- Extension : expliquer une raison, un résultat, une comparaison ou un problème.
- Réflexion : terminez par pourquoi le sujet est mémorable ou important.
Approche question par question
| Question pratique | Mouvement de réponse utile |
|---|---|
| Do you still keep in touch with your friends from childhood? Why or why not? | Répondez directement, donnez une raison et ajoutez un détail personnel naturel. |
| How important is childhood friendship to children? | Décrivez le processus ou la différence dans un ordre clair et ajoutez un résultat. |
| What do you think of communicating via social media? | Nommez d’abord la chose, puis décrivez une fonctionnalité ou un exemple spécifique. |
| Do you think online communication through social media will replace face-to-face communication? | Énoncez un point de vue probable, expliquez la raison et ajoutez une condition ou un exemple. |
Focus sur le vocabulaire
Le langage utile déjà démontré dans les réponses modèles comprend selectively, drifted apart, continuity, empathy, perspective-taking, foundational, curated, indispensable. Apprenez chaque signification et un partenariat de mots naturel, puis utilisez l'élément dans une nouvelle réponse au lieu de copier un script complet.
Erreurs courantes à éviter
- Donner une réponse mémorisée qui ne répond que partiellement à la question.
- Ajouter du vocabulaire difficile sans vérifier le sens ou la collocation.
- Redémarrer après chaque erreur au lieu de corriger brièvement et de continuer.
- Lisez la réponse modèle avant d’enregistrer votre propre première tentative.
Décrivez un ami de votre enfance pratique FAQ
Comment dois-je utiliser la minute de préparation de la carte aide-mémoire Décrivez un ami de votre enfance ?
Écrivez des mots-clés pour une introduction, deux ou trois détails et une réflexion finale. N'essayez pas d'écrire des phrases complètes.
Dois-je couvrir chaque puce de la carte signalétique ?
Les invites vous aident à organiser la discussion. Les couvrir est utile, mais une réponse cohérente d’une à deux minutes compte plus que de cocher mécaniquement chaque ligne.
Quel est le lien entre les questions de la partie 3 et la partie 2 ?
Ils développent le même thème général à travers des raisons, des comparaisons, des effets sociaux ou des possibilités futures, de sorte que les réponses nécessitent normalement plus d'explications que la première partie.
