IELTS Speaking Part 2: IELTS Cue Card/ Candidate Task Card.
Describe something you have lost recently.
You should say:
- what you lost
- how you lost it
- how important it was to you
and explain what you did to find the lost item.
[You will have to talk about the topic for one to two minutes. You have one minute to think about what you are going to say. You can make some notes to help you if you wish.]
Model Answer 1:
Psychologists say that losing something is more worrisome and depressing than the happiness we feel when we earn or find something of equal price or value. This was something I just read, but realised every bit of it when I lost a book that I received as a gift from a dear friend of mine. I will share this story with you.
The book I lost was titled “Complete Collection of Fyodor Dostoevsky”. I was travelling to Portugal after completing my first year at the university a few months ago, and met a school friend who moved to Portugal with her family many years ago. I spent some of the best vacation time in my life there, and just before the day I planned to return to my homeland, my friend – Emily, bought me a rare collection of this book. She told me that it was a gift for my upcoming birthday, which was three months later. And not to mention, it was a precious gift, and I liked her idea of selecting this book for me.
I was quite amazed by her generous gift idea and thanked her profoundly for such a thoughtful gift. I kept the book in my handbag, and my sole intention in keeping it in my handbag was to read it on my return journey. I must have been very careless not to look after it properly, and I believe I dropped it somewhere at the airport. To my wildest horror, when I searched for the book in my bag, I could not find it anywhere. I rummaged through my bag, and it was nowhere to be found! It was such a sad moment!
The book was a gift from a dear friend, and she spent a considerable amount of money to buy me one of the rarest editions of this book. It was quite an important gift to me, and losing it was a depressing experience, to say the least.
I could do virtually nothing to retrieve the lost book as I was not sure where I had dropped it. I might have dropped it inside the taxi that I took to reach the airport, or at one of the coffee shops or somewhere at the airport. So, apart from sending an email to the airport, I had very few options.
Model Answer 2:
Introduction:
Thank you so much for giving me this topic to talk about. Here, I’d like to talk about something that I lost recently, and even though I eventually found it, the experience was quite stressful.
What you lost:
A few weeks ago, I lost my wallet. It was just an ordinary wallet, but it was important because of what it contained inside. The wallet contained my ID card, some bank cards, and a bit of cash. More importantly, it had a photo of my family that I’ve kept with me for years.
How you lost it:
I lost it during a quick trip to a shopping mall. I remember paying for a coffee at a café, and instead of putting the wallet back into my bag properly, I must have placed it loosely on the counter. I walked away without noticing that it slipped off and fell to the floor. I only realised it was missing when I returned home about 3 hours later.
How important it was to you:
Well, the wallet was extremely important to me. It was important primarily because of the personal items inside it. Losing my ID and bank cards would have caused a lot of inconvenience, and the family photo had sentimental value. I felt a mix of panic and frustration when I couldn’t find it right away.
And explain what you did to find the lost item:
As soon as I realised it was missing, I drove back to the shopping mall and went to the café from where I purchased a cup of coffee. I retraced every step I had taken. Once I returned to the cafe, I asked the staff if they had seen it, and luckily, one of the employees told me that a customer had picked it up and handed it to the counter. They kept it safely for me until I returned. I checked everything inside, and to my relief, nothing was missing. I walked out of the mall feeling incredibly grateful and happy. I also appreciated the honesty of the stranger who found it and took the time to hand it over to the counter so that its rightful owner could get it back.
Sample Answer 3:
Thank you for providing me with this interesting topic. Here, I will talk about something that I lost and regretted. We all know that losing something can indeed be a frustrating experience. Recently, I found myself in such a situation when I lost my favourite wristwatch.
The lost item I am talking about was a wristwatch that had significant sentimental value to me. It was a gift from my parents on my graduation day, and it held immense emotional importance for me. So you can understand how distressed and unhappy I was when I lost it! Beyond its primary function of telling time, this wristwatch had become a symbol of an important achievement in my life, and that’s why I was so sad when I could not find it.
Unfortunately, the circumstances surrounding how I lost the watch remain unclear, as I can’t recall clearly when and how I lost it. I realised it was missing when I reached home after a day out. The panic and disappointment that swept over me, and I felt so distressed. I retraced my steps, checked the places I had visited, and even asked people I had met during the day if they had seen it. However, my efforts were in vain, and I could not find it anywhere.
Given the emotional attachment and the irreplaceable nature of the watch, it was highly important to me. Losing it felt like losing a piece of my personal memory, and the void it left was quite profound. I couldn’t accept the possibility of it being gone forever.
And, yes, I tried to find it. In my quest to find the lost item, I revisited every location I had been to that day, searching and hoping for a stroke of luck to find it. Additionally, I posted about it on social media, hoping that someone might have found it. I also reported the loss to local authorities in case it was turned in. But luck was not in my favour!
The search for the lost wristwatch became a lesson in patience and resilience for me. Despite my best efforts, I could not find the watch. However, the experience taught me the importance of treasuring belongings and being more mindful of personal items with sentimental value.
Idea Generation for this Topic:
This topic asks you to describe something you lost recently. You should explain what the item was, how you lost it, how important it was to you, and what steps you took to find it. To develop a strong answer, try to include emotional details, small moments of panic or worry, and the final outcome. Here are ten first-person ideas to help you build your response:
1. My house keys:
The item I lost recently was my house keys, and I realised they were missing when I returned home from work. I lost them somewhere on the bus because I had taken them out to check a keychain. They were very important because without them, I couldn’t enter my apartment. I looked through my entire bag, retraced my steps and even contacted the bus company. Luckily, someone had turned them in, and I collected them the next morning.
2. My wallet:
I lost my wallet last month during a visit to a crowded shopping mall. I think it slipped out of my pocket while I was trying on clothes. It was important to me because it contained my ID, bank cards and some cash. I searched the store, spoke to the staff and even checked the security desk. Fortunately, a customer found it and handed it in with everything still inside, which was a big relief.
3. My earphones:
The item I lost recently was my wireless earphones, which I always carry for listening to music on the go. I believe I left them in a café after charging them. They were important because I use them daily for calls and workouts. I returned to the café, checked the table where I sat and asked the staff. Even though I never found them, I learned to be more careful with small devices.
4. A favourite ring:
I recently lost a ring that had sentimental value because it was a birthday gift from a close friend. I lost it at the gym while washing my hands in the locker room. It meant a lot to me because it reminded me of that friendship. I searched every corner of the locker area and even left my contact number with the staff. Unfortunately, it never turned up, and I felt sad for several days.
5. A notebook with important notes:
I lost a small notebook where I kept important reminders and ideas. I misplaced it on a train when I put it beside me and forgot to pick it up before getting off. It was important because it contained work notes I needed. I contacted the lost-and-found office and even posted online, hoping someone might return it. In the end, I had to rewrite most of my notes from memory.
6. My umbrella:
I lost my umbrella on a rainy day when I rushed into a store and placed it near the entrance. It was not extremely valuable, but it was useful, and I had been using it for years. When I realised it was missing, I returned to the store and checked the spot, but someone had taken it. I felt annoyed at myself, but eventually bought a new one.
7. A shopping bag with groceries:
I lost a bag of groceries after leaving it behind on a bench while talking on the phone. It was important because I had bought ingredients for dinner and didn’t want to go shopping again. When I noticed it was missing, I went back to the same bench, looked around and asked people nearby. Someone had already taken it, so I had to return to the store and buy everything again.
8. My student ID card:
The item I lost was my student ID card, which I misplaced during a campus event. It must have fallen out when I pulled my phone from my pocket. It was extremely important because I needed it to enter buildings and borrow books. I searched the event area, asked organisers and checked the lost-and-found desk. Thankfully, a volunteer found it and emailed me about it.
9. A USB drive:
I recently lost my USB drive that contained some work documents. I think I left it in the computer lab after finishing a project. It was important because I had not backed up the latest files. I returned to the lab, checked all the computers and asked the technician. Luckily, he found it near a keyboard and kept it safe for me.
10. My water bottle:
I lost my reusable water bottle at a park where I often go for evening walks. I left it on a bench while taking photos and forgot to pick it up. It was important to me because it was eco-friendly and had been with me for a long time. I walked back through the entire park and checked each bench. Even though I didn’t find it, the walk reminded me to be more mindful of my belongings.
Vocabulary for this Candidate task card/ Cue card topic:
When describing something you have lost recently, using specific vocabulary can effectively convey the value of the item, the circumstances of the loss, your emotional reaction, and the intensity of your search. Thoughtful word choices will help you articulate the panic, frustration, and perhaps the relief or resignation you felt, making your response both dramatic and relatable. Here are some relevant words and phrases:
Misplaced: – Put in the wrong place and lost temporarily.
Example: I realised I had merely misplaced my keys, but at the time, I thought they were gone forever.
Retrace my steps: – To go back over the route one has just taken.
Example: I had to retrace my steps all the way back to the cafe to find my wallet.
Sentimental value: – The value of an object to a person because of its associations with a memory.
Example: The ring wasn’t expensive, but it had immense sentimental value to me.
Indispensable: – Absolutely necessary.
Example: My phone is an indispensable tool for my work, so losing it was a major crisis.
Frantic: – Wild or distraught with fear, anxiety, or other emotion.
Example: I made a frantic search of the house, looking in every drawer and cupboard.
Vanished into thin air: – Disappeared completely and mysteriously.
Example: It seemed as if the document had simply vanished into thin air.
Turned everything upside down: – To search a place very thoroughly and usually aggressively.
Example: I turned my room upside down looking for that memory card.
Absent-minded: – Having or showing a habitually forgetful or inattentive disposition.
Example: It was an absent-minded mistake; I just left it on the bus seat.
Irreplaceable: – Impossible to replace if lost or damaged.
Example: The photos on that drive were irreplaceable memories from my childhood.
Scoured: – Subjected (a place) to a thorough search in order to locate something.
Example: We scoured the entire park but couldn’t find the lost item.
Distress: – Extreme anxiety, sorrow, or pain.
Example: The loss caused me a great deal of distress because it contained personal information.
Whereabouts: – The place where someone or something is.
Example: I had no clue as to the whereabouts of my passport.
Negligence: – Failure to take proper care in doing something.
Example: I blamed my own negligence for losing such an important item.
Inconvenience: – Trouble or difficulty caused to one’s personal requirements or comfort.
Example: Losing my ID card caused a significant inconvenience for weeks.
Retrieval: – The process of getting something back from somewhere.
Example: The retrieval of the data was impossible, so I had to start over.
Panic-stricken: – Affected with a feeling of panic.
Example: I was panic-stricken when I realised my bag was missing.
If you prepare for the topic “Describe something you have lost recently”, you should be able to talk about the following topics as well:
1) Describe something important that you once lost.
2) Describe an event that made you sad.
3) Describe a time when you felt unhappy.
4) Describe a time when you found something that someone had lost.
5) Describe a situation or time when you lost something important.