Neighbours: questions and Band 8 answers
The examiner asks three to five short questions on two or three everyday topics in the first four to five minutes. These are the 8 questions about neighbours in the BandLadder test bank, with sample answers for the most frequent ones. Aim for two or three sentences each: answer, reason, one detail.
Sample answers
How well do you know the people who live next door to you?
I know them quite well, actually. We have lived in the same apartment block for over five years, so we often catch up in the hallway to discuss local events or share recommendations for nearby restaurants.
How often do you see them?
We cross paths almost every morning while heading to the train station. It has become a pleasant ritual to share a brief chat about our plans for the day before we both rush off to work.
What kinds of problem do people sometimes have with their neighbours?
Noise disturbances are the most common issue people face. Whether it is loud music late at night or constant drilling during weekend renovations, these things can create significant friction between residents who just want some peace.
How do you think neighbours can help each other?
Small gestures make a massive difference in a community. For instance, looking after someone's pets while they are away or taking in packages when they are out are simple ways to build trust and foster support.
How often do you see your neighbours?
Seeing them is quite a regular occurrence since our balconies are adjacent. Whenever I am out tending to my plants, they usually pop their heads out to say hello, which keeps our relationship friendly and consistent.
Do you invite your neighbours to your home?
On special occasions, I occasionally host a small dinner for them. We find that sharing a meal is the best way to move past casual acquaintances and develop a more genuine, long-term friendship with the people nearby.
Details are invented. Use the shape, not the sentences: examiners mark memorised answers down.
More neighbours questions to practise
- Do you think you are a good neighbour?
- Has a neighbour ever helped you?
Useful vocabulary
- catch up
- To talk to someone and exchange recent life news
- cross paths
- To meet someone by chance while going somewhere else
- noise disturbances
- Unwanted sounds that interrupt someone's peace and quiet
- create friction
- To cause disagreement or conflict between different people
- adjacent
- Located very close or next to something else nearby
- casual acquaintances
- People you know slightly but are not close friends
- Keep answers concise and focused; three to four sentences is usually the perfect length.
- Use a mix of personal anecdotes and general observations to show your range of vocabulary.
Answer out loud and get a band
The AI examiner asks Part 1 questions like these, listens, and scores fluency, vocabulary, grammar and pronunciation, with the words that cost you.
Practise Part 1 with the AI examinerOn your phone? Get the BandLadder app.