IELTS Speaking 2025 Part 2&3: Describe an Occasion When You Lost Something in a Public Place 😢🔍

Describe an Occasion When You Lost Something in a Public Place 😰🎒

Ideas 💡

• What you lost: A wallet 💳, smartphone 📱, umbrella ☔, bag 🎒
• When & where: On a bus/train 🚆, at a restaurant 🍽️, in a park 🌳
• What you did: Checked lost & found, asked around, called your phone 📞
• How you felt: Worried, frustrated, relieved (if found), disappointed (if lost forever) 😓

Useful Grammar & Structures 🏗️

✅ Past Perfect (I had just paid for my coffee when I realized my wallet was missing.)
✅ Conditionals (If I had been more careful, I wouldn’t have lost it.)
✅ Passive voice (My bag was picked up by a kind stranger and returned to me.)
✅ Idioms & Phrasal Verbs (A sinking feeling in my stomach, retrace my steps, call it a day, out of the blue)

Collocations 🌟

1. Retrace my steps 👣 (tìm lại những nơi mình đã đi qua)
2. A sinking feeling 😨 (cảm giác lo lắng)
3. Lost and found section 🏢 (quầy đồ thất lạc)
4. A stroke of luck 🍀 (một chút may mắn)
5. Turned upside down 🔄 (lật tung mọi thứ để tìm kiếm)

Full Sample Answer (2+ minutes) 🎤

A few months ago, I had a rather stressful experience when I lost my wallet 💳 in a public place. It happened when I was at a busy shopping mall 🛍️ on a weekend. I was in a rush to pay for some clothes, and after making the payment, I must have absentmindedly left my wallet at the counter.

The moment I realized it was missing, I felt a sinking feeling in my stomach 😨. I quickly retraced my steps 👣, running back to every store I had visited. I also asked the staff if they had seen a black leather wallet, but no luck. At that point, I started to panic because it contained my ID card, bank cards, and some cash.

Desperate to find it, I went to the lost and found section 🏢 of the mall. Fortunately, a kind stranger had picked it up and handed it in. When I opened it, I was relieved to see that everything was still inside—it was truly a stroke of luck 🍀!

This experience taught me a valuable lesson about being more mindful of my belongings. Since then, I’ve made it a habit to double-check my pockets before leaving any place. Although losing something in a public place is stressful, I was grateful that there are still honest people out there!

🎤 Part 3: Follow-up Questions & Answers

1. What kinds of things do people usually lose? 🎒📱

Ideas 💡

• Small & valuable items (keys, wallets, phones) 🔑
• Documents & ID cards (passports, credit cards) 📄
• Accessories (glasses, earrings, watches) ⌚

Collocations 🌟

1. Easy to misplace ❓ (dễ thất lạc)
2. Forget in a hurry 🚶 (quên trong lúc vội vàng)
3. Slip out of the pocket 👖 (rơi ra khỏi túi)

Sample Answer 🎤

People often misplace small but valuable items, such as wallets, keys, and smartphones 🎒📱. These objects are easy to lose, especially in crowded places. Another common thing people lose is important documents, like ID cards and passports. I think most of the time, people forget them in a hurry 🚶 or they simply slip out of the pocket 👖 without noticing!

2. What do people often do when losing things? 🕵️‍♂️

Ideas 💡

• Retrace their steps 👣 (go back to where they were)
• Check lost & found 🏢 (ask staff/security)
• Use tracking apps 📱 (Find My iPhone, AirTag)

Collocations 🌟

1. Turn a place upside down 🔄 (tìm khắp nơi)
2. File a report 📝 (báo cáo mất đồ)
3. Hope for the best 🤞 (hy vọng điều tốt đẹp sẽ xảy ra)

Sample Answer 🎤

When people lose something, they usually retrace their steps 👣 to check if they left it somewhere. Some might turn a place upside down 🔄 searching for it. If it’s in a public place, they often check with the lost and found section 🏢 or even file a report 📝, especially if it’s something valuable. Nowadays, people also use tracking apps 📱 to locate lost phones or wallets with smart tags. After doing all that, they can only hope for the best 🤞!

3. Is it an effective way to use rewards to find lost things? 💰🎯

Ideas 💡

• Yes: Encourages honesty & quick action
• No: Some might take advantage & demand higher rewards

Collocations 🌟

1. Motivate people to return lost items 🎯 (khuyến khích người khác trả lại đồ bị mất)
2. An ethical dilemma ⚖️ (tình huống đạo đức khó xử)
3. Take advantage of the situation 😏 (lợi dụng tình huống)

Sample Answer 🎤

Offering a reward can be an effective way to find lost items because it motivates people to return them 🎯. However, it can also lead to an ethical dilemma ⚖️. Some dishonest individuals might take advantage of the situation 😏 and demand a higher reward. That said, in many cases, people return lost things simply out of kindness, without expecting any money!

4. What kinds of people may lose things often? 🤦‍♂️📦

Ideas 💡

• Forgetful people (absent-minded, distracted)
• Busy professionals (multitasking too much)
• Children & elderly (careless, memory issues)

Collocations 🌟

1. Absent-minded individuals 🤯 (người đãng trí)
2. Get distracted easily 🎭 (dễ bị phân tâm)
3. Juggle too many things at once 🎭 (cố gắng làm quá nhiều việc cùng lúc)

Sample Answer 🎤

People who are absent-minded 🤯 or easily distracted tend to lose things often. For example, busy professionals who juggle too many things at once 🎭 might forget their phones or wallets in a taxi. Similarly, children and elderly people tend to be more careless with their belongings. That’s why parents often remind their kids to double-check their bags before leaving school!