How many people are there in your family?
There are five of us: my parents, my elder brother, my younger sister and me. My brother got married last year, so technically my sister-in-law makes six now. We all live together in the same flat, which is still quite common in Bangladesh, even in the city.
Do you spend much time with your family?
Less than I used to, unfortunately. Between university, the private tutoring I do and seeing friends, I'm often out from morning till night. We do make a point of having dinner together, though, even if it's quite late, because that's when everyone actually talks about their day.
Who are you closest to in your family?
Probably my younger sister, even though there's a six-year age gap. She tells me things she'd never tell our parents, and I've helped her with maths homework since she was tiny. We also share the same terrible sense of humour, so we're usually the ones giggling during serious family discussions.
What do you enjoy doing together as a family?
I love it when we all go back to our village for Eid. We spend the whole day eating, visiting neighbours and catching up with cousins. In Dhaka, our version of that is a long Friday lunch followed by tea on the rooftop, where my dad tells the same old stories we've heard a hundred times.
Are you more like your mother or your father?
In terms of looks, I take after my father. Everyone says we have the same nose and the same laugh. Personality-wise, though, I'm much more like my mother. We're both organised, slightly impatient and a bit too quick to worry about things that probably won't happen.
Do you have a large extended family?
Yes, enormous. My father has six siblings and my mother has four, so I've got more than twenty cousins, and I couldn't even name all of their children. When everyone gathers for a wedding, it feels like a small festival, though it does take ages to greet every single aunt properly.
Sample answers written by Abroadway as models of natural, high-band speaking (not official IELTS samples).
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