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My IELTS Blog!

Here you’ll find our posts and podcasts on a wide range of subjects to help you on your IELTS journey! Join us at My IELTS Classroom today for our video courses, marking service, 1-2-1 lessons and so much more…

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  IELTS Essay Questions 2022

  25 January 2022

  Can you here the trumpets playing? Yes, back by popular demand, today Nick and I break down the first IELTS essay questions 2022. As always, we will choose 6 essay topics that have been reported from recent exams that we think are difficult, and offer you our arguments and tips for organisation. You are welcome to sit and passively enjoy the episode, but you will get a lot more out of the lesson if you actively take part. So why not scroll down now and attempt to brainstorm ideas for each question BEFORE you listen, so that you compare your ideas to ours? Remember, the questions we will cover today are just a small fraction of those featured in this blog post, which I update every[…]

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  A new type of IELTS line graph 2022?

  18 January 2022

  In 2020, Nick and I recorded an episode of the podcast that gave you a complete fail-prof system for tackling any type of IELTS line graph. We went through the basics, such as the vocabulary you need to describe changes and how to organise your paragraphs, to more complex advice such as how to find key features and write your specific details from start to finish. Plus, we also looked at a new type of key feature that IELTS had recently started using and no other teacher was talking about. In other words, I felt like we had recorded the ultimate guide to IELTS line graphs, and we would never have to talk about them again. Then came the IELTS line graph 2021! Yes, in[…]

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  IELTS Architecture Vocabulary

  11 January 2022

  We all have topics that we are familiar with in IELTS. But, there are also other topics which we may meet with a blank mind. So, what can you do to fill in your knowledge gaps? In today’s episode Nick and I will look at a difficult topic for us – housing. We will start by covering some fundamental IELTS architecture vocabulary, and then show you how you can utilise Google to find essay ideas.

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  How to tackle the dreaded IELTS table

  04 January 2022

  In IELTS Writing Task One, you will be asked to write a report based on a chart. These can come in a number of forms. You may be given a line graph, a pie chart, a bar chart, or even a map or a process. However, one chart that strikes fear into the heart of most students is the dreaded IELTS table.

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  The best and worst of IELTS 2021

  28 December 2021

  Hey! As the year draws to an end, it is time to sit back and reflect on what 2021 brought for IELTS test-takers. Obviously, there have been difficulties. Many test centres around the world have remained closed thanks to COVID, and migration programmes, particularly express entry into Canada, have been hit hard.

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  IЕLTS Christmas Quiz 2021!

  21 December 2021

  Yes – it is time for our annual Christmas episode! This year, I have taken some of my favourite Christmas games and adapted them to test your knowledge of IЕLTS. It is nothing too serious, so if your test is soon and you are looking for some genuine lessons, you can access over 100 in our archive here. However, it is good to sometimes let your hair down. It has been a long year. COVID is still causing havoc with tests and, as a result, migrating or studying abroad is still far more complicated than it should be. Today, we try to counter that slightly but offering a brief window of fun. Below, you can find a summary of the episode, which includes all of[…]

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  Learning vocabulary for IELTS

  14 December 2021

  I have always found it interesting that many students are fixated on learning vocabulary for IELTS. If you asked my students what area they should focus on to improve their score, almost all would say lexis, and yet in my experience, vocabulary is rarely, if ever, their true problem area. In fact, for many students that work with us at My IELTS Classroom, the focus is more on learning to control existing vocabulary than expanding it with new words (and if this sounds like you, you can read this blog post about common mistakes with lexical resource). However, what if lexis really is a problem area for you? What if you do not have enough topic specific vocabulary to discuss[…]

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  Metacognition for IELTS Learners – what it is and why you should use it!

  07 December 2021

  In today’s podcast, Nick and I are going to interview two of our new teachers, Kristina and Tanya, about their experience teaching metacognition for IELTS learners. This is a technique that I was introduced to only recently, but one which I think has the potential to transform the way many students prepare for IELTS (and, indeed, learn throughout their lives).

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  Can watching IELTS videos really help you learn?

  23 November 2021

  Never before have IELTS students had so much free material to learn from. But is having so many free IELTS videos, really helping students to prepare for the test in the best way or could they actually be having a detrimental effect on some students’ preparation? Today, Nick and I discuss the dangers of watching IELTS videos and give clear advice about how to make the most of online content.

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  Analysing IELTS Essay Questions

  16 November 2021

  Analysing IELTS Essay Questions Every week I get questions from students asking how they can generate good ideas for essays. Usually, my advice starts from the point of thinking of ideas, but this week I realised that many students are skipping a vital step before that – analysing IELTS essay questions to make sure they 100% understand what exactly they are being asked to address. This is a mistake!

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