IELTS with Fiona: a comprehensive guide to IELTS

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 IELTS Reading score.

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 full Members Academy. https://ieltsetc.com/ielts-tips-and-tricks/ Reading Summary Music is a powerful force that affects our emotions. When we listen to music we love, our body reacts—our heartbeat increases, and our muscles receive more blood. Scientists have found that music directly influences the brain, especially by releasing dopamine, a chemical that makes us feel pleasure. A study in Canada used brain scans to examine why music has such a strong effect. Researchers found that dopamine is released both when we hear a beautiful part of a song and before it happens. This suggests that our brain enjoys the feeling of anticipation, or waiting for something exciting. The way music is structured also plays a role. If a song is too predictable, it is boring. Great composers, like Beethoven, create patterns in their music and then delay repeating them to build suspense. This delay makes the final moment of resolution much more emotional. A famous music expert,Leonard Meyer, explained that the emotions in music do not come from its connection to real-life experiences but from how it plays with our expectations. Our brain enjoys the mix of predictability and surprise, which keeps us engaged and emotionally connected to the music. Keywords: affectsreactsanticipationpredictabledelaysuspenseexpectationsengaged

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 valuable information and keywords. Get the video and full text with vocabulary list in the Bronze Academy on my website. https://ieltsetc.com/ielts-tips-and-tricks/

This is a lovely reading about forced rhubarb: its history and how it is grown and harvested. There are 3 question sets: 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-cooking-and-eating/

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 will help you. Get the full lesson on my website and in the Members Academy Study Programme. https://beacons.ai/ieltswithfiona #ielts #ieltstask1 #ieltspiechart

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 contexts like the Reading and Listening tests. In the lesson you'll learn how to do this yourself and build up your independent learning skills. The vocabulary from the lesson will also help you with Writing Task 1 (Describing a Natural Cycle). Get more help with Prepositions, and find my Preposition Workbook on my website: https://ieltsetc.com/ielts-grammar-complete-guide/prepositions/

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% An alarming A hearteningA disappointingAn impressive A troubling A surprising Listen to find out how to use this structure in IELTS Academic Writing Task 1 reports. Get the full document from my daily tip (31st October 2024). https://app.getbeamer.com/ieltswithfiona/en/halloween-grammar

I've tested a LOT of online IELTS Writing Checkers. In this podcast, you'll learn about the main problem with (almost) all of them. I explain how I carried out an experiment to help a student who was getting confusing results 2 AI checkers that she paid for. Get the full lesson details with model answers on my website. https://ieltsetc.com #ielts #ieltstask2 #ieltswriting

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: 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 feelgive detailsexplain how you would like him/her to help you

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 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/