Part 1 — Family & Friends
Relationships vocabulary · relative clauses for description · personality language · answer-extension strategies · scoring techniques
1. Topic & Why It Matters
Family & Friends is one of the most predictable Part 1 topics. It feels easy, which is exactly why it's dangerous — candidates relax, give one-line answers ("I have a big family."), and miss the chance to show off relationship vocabulary, personality adjectives, and the relative clauses the examiner is listening for.
The topic is personal but not too private, so the examiner can comfortably ask 4–6 questions across sub-areas: who you're close to, how you'd describe family members or friends, how you spend time together, whether you prefer family or friends, and how friendships change over time. The examiner can pivot instantly from "Are you close to your family?" to "Do you think friendships change as people get older?" — so you need ideas ready across the whole topic.
Where marks are commonly dropped:
- Fluency & Coherence — listing family members ("I have a mother, a father, a brother…") instead of answering the actual question; abrupt one-sentence answers with no example.
- Lexical Resource — recycling kind, nice, and friendly for every person, instead of precise traits like down-to-earth, level-headed, or easy-going.
- Grammar — using present simple ("I know him since childhood") where present perfect is required, and avoiding the relative clauses that make descriptions sound natural.
- Pronunciation — flat, list-like intonation; not stressing the personality adjective, which is usually the most important word in the sentence.
2. Scoring Strategy — How to Maximise Your Band
Part 1 is scored on the same four criteria as Parts 2 and 3. Here is how to target each one specifically in Family & Friends answers:
3. Answer Frameworks
A framework keeps you from freezing or rambling. For Family & Friends questions, your answer should be 3–5 sentences (30–45 seconds). Here are four reliable frameworks tuned to this topic:
4. Knowledge Points
Relationship answers need quality, not biography
In Part 1, don't spend your answer mapping out your whole family tree. Give a direct answer, add one relationship quality, then include one small example: "I'm especially close to my older cousin because she's a great listener. Last year, when I was choosing between two jobs, she helped me talk things through without pushing me either way."
Friend, classmate, colleague, and acquaintance
| Word | Best use | Example |
|---|---|---|
| friend | someone you choose to spend time with and trust | My closest friend is someone I can be completely honest with. |
| classmate | someone in the same class; not necessarily a friend | We were classmates at university, but we drifted apart afterwards. |
| colleague | someone you work with | One of my colleagues has actually become a close friend outside work. |
| acquaintance | someone you know slightly, not closely | I know quite a few people in my building, but most are just acquaintances. |
| relative / relation | any family member beyond your immediate household | We have relatives scattered all over the country. |
| mate / pal (informal) | casual British/American word for a friend | I'm meeting a few mates for coffee later. |
The 3-part Part 1 relationship answer
- Answer directly: say who, how often, or whether you prefer family / friends.
- Add a trait: reliable, easy-going, considerate, patient, honest, supportive, down-to-earth.
- Add a tiny scene: one real moment that proves the trait.
Tense choices for talking about relationships
| Situation | Tense | Example |
|---|---|---|
| A relationship that started in the past and continues now | Present perfect | We've known each other since we were six. |
| How long a friendship has lasted | Present perfect + for/since | I've been friends with her for over ten years. |
| A stable, current fact about someone | Present simple | My brother works abroad, so we mostly video-call. |
| A repeated past habit that has changed | Used to + base verb | We used to play football every weekend. |
| A general truth about your family now | Present simple | We're a pretty close-knit family. |
| How you'd react in a hypothetical situation | Second conditional | If I had a real problem, I'd call my cousin first. |
| A recent change in a relationship | Present perfect | We've grown a lot closer since I moved back home. |
| A memory that illustrates a trait | Past simple | Last year she helped me through a really tough patch. |
Relative clauses — the signature structure for this topic
Relative clauses (who, that, which) let you describe a person in one flowing sentence instead of two choppy ones. They are the single most useful grammar tool for Family & Friends answers.
| Two choppy sentences | One smooth relative clause |
|---|---|
| My best friend is Lucy. She always tells me the truth. | My best friend is Lucy, who always tells me the truth. |
| My uncle is a teacher. I really look up to him. | My uncle is someone I really look up to. |
| I have one cousin. She lives nearby. | I have a cousin who lives just round the corner. |
| My friends are supportive. That matters a lot to me. | I have friends who are really supportive, which matters a lot to me. |
Five ways to extend any Family/Friends answer
| Strategy | Signal phrase | Example continuation |
|---|---|---|
| Add a trait | she's the kind of person who … / he's very … | "…she's the kind of person who never judges you." |
| Give a reason | mainly because … / which is why … | "…mainly because we've been through so much together." |
| Add a contrast | although … / having said that, … | "…although we couldn't be more different, personality-wise." |
| Add a tiny scene | for instance, the other day … / I remember when … | "…for instance, last week she drove two hours just to cheer me up." |
| Reflect / evaluate | honestly, … / I suppose that's why … | "…honestly, I don't know what I'd do without them." |
5. Vocabulary & Phrase Bank
A. Closeness & connection
| # | Expression | Meaning / use |
|---|---|---|
| 01 | be close to someone | have a strong, warm relationship with a person |
| 02 | get along (well) with … | have a friendly, easy relationship |
| 03 | have a lot in common | share similar interests, habits, or opinions |
| 04 | a close-knit family | a family whose members are very connected |
| 05 | go way back | have known someone for a long time |
| 06 | hit it off | like each other immediately on first meeting |
| 07 | click (with someone) | connect easily and naturally |
| 08 | see eye to eye | agree with / understand each other |
B. Support, trust & loyalty
| # | Expression | Meaning / use |
|---|---|---|
| 09 | be there for someone | support someone when they need help |
| 10 | have someone's back | support or defend someone, especially in difficulty |
| 11 | look up to someone | admire and respect a person |
| 12 | rely on / count on someone | depend on someone with confidence |
| 13 | a reliable / dependable friend | someone you can always depend on |
| 14 | lean on someone | turn to someone for emotional support |
| 15 | talk things through | discuss a problem until it feels clearer |
| 16 | be a good listener | listen patiently and with full attention |
C. Personality & character adjectives
| # | Expression | Meaning / use |
|---|---|---|
| 17 | easy-going | relaxed and not easily annoyed |
| 18 | down-to-earth | practical, sensible, and unpretentious |
| 19 | level-headed | calm and sensible under pressure |
| 20 | considerate / thoughtful | careful about other people's feelings |
| 21 | outgoing / sociable | enjoys being around people; confident socially |
| 22 | laid-back | calm, casual, not stressed about things |
| 23 | supportive | encouraging and helpful to others |
| 24 | strong-willed / stubborn | determined (positive) / unwilling to change (negative) |
D. Family roles & structure
| # | Expression | Meaning / use |
|---|---|---|
| 25 | immediate family | parents, siblings, partner, or children |
| 26 | extended family | relatives beyond parents and siblings |
| 27 | take after someone | resemble an older family member in looks or character |
| 28 | the breadwinner | the main income-earner in a household |
| 29 | an only child | someone with no brothers or sisters |
| 30 | a nuclear family | parents and their children living together |
| 31 | bring someone up / raise someone | care for and educate a child as they grow |
| 32 | run in the family | (a trait/talent) shared across family members |
E. Keeping in touch, growing apart & conflict
| # | Expression | Meaning / use |
|---|---|---|
| 33 | keep in touch | continue communicating with someone |
| 34 | drift apart | gradually become less close over time |
| 35 | lose touch / fall out of contact | stop communicating with someone |
| 36 | catch up (with someone) | exchange news after time apart |
| 37 | fall out (with someone) | have an argument and stop being friends |
| 38 | patch things up / make up | repair a relationship after a disagreement |
| 39 | give someone space | let someone have time alone |
| 40 | bury the hatchet | agree to stop arguing and move on |
F. Vocabulary upgrades — replace generic words
| Instead of … | Try … | Example in context |
|---|---|---|
| nice / kind | considerate / warm-hearted / thoughtful | "She's really warm-hearted." |
| friendly | approachable / sociable / easy to get along with | "He's very approachable." |
| funny | got a great sense of humour / quick-witted | "She's quick-witted — always makes me laugh." |
| close | tight-knit / inseparable / really tight | "We're a pretty tight-knit family." |
| good friend | true friend / lifelong friend / a real keeper | "He's a true friend." |
| help me | be there for me / have my back / support me | "They've always had my back." |
| spend time together | hang out / catch up / get together | "We catch up every couple of weeks." |
| my family is big | I come from a large / extended family | "I come from quite a large family." |
| calm | level-headed / laid-back / unflappable | "My dad's incredibly level-headed." |
| like the same things | have a lot in common / be on the same wavelength | "We're totally on the same wavelength." |
6. Describing Techniques — How to Talk About Different Sub-Topics
A. Describing how close you are
Don't just say "yes" or "we are close". Layer it: degree of closeness → why → a small proof. Showing closeness in a quiet way often sounds more believable than claiming you talk every single day.
"Yes, I am close to my family. They are very good."
"Yes, I'm quite close to my family, especially my mother. We talk a lot."
"Yeah, I'd say I'm fairly close to my family — particularly my older sister. We're not the kind of family that calls every single day, but whenever something important comes up, we definitely have each other's back."
B. Describing a person's character
Use adjective + relative clause + behaviour. Don't stop at the adjective — back it up with what the person actually does.
- "She's the kind of person who always puts others first."
- "He's really down-to-earth — you'd never guess how successful he is."
- "What I admire most about her is how calm she stays under pressure."
- "He can be a bit stubborn, but his heart's in the right place."
- "She's got this knack for making everyone feel at ease."
C. Describing how you spend time together
Use frequency + activity + vivid verbs so a routine sounds warm rather than like a dry list.
"We eat dinner. We watch TV. We talk. We go shopping."
"We usually get together at the weekend — we'll cook a big meal, sit around for hours just chatting and catching up, and more often than not we end up bingeing some series on the sofa. It's nothing fancy, but honestly those evenings are the highlight of my week."
Key verbs: get together, hang out, catch up, drop by, pop round, grab a coffee, wind down, end up (doing), make time for.
D. Describing how a friendship started
Use narrative + emotion. A mini-story beats a flat statement of fact.
- "We met completely by chance — we just happened to be sat next to each other."
- "We hit it off straight away because we had so much in common."
- "We've known each other since we were kids, so we basically grew up together."
- "Funnily enough, we didn't get on at first, but over time we became inseparable."
E. Describing how relationships change
The examiner loves this because it forces used to, present perfect, and comparison. Structure: how it was → how it is now → why it changed.
"When we were at school, we used to see each other every single day, whereas now we're lucky if we meet up once a month. I suppose that's just life — people move away, get busy with work. But the nice thing is, whenever we do catch up, it feels like no time has passed at all."
F. Describing conflict diplomatically
- "We do have the odd disagreement, but nothing serious."
- "We don't always see eye to eye, but we never let it fester."
- "If we fall out, we usually patch things up pretty quickly."
- "I'd rather give them space and talk it through once we've both calmed down."
7. Grammar Patterns
8. Pronunciation Focus
Stress the personality word
In a relationship answer, the most important word is usually the trait. If you say it flatly, the listener misses the point. Hit the adjective and let the grammar words (to, of, with, and) stay light and quick.
"She's really DOWN-to-earth, and she's always been incredibly SUPportive."
Bold = stressed. The trait carries the meaning; "to-earth" and "-portive" trail off softly.
Weak forms in relationship phrases
Family and friend answers are full of short grammar words such as to, of, and with. In natural speech these are unstressed and reduced, while the relationship word takes the main stress.
| Phrase | Stress target | Practice sentence |
|---|---|---|
| close to my cousin | CLOSE to my COUsin | I'm quite close to my cousin. |
| a lot in common | a LOT in COMmon | We have a lot in common. |
| keep in touch | KEEP in TOUCH | We still keep in touch online. |
| talk things through | TALK things THROUGH | She helps me talk things through. |
| have each other's back | have each OTHer's BACK | We've always had each other's back. |
Intonation patterns for relationship answers
| Structure | Intonation | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Statement of fact | Falling ↘ | "We're a close-knit family. ↘" |
| List of traits (middle items) | Rising ↗ | "She's warm ↗, funny ↗, and incredibly loyal ↘." |
| Contrast / concession | Rise-fall ↗↘ | "Although we're very different ↗, we get on really well ↘." |
| Warm emphasis on a feeling | Extra stress + slight rise | "I honestly don't know what I'd do without them. ↗↘" |
Connected speech — linking sounds
- Consonant → vowel: "close_to" links smoothly; "get_along" → /ɡetəˈlɒŋ/.
- Same consonant: "best_friend" → one long /t/ → /d/ blend, not two stops.
- Weak forms: "of" → /əv/, "to" → /tə/, "and" → /ən/, "them" → /ðəm/.
9. Common Pitfalls
10. Common Questions Bank & Strategy Notes
Below are the most frequently asked Part 1 Family & Friends questions, grouped by sub-topic. For each, there's a strategy note on what the examiner is looking for.
A. Family — closeness & structure
B. Family — personality & influence
C. Friends — making & keeping them
D. Comparing & changing relationships
11. Practice Questions & Model Answers
Question 1: "Are you close to your family?"
"Are you close to your family?"
Follow-up: "Do you prefer spending time with family or with friends?"
Target length: 4–6 sentences · Target time: 30–45 seconds
"Yeah, I'd say I'm fairly close to my family, especially my older sister. We're not the kind of family that calls each other every single day, but when something important happens, we definitely have each other's back. My sister is the person who I usually turn to when I need a second opinion, mainly because she's really down-to-earth — she'll tell me the truth without being harsh. For instance, when I was on the fence about changing jobs last year, I talked it through with her over dinner, and although she didn't tell me what to do, she asked the right questions and helped me see things more clearly. So, to be honest, I think we're close in a quiet way."
Question 2: "How did you meet your best friend?"
"Oh, that's a nice question. We actually met completely by chance, on the very first day of secondary school — we just happened to be sat next to each other in class. We hit it off almost straight away because it turned out we had loads in common — same taste in music, same daft sense of humour. From then on we were pretty much inseparable; we'd walk home together, study together, the lot. Looking back, it's honestly amazing that we've stayed this close for nearly fifteen years now, even though we live in different cities. Whenever we do catch up, it feels like no time has passed at all."
Question 3: "What makes a good friend, in your opinion?"
"For me, the most important thing is reliability — a good friend is someone who's actually there for you when things go wrong, not just when everything's going well. I also really value a good listener; someone who lets you talk things throughwithout immediately jumping in with judgement. And honestly, a shared sense of humour goes a long way too — being able to laugh at the same silly things makes everything easier. I'd much rather have a small circle of friends like that than loads of acquaintances I barely know."
Question 4: "Have your friendships changed since you were a child?"
"Definitely, yeah. When I was a kid, I used to have tons of friends — basically anyone I played with in the street counted as a mate. These days, though, my circle's a lot smaller, but the friendships are far deeper. I think as you get older you naturally drift apartfrom people you don't have much in common with, and you end up holding onto the few who really get you. The downside is that with work and everything, it's genuinely harder to make time for each other — so we have to be a bit more deliberate about it. But on the whole, I'd say quality has replaced quantity, and I'm completely fine with that."
Question 5: "Who has had the biggest influence on you?"
"Without a doubt, that'd be my grandmother. She's someone I've always looked up to, partly because she's incredibly level-headed — she stays calm no matter what life throws at her. She brought up five children more or less on her own, so she's as tough as they come, and yet she's also one of the warmest, most considerate people I know. I think a lot of my own attitude to hard work actually runs in the family and comes straight from her. Whenever I'm struggling with something, I just ask myself what she'd do, and that usually puts things into perspective."
12. Annotated Commentary
Analysis of techniques used across the model answers above:
"the person who I usually turn to", "someone who's actually there for you", "the few who really get you". The signature structure of this topic — used to describe people in one smooth flow rather than two short sentences.
Answers shift between present simple ('she's down-to-earth'), present perfect ('we've stayed this close'), past simple ('I talked it through'), 'used to' ('I used to have tons of friends'), and second conditional ('what she'd do'). This range pushes you from Band 6 to 7+.
"have each other's back", "on the fence", "hit it off", "drift apart", "runs in the family", "puts things into perspective". Woven into the story, not bolted on — aim for 1–2 per answer.
"down-to-earth", "level-headed", "considerate", "warm", "reliable". Each replaces a generic 'nice/kind' and is backed by behaviour ('she'll tell me the truth without being harsh').
"when I was on the fence about changing jobs last year… over dinner", "sat next to each other on the first day of school", "she brought up five children on her own". Concrete scenes that prove a trait and sound genuine, not memorised.
"I'd say", "to be honest", "on the whole", "close in a quiet way", "more or less". Hedging shows degrees of certainty — a Band 7+ skill. Notice the answers avoid being absolute.
"For instance" (example), "although" (concession), "From then on" (sequence), "These days, though" (contrast), "But on the whole" (summary). Each one guides the listener through the answer.
Enunciate the trait words: 'down-to-earth' /ˌdaʊn tu ˈɜːθ/, 'level-headed' /ˌlevl ˈhedɪd/, 'considerate' /kənˈsɪdərət/, 'inseparable' /ɪnˈseprəbl/, 'perspective' /pəˈspektɪv/. Stress the adjective and let weak forms (to, of, them) stay light.
13. High-Band Techniques (Band 7–8+)
These techniques separate competent speakers from outstanding ones. Each one targets a specific scoring criterion.
14. Self-Drill
Shadow-reading lines — say each 5 times aloud
"We're not the kind of family that calls every day, but we definitely have each other's back."
Focus on: stress 'EVery day' and 'BACK'; keep 'the kind of' light; clear /v/ in 'have'.
"We hit it off straight away because we had so much in common."
Focus on: link 'hit_it_off' as one unit; stress 'OFF' and 'COMMon'; falling tone on 'common'.
"She's the kind of person who'll drop everything to help a friend."
Focus on: stress 'DROP everything' and 'FRIEND'; reduce 'who'll' to /hʊl/; light 'to'.
Improv prompts — record yourself, no notes
"What qualities do you value most in a close friend?"
Target: 4+ sentences · Name 2 traits, each backed by what the person does. Use one relative clause.
"Who are you closest to in your family, and why?"
Target: 4+ sentences · Use the ATS framework (Answer → Trait → Scene). Include one present perfect.
"Do you prefer spending time with family or with friends?"
Target: 4+ sentences · Use the PAC framework (Point → Amplify → Contrast). Don't be absolute.
"How have your friendships changed as you've grown up?"
Target: 4+ sentences · Use 'used to', present perfect, and a comparative. Include 'drift apart' or 'keep in touch'.
Vocabulary activation drill
Set a 2-minute timer. For each prompt below, speak for 30 seconds using as many expressions from the phrase bank as you can. Don't read — speak from memory.
- Describe the person in your family you take after the most.
- Tell a stranger how you and your best friend first met.
- Explain to a classmate why you prefer a small circle of friends.
- Describe a time a friend or family member was really there for you.