Describe a sport or activity that your best friend does
Describe a sport or activity that your best friend does
You should say:
- what the sport or activity is
- how your friend first got into it
- how often they do it
and explain how you feel about your friend doing this activity
Practise this card
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- what the sport or activity is
- how your friend first got into it
- how often they do it
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How to approach this cue card
This topic turns up in slightly different wording depending on where you see it — sometimes as “a sport or activity your best friend does,” sometimes as “the sports or activities your best friend does,” occasionally with “hobby” swapped in for “activity.” These are commonly reported variations on the same card, not different topics, so the approach below works for any of them: pick one specific friend and one specific activity, and build the answer the same way regardless of the exact wording in front of you.
The bullets ask you to describe someone else’s activity, not your own, which is where candidates often slip — they end up talking mostly about themselves and the sport in general rather than their friend specifically. Keep your friend as the subject of most sentences: what they do, how they got started, how committed they are, rather than drifting into a general essay about the sport’s rules or benefits.
Choose an activity you’ve actually watched or heard your friend talk about in some detail, even a fairly ordinary one like five-a-side football or weekend hiking, since specific, secondhand detail (“he trains twice a week before work”) sounds far more convincing than vague claims about a sport you know little about.
Vocabulary that lifts this answer
| Word or phrase | What it means | In a sentence |
|---|---|---|
| take up (a sport) | to start doing an activity as a new interest | She took up rock climbing about three years ago. |
| be into (something) | to have a strong interest in something | He’s really into long-distance running these days. |
| train religiously | to practise in a very disciplined, regular way | She trains religiously, even before work most mornings. |
| a keen (footballer/runner) | someone enthusiastic about a particular activity | He’s a keen cyclist and rides most weekends. |
| burn off steam | to release stress or energy through physical activity | For him, it’s mainly a way to burn off steam after work. |
| get hooked on | to become strongly interested in something quickly | He got hooked on climbing after one taster session. |
| a natural (at something) | someone instinctively good at an activity | She’s a bit of a natural at it, even though she’s only played for a year. |
| stick with (an activity) | to continue doing something instead of giving up | Not everyone sticks with a hobby that long. |
| push yourself | to make a strong physical or mental effort | He’s always pushing himself to beat his own times. |
| a way to unwind | a method of relaxing after stress | It’s become her main way to unwind at the weekend. |
A one-minute plan
- friend: name, how long known
- activity: what it is, since when
- how started: reason or trigger
- how often + how I feel about it
Sample answer
This is one example of how to shape a full answer here, meant to illustrate structure and level rather than to be repeated exactly.
I’d like to talk about my best friend Dilnoza, who’s been really into running for the last couple of years. We’ve known each other since university, and back then neither of us did much exercise at all, so it actually surprised me when she suddenly took up running seriously. From what she’s told me, it started almost by accident — she signed up for a five-kilometre charity run mostly to support a colleague, assumed she’d struggle through it, and ended up genuinely enjoying the feeling afterwards, so she just kept going. Now she trains religiously, usually four or five mornings a week before work, and she’s gradually worked her way up to half marathons, which is a distance I honestly can’t imagine attempting myself. What I find quite admirable is how consistent she’s been about it; a lot of people take up a new hobby and drop it within a few months, but she’s genuinely stuck with running even through winter mornings and a fairly demanding job. I think for her it’s become less about competing and more about having a reliable way to unwind and clear her head before a busy day starts. Honestly, I feel a bit inspired by it, if I’m being truthful, because watching a close friend push herself consistently makes me more aware of how little exercise I actually do myself. It’s also given us something new to talk about, since she’ll often tell me about a race she’s just done.
Common mistakes on this card
- Talking mainly about the sport in general instead of keeping the friend as the main subject.
- Choosing an activity you know so little about that the description becomes vague and repetitive.
- Forgetting the “how you feel about it” part and ending the answer on a purely factual note.
- Mixing up this card with “a sport you enjoy,” which asks about your own activity rather than a friend’s.
Part 3 questions that often follow
After your two-minute turn, the examiner usually moves into a related Part 3 discussion — these are the kinds of follow-up questions that commonly come up around this topic.
- Do you think people should try to share hobbies with their close friends?
- Are team sports more popular than individual sports in your country?
- Why do some people lose interest in a sport or activity over time?
- Should schools do more to encourage students to stay physically active?
Frequently asked questions
What if my best friend doesn't really do any sport or activity?
Choose someone else close to you who clearly fits the card, such as another friend or a family member, and simply introduce them as a close friend for the purposes of the answer — examiners care about the quality of your English, not a formal friendship certificate.
Can I talk about an activity that isn't really a "sport," like gaming or gardening?
Yes. "Activity" is deliberately broad, so anything your friend does regularly and with some commitment works, as long as you can describe it with specific detail.
Should I know the technical rules of the sport in detail?
No, and trying to explain complicated rules usually wastes time you need for describing your friend. A rough, accurate description of what the activity involves is enough.
More cue cards in this family
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Describe a friend you have known for a long time
A commonly reported IELTS Speaking Part 2 cue card about a long-time friend, with a one-minute plan, useful vocabulary, and a Band 7-8 sample answer.
Describe a hobby you would like to try
How to answer the IELTS Speaking Part 2 cue card about a hobby you would like to try, with vocabulary, a one-minute plan and a full sample response.
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