Describe an occasion when you lost something.
This test has appeared in 12 seasons · 3 reported by test takers
- Sep–Dec/2026
- Sep–Dec/2025
- May–Aug/2025
- Jan–Apr/2025
- Sep–Dec/2024
- May–Aug/2024
- Jan–Apr/2024
- Sep–Dec/2023
- May–Aug/2023
- Jan–Apr/2023
- Sep–Dec/2022
- May–Aug/2022
Reported by test takers Forecast only
Part 1
The examiner asks about you and two familiar topics. About 4–5 minutes.
Work or study
- Do you work, or are you a student? (Why?)
- Why did you choose that job or that subject? (Tell me more about that.)
- What do you enjoy most about it? (Why?)
- Is there anything you would like to change about it? (Why?)
Food
- What kind of food do you eat most often? (Tell me more about that.)
- What is your favourite dish? (Tell me more about that.)
- Is there any food you didn't like as a child but enjoy now? (Why is that?)
- Do you think people in your country eat more healthily now than in the past? (Why is that?)
Sports teams
- Have you ever been part of a sports team? (Why is that?)
- Which sports team do you support? (Tell me more about that.)
- Did you play in any teams when you were at school? (Why is that?)
- Do you think team sports are better for children than individual sports? (Why is that?)
Part 2
One minute to prepare, then speak for one to two minutes.
Describe an occasion when you lost something.
You should say:
- what you lost
- when and where you lost it
- what you did to try to find it
and explain how you felt about losing it.
Follow-up question after your talk: Are you usually careful with your belongings? / Did you ever get that thing back?
Part 3
A broader, more abstract discussion of the Part 2 topic. About 4–5 minutes.
losing and finding things
- Can you explain why people lose things more often when they are busy?
- What could be done about important documents that get lost or damaged?
- In general, what kinds of things are people most upset to lose?
owning things today
- Can you describe the kinds of possessions a typical family keeps at home today?
- How would you contrast buying a new item with repairing an old one?
- Can you speculate on how attitudes to owning things will change in the next generation?
Test titles follow test-taker reports and each season's forecasts — IELTS does not publish its papers. "Reported" means someone reported meeting this topic in a dated test. The questions are written by us in the format of the real test.