IELTS with Fiona: a comprehensive guide to IELTS

In this podcast, you'll learn key words and concepts that will help you understand and discuss the topic of nature and nurture. 🧬 nature   = the traits we are born with (genetics) 🏠 nurture     = the experiences we go through in life (environment) The lesson is based around a reading text called 'The Unselfish Gene'. Find the full lesson notes with audio, video and model answers for Speaking and...

In this episode, we explore the topic of language(s) in IELTS. From bilingualism and language learning to language loss and global communication, you’ll learn the key vocabulary and ideas you need for Reading, Listening, Writing, and Speaking. Perfect for boosting both your confidence and your band score. This podcast focuses on a reading about Silbo Gomero, a whistling language in the Canary Isla...

In this episode, we use the story of the Céide Fields (an archaeological site in Ireland) to help you improve the skills you need for IELTS Listening. You’ll practise following a real lecture-style talk, identifying key information, making educated guesses, and dealing with common challenges such as recognising paraphrasing, understanding fast speech, and listening for common gap fill answers and...

🧑‍🎨 In this podcast you'll learn ideas and vocabulary related to the theme of GENDER, specifically the forgotten role of women in medieval art. GET THE FULL LESSON ON MY WEBSITE: https://ieltsetc.com/ielts-tips-and-tricks/ Text Summary A recent archaeological discovery shows that women may have played a more important role in medieval art than people once thought. Scientists found tiny bits of l...

This Listening Part 2 about an archaeological dig will help you review maps 🗺️ and vocabulary related to the topic of Civilisation 🏺. Get the full Listening Course on my website: https://ieltsetc.com/courses

🏮 To celebrate the Lunar New Year and the Year of the Horse, here's an Academic Passage 1 text all about The White Horse of Uffington - an ancient chalk figure cut into a hillside in England. The text discusses how and when this 'geoglyph' was created, and my podcast walks you through a set of Gapfill Summary and True False Not Given (TFNG) questions. It includes tips about: ⛳️ red flag clues in...

This Academic Reading Passage 1, which is about the life of a well-known artist, will help you review the huge topic of art and the arts in IELTS. This topic covers writers (Charles Dickens, Victor Hugo in the Listening Test) and sculptors (Henry Moore in the Reading Test) as well as theatres, art galleries, pottery, photography and music. In the Speaking Test, you might be asked to describe a fav...

In this podcast you'll learn tips about guessing True False and Not Given questions, reference words, and how to use conditional sentences in your Writing Task 2. This text about polar bears explains how they are uniquely adapted to extreme Arctic conditions and possess genetic traits that may help scientists understand health problems in humans. threatened – at risk of harm or extinction ❄️ adapt...

This IELTS Listening Part 4 is about research into microscopic animals called tardigrades or ‘water bears’. The speaker explains their extreme survival abilities - a topic that we covered in the previous Reading Podcast ('The secret of staying young'). This is an essential topic in IELTS, so don't miss this chance to review the vocabulary related to ageing and longevity. You'll also pick up lots o...

In this podcast, you'll work through an IELTS Academic Reading Passage 1 about ageing ('The secret of staying young') in a clear, guided way. I will take you step by step through gap fill and True False Not Given questions, so you can see how to find key information quickly. The episode helps you improve skimming, scanning, and careful reading skills. You can get the full lesson, with the video, e...

How Plants Sense Temperature – IELTS Reading Made Easy This episode breaks down a challenging IELTS Reading Passage about how plants use light and temperature to grow. I’ll guide you through the key ideas, explain tricky vocabulary, and help you answer the questions with confidence. Perfect for Band 6–8 students who want to improve comprehension, build science-related vocabulary, and boost their I...

In this lesson, you'll learn how to use the words you DON'T KNOW to get the right answers ! It's a difficult Academic Reading Part 3 , which contains several scientific terms that might cause confusion. But I will show you how IELTS uses these words for gapfills, and you'll learn the 6 'triggers' that indicate the answer. Get the full video lesson in the Bronze Membership on my website, and in the...

This month, we've been exploring the huge topic of MONEY in the Members Academy. It comes up in ALL parts of the test, so in this lesson, we examine two very similar General Training Texts in order to learn more about the topic of government benefit systems and the allowances that you might be entitled to. Each country's benefit system is different, so it's really worth a listen as you'll learn va...

This is a lovely reading about forced rhubarb: its history and how it is grown and harvested. There are 3 question sets: Matching Headings Multiple Choice Gapfill In this lesson you'll learn more about the general topic of FOOD and how this topic is tested in all parts of the IELTS test. Get the full lesson in the Bronze Academy on my website. https://ieltsetc.com/2024/12/ielts-vocabulary-of-food-...

Always check the title of a pie chart to make sure you're providing an accurate summary of the data. Pie charts show percentage and proportion, not numbers. Here's an example of a mistake that is very easy to make when you're under pressure. So practise plenty of pie charts before the test and get ready to use the language related to pie charts - listen till the end to find the 'marc' verbs that w...

In this lesson, we'll analyse a Part 1 Reading text with the purpose of improving our understanding and use of prepositions. First, we go through the True, False and Not Given questions, followed by the Gapfill questions and then we go back to the first paragraph to analyse the prepositions. This is something that I recommend you do regularly - spend 5-10 minutes 'noticing' language from real cont...

Did you know that uou can use " a/an + adjective " before a statistic to express your reaction to the number? This technique adds emphasis and helps the listener or reader understand your perspective on the data. Examples: A staggering 95%  of teenagers spend over 4 hours daily on social media. An alarming  62% of young adults report experiencing significant anxiety. A heartening  78% of volunteer...

In this lesson you'll learn 5 IELTS Listening Tips that (I'm guessing) nobody told you about. Get the full lesson with bonus materials in the Bronze Academy on my website. https://ieltsetc.com/2024/10/5-ielts-listening-tips-nobody-told-you-about/

Get the free lesson on my blog: How to use personal pronouns in IELTS Writing . In this lesson, we look at ways of USING and AVOIDING personal pronouns in Writing Task 2 essays. You'll learn when to use "I", "we" and "you", and you'll get examples of how to avoid personal pronouns by using plurals, the passive voice, and more general language. https://ieltsetc.com/personal-pronouns-in-ielts-writin...

If you really want to make a difference to your test score, stop practising grammar with useless examples that you'll never use in the IELTS test! In this grammar review we look at how to use few, a few, little and a little SPECIFICALLY FOR the IELTS test. You'll learn useful expressions that you can use in the Writing and Speaking Tests, and you'll find out how to avoid common mistakes with these...

In this lesson, you'll practise 3 reading question types while learning essential IELTS animal-related vocabulary items such as 'hibernation' and 'migration'. I also discuss differences between two summaries, which will help you use more formal language in the writing test e.g. to maintain fitness vs to stay fit . For example: (Advanced Summary) The article explores how animals maintain fitness di...

In this lesson we look at direct and indirect ways of asking for help. You will learn fixed expressions that you can use in any letter of request letter, and you'll also learn how to demonstrate flexibility with a variety of tenses when you 'give details of your musical activities'. Find the full lesson with models and interactive practice on my website (Bronze Academy). ⁠https://ieltsetc.com/2024...

In this lesson, we look at how you can use Listening Test maps to improve the way you describe maps and plans in the Writing Test. In this lesson we'll cover How to talk about FUTURE changes How to avoid over-using 'going to' How to use the passive tense How to use the vocabulary of change related to maps We also review map prepositions, and we look at a model answer. The lesson ends w...

This is a talk-through of a General Training Reading Passage 3. The text tells the story of the 'Fosbury Flop', which is a high-jump technique developed by a 21 year-old university student from the USA called Dick Fosbury in the late 1960s. In this lesson, you'll practise Matching Information, Multiple Choice and gapfill questions. Get all my lessons on my website ieltsetc.com and foll...

In this Listening Section 2 about tips for runners, you'll learn how to spot distractors in different question types such as matching people and multiple choice. Get the full lesson with 180+ more lessons in the Bronze Academy https://ieltsetc.com/2024/07/ielts-listening-matching-people-distractors/ Get the list of phrasal verbs to talk about hobbies (Free) https://app.getbeamer.com/ieltswithf...