Describe Your Best Friend A2 Writing Practice Tests Rules & Examples

How to Describe Your Best Friend in English

In this lesson, you will learn how to write a short description of your best friend in English. This is a very common writing task at A2 level. You might write this as part of an informal email to a pen pal, a class exercise, or a message to a new friend. Describing a person means writing about what they look like, what their personality is like, and why you enjoy spending time together.

Good descriptions are organised into clear paragraphs. You will also practise using connecting words like because, so, and, but, and although to make your writing flow naturally. By the end of this lesson, you will be able to write 60–90 words about someone you know well.

Essential Writing Rules and Sentence Structure

1. Organise Your Writing into Paragraphs

A short description of your best friend should have two or three paragraphs. Here is a simple plan to follow:

• Paragraph 1 – Introduction: Who is your friend? How did you meet?
• Paragraph 2 – Description: What does your friend look like? What is their personality?
• Paragraph 3 – Why they are special: Why do you like spending time together? What do you do together?

2. Use the Present Simple for Facts and Habits

Use the present simple to describe your friend's appearance, personality, and habits. These are facts that are always true.

• She has long dark hair.
• He is very funny and kind.
• We meet every weekend.

3. Use the Past Simple to Say How You Met

Use the past simple to explain how or when you became friends. Remember to use irregular verb forms correctly.

• We met at school three years ago.
• I saw her on my first day of class.
• We became friends quickly.

4. Use Commas After Introductory Time Clauses

When you start a sentence with a time word like when, before, or after, you must put a comma before the main part of the sentence.

• When I started school, I did not know anyone.
• After we met, we became very good friends.
• When she smiles, everyone feels happy.

Useful Linking Words (Connectors)

Use these connecting words to join your ideas and make your writing more natural and interesting.

Model Writing Sample: My Best Friend, Sofia

Read this model text carefully. Notice how it is organised into three paragraphs and how the writer uses linking words and different tenses.

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My best friend is Sofia. We met at school five years ago, and we became friends very quickly. When I first saw her, she was reading a book in the playground.

Sofia has long brown hair and brown eyes. She is quite tall and always wears colourful clothes. Although she is sometimes shy with new people, she is very warm and funny with her close friends.

I love spending time with Sofia because she always makes me feel happy. We often go to the cinema or walk in the park together. She is a wonderful friend.

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Word count: 90 words

Breakdown of the Model Text

Key Phrases and Sentence Starters

Use these phrases to help you write your own description. You can change the names, places, and details.

Introducing Your Friend

• My best friend is …
• My best friend's name is …
• I would like to tell you about my best friend, …

Saying How and When You Met

• We met at school / at university / at work … years ago.
• I first met … when I was …
• When I started my new school, I met …
• After we met, we became very good friends.

Describing Appearance

• She / He has … hair and … eyes.
• She / He is quite tall / short / medium height.
• She / He always wears …
• She / He looks …

Describing Personality

• She / He is very kind / funny / helpful / friendly / quiet / confident.
• Although she / he is …, she / he is also …
• One thing I love about her / him is that she / he is always …
• She / He is the kind of person who …

Saying What You Do Together

• We often go to … together.
• We like / love … together.
• At the weekend, we usually …
• We are going to … next weekend.

Closing Sentences

• She / He is a wonderful / great / amazing friend.
• I am very lucky to have a friend like …
• I hope you can meet her / him one day!

Common Writing Mistakes to Avoid

Study these common A2 mistakes. Make sure you do not make the same errors in your own writing.

❌ She is my best friend, she has brown hair.
✅ She is my best friend and she has brown hair. — Do not join two complete sentences with only a comma. This is called a comma splice. Use a connector like and, but, or so instead, or start a new sentence.

❌ I like her because she is funny, so I spend a lot of time with her because she makes me happy because she tells jokes.
✅ I like her because she is funny, so I spend a lot of time with her. — Do not repeat the same connector in one sentence. Use because to give ONE reason, then use a new sentence if you want to add more information.

❌ Although she is shy but she has many friends.
✅ Although she is shy, she has many friends. — Do not use although and but together in the same sentence. Use one or the other. Remember to add a comma after the although clause.

❌ When I first met her I was very nervous.
✅ When I first met her, I was very nervous. — When you start a sentence with when, after, or before, you must put a comma before the main part of the sentence.

❌ She have long hair and she have blue eyes.
✅ She has long hair and she has blue eyes. — With he, she, and it, always use has, not have. Check your subject-verb agreement carefully.

Writing Checklist and Practice Task

Writing Checklist

Before you finish your writing, check each point on this list. Tick each one when you are happy with it.

• ✅ Did you write two or three clear paragraphs?
• ✅ Did you introduce your friend in the first sentence?
• ✅ Did you use the past simple correctly to say how you met? (e.g. met, became, saw)
• ✅ Did you use the present simple to describe appearance and personality? (e.g. has, is, loves)
• ✅ Did you use at least two different linking words (e.g. because, although, so, and, but)?
• ✅ Did you put a comma after introductory time clauses starting with when, after, or before?
• ✅ Did you avoid joining two sentences with only a comma?
• ✅ Did you avoid using although and but together?
• ✅ Did you write a positive closing sentence about your friend?
• ✅ Is your text between 60 and 90 words?

Your Practice Task

Now write your own description of your best friend. Use the plan, key phrases, and model text in this lesson to help you. Write 60–90 words in three paragraphs.

Follow this writing plan:

• Paragraph 1: Who is your friend? What is their name? How and when did you meet?
• Paragraph 2: What do they look like? What is their personality? Use although to show contrast.
• Paragraph 3: Why are they a great friend? What do you do together? End with a warm closing sentence.

Remember to use linking words from the table above and check your writing against the checklist before you finish.

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