Describe a time when you lost an important and valuable item: IELTS Speaking Cue Card

You should say

When and where it happened
What it was
How important and valuable it was
How you lost it
And explain how you felt about the experience

19 unique answers with expert feedback

Show all 19 answers

Cue 1:When and where it happened

Begin by setting the scene with details about the time and location of the incident.
Mention any relevant context that adds to the significance of the moment.

Example

It was a sunny afternoon in June last year when I was at a bustling market in Delhi. I had gone there to buy some traditional clothes for an upcoming wedding.

Cue 2:What it was

Clearly identify the item you lost, providing a brief description.
Explain why this item was special or important to you.

Example

The item I lost was a beautiful silver bracelet that my grandmother had given me on my birthday. It was not just a piece of jewelry; it held sentimental value as it was a family heirloom.

Cue 3:How important and valuable it was

Discuss the emotional and material value of the item.
Share any memories associated with it that highlight its importance.

Example

This bracelet was extremely important to me because it reminded me of my grandmother, who had passed away a few years ago. Every time I wore it, I felt a connection to her and her love.

Cue 4:How you lost it

Describe the circumstances that led to the loss of the item.
Be honest about any mistakes you made that contributed to the loss.

Example

I lost the bracelet while I was trying on clothes in a store. I had taken it off to avoid damaging it, but in the rush to leave, I forgot to pick it up from the counter.

Cue 5:And explain how you felt about the experience

Share your immediate feelings after realizing the loss.
Reflect on the longer-term impact of losing the item on your emotions.

Example

When I realized the bracelet was missing, I felt a wave of panic and sadness. I retraced my steps frantically, but it was nowhere to be found. Losing it felt like losing a part of my grandmother, and I was heartbroken.

Conclusion

Example

In conclusion, losing that bracelet was a painful experience that taught me the importance of being mindful of my belongings. It also reminded me to cherish the memories associated with loved ones, as they are irreplaceable.

Following this structure will ensure you cover all the essential points while providing a clear and engaging response to the cue card topic.

Tips to answer this Cue Card

1: Vague Descriptions

Using vague language can make your story unclear. It's important to provide specific details about the item and the situation to engage the listener.

Tip

Include specific details like the item's name, its significance, and the exact location where you lost it to create a vivid picture.

2: Lack of Emotion

Failing to express your feelings can make your response less impactful. Sharing your emotions helps the examiner connect with your experience.

Tip

Describe your feelings in detail, such as sadness or frustration, to convey the emotional weight of losing the item.

Skipping Key Points

Omitting important cues can lead to an incomplete answer. Each cue is designed to guide your response and ensure you cover all aspects.

Tip

Make sure to address each cue in your response, providing a clear narrative that flows logically from one point to the next.

IELTS Cue Cards asked last week

Reported by Leap students who gave IELTS

Describe your favourite food at a traditional festival or a special event in your country

Reported by

Anonymous student Band 7.5

Pitampura Test Centre, New Delhi

Answer

I like to taste different types of cuisine. Here I would like to talk about my favorite dish at my traditional festival of Onam which is Sadya. Sadya is popular in my city. We are experimenting these cuisines on Onam festival day. Onam is a famous festival in my city. All family members get together in my home and we make a delicious Sadya. There are many ingredients includes that Sadya. Moreover, we make a big feast that day as well as we create a lot of memories together and we wear that day the traditional dress called Sari and men wear the Dhotis. That festival is really important to us because the whole day we are conducting different kinds of games at our homes and all the family members came together. It's a memorable day in my life. This is the festival. We are making the Sambar and Aviyal. These all the kinds of foods are making with the vegetables.

Talk about a toy you liked in your childhood

Reported by

Anonymous student Band 8

Sector 34 Test Centre, Chandigarh

Answer

The toy which I liked in my childhood was a panda doll, which makes me pleasant and makes me more blush. The pandas are the most beautiful creatures of the world, which looks gigantic and has pooshy cheeks and they are like stars in the clouds and they dream in me. Furthermore, these have been given by my father. My father is a very very beautiful artistic person, who makes me think of that. Every day you will face every difficulties and make you suffer and move forward. Pandas are always seen in Japanese countries. It is my lifelong dream to visit a Japanese country and click a photo with the original pandas, which makes sounds better.

Describe a time you were in a place where you didn't know the local language

Reported by

Anonymous student Band 6.5

Whitefield Test Center, Bengaluru

Answer

As India is a very large country full of diversity, so there are many places which have their own language and speak their native language. The place which I visited and I didn't know about their language was Leladakh, which is about 300 km away from my hometown and it is a very good place as it consists of different kind of trees, animals and have many scenic views and I visited over there last year in summers as it was the best time to visit because it has many, it was cold over there and we had summers in our area so it was the best time to visit over there and I went over there with my whole family.

Describe a time when your friend damaged something you owned

Reported by

Anonymous student Band 7

Begumpet Test Centre, Hyderabad

Answer

When I was a kid, I had a little pencil box which had these four buttons which gave the pencil box an operative use. When you press the button, the box would open up. When you press the second button, a little part of it would slide out. Basically it was just a little electronical and a fun thing to have and I owned it when I was in 6th. One day after break, I was standing and talking there with one of my friends and another friend of mine was running through the hallway and accidentally she pushed my shoulder and my pencil box hit the ground and it broke into multiple pieces to the point that it was not functional anymore.

Describe a book you recently read

Reported by

Anonymous student Band 7.5

CBD Belapur Test Centre, Navi Mumbai

Answer

It Ends With Us is a book I read recently. It's by the author Colleen Hoare. It's mainly a story about two teenagers, Atlas and Lily, and how they just handle their life going through high school, adolescence, and just domestic violence at home. Both of them come from very, very different families. However, they have one common determining factor between them, which is domestic violence. The abuse that they've seen their moms go through is just insane, and they connect through that on a different level. They're actually in the same high school, but they never speak to each other until Atlas actually crashes into an empty house next to Lily's villa. When Atlas is homeless and he doesn't have anywhere to go, he just comes and breaks into the house next to Lily's, and Lily helps him with all the daily necessities like clothes and food, medicines and stuff. Furthermore, their friendship blossoms into love, but it doesn't really fructify as Atlas has to leave. This book really gave me a lot of knowledge about domestic abuse and how to deal with it.

All Answers

Here are all the answers by real-users practicing speaking for IELTS Cue Cards on our IELTS Prep App.

Band 6

Actually, I have lost a valuable thing that was in 2022, I've lost my watch that's during I had a game of football, when I was playing I have lost my watch and actually it was important to me because somebody has gifted it to me because I have a good work to him and frankly the feeling after you lost something very important to you and special maybe that's have lead you to be like I feel gloomy and frustrated towards this losing my watch, it's not expensive one but it really really represent an important thing to me.

Band 6

Well, I'm not a person who easily get distracted while keeping my things, but there is an event when I got really stuck and I lost something that is even very valuable for me. It was my diary. The diary had a lot of data of my personal, professional, my educational life. Unfortunately, I was going for an event. I was the participant in that and as being a participant, I needed to keep my things at one place. Mistakenly, I forgot where I put my bag and that was the main reason why I lost it. Even I found my bag when I searched for it, but there were some items were lost, but the diary was the main part of my life. I was writing that since I was 12 years old. Losing that was like a trauma for me. I was crying and I cried a lot for that. I complained to the management in the college that why you don't care of people's things. They said that we locked, but unfortunately, some student misplaced the things. Presently, I'm writing a diary. I still can't forget my old diary. I was constant in that task. I write my everyday tasks, my past and future events and that is very memorable for me. In future, I will continue to do this because I think I will be the best person if I'll constantly write my diary.

Band 5-6

Today I would like to talk about the time when I lost an important and valuable item. This item is a valuable item in my life and this item it was my favorite watch because this watch is give me my mom and dad in my birthday in my 19th birthday and this watch is a watch is a highly prized watch and this watch is a I lost in in a Mahakumb and recently I will recently I was go to Mahakumb and wearing this watch and there is a there is a lot of crowd and and there is a lot of crowd and I don't know I don't know and my my watch is my watch is dropped dropped and dropped and there is a several there is a lot of crowd walking to on this watch and I'm and I'm go back and and I'm I'm go back and I'm go back and this search and this watch but this watch is not available therefore and I'm I'm not good and I'm feel badly remove this patch

Band 5-6

It was happened at my vacation time, after my marriage, I went to a hotel for a couple of hours and I stayed at the night time, after woke up at the morning, I had a drastic breakfast, it was the worst breakfast I ever seen and when it was last December 2024, it was my worst experience I had in my life, it was a dazzling and gag talk, the experience I faced, when I walked through the streets, I observed the people fighting across and they pushed me into the tunnel.

Band 5-6

Well I'm very careful about my things but I'll talk about a thing which I recently lost. It happened when I was traveling in bus to Ludhiana to Jalandhar. I was going to my for my appointment which I take for my dentist and I have very ache in my teeth. At that time I don't know which is happening around me and I feel very irritated at that time because my tooth is aching very badly and I was also getting late for my appointment and I hesitated, very hesitated and at that time I lost my personal wallet which is very precious for me because in my wallet my mother picture is straight and it is very lucky for me when I take my wallet anywhere and that work definitely happened and I feel very irritated at that time. I also miss my appointment. I have been waiting for this appointment since a year and now finally when I go for appointment

Band 5-6

One of the time when I lost an important and valuable item, when I was in my 5th grade, I was sleeping with my favourite toy. It was made of ceramic. It's a ceramic pink duck gifted to me by my best friend. She was going to transfer school, and she has said to me that she is going to transfer school around the last end of 5th grade, around my birthday when she gifted me that pink duck. And I was really sad about it, and I wanted her to know that she means a lot to me. So I was thinking about how I am supposed to make her feel loved, but at the time it made me really sad that she was leaving me. So I decided to sleep with my duck on that day, which is actually really funny. But by the time I woke up, I forgot I had the duck in my hand, but I dropped it down by mistake, and the duck broke. I sat there and cried for almost 10 minutes. And my mother tried so much to fix the duck with a clue, but it was not actually a good thing to keep broken things in Indian household, so she insisted me on throwing the duck. It made me so sad that the duck was leaving me just as much as my friend was leaving me. And I didn't know how to convey her that I have lost the duck, and I am actually really sad about losing her. And then when she asked me why I was sad, I did convey her about it. And I only told her that because I was so sad that I couldn't have the duck, I didn't want her to leave her without knowing how much she meant to me. So that duck really gave me a huge impact, and it was my number one cheerleader to tell me what to do, and to tell people what I actually feel about myself. And I personally think that it made me feel really great about myself.

Band 5-6

Recently I visited Varanasi with my family. In the trip we enjoyed a lot and we went for the Ganga Harathi. On that it's a spiritual thing. When we dip into the Ganga river, my chain went off into the Ganga river. It's a gift from my grandparents on my childhood. I felt very bad on that occasion. And we searched off nearly 2-3 hours in that river but we could not find that chain. We prayed for that chain also but we never found that chain according to that river. But we went to river with some fishermen.

Band 5-6

by mistake everyone face that situation facing an important things here I would like to talk about lowest and important thing for my side is my cycle motorcycle key when I was studying in plus 1 plus 2 grade time I can use motorcycle in my school electric motorcycle the time I put my electric motorcycle in my parking space after I went to my class that time I reckon that time we are planning to go outing for having for have have had food that time I searching my key that time I recognized my key was missed that time I don't know what I want to do that was gifted from my sister why because I passed the 10th exam examination with a nice mark with the highest mark because of that she gave me that motorcycle I don't know what I want to do if I told to my mother she will definitely beat me because this is the duplicate key of that bike first key already missed by the my mother's hand this is my mother told me you don't want to lose if you want to take another duplicate key then only you can use this bike but I never listen that words and I take my my own risk I take but I don't know I search everywhere me and my friends search everywhere finally I got from the staff room friend one teacher took and safe keep it safe in staff room that time I do that time my friends asked me to

Band 5

While I am in driving, I lost the keychain on the road at 4pm and just because of that I am too late to meeting. Thank you for watching.

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