My IELTS Classroom Podcast

Hey! To end 2024, Shelly is going to take you on a tour of the CEFR. She will explain what the Common European Framework of Reference is and how it underpins every high-quality language test, including IELTS. More importantly, she will explain what happens when "teachers" forget that IELTS is based on the CEFR (Spoiler: It is not good). There is a YouTube video to accompany this post, wh...

Hey! Nick and I are back with our final (and second!) episode of 2024 - our breakdown of the essay questions in the Cambridge IELTS General Training 18 book. As usual, we analyse the four questions in turn, offering our ideas and discussing what could make each question easy or difficult for test-takers. And, boy-oh-boy, do the questions in this book range in difficulty! We think they go all the w...

Hello? Is anybody still out there? It has been 410 days since we last released a podcast, but Nick and I are back to spread some Christmas IELTS joy!  Is this the start of a new run of My IELTS Classroom episodes, or just some festive fun? Well, you will have to listen to find out! Support the show

Yes, after 76 days of silence, Nick and I are back to start a new season of My IELTS classroom! Today, we consider how much IELTS actually prepares you for university life in the UK. We will consider what skills you need to succeed in a degree course and how many are covered in the exam. More importantly, we’ll think about what “gaps” a student might have in their academic skills even if they gave...

Hey! Today Nick and I tackle a reading from the new Cambridge IELTS 18 book. We choose to passage 3 from Test 2, which is titled "An Ideal City". Why? Well, it's because it  contains a rather unusual summary completion question. Usually summaries are given in a single paragraph, or divided into two shorter paragraphs. This summary, however, is divided into THREE parts and is much lo...

Hey! Today, Nick and I tackling the listening test from IELTS Cambridge 18 Test 4. This is the latest book of past test papers, so is a great chance for you to practice the most recent IELTS test format. Plus, Nick and I will analyse all of the questions and discuss which we think are "easy" and which are difficult. This is an interactive lesson, so you can download the listening test th...

Hey. Last week Nick and I answered 6 of your questions about the IELTS exam. Today, we go though more of my mailbox to give you answers to enquiries such as  how can you tell if a letter is semi-formal or informal when you should complain about speaking scores whether singular and plural nouns are important in the listening exam or not You can ask me a question any time by emailing hello@myieltscl...

Every week I get dozens of emails from our My IELTS Classroom students, podcast listeners, YouTube followers and Newsletter subscribers asking questions about the IELST exam. They range from questions are about exam procedures to questions about how the exam is marked or how the student can maximise their preparation. Today, I thought that I would share a range of the emails that I have received i...

Yes! Finally, on our third attempt, Nick and I have managed to successfully record an episode analysing the essays in the new Cambridge IELTS 18 Academic book. We offer our ideas and insights into the new questions, including how we will organise each essay and what our position would be. Plus, we rate the difficulty level of each question. This is an interactive lesson, so make sure you spend at...

Today, Nick and I discuss one of the most important IELTS questions - why are so many students stuck at a 6.5 for IELTS writing? Is it because there is a conspiracy to trick test-takers, or are there other less sinister reasons? You can find the full episode notes and a transcript of the conversation at http://podcast.myieltsclassroom.com/ This is a re-run of an episode from 2020, so don't be...

Hey! A couple of weeks ago, we received an email from one of our listeners (thanks Adam!) asking if all the fuss happening on YouTube about the "NEW IELTS Band Descriptors" was true. My immediate reaction was "probably not", but when I did a deep dive, it turned out that it was! Yes, IELTS have finally released the examiner version of the band descriptors for writing. Let me be...

Today, we continue our journey into the world of IELTS listening any how the exam writers try to confuse you by playing with opposites. This week, we move away from lexis and into the word of grammar. In particular, the 2nd and 3rd conditionals.  Nick and I will explain exactly what the 2nd and 3rd conditional are, how they are formed, and how IELTS using them in listening recordings to confuse yo...

Hey! Nick and I have recorded many episodes about IELTS listening. Usually, we focus on one particular type of question and break down which listening skills it is testing, and how you should approach it best. Plus, for everyone type of question, there are two or three "tricks" that IELTS uses to try to force you to choose the wrong answer (although these are not really "tricks&quot...

Hey! Today, Nick and I continue our journey into idiomatic language by looking at phrasal verbs. We will explain what phrasal verbs are, how some are separable and some are inseparable, and demonstrate phrasal verbs in action in Speaking Part 1! Useful Links  Join our next intensive speaking course: https://www.myieltsclassroom.com/pages/speaking Introduction to IELTS Speaking http://blog.myieltsc...

Hey! One of the criteria to score a 7.0 or higher in the IELTS speaking test is being able to show good use of "idiomatic language". But, what is idiomatic language, and when should you introduce it into your vocabulary. Join Nick and I today to discuss  the path that most English language learners take when they are learning lexis when idioms should be introduced the problems second-lan...

Hey! It is the first podcast episode in May, which can only mean one thing - it is time to get motivated! Spring can be a great time of year to start new patterns of living and affect change in our lives. So, why not join Nick and I today as we go back and look at some of the motivational techniques that we have recommended in previous years to see if we still feel they work. Plus we will offer a...

We have spoken in depth on the podcast about IELTS maps , and IELTS line graphs before, but today it is the turn of IELTS bar charts. I would say of all the possible charts that you could be given on your exam day, IELTS bar charts are the most versatile. Why? Well, not only can they be used to represent change or to show comparisons individually, but they can also be used to show changes without...

Hey! Way back in 2020, Nick and I discussed the basic techniques for completing IELTS listening matching questions. However, these are some of the most difficult question in the exam, especially in Part 3, and we have noticed that many students still struggle answering them even when they know the basic principles. That's why today, we want to share a more advanced technique that can help you...

Join Nick and I today as we look at six essay questions that have recently appeared in the IELTS Academic and General Training exams. We will discuss our ideas for each topic, explain what our positions would be, and give each question a difficulty rating. You will get far more from this episode if you spend 2 or 3 minutes looking at each question and planning your IELTS essay now Some people thin...

Hey! 2 weeks ago Nick and I set you to the challenge of recording your answers to 5 very difficult Speaking Part 3 questions. Today, Nick and I listen to the recordings sent by our our listeners to give feedback. We will consider the quality of the students' ideas (and how they could be improved) the appropriacy of the vocabulary used in the responses the impact of L1 on pronunciation the aff...

Hey! We have a technical difficulty here at My IELTS Classroom - the wind is blowing a gale and it has knocked out Shelly's Wifi, so Nick and I couldn't record an episode this week. Therefore, we are re-running our original episode on Speaking Part 3. That way, you can listen to this episode and last week's episode and then take part in our free Speaking Part 3 feedback. If you want...

Just a reminder that we are  giving you the chance to record your own responses to five IELTS Speaking Part 3 questions and send them to us for feedback on next week’s episode. Record your answers to the following questions on your phone or computer, and email them to us at hello@myieltsclassroom.com before March 12th to be on the show. Remember, your recording should be no more than about 4 minut...

Take part in our competition to win a free One Month Subscription to all the My IELTS Classroom videos and live lessons, plus a free piece of marking by leaving a comment on one of our YouTube videos that includes the word "podcast" here  Then join Nick and I as we first discuss the basics of IELTS Speaking Part 3 and some simple strategies to help you address the questions even when the...

Last year, Nick and I recorded two episodes about how to build paragraphs. They are among our most popular content and have been viewed over 20,000 times. However, even when students extend their ideas and try to justify their position, they can still end up with arguments that are vague and contain almost no topic-specific lexis.   Today, Nick and I show you how to identify vague arguments and fi...

Hey! I have always loved teaching IELTS Academic Task 1. Many students are afraid of charts, but I have always found that if you teach test-takers some basic principles, then it is always possible to find the key features and organise the report well. However, this week, I was looking at the new IELTS Cambridge 17 Academic Report Questions and I have to say that two of the prompts in the current b...