Describe Your Best Friend A1 Writing Practice Tests Rules & Examples

How to Describe Your Best Friend in English

In this lesson, you will learn how to describe your best friend in English. This is a very common writing task. You might write about your best friend in a class exercise, in a short letter, or in a personal profile. This kind of writing helps you practise describing people — their name, age, appearance, personality, and hobbies.

When you describe your best friend, you answer simple questions like:

• What is your friend's name?
• How old is your friend?
• What does your friend look like?
• What is your friend like?
• What does your friend like to do?

Let's learn how to write these descriptions clearly and correctly!

Essential Writing Rules and Sentence Structure

Rule 1: Word Order — Subject + Verb + Object

In English, sentences follow a clear order. We call this Subject + Verb + Object (S + V + O).

Remember: Always put the subject before the verb. Never write: Is my friend twelve years old. ❌

Rule 2: Capitalization

At A1 level, you must use capital letters correctly. Here are the most important rules:

• Names of people always start with a capital letter: Sara, Tom, Maria
• The word "I" is always a capital letter: I like my friend.
• The first word of every sentence starts with a capital letter: She is very funny.
• Days and months start with a capital letter: Monday, January
• Countries, cities, and nationalities start with a capital letter: Brazil, London, Spanish

Rule 3: Full Stops, Commas, and Question Marks

• Use a full stop (.) at the end of every sentence: My friend is very kind.
• Use a comma (,) in a list of three or more things: She likes swimming, dancing, and reading.
• Use a question mark (?) at the end of a question: What is your name?

Rule 4: Describing People — Useful Sentence Patterns

Use these simple patterns to describe your best friend:

Useful Linking Words (Connectors)

At A1 level, you can connect your sentences using four basic linking words. These make your writing flow better and sound more natural.

Tip: Do not start every sentence with and. Try to use different connectors in your writing.

Model Writing Sample: My Best Friend

Read this short description of a best friend. Notice how the writer uses simple sentences, connectors, and correct punctuation.

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My Best Friend

[Opening sentence — introduce your friend]
My best friend's name is Sofia. She is twelve years old.

[Appearance — what your friend looks like]
Sofia has long, dark hair and green eyes. She is tall and slim.

[Personality — what your friend is like]
She is very funny and kind. She is always happy, so I love spending time with her.

[Hobbies — what your friend likes to do]
Sofia likes swimming and reading books. She does not like football, but she likes tennis.

[Closing sentence — why this person is your best friend]
I like Sofia because she is a very good friend. We go to school together every day.

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Model Text Breakdown

Key Phrases and Sentence Starters

Use these phrases in your own description. They will help you write quickly and correctly.

Introducing Your Friend

• My best friend's name is ___.
• My best friend is ___ years old.
• Her / His name is ___.
• I have a best friend. Her / His name is ___.

Describing Appearance

• She / He has ___ hair. (short, long, dark, blonde, curly, straight)
• She / He has ___ eyes. (blue, brown, green, big, small)
• She / He is tall / short / slim.
• She / He always wears ___.

Describing Personality

• She / He is very ___. (kind, funny, friendly, quiet, happy, clever)
• She / He is always ___.
• She / He is not ___. (shy, sad, lazy)

Describing Hobbies and Likes

• She / He likes ___.
• She / He loves ___.
• She / He does not like ___.
• In her / his free time, she / he likes to ___.

Closing Your Description

• I like ___ because she / he is ___.
• She / He is my best friend because ___.
• We are good friends because ___.
• I am very happy to have a friend like ___.

Common Writing Mistakes to Avoid

Here are the most common mistakes that A1 learners make. Read them carefully and try not to make the same mistakes!

Mistake 1: Forgetting capital letters for names

❌ My best friend's name is sofia.
✅ My best friend's name is Sofia. — Names of people always start with a capital letter.

Mistake 2: Forgetting the capital letter for "I"

❌ She is my friend and i like her very much.
✅ She is my friend and I like her very much. — The word "I" is always a capital letter.

Mistake 3: Forgetting the full stop at the end of a sentence

❌ My friend is very funny and kind
✅ My friend is very funny and kind. — Every sentence must end with a full stop.

Mistake 4: Wrong word order (verb before subject)

❌ Is she twelve years old my friend.
✅ My friend is twelve years old. — Remember: Subject + Verb + Information.

Mistake 5: Using "have" instead of "has" for she / he

❌ She have long hair.
✅ She has long hair. — Use has with she, he, and it.

Mistake 6: Missing comma in a list

❌ She likes swimming dancing and reading.
✅ She likes swimming, dancing, and reading. — Use commas to separate items in a list.

Mistake 7: Writing sentences that are too long without a connector

❌ She is kind she is funny she likes football she is my friend.
✅ She is kind and funny. She likes football, so she is a great friend. — Use connectors and break long ideas into two sentences.

Mistake 8: Forgetting to capitalise the first word of a sentence

❌ my best friend is called Tom.
✅ My best friend is called Tom. — The first word of every sentence must start with a capital letter.

Writing Checklist and Practice Task

Your Writing Checklist

Before you finish your description, check these things. Put a tick (✓) next to each one when you are sure.

• ✅ Did I write my friend's name with a capital letter?
• ✅ Did I use a capital letter for "I"?
• ✅ Does every sentence start with a capital letter?
• ✅ Does every sentence end with a full stop?
• ✅ Did I use commas in my lists?
• ✅ Did I use the correct word order (Subject + Verb + Information)?
• ✅ Did I use "has" (not "have") for she / he?
• ✅ Did I use at least one connector: and, but, because, or so?
• ✅ Did I write about appearance, personality, AND hobbies?
• ✅ Did I write a closing sentence about why this person is my best friend?

Your Practice Writing Task

Now it is your turn! Write a short description of your best friend. Follow the steps below.

Step 1 — Opening: Write your friend's name and age.
Use: My best friend's name is ___. She / He is ___ years old.

Step 2 — Appearance: Write two sentences about what your friend looks like.
Use: She / He has ___ hair. She / He has ___ eyes. She / He is tall / short.

Step 3 — Personality: Write one or two sentences about your friend's personality.
Use: She / He is very ___. She / He is always ___.

Step 4 — Hobbies: Write two sentences about what your friend likes and does not like.
Use: She / He likes ___. She / He does not like ___, but she / he likes ___.

Step 5 — Closing: Write one sentence about why this person is your best friend.
Use: I like ___ because she / he is ___. She / He is my best friend because ___.

Aim to write 5–8 sentences in total. Use the model text and the key phrases to help you. Remember to check your capital letters, full stops, and connectors!

Now test your writing mechanics and sentence skills in the exercises below.