Describe An Occasion When You Lost Something: IELTS Speaking Cue Card

You should say

What you lost?
When and where you lost it?
What you did to find it?
Explain how you felt about it?

9 unique answers with expert feedback

Show all 9 answers

Cue 1:What you lost?

Clearly state what item you lost, providing specific details about it.
Mention why this item was important to you, to give context to your story.

Example

I lost my favorite wristwatch, which was a gift from my grandfather. It was not just a timepiece for me; it held sentimental value and reminded me of the special moments we shared.

Cue 2:When and where you lost it?

Describe the time and place where you realized the item was missing.
Include any relevant details about the situation that might have contributed to the loss.

Example

I lost it last month while I was attending a wedding in my hometown. I remember taking it off briefly to wash my hands in the restroom, and when I returned to the reception, I noticed it was no longer on my wrist.

Cue 3:What you did to find it?

Explain the steps you took to search for the lost item.
Mention if you asked others for help or retraced your steps.

Example

As soon as I realized it was missing, I rushed back to the restroom and asked the staff if anyone had found a watch. I also retraced my steps around the venue, checking under tables and asking my relatives if they had seen it.

Cue 4:Explain how you felt about it?

Share your emotional response to losing the item.
Discuss any feelings of frustration, sadness, or anxiety you experienced.

Example

I felt a wave of panic wash over me when I couldn’t find it. Losing something so precious made me anxious and sad, as it reminded me of my grandfather. I felt a sense of loss that went beyond just the watch itself.

Conclusion

Example

In the end, I never found the watch, but the experience taught me to be more careful with my belongings. It also made me appreciate the memories associated with it even more, reminding me of the love and wisdom my grandfather shared with me.

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: Being Vague About Details

Candidates often give unclear answers without specific details about what they lost or where it happened. This can make the response less engaging and informative.

Tip

Provide specific details about the item you lost, including its significance and the exact location and time of the loss to create a vivid picture.

2: Neglecting Emotional Impact

Many candidates forget to express their feelings about losing the item, which can make their response seem flat and uninteresting.

Tip

Include your emotions during the experience, such as frustration or sadness, to make your story more relatable and engaging.

Lack of Problem-Solving Description

Some candidates fail to explain what actions they took to find the lost item, which is a key part of the cue card.

Tip

Clearly outline the steps you took to search for the item, such as retracing your steps or asking others for help, to show your problem-solving skills.

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 6-7

On one occasion nearby I lost my chain and the occasion was marriage where my relatives and friends all gathered together. I lost my chain at that time suddenly I couldn't tell it to anybody because it was everybody were happy at that moment so I thought no that I should not disturb anybody or distract anybody so I just kept quiet and I was searching the chain but it was not so easy to search as it was very crowded place and it was a big hall and I couldn't search it then after the marriage I just told my mom that I lost my chain and then even she started to search and she told to some of my relatives and even they started to search. At last we found it one of my relatives they got my chain and it was outside the hall where we could get that drinks and all where the drinks are kept and we found it from there actually almost everybody scolded me as it is too costly, nobody's gold chains are too costly so it was a very big experience for me that to

Band 6

As far as I can remember, a thing that I lost on an occasion was my mobile phone. It was my sister's wedding. I was having so much fun. In addition to that, I had so much workload that I couldn't concentrate on keeping my phone in my pocket. So, I kept it charging in a room. Then after sometime when I had some free time, I went to that room and I couldn't find it anywhere. I tried calling in but it was saying the phone was switched off. So, it might that someone has taken it. So, then I informed my parents. They were concerned that many important things were in my phone. I tried asking many people who came to the wedding about my phone but nobody could say anything. I was so disappointed that I couldn't even take care of a single mobile phone at that time. So, after sometime with consulting with my parents, they said me to make an FIR or make a file in the police station. So, I went to the police station that night and I made a file of my lost phone. So, on top of my head, I want to say that it was my insincerity that I lost a phone. I should have taken my phone with me and I should have kept it in my range so that nobody could have taken it. On top of that, I want to say that in this kind of special occasion, everyone should keep their important things, mainly keep their important belongings to themselves. Without that, it will be very hard for everyone to find it.

Band 6

I vividly remembered when I lost my cutest purse at my cousin's wedding. This, that was my elegant thing which I lost first time and that was gifted by my sister and I did lots of effort to find this and I am, I got very happy when I successful to find it. So, this was a happy ending for me.

Band 6

Losing something is a bit, losing something is very bad for you. I also lost camera when, around two years back. It was actually lost from my own home. At first I searched everywhere. At my home I thought it might be in my cupboard or in my backpack or in my roommate's cupboard. But later on I realised that it's not in the home. Then I searched in my locality where my close friends are. I asked them, it was not over there too. Then I went to my college and in my college I asked my seniors as well as my juniors. They also responded in a negative way. Later on I found out that one of my friend's colleague took it for a shoot purpose. For a photo shoot purpose. Then he apologised without asking me and taking my camera. And I was very angry on him because he didn't ask and took the camera.

Band 5-6

Hi, I'd like to talk about one wedding occasion which is a very close relative, so unfortunately that time I didn't participate in the wedding and I got distracted with my friend's trip, but I deeply regret that I missed that opportunity to participate that occasion because it was my close relative and I never miss that one, but unfortunately I lost. And there are many backlash after the wedding because I didn't participate, my friend, my family blame me not picking them to the wedding and that's it.

Band 5-6

Hi, good morning. Firstly, I have lost the thing which I love, which I adore more, that was my watch, which was gifted by one of my closest friends. So, one day also, I didn't, one day also, you know, I didn't, I am not able to, without watch, I am not able to go out of room. So, I lost it. So, then, then when one day I was cleaning the room, so I have found there, then I felt very happy, then I felt very gracious. So, I have found in my room, that is under the cot. So, how I find like that, it is under the cot, it is there, beneath the cot. So, when I found that watch, you know, I felt very happy and I felt very excitement. So, it was a memorable watch to me, that was, that who was gifted by my friend.

Band 5

yeah it was two months ago where I lost my samsung galaxy watch for it was a very special was watch because it was gifted by my father on my 23rd birthday after I after after I got after I graduated from my after I got graduated yeah it was two months ago where I lost my samsung galaxy watch for which was gifted by my father on my 23rd birthday he gifted me because I successfully completed my graduation in a National Institute of Technology Nagpur I lost it when I went home actually I'm staying currently staying in Pune where I currently work as a software engineer but I went to home to my father's birthday I think then I lost I think I kept somewhere in my home then I thought I in a hurry I got back into Pune after searching my bag I thought I found it missing then I called I called my father to search in my house then I even searched my current flat where I am living I didn't find it I thought I lost it I felt very bad even I searched it very cleanly because I removed every bit of clothing and even checked in the pockets and in every suitcases wherever it may be fallen I even called the bus where I traveled from my home to the place where I live he she also said he didn't he didn't find any watch I thought he stole it but as it is a very costly watch and it has all my information as it is smart smart watch it contains all my cards but then when I again revisited my home after one month I found it where I left it it was in my room but it is in a cupboard inside inside cupboard under it by under a towel I felt very happy after finding that

Band <5

you you you you you

Band <5

நான் நேனே மாண்டர எடுக்க தொள்ளு இப்பட்ட இப்பட்ட இப்பட்ட இப்பட்ட இப்பட்ट இப்பட்ट இப்பட்ट