IELTS with Fiona: a comprehensive guide to IELTS

IELTS with Fiona
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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: Georgia O'Keeffe 🧑‍🎨

    FEB 6

    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
  2. IELTS Reading: Why we need to protect polar bears

    JAN 27

    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
  3. IELTS Listening: Tardigrades

    JAN 20

    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

  4. JAN 12

    IELTS Reading: The secret of staying young

    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, extra practice and support on my website, IELTS with Fiona. The Vocabulary Topic for this episode is all about ageing - the website lesson includes everything you need to discuss this topic in the Speaking Test and IELTS Writing Part 2. 🐜 Reading Summary Ysabel Giraldo studied Pheidole dentata ants to see how aging affects them. She tested ants of different ages on tasks like caring for young, following scent trails, reacting to light, and hunting prey. She also examined their brains for dying cells and important chemicals. Surprisingly, older ants performed as well as younger ones, showing no decline. Giraldo’s research suggests these social ants stay healthy with age, which could help scientists understand aging in humans and other social animals. Key vocabulary aging ⏳ – getting older an ant 🐜 – a small insect an experiment 🧪 – a test to discover something the brain 🧠 – the part of the body that controls thinking and movement to care for ❤️ – to look after someone or something healthy 💪 – strong and well in good shape 💯 – healthy and strong physically or mentally social 🤝 – living in groups to stay fit 🏋️ – to remain healthy and strong a scientist 👩‍🔬 – a person who studies nature or science a worker 🐝 – an ant that does tasks in the colony a trail 🛤️ – a path marked by scent (smell) prey 🐞 – an animal that is hunted for food a colony 🏘️ – a group of ants or insects living together behavior 🐾 – the way someone or something acts to reproduce 🍼 – to have babies or make new life to deteriorate 💀 – to become worse with age to decline 📉 – to become worse

    24 min

  5. 05/07/2025

    IELTS Reading: Plant thermometers 🌡️

    How Plants Sense Temperature – IELTS Reading Made EasyThis 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.

    30 min
  6. IELTS Reading: Music and the emotions

    02/18/2025

    IELTS Reading: Music and the emotions

    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: affects – Changes or influences something. reacts – Responds to something by changing in some way. anticipation – The feeling of excitement when waiting for something to happen. predictable – Easy to guess or expect. delay – To make something happen later than expected. suspense – A feeling of excitement or nervousness while waiting for something to happen. expectations – Beliefs about what will happen in the future. engaged – Focused and interested in something.

    27 min

  7. 01/20/2025

    IELTS Reading: Maternity Allowance (Money Vocabulary Topic)

    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/

    24 min

  8. 12/23/2024

    IELTS Reading: Forced Rhubarb

    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-cooking-and-eating/

    24 min
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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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