WRITING A DESCRIPTION OF A FRIEND – B1 English Writing Test

1  Think about a friend. Answer the questions about them. Then tell a partner.

1   What are his / her hobbies?

2   Which three adjectives best describe him / her? Use the adjectives below or your own ideas.

2  Read Rosieʼs description of her friend Abi. Then decide if the sentences are true or false.

My best friend’s name is Abigail, but her friends call her Abi. She’s usually cheerful and I think she’s also very friendly, but she can sometimes be a bit shy with people she doesn’t know very well. She’s really into music and she wants to be a singer one day. She listens to music all the time! At the moment she’s trying to learn the guitar. She isn’t very good, but I don’t tell her that! She also enjoys playing tennis because she thinks it’s important to be fit and healthy. She’s always kind and polite, so everyone likes her!

1   Abi is cheerful and she is never shy.

2   Her hobbies are music and sport.

3   Abi is quite good at playing the guitar.

4   Tennis is the sport that she enjoys the most.

3  Look at the Key Language for writing a description of a friend. Find words in the description of Abi to complete it.

KEY LANGUAGE FOR A DESCRIPTION OF A FRIEND

Introducing someone:

His / Her nameʼs …, His / Her friends1……… him / her …

Adjectives for describing someone:

Cheerful, confident, friendly, funny, kind, polite, serious,2……….

Talking about hobbies and interests:

He / She is (really) into …, He / She likes / loves / enjoys …-ing, He / She 3………. to (be a singer) one day. He / She (listens to music) 4………. time.

Linking ideas:

And, but, also, because, so

Notice!

when we use also in a longer sentence, we also use and

Sheʼs cheerful and sheʼs also very friendly.

we use a comma before but and so

She isnʼt very good, but I donʼt tell her that. Sheʼs always kind and polite, so everyone likes her.

4  Choose the correct words to complete the sentences about Jason and his hobbies.

1   Jason plays computer games all time / all the time!

2   He’s always very funny and he never is / is never serious!

3   He sometimes can be / can sometimes be a bit rude, when he wants to play his game!

4   He also is / is also really into music.

5   He loves listen / listening to music while he plays his games.

6   He wants design / to design computer games one day.

5  Choose the best adjective for each description.

1   Max never does his homework and he never wants to help with jobs at home! He’s really friendly / lazy / serious!

2   I like Jodie, but sometimes she tries to tell everyone else what to do. She can be a bit calm / bossy / shy!

3   Freddie never gets angry or shouts at anyone. He’s always very rude / calm / confident.

4   My friend Lily always lets me use her things and borrow her clothes. She’s really nervous / generous / serious.

5   Jack works hard at school and he always does well. I always get really nervous before exams, but Jack is always relaxed / polite / lazy and confident.

6  We can use adverbs to make adjectives stronger or weaker. Complete the rules with the correct adverbs.

1   We use very, ………………. and ………………. to make an adjective stronger.

2   We use quite, ………………. and ………………. to make an adjective weaker.

7  Choose the correct words to complete the sentences.

1   Jamie goes to the gym a lot and he can lift really heavy weights. He’s ……………….……………!

2   Hana is always ……………….…………… to me and helps me when I have any problems.

3   Johnny doesn’t always think before he does things, so he sometimes does silly things. Some people think he’s ……………….……………!

4   Lauren is always polite, even when other people are ……………….…………… to her!

5   Tom does a lot of exercise and he’s careful about what he eats, so he’s ……………….…………… .

6   Emma is ……………….…………… and she doesn’t work very hard, but she still does really well in exams. I don’t know how she does it!

8  When you write, it is important to try to make your sentences longer. You can do this by using words to link ideas together. Match the sentence halves.

9  Join the two short sentences into a longer sentence. Use the word in brackets. Remember to use commas correctly.

1   Jack loves skateboarding. He loves riding his bike.

      Jack loves skateboarding and riding his bike. (and)

2   Sophie likes playing tennis. She isn’t very good.

      Sophie likes ………………………………… very good. (but)

3   Stefan doesn’t often go to concerts. They are expensive.

      Stefan doesn’t often ………………………………… expensive. (because)

4   Lia loves reading. She’s really into films.

      Lia loves ………………………………… into films. (also)

5   Tom works hard at school. He usually does well in exams.

      Tom works hard ………………………………… in exams. (so)

10  Think about a friend you can write a description of. Complete the table.

11  Write a description of your friend. Use your notes in Exercise 10.

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