IELTS with Fiona: a comprehensive guide to IELTS

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-writing/

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 quantifiers in the Reading and Listening Tests. Get the full lesson in the Bronze Academy, starting at just $4 per month. The full lesson includes: a set of IELTS-related phrases for each quantifier a set of practice questions for each quantifier an interactive review of all quantifiers 3 Listening video extracts with real test audio, tapescripts, answers and explanations 3 Reading extracts The most common mistake with 'few' Formal and Informal alternatives 10 examples for GT letters https://ieltsetc.com/2024/09/quantifiers-few-a-few-little-a-little/

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 differently from humans. Unlike humans, who need consistent training to prepare for endurance challenges like marathons, many animals maintain or even enhance their fitness without deliberate exercise. (Intermediate Summary) The article discusses how animals stay fit in different ways compared to humans. While humans need to exercise regularly to prepare for challenges like running a marathon, many animals stay fit without needing to train. Get the full lesson on my website (Bronze Academy) and in the Members Academy. https://ieltsetc.com/ielts-tips-and-tricks/ https://ieltsetc.com/courses #ielts #ieltstestpreparation #ieltscourse

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/2024/09/ielts-general-training-letter-of-request/⁠ You recently went to a concert and thought one of the singers was very good. You want to tell him/her how you feel. Write a letter to the singer. In your letter: say how you feel about his/her performance give details of your music-related/musical activities explain how you would like him/her to help you with your music-related/musical activities

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 with a list of map expressions collated from 4 real Listening Tests. Members get the full lesson on my website: https://ieltsetc.com/2024/08/ielts-maps-plans-changes-future/ Get the FREE Maps and Plans Listening lesson on my website: https://ieltsetc.com/ielts-listening-maps/

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 follow my courses in the Members Academy.

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/ieltswithfiona/en/phrasal-verbs-hobbies-and-new-skills

This is a talk-through of a Passage 1 Academic Reading text about tennis rackets (Book 19 Test 1). It covers 2 sets of questions (True, False, Not Given and Gapfill Summary). Full lesson notes and video available on my website and Members Academy.

In this lesson, you'll see why so many model essays are NOT model essays. For each of the points I mention, you'll learn a better alternative so that you can make changes to your own writing. Here's the question: Some people believe that charities should help people in need no matter where those people are in the world. Others feel that these organizations should only serve the people living in the country where they are based. Discuss both sides and give your own view. Find the full lesson on my website: https://ieltsetc.com/2021/03/ielts-band-9-sample-essay-charity/ Watch my YouTube video here: https://youtu.be/c4nMPXwJls4 My tips about Coherence and Cohesion (avoiding mechanical linking words) are here: https://ieltsetc.com/2020/01/ielts-writing-coherence-cohesion/ Find more Band 9 essays and tips on my website. Join the Bronze Membership for full access. https://ieltsetc.com/2019/04/band-9-essay/ https://ieltsetc.com/2021/03/ielts-task-2-band-9-essay-ceos/ https://ieltsetc.com/2019/09/ielts-writing-task-2-topics-and-models-crime/ https://ieltsetc.com/2020/05/ielts-writing-task-2-how-to-write-an-introduction/ https://ieltsetc.com/2020/03/to-what-extent-do-you-agree/ https://ieltsetc.com/2020/11/ielts-formal-writing/ #ielts #ieltswriting #ieltstask2 #ieltsband9 lCGmdgSdFMRaveqtPUv8

A quick look at TFNG and a less common type of Matching Headings. Get the full text here https://www.ieltsetc.com/2019/03/ielts-gt-reading-passports-and-airports/

Quick tips to help you with the Speaking Challenge followed by a Reading Passage 2 about the tool-making abilities of crows (and what we have in common with them). True/False/Not Given. Get the full reading here https://www.ieltsetc.com/2018/11/ielts-reading-two-wings-toolkit/

This is my walkthrough of an Academic Passage 1 about Stonehenge. Keyword before you listen: ‘Winter solstice’ - the shortest day of the year (December 21st) Meaning: to stand still The solstice (combining the Latin words sol for “sun” and ‘sistere’ for “stand still”) is the point where the Sun appears to reach either its highest or lowest point in the sky for the year and thus ancient astronomers came to know the day as one where the sun appeared to stand still. Become a member to get the full tapescript, wordlist and video. ieltsetc.com

This listening about a research project contains several examples of ‘academic’ language (language related to studying at university) that you need to understand Listening Part 3. It's about a volcanic eruption, and is adapted from a Cambridge Past Paper (Book 18). Get the full lesson notes and video in the Bronze Membership on my website ieltsetc.com and the Listening Course in the Members Academy.

This Part 4 Listening is all about moving elephants. In the lesson you'll learn about: using word prompts to keep your place using intonation and sentence stress to identify answers using spelling patterns and plurals to get the right answers The full transcript is available in the Bronze Membership on my website. https://ieltsetc.com/2023/10/ielts-listening-part-4-keeping-up-with-the-speaker/

This is a relatively easy Passage 2 from a Cambridge Past Paper, with 3 sets of questions [Matching Information, Categorising and Gapfill]. https://ieltsetc.com/2023/10/ielts-reading-forest-management/

This Listening Part 4 about a writer called Victor Hugo is taken from the new Practice Book 18. In the podcast you'll learn why this particular test is more difficult than usual how reference words give you the answer (if you can remember what they refer to) techniques for predicting and retaining information common gapfill answers and how they're related to pronunciation Get the full video, tapescript and tips in the Members Academy Listening Course with Members bonus features for 12 months. ieltsetc.com/courses

This is a Passage 3 review about a book about The Birth and Growth of Manhattan's Skyscrapers. This is an extremely difficult text. It would really help if you have the text in front of you. The only good thing about this text is that everything goes in COMPLETE ORDER and we know where everything is, because it goes from 'Chapter 1' to 'Chapter 10'. The Yes, No, Not Given questions are not too difficult either. But the last Gapfill Summary with Answers is a nightmare. Good luck with it! IELTS with Fiona

Farming and agriculture is my Number 1 Vocabulary topic for IELTS, and I noticed that most of the readings in this new Cambridge Practice Test Book (18) are related either to the environment (Week 1 of my vocab course) or to cities/architecture/buildings (Week 2 in my Vocabulary course - the Man-Made Environment). So make sure you re-read this text for the useful vocabulary e.g. sustainable, organic, intensive farming. Members: the video version of this podcast with pdf download is now available for you to watch. Get my Members Academy Reading package (2 full courses plus all the new lessons over 12 months, plus Members Academy benefits - Private blog, live zoom meetings, private community, daily tips, Writing coaching lessons etc). As I add more materials and benefits, the price will only increase, so join sooner rather than later so you can get the most of the resources before your test. https://ieltsetc.com/courses

This is a pretty straighforward Academic Part 2 about Stadiums. In this podcast we'll go through 3 question types (Matching Statements, Gapfill Summary and Choosing from a list.) Get more in the Members Academy https://ieltsetc.com/courses.