IELTS with Fiona: a comprehensive guide to IELTS

IELTS with Fiona
  • 4.3 (24)
  • EDUCATION
  • EVERY TWO WEEKS

Join me for a weekly talk-through of IELTS topics to help you learn about the issues, vocabulary, tips and strategies you need to prepare. Find all my tips on my website ieltsetc.com and join the Members Academy for all the downloads, step-by-step online courses, and support to get you a Band 7+ in the #ielts test.

  1. IELTS Reading Tips: Languages and Learning (Silbo Gomero)

    6 APR

    IELTS Reading Tips: Languages and Learning (Silbo Gomero)

    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 Islands. ⛳️ Learn 3 common keywords in True, False, Not Given questions. Get the full lesson in the Bronze Members Academy. https://ieltsetc.com/2026/04/ielts-vocab-topic-languages-learning/

    22 min
  2. IELTS Listening: Céide fields

    24 MAR

    IELTS Listening: Céide fields

    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 spelling patterns for uncountable nouns and plurals. We also focus on useful topic vocabulary for IELTS, especially words related to archaeology and farming, and show you how these ideas can appear in different sections of the test. By the end of the episode, you’ll feel more confident handling Section 4 of the IELTS Listening test while building the vocabulary and strategies you need for a higher band score. bog 🌧️🌿 a very wet area of land where the ground is soft and full of water, often with thick layers of peat that can preserve plants and objects for a long time. excavation 🏺digging in the ground to find old objects or structures Neolithic 🪨relating to the late Stone Age, when people first farmed and lived in settlements settlement 🏠a place where people live, often long-term grazing 🐄 animals eating grass in a field paddocks 🚜small fields where animals are kept soil fertility 🌱 how good the soil is for growing plants crop rotation 🌾🔁 growing different crops in the same field over time livestock 🐑 farm animals such as cows and sheep settlement farming 🏡🌾 farming done by people living permanently in one place food storage 🫙keeping food to use later

    19 min
  3. IELTS GT Reading: Women in medieval art

    12 MAR

    IELTS GT Reading: Women in medieval art

    🧑‍🎨 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 lapis lazuli in the teeth of a medieval woman buried in Germany. This suggests she may have been an artist who painted manuscripts. The discovery shows that studying dental tartar can reveal surprising information about people’s work and daily lives in the past. Key vocab plaque /plak/ is a colorless film of bacteria, food particles, and saliva that constantly forms on teeth. tartar /tɑːtə/ is plaque that has hardened, usually yellow or brown, and requires professional dental cleaning to remove Gender comes up in all parts of the IELTS test - here are some of the podcasts I've already made: 📚 Reading - Marie Curie, Georgia O'Keeffe, and The History of Women's Football 🎧 Listening - Women's attitudes to finance 🗣️ Speaking Part 3 - Gender stereotypes and inequality ✍️ Writing - Men and Women in Bar Charts USEFUL VOCABULARY gender stereotypes 🧩 fixed ideas about what men or women can or should do behind the times ⏳ old-fashioned attitudes that hold back progress role models people who set an example and inspire others 👩🏻‍🔬 to break down barriers to remove obstacles that stop people from progressing 🔨 the pay gap 💰📉 the difference between men’s and women’s salaries for the same work equality ⚖️ equal treatment and opportunities for everyone a patriarchal society🏛️ a society where men hold the main power a male-dominated field 👨‍💼 a profession where most people are men 👨‍💼 #IELTS

    27 min
  4. IELTS Listening: Bidcaster Archaeological Dig

    4 MAR

    IELTS Listening: Bidcaster Archaeological Dig

    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

    25 min
  5. IELTS Reading: The White Horse of Uffington

    20 FEB

    IELTS Reading: The White Horse of Uffington

    🏮 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 TFNG questions, especially comparisons and the use of 'most' (= the vast majority)how to skip information that you don't need how 'known as' and 'called' lead you quickly to the answer At the end, we review vocabulary related to ancient customs and traditional celebrations that you can use in the Speaking Test. 👉 Join the Members Academy for the full lesson and lots more on a variety of IELTS topics. Go to my website for more information: ieltsetc.com. Useful expressions 🎏 This festival is deeply rooted in history. 📆 This ceremony marks the start of the new year. 🎉 These traditions are passed down through generations. 💃🏽 There is a festive atmosphere in the streets. 👹 It is a communal celebration with music and dancing. 🎎 Many people wear traditional costumes. 🪦 Families pay respect to their ancestors during the festival. 🧧It is a public holiday, so everyone can celebrate. 🎎 Family celebrations give us a strong sense of belonging. 🏮 Traditional festivals are important for our cultural identity.

    26 min
  6. IELTS Reading: Georgia O'Keeffe 🧑‍🎨

    6 FEB

    IELTS Reading: Georgia O'Keeffe 🧑‍🎨

    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 favourite painting, or to talk about a time you visited an exhibition or museum. This reading includes lots of vocabulary that will help you describe a painting with precise language. Get the full notes, video, tapescript, vocabulary lists, quizzes and model answers on my website and join the Members Academy for my comprehensive guide to IELTS Test Preparation. Describe a picture or painting you like. You should say:  what the painting is about  who painted it  where you first saw it  and explain why you like it.  Some useful expressions The painting that left a lasting impression on me is… 🖼️ The reason this piece means so much to me is… 💖 The painting depicts… 🖼️ To me, it represents… 🎭 Personally, I find it incredibly… 🌈 The use of colour really stands out… 🎨 It has a timeless quality… ⌛

    19 min
  7. IELTS Reading: Why we need to protect polar bears

    27 JAN

    IELTS Reading: Why we need to protect polar bears

    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 ❄️ adapted – changed to suit particular conditions 🐾 genetic – relating to genes or inherited characteristics 🧪 mutation – a change in a gene 🔬 conservation – the protection of animals and the environment 🌱 extinction – the complete disappearance of a species 🦣 a breakthrough – an important discovery or development 💡

    22 min
  8. IELTS Listening: Tardigrades

    20 JAN

    IELTS Listening: Tardigrades

    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 of tips related to gapfill questions. Get the full lesson on my website: https://ieltsetc.com/2026/01/ielts-vocabulary-topic-ageing/ #ielts #ieltslistening Useful Vocabulary conservation status 🌍 - the level of protection or risk faced by a speciesdecade 🗓️ - a period of ten yearsendangered ⚠️ - at risk of disappearing completelyextinction ☄️ - the total disappearance of a specieshabitat 🌿 - the natural place where an animal or plant livesinvertebrate 🦐 - an animal without a backbonemetabolism ⚙️ - the chemical processes that keep an organism alivemicroscopic 🔬 - so small it can only be seen with a microscopespecies 🧬 - a group of similar organisms that can reproducethriving 🌟 - growing well and surviving successfully

    19 min
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About

Join me for a weekly talk-through of IELTS topics to help you learn about the issues, vocabulary, tips and strategies you need to prepare. Find all my tips on my website ieltsetc.com and join the Members Academy for all the downloads, step-by-step online courses, and support to get you a Band 7+ in the #ielts test.

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