Do you have a lot of friends or just a few close ones?
A few close ones, really. I know plenty of people from university and my neighbourhood, but there are only about four friends I'd call at two in the morning if something went wrong. Big groups can be fun, but I feel more like myself with people who really know me.
Where did you meet most of your friends?
School, mainly. Three of my closest friends were in the same class as me from class six onwards, and we survived our SSC and HSC exams together, which creates quite a bond. I've made a couple of good friends at university as well, largely through group projects and the debating club.
How often do you see your friends?
My university friends I see almost every day, obviously. With my school friends it's harder, because we're scattered across different universities and parts of the city, and Dhaka traffic makes meeting up a real effort. We try to get together at least once a month, usually on a Friday evening.
What do you usually do together?
Nothing very exciting, to be honest. We'll usually find a cheap café or a street-food spot, order fuchka or chotpoti, and just talk for hours about everything from exams to films. Occasionally we take a day trip somewhere outside Dhaka, like a boat ride on the river, which is always the highlight of the year.
What makes someone a good friend, in your opinion?
For me, it's loyalty more than anything. A good friend is someone who's honest with you even when it's uncomfortable, but who also defends you when you're not in the room. When my grandfather passed away last year, my closest friend turned up at our flat and simply sat with me for hours. I'll never forget that.
Sample answers written by Abroadway as models of natural, high-band speaking (not official IELTS samples).
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