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

IELTS CUE CARD TOPIC

Describe a time when you lost an important and valuable item

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

Sample 1

Although I am a planned person and keep track of the items I carry, I have lost essential and valuable items on a few occasions, and one such instance is worth mentioning. It happened two years back when I travelled to another city for an important meeting, and when I was in the hotel after giving the presentation, I lost my laptop. It was essential and valuable for me because, first of all, the price was high.

It cost me around $500. Apart from that, there was a lot of valuable data inside that was precious for me because that was my hard work for many years because I am a blogger. So, I saved a lot of data on my laptop so that if my blog goes down, I could use that data to post again.

I lost it due to sheer negligence because I had to meet someone after I gave the presentation. I was in a hurry, so I didn’t pick up my laptop, and I thought that after some time, I would grab it. However, to my dismay, my computer was not there when I returned.

The whole experience was devastating for me because, first of all, I lost money, and secondly, I lost my valuable data. However, that experience was a lesson for me because now, I give special attention to my valuables so that I do not reencounter the same experience.

Sample 2

There is no denying this conviction that most of us take utmost care of our essential and valuable items. However hard we try, sometimes we tend to lose them. So I had a situation where I lost my wallet. It was a wedding celebration that happened one year ago. So, my purse was essential for me for various reasons.

First, it was having my credit cards and my debit card. It also had my travel license and the registration certificate for my card. So, all these accolades were critical. Losing it was something that was a silly mistake on my part. There were a lot of people at the wedding celebration.

So there was dancing going on, and there were a lot of snacks and food. So I was enjoying a lot at the party. And there were drinks also. So I took a stiff drink. After that, I lost my senses.

Moreover, somebody threw water on me. So it was wintertime. So I went to the washroom to clean myself. And at that time, I lost my wallet.

So, I put the wallet on the table and started cleaning myself. So, I was out of the washroom after the cleaning ended because someone called me. At that time, I just remembered that I had to pick up my wallet. So, that was a terrible mistake on my end.

So, that night, I was visiting the wedding, but the following day, I came to know that I lost a valuable thing, which was a wallet, and another thing. There was about $500 in that. So, I also lost that money.

So, I felt terrible about the experience because of my negligence. I also lost money and lost many valuables. So, I had to follow a cumbersome process to get the credit cards to make the registration certificate again and apply for the travel license. Plus, I had to shell out a lot of money. And from that day, I made it a routine to keep track of my valuables.

Sample 3

Here, I would like to discuss a time when I lost one of my precious items.

Usually, I am cautious in every aspect and keep everything very carefully. Still, it was time when I went with my friends last summer vacation to the Spanish beach, which is located in the northern part of BC. So when all my friends went there, we relaxed in front of our seaside hotel with a beach. So when we were there, there was an emergency siren immediately around the area, saying there would be a flood very soon.

So by mistake, I forgot my watch, just the area where I was sitting, and after that, when everything went okay, I went back to search for it, but unfortunately, I could not find it. It was very precious and one of the things I liked the most because it was gifted to me by my forefather and it was also one of the most expensive gifts I had ever had. So I felt terrible, as no doubt it was an emergency.

I wouldn’t have taken it anyhow, but when I realized that I would never have my watch again, it was heartbreaking, and I felt terrible after that. So that was the thing I lost recently.

Follow-ups

Here are some examples of follow-up questions that the examiner might ask during your speaking part 3 related to the cue card “Describe a time when you lost an important and valuable item IELTS Cue Card”.

1. Is it essential for students to be organized?

Yes, students need to be organized because when they study, they are in their budding years, and the good habits acquired during that period help them to lead their lives towards an impressive growth trajectory. So, by organizing themselves and keeping their things in assigned places, they save time and have more time for their studies.

Moreover, they speak and spell. So, this habit transfers to other domains also. Furthermore, it improves their personality, and their true worth emerges when they become organized.

Being organised is one of the most crucial aspects a person or individual should have as a student. Suppose the student is organizing their stuff in a well-mannered way. In that case, it will help him to have a defined goal for the future and help him concentrate on his studies as he can organize his stuff in a proper place and also organize his studies in a better way.

2. Are there any good ways to remind us not to forget or lose things?

The best way to do that is to do journaling. Moreover, we should have a checklist also. Before going out, we should review our checklist, which helps us remember and keep things.

Nowadays, there are many things people use.
First, there are different reminders on online calendars that people can use so they don’t forget their things. Apart from this, many people use manual sticky notes and put them on the refrigerator or the area where they live or see things often. I also had many friends who used small diaries or diaries to make notes on what they would do in their day.

So these are the things which people usually do.

3. What should parents do to teach their children not to lose things?

Reward and punishment are the best remedies to prevent children from losing things. So, when children keep track of their things, their parents should reward them because that would encourage them not to lose things. When they lose something, there should be a punishment from the parents’ side because that punishment teaches them a lesson to remain organized.

Nowadays, there are many things people use. First, there are different reminders on online calendars that people can use so they don’t forget their things. Apart from this, many people use manual sticky notes and put them on the refrigerator or the area where they live or see things often. I also had many friends who used small diaries or diaries to make notes on what they would do in their day.

So these are the things which people usually do.

4. What do people often do after losing things?

There are two kinds of people. Some people often lose their patience when they lose things and abuse others. Sometimes, they are family members, and sometimes they are friends or sometimes even strangers.

On the other hand, some people consider losing things part of their life because however hard you try, you tend to lose things because of human errors.

When someone loses anything, it’s heartbreaking, and they feel sorrowful. It’s a sorrowful moment for them, and they try to get the thing back by searching for it, by going to the place where they lost it.

And I had also seen many people trying to repurchase the same thing. So sometimes the thing is very close to their heart. So they try to get it back by repurchasing it.

5. What are the reasons why people often misplace or lose things?

People often misplace or lose things because of hectic lifestyles. Sometimes, they indulge in multitasking, and due to that, they lose focus on things in their possessions and misplace or lose things.

It just depends upon the situation. Sometimes, some people are in a hurry, forgetting where they are kept. Another reason is that sometimes they are in a crisis or emergency; they must leave their valuable items without thinking twice about picking them up.

So these are a few reasons for my decision.

6. What are everyday items that people tend to lose quickly?

People quickly lose their mobile phones, sunglasses, pens and pencils, jackets or pullovers.

I would take my example. I usually forget the umbrella.

I had lost many umbrellas, and I had also lost many keys. So these are the things which I usually forget. These are the everyday things that people lose a lot.