IELTS Speaking – a friend who has had a positive influence on you

I'd say I have quite a small group of close friends, about four or five people I've known since high school. I get along with lots of people at university, but those old friends are the ones I really open up to. I prefer it that way, because I'd rather have a few deep friendships than many casual ones.

Mostly through messaging apps. My close friends and I have a group chat that's active pretty much all day, where we share funny videos and news. Since we live in different cities now, we also have video calls every few weeks. Nothing beats meeting in person, though, so we always try to catch up when we're all home for Tet.

We're big foodies, so most of our meetups revolve around eating. We love hunting down new street food stalls or trying a trendy café. Apart from that, we sometimes go to karaoke, which always ends with everyone singing terribly and laughing a lot. Occasionally, we organise short weekend trips out of the city as well.

Not particularly, to be honest. I'm a bit shy at first, so I find it hard to start conversations with strangers. But once I get to know someone, I'm quite chatty and loyal. I've found that joining clubs helps a lot, because when you share a common interest, the conversation flows much more naturally.

The friend I'd like to talk about is Minh, who has been one of my closest friends for about six years now. We met in the first week of high school, when we were assigned to sit next to each other in maths class. To be honest, my first impression wasn't great. He seemed very serious and hardly said a word. But a few weeks later, we were put in the same group for a science project, and I discovered he had a brilliant sense of humour and was incredibly kind. We hit it off straight away after that, and we've been inseparable ever since. Even though we now go to different universities, we still talk almost every day. When we're together, we usually do quite simple things. We go for long walks around the lake, play badminton or sit in a café discussing everything from books to our plans for the future. In the summer, we often go on short trips together, and last year we volunteered at a summer camp for children in a rural area. The main way he has influenced me is by showing me the value of perseverance. Minh comes from a fairly poor family, and he's had to work part-time since he was sixteen while still getting excellent grades. Yet he never complains or makes excuses. Whenever I feel like giving up on something, I think about how hard he works, and it gives me the push I need. He's also taught me to be more generous with my time. It was actually his idea to volunteer at that summer camp, and it turned out to be one of the most rewarding things I've ever done. I genuinely think I'm a better person because of him.

I think they can be, but they're usually different. Online friendships can be very meaningful, especially for people who feel isolated or who share niche interests that nobody around them understands. Some people even find it easier to open up online. However, I'd argue that face-to-face friendships tend to be deeper in many ways, because physical presence matters. When you're going through a hard time, a friend who can sit with you or bring you food offers a kind of support that messages can't fully replace. Ideally, many online friendships eventually move offline anyway.

I think it largely comes down to effort and shared values. Friendships that last usually involve people who make time for each other, even when life gets busy, and who are willing to forgive mistakes. Having similar values also helps, because interests can change, but core beliefs tend to stay the same. On the other hand, many friendships are based on circumstances, like being in the same class or office. When those circumstances change, for example when someone moves away or starts a family, the friendship can naturally drift apart. And honestly, I don't think that's always a bad thing.

Personally, I believe a few close friends are far more important. Close friends are the people who really know you, who you can rely on in a crisis and who will tell you honestly when you're making a mistake. Research also suggests that the quality of our relationships matters more for wellbeing than the quantity. That said, having a wider social circle has its advantages too. It can open up job opportunities and expose you to different perspectives. So I'd say the ideal is a small inner circle of close friends, supported by a broader network of acquaintances.

In my country, I think they've become noticeably more distant, particularly in cities. When my parents were young, neighbours were almost like extended family. They'd share food, look after each other's children and help out with weddings or funerals. Nowadays, many people live in apartment blocks and work long hours, so they hardly know who lives next door. That said, the picture isn't entirely negative. In smaller towns and traditional alleys, strong neighbourly bonds still exist, and during the pandemic, many neighbours supported each other through online community groups, which was quite heart-warming to see.