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Describe a time when you lost your pet.: IELTS Speaking Cue Card

You should say

  • What animal was it?
  • What happened to it & when?
  • How did you feel about it?
Show all 41 answers

Cue 1:What animal was it?

  • Begin by clearly identifying the type of pet you lost, including its name and breed.
  • Share a brief description of your pet's personality or any special traits that made it unique.

Example

I had a lovely golden retriever named Max. He was not just a pet but a part of my family. Max was playful, friendly, and always eager to please, which made him a joy to be around.

Cue 2:What happened to it & when?

  • Describe the circumstances surrounding the loss of your pet, including specific details about the event.
  • Mention when this incident occurred and any actions you took to find your pet.

Example

One evening, about six months ago, I took Max for his usual walk in the park. He was chasing a squirrel when he suddenly ran off. I called out to him, but he didn’t return. I searched the park for hours, calling his name, but he was nowhere to be found.

Cue 3:How did you feel about it?

  • Express your emotions during and after the incident, highlighting the impact of losing your pet.
  • Reflect on how this experience affected you personally and emotionally.

Example

I felt an overwhelming sense of panic and sadness when I realized Max was missing. It was heartbreaking to think that he might be lost or scared. I spent the next few days feeling anxious and worried, constantly hoping to hear news about him.

Conclusion

  • Summarize your experience and the lessons learned from losing your pet.
  • Mention any steps you took afterward to cope with the loss or to prevent it from happening again.

Example

Losing Max taught me the importance of being more vigilant during walks. I also learned to cherish every moment with pets, as they bring so much joy into our lives. Although I never found him, I still remember him fondly and keep his memory alive.

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: Avoid Vague Descriptions

Using vague language can make your answer less engaging. It's important to provide specific details about your pet and the situation to create a clearer picture for the examiner.

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Tip

Include specific details about the type of pet, its name, and the exact circumstances of its loss to make your story more vivid.

2: Don't Rush Your Story

Rushing through your answer can lead to missing important details. This may make your response sound unstructured and less impactful.

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Tip

Take your time to organize your thoughts. Start with what happened, then explain your feelings, and finish with any lessons learned.

Avoid Overly Emotional Responses

While it's natural to feel emotional about losing a pet, overly dramatic responses can distract from the main points of your answer.

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Tip

Express your feelings in a balanced way. Share your emotions but also focus on the facts and what you learned from the experience.

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Anonymous student Band 6.5

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All Answers

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

Band 6-7

Since my childhood I was so affectionate to dogs and cats so I received a dog as a gift at my 15th birthday. I was so happy to get a dog as a present. I had it till four to five years. It was so good and it was very healthy till 2015 then later it got some health issue which was a disease and its health started getting detroited after being many visits to hospital. The doctor said we couldn't save it. So this was the time when I lose it and I was sad for a month because I was attached to it so much and it will always remain a very good part of my life.

Band 6-7

To talk about the time I lost Rova, that's my pet Labrador while I was 5 years of age. She was there with me for a period of around half a decade till I turned 10. To talk about this would be to talk about the most particularly hard part of my life. You see, my pet was more than just a dog, she was my best friend, she was my companion. We shared a very special bond, like all pet owners usually say. I wouldn't say that I'm an animal lover, but when it came to her, everything changed. No rules applied while I was around her. She was a beautiful dog with a thick, dusky brown coat and I got her when she was just a pup. I raised her, I gave her food and water and we used to go on these long, amazing walks. One day, however, when I was 10 and she was very much a part of our family by then, she went missing. Later we found out that she got into an accident. We took her to the veterinarian doctor as soon as possible, but it was too late. They said that nothing could be done. We were in grief. I was in mourning and my little brother, who was also very much attached to her, was practically wailing. Nobody we knew could replace Rover and the love and the memories that she represented. We can only pray that her soul rests in peace. However, now we are hoping that we will get a new dog since it's been quite a lot of time for us.

Band 6-7

My parents never allowed pets at our house but then one day I found an injured parrot across the road and it was very weak and it was bleeding blood. So I got it home and I pampered it with all love and affection. I gave it food. It took time for it to adjust at our place but eventually it worked and one day it tried flying away and it got stuck in between a window which I couldn't help it. As I was a kid I was very afraid to hold it. I wanted to let it go so I just opened the window. Once I opened it, it flew right away and then a predator was chasing it and it was a very traumatic experience for me. I cried and I regret it even now that I opened that window. I wish I didn't do that. Maybe then it would have been alive. The same day I saw a dead life in a dog's mouth. That was very traumatic for me and I couldn't take it. Even now I still remember it and it has become one of my core memories.

Band 6-7

I had an animal pet which was a dog. Her name was Dinah and it was Saint Bernard. I really enjoyed playing with her. She was quite playful and cute. Last month I lost her due to a tragic accident that happened right in front of my house. I was shook to the core at that time. I couldn't bear the loss. It was really disheartening for me as she died. I had very sweet memories with her as she was the first pet I have ever had in my life. Moreover, she was so naughty. She was so playful and curious. She was ahead of her siblings too. She had white fur and with brown patches on it. She was quite tall although

Band 6-7

So, I had a pet named Scott. He was a dog. He was a breed of Jack Russel Terrier. I actually adopted him when we went to outskirts of Valle Valle. And we adopted him in 2012 and we nearly had him for around 13 years. He actually had cancer and we operated it, but still he kind of had malignancy and because of that he started developing organ failure, which suddenly one day he had high grade of fever and we went to hospital, but we couldn't save him. He was actually like my very close friend because like I don't have much of friends, but he was one person or an animal who I could rely on. Like whenever I felt sad, I would just go and hug him immediately and I would feel better. So, when I lost him, my whole world like I felt my whole world was scattered because like I saw him undergo like so much of pain. He was like pampered very much by all our family members and that one day changed our whole life. He underwent so much of pain, sufferings and he had continuous episodes of seizure and like I couldn't see him suffer so much. We lost him in October last year and like it's been around one year now, but still we aren't able to forget him or like move on from him. Whenever I see any dogs or animals going out, I just quickly get reminded about him and I start missing him badly. Like he was one person I can never forget, one animal I can never forget. If given a chance to like meet him again, I would just hug him tightly and I would never let him go because he was very special to me and I kind of feel that maybe I could have put some more effort in like maybe keeping him with me.

Band 6-7

I have a pet whose name is Crypto and while we were walking due on our daily basis routine we were we were walking down the street and possibly he just noticed another dog on the street and he was attracted towards the dog and he wanted to play with him so he jumped and he ran towards the dog and I just lost the control however I tried to run behind him but I was not able to catch him as he ran too fast moreover it was the street only where I lived and it was a gated society so I was pretty sure that I would somehow find him but there were a lot of dogs the street dogs who were there on the streets and who were surrounded surrounding my dog I was pretty scared and after a few moment I just lost him I just lost his sight and I was continuously shouting on the streets I tried to call my parents and my relatives who were living nearby and we then somehow found him I continuously during the time I was trying to find him I was I had a fear in my mind if I was being you know be able to see him again ever and regret not catching him on time or possibly leaving the leash very loose for him but yeah I found him on time

Band 6-7

Ever since I was a kid, having a pet was like the biggest dream that I've had. I used to pester my parents, my brothers at all times that I want a pet and well, for a good 16 years, that wish of mine was never granted. However, on my 16th birthday, my family surprised me with a cute little dog. His breed is, he was a golden retriever and his name we all very nicely kept as Bruno. However, when Bruno was just 6 months old, I faced something which was very harrowing and it was like a nightmare. Bruno was nowhere to be seen. It was 7 in the morning, I had just woken up and I just could not find Bruno and on asking my parents and my family members about his whereabouts, nobody could really recollect because since he was so young, he was usually asleep in his little bed right beside my bedside table. However, he was nowhere to be seen. After a whole day of going around every household in the neighborhood, searching the balcony, the storeroom, Bruno was just nowhere to be found. However, it was around 8 in the night when I, my dad actually opened the storeroom and Bruno was seen to be in the very basket that he arrived in on the day of my birthday party and he was cozily sleeping without giving any damn in the world and yeah, there he was, clearly the one.

Band 6-7

One time when I lost a pet was about 1 year ago. It was a cat. I usually carry the cat with me when I am walking or playing with friends. But one time when I was about to play badminton with my friends, I thought I wouldn't be able to hold cat in my hands. That's why I just kept the cat aside just below the seating area which allows me to play badminton moving easily without having to worry about holding cat. But when I came back from playing, I noticed that the cat was missing from the place where I kept it before playing. So I felt very worried about it. After searching for around 1 hour, I thought I would never find the cat again. I kept on searching for another 2 hours after which I found the cat in my own house. It was the cat along with me. The cat was also very scared. It was scared that it couldn't find its owner which is me. So it went straight to the home and I felt that why I am this irresponsible. I felt very worried and I felt that it was very irresponsible act of me to place such a small poor cat aside and letting it to go on its own. I should have kept an eye on him even though I was playing. I also felt very uncomfortable when I was lectured by my parents about leaving the cat like that.

Band 6-7

I had a very small puppy when I was a kid and he was really cute and he loved me a lot. Whenever I was sick and tired, just looking at it makes my day, made my day. But some time ago, when he turned 3 years old, we were walking in park and suddenly my hand slipped from his leash and he ran to the road. And there was the accident that took his life and I was so devastated at that time. Like I couldn't handle that because of my small mistake, my very first best friend lost his life. Moreover, my parents always motivated me and told me, consoled me that it wasn't my fault. But I was so small that I had made an impression on my brain and my heart that that was my, my, only my fault. I've been to therapy and all but that didn't help me at all. Until today, I'm always feeling guilty that my first friend has been taken from me because of me. Additionally, after that, I got a new pet and gave him so much love that I couldn't have given my first one which is a token to repay his kindness to me that he showed me and the person he met that incident and made me today, it's just, I'm so guilty for that.

Band 6-7

When I was eight years old, I petted a dog which was born in my house. It was a stray dog, but I really loved the way she looked and how friendly she was since day one, as most puppies are, though. But I started feeding the dog just from the second day of her birth, and she was so friendly and so interested in me because I was caring for her since day one. Everyone in the neighborhood also used to feed that dog, and she was really nice in a sense that she never let any harmful human being touch us because we were kids and I was growing up in Kolkata, which was my place was near to a slum. And I believe everyone should have a dog in their homes, if not two dogs. So one time the dog was lost and I was really panicked because of it. I searched for the dog everywhere and couldn't find it. So I believe there's a good chance that...
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