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Describe A Time When You Picked Up An Item That Someone Else Lost: IELTS Speaking Cue Card

You should say

  • What was the item?
  • When and where you found it?
  • What did you do after finding it?
  • And explain how you felt about the experience.
Show all 40 answers

Cue 1:What was the item?

  • Begin by clearly identifying the item you found and provide a brief description of it.
  • Mention any specific details that made the item memorable or significant.

Example

The item I picked up was a beautiful silver bracelet. It had intricate designs engraved on it, and I could tell it was quite valuable. I noticed it had a small charm shaped like a heart, which made it even more special.

Cue 2:When and where you found it?

  • Describe the time and location where you found the item, creating a vivid picture for the listener.
  • Include any relevant details about the circumstances surrounding the finding.

Example

I found the bracelet last month while I was walking in a park near my home in Delhi. It was around 5 PM, and the sun was setting, casting a warm glow over the park. I noticed it glinting on the ground near a bench.

Cue 3:What did you do after finding it?

  • Explain your immediate reaction upon finding the item and what steps you took next.
  • Discuss whether you tried to find the owner or turned it in to someone.

Example

After picking it up, I looked around to see if anyone was searching for it. I didn’t see anyone, so I decided to take it to the park's information desk. I thought it was the right thing to do, hoping the owner would come looking for it.

Cue 4:And explain how you felt about the experience.

  • Share your emotions regarding the experience of finding the item and your actions afterward.
  • Reflect on any lessons learned or thoughts about honesty and integrity.

Example

I felt a sense of satisfaction after handing the bracelet over to the staff. It was rewarding to know I might help reunite someone with their lost item. This experience reinforced my belief in being honest and doing the right thing, even when no one is watching.

Conclusion

    Example

    In conclusion, finding that bracelet was a meaningful experience for me. It reminded me of the importance of kindness and integrity in our daily lives. I hope the owner was able to get it back, and I felt proud to have played a small part in that.

    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 answer unclear. Avoid general statements that do not provide specific details about the item or the situation.

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    Tip

    Be specific about the item you found, including its appearance and significance to you.

    2: Lack of Structure

    Failing to organize your response can confuse the listener. A disorganized answer may skip important details or jump around in time.

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    Tip

    Follow the cue card prompts in order to create a clear and logical flow in your response.

    Ignoring Personal Feelings

    Not expressing your feelings about the experience can make your answer less engaging. Personal emotions help to connect with the listener.

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    Tip

    Include your feelings about finding the item and what it meant to you to enhance your answer.

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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

    On top of my mind, I can remember I found a lost wallet and it was in my church's staircase. After the church was over, I was getting out of the church and when I got out of the church, when I was going down from the staircase, in the corner of my eye, I got to see a wallet, a red color wallet. I picked up that wallet and I was like, and I was like, my first instinct was, oh my God, someone lost their wallet and they have already gone because the church was already shut, getting shut. And I thought that, oh shit, how will I return this? Because I was a, I was a kid also. So yeah, that was my first thought. And after that, I was like, my first instinct was to check the purse, whose purse it was, because obviously it is, it was from someone who was, who was obviously from my church. That was my first consensus out of it. And I looked into the purse and it was one of my uncle's. So I went to my mother and I gave her the purse and told her that I found it there. And evidently it was new year that day. So my mom was like, it's a good sign. It is going to be a good year for you because on the first day of the new year, you found a purse with a lot of money in it. So my mother was telling me, you're going to, you're going to get a, you're going to have a good year after this. And my feeling of returning the purse was like, I had a sense of, like, I understood my personality that like, whatever it is, like it had a lot of money. I already saw money in that, but still my mind was still towards giving that wallet back rather than taking the money. And yeah, I felt like it was a good deed I did that day because someone's important thing, someone's very important thing was given to them.

    Band 6-7

    So yeah, first I got an anatomy book when I was studying in college and during that time there was no name written on it and I got the book in lunch break period since we all will be busy chit-chatting and eating in only lunch period. So after I found this book without a name in it, I took a picture of the book and I suddenly shared in my WhatsApp groups of my college mates and no response from that group also. So I kept that book for myself and after two days my classmate Rohit came to me.

    Band 6-7

    Okay, so first time I found some item was when I was a kid in my school Children's Day Fair. I found a wallet from one of the girls in the school. I picked it up and I checked it. It had some money and cash in it. So immediately I could understand that someone had lost it or by mistake. And my instant reply was that I should try my best to give it back to that person because I knew how frustrating it can be when you lose all your money especially in a fair where you have come to enjoy the food and nothing could be done without money. So I straight away went to my principal's office to submit that wallet because I knew that anybody who would have lost it would come to the office in search of it and would inform the teachers and the principal that they have lost it. So when I was taking that purse to the office, that same girl who had lost it saw that purse in my hand and she came up to me and she was like, how can you do this? Did you snatch it from me? Where did you get it from? And I was baffled. I was like, why are you blaming me? I just found it on the ground and I was returning it to the principal. So I was helping you but instead she blamed me that I took it from her and while she was busy in some activity, I just picked up and I was running away with her money which was really really disappointing because I was trying to help her and she was instead blaming me. So I took her to my class teacher because my class teacher knew what type of a person I was. She had faith in me. So when I told her the whole story, she convinced that girl to count on the money and when she counted the money, she found that not even a single rupee was less which proved my innocence that I was just going to the principal's office to submit that in order to help her. Then she apologized to me and I think I did a great job in helping her.

    Band 6-7

    So, a time when I picked an item that someone else has lost is probably a toy diamond. A toy diamond or maybe you can say a plastic diamond. I first found it near my house on the ground and I found it interesting and I wanted to take it. It was almost identical to a real diamond but the only thing was it was a fake one. The advantage of me having it was I play with small items like diamonds, beads or anything and I actually keep it as a collection so I can have it as a...

    Band 6-7

    Hi, I'd like to talk about a time where I found a lost item that was lost by someone else. So the item that I found was a purse. It was a ladies wallet, a female wallet. So I was curious about who the owner was since I really wanted to return the purse to the owner. I opened the purse however, I did find a identification card hence I knew that it belonged to a woman named Sarah Correa. So what I did was, the first thing that I did was contact the owner and I did mention it to them that I found their purse on the railway station and that I was headed home however, I would love to return their purse to them. So what I did was, I mentioned to her that what I'm gonna do is, I'll just take her purse to the railway authorities and so I found a railway authority and they mentioned that they had a lost and found department and they directed me, they were all so kind and so sweet. They actually directed me to the railway lost and found department. So I went over there and I proceeded to let them know that I've already contacted the owner and she mentioned that she would come to collect her purse the next day. So I turned in the purse and I did give the owner a call once again mentioning the name of the person as well as the purse as well as the details that the purse has been handed over and I just left it there. After that, I did proceed to mention to her that I would give her a call tomorrow to just

    Band 6-7

    I get a notebook in the classroom. Someone lost their notebook in the class that was under the table. In the notebook, the name was not mentioned and the notebook was covered by black paper. I gave it to the class teacher. Her name was Mrs. Manjeet. I told her the notebook was under the table that was by someone mistaken. Someone lost their book and can't find it but I find it under the table and it was covered by black cover. The teacher asked me about the name of the notebook owner but I can't know that name. Then the teacher asked me to tell the class about the notebook. If anyone asked you that was his or her notebook then you can tell me. Then I gave it to the teacher and questioned all the students that anybody has lost his notebook. One student told me that was her notebook and the teacher gave it to them.

    Band 6-7

    Hi, I found somebody's college ID card near my old campus building, where I was having my lunch. After finding the ID card, I first saw the name and the department. Since the person was not from my department, I went and submitted to the security officer. After receiving the receipt for submitting the ID card, I feel very overwhelmed and joyous because making a duplicate ID card in our college was a very rigorous task and the person had to go through a lot of formalities to make a different ID card. So, I feel very happy that I have saved somebody from that tedious process. Another thing, ID cards are the only thing that can be used for issuing a book from the library and for opening the barricade gates. So, if the ID card was given to the right person, I think I saved a lot of time of him or her. Losing an ID card is one of the common things that people have done at college. He might have fallen from his pocket or something else.

    Band 6-7

    Last week, when I was at college, I picked up an item that belongs to my friend, Kirti and it was her Apple Airpods. She had gone on a week of leave after that, so I was responsible of keeping it safe with me for the whole week. As soon as she was back, I returned it to her and she had an immense glow on her face because she was very scared about losing her Airpods. Thank you for watching.

    Band 6-7

    I am going to describe a time when I picked up some money that was lying on the road. It was when I was travelling to my grandmother's home and we took a break, stopped at a restaurant to eat food. During that time, I was walking around the garden area when I came across a few notes lying on the sidewalk of the garden. I definitely picked it up. Furthermore, at first I didn't realize that it was wrong to keep it for myself as it wasn't mine. But after some time, when I told it to my mother, she explained why it's not a good thing to keep it to yourself since it's not mine. Then I decided to give it to some needy person as we moved forward and continued our journey. When I reached my grandma's home, I gave it to the person who was standing and begging for money at the footpath. It was an enriching experience where I have to...

    Band 6-7

    Yes, once I found a wallet in the metro rail when I was travelling to my office. I checked upon this wallet in pursuit to find the identity of the owner and I could see there were some credit cards, an ID card, some cash. I also found a visiting card and I thought that this could be the identification card or this could be the contact details of the original owner. But at the same time, I was in conundrum whether this is the visiting card of the owner or someone else, like someone can exploit this opportunity and take the wallet of someone else, whereas I was able to contact the owner through the contact details provided on the ID cards and I luckily could connect with him, then I have given them my office address so that they can collect it from there, which is in the Dwarka in New Delhi. So after approximately 2 hours, the owner called on the same contact number that I have contacted them from and he could take it from my office, though after receiving this he had offered me a cup of coffee with him and I said yes to him, I couldn't say no. And he thanked me a lot as he found all his
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