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Describe a time when you found something that belonged to someone else

Try the card on the exam timer first, then read the band-8 sample answer and the Part 3 questions that follow it.

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Part 2 · Candidate task card

Describe a time when you found something that belonged to someone else.

You should say:

  • what you found
  • where you found it
  • what you did with it

and explain how you felt about the situation.

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1 minute to prepare, then 2 minutes to speak. It switches on its own.

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Band 8 sample answer

278 words · about 2 minutes at a natural pace · Phrases from the vocabulary list are highlighted.

I'd like to talk about the time I found a wallet on the pavement near my university, about a year and a half ago. I was walking to a lecture early in the morning, and I noticed something dark and leather lying next to a bin. I picked it up and opened it to see if there was any way of finding the owner.

Inside, there were some banknotes, a couple of bank cards and a student card with the name of a girl from the faculty of law, but no phone number. I thought about what to do for a moment. I was already a little late, and I could have just taken it to the university security office. However, I worried that the girl might not look for it there, so I decided to try to find her myself.

After my lecture, I asked a few friends if they knew her, and one of them recognised the name and gave me her social media profile. I sent her a message explaining that I had her wallet. Within minutes she replied, and we arranged to meet in the cafeteria at lunchtime.

When I handed it over, she was almost in tears. She said that she'd spent the entire morning searching for it, and that the wallet contained her whole month's allowance. She insisted on buying me a coffee and a sandwich.

I felt very happy, and a bit proud as well. It wasn't a big thing, but I knew how stressful it must have been for her. It reminded me that doing the right thing often costs very little, but can mean a lot to another person.

What to notice

  • It takes the points on the card in order, so the examiner can follow it.
  • Each point gets a specific detail or a short story, which is what keeps a talk going for two minutes.
  • The "explain" line at the end gets the most time, because that is where you give an opinion and show your range of language.

We wrote this answer for practice; it does not come from IELTS. Take its structure and phrases and tell your own story, because examiners notice memorised answers.

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Useful vocabulary

PhraseMeaning
come acrossto find by chance
hand into give to an authority
track down the ownerto find who something belongs to
the right thing to dothe morally correct action
relievedfeeling happy that a worry has gone
reunite withto bring back together

Plan it in one minute

Choose what to talk about in the first ten seconds, then write two or three key words for each point. Full sentences take too long to write and to read back.

Who or what you could talk about

  • Finding a phone or wallet on a street
  • Finding a bag left on public transport
  • Finding a pet that had wandered away from home

How to spend the two minutes

  1. 25 swhat you found
  2. 25 swhere you found it
  3. 25 swhat you did with it
  4. 45 sand explain how you felt about the situation.

Part 3 questions

In the exam these come straight after your talk, on the wider subject: Honesty and responsibility. Answer each in 3–4 sentences, with your view, a reason and an example.

  1. Why do some people return lost items while others keep them?
  2. Should people be rewarded for returning lost property?
  3. Do you think honesty is more common in small communities?
  4. How can parents teach children to be honest?
  5. What should a person do if they find a large amount of money?
  6. Is it ever acceptable to keep something you have found?

Frequently asked questions

How should I describe an experience in an IELTS cue card?

Tell it as a story in the past: set the scene (when, where, who), what happened, how it ended. Then explain what you felt or learned. Past tenses used accurately are part of what the examiner is listening for.

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