Magoosh IELTS

28 - How to study for IELTS during Covid-19 Apr 09, 2020

In this episode, Eliot shares a special announcement about how to study for IELTS amid Covid-19 concerns.

Episode resources and links:

How to study for IELTS during Covid-19

Naomi: Welcome to the Magoosh IELTS Podcast. This is a special announcement from our IELTS expert, Eliot. Take it away!

Eliot:

Hello, I’m Eliot, the IELTS expert at Magoosh, and I’m speaking for all of us here at Magoosh when I say I hope this message finds you and your loved ones in good health during this time of uncertainty in the world.

We’re reaching out to you as IELTS students, to let you know that Magoosh will be making every effort to keep you informed on how the rapidly-evolving COVID-19 situation is impacting IELTS study plans and test dates.

It’s our top priority to provide you with support and the most up-to-date advice regarding the IELTS and COVID-19.

IELTS COVID-19 Tips:

So you’re probably wondering how the coronavirus pandemic is affecting the IELTS.

Well, in places that have been impacted by the virus, both paper-based and computer-delivered IELTS exam dates have been postponed–either indefinitely, or until at least mid-April.

If you were expecting to take the IELTS this month, chances are you’ll be looking at a later testing date.

Check out the Official IELTS webpage and get in touch with your local testing center to find out more specific information on when you’ll be able to take the exam.

If you were just getting started with your IELTS prep, or you still have a fair amount of time left before you were originally planning on taking the test, your main focus right now will probably be how to adjust your IELTS study plan to make room for any of the big changes we’re all experiencing as a result of COVID-19.

With everything that’s been going on in the world, chances are you may have gotten a little bit off-track with your IELTS studies. But don’t worry–you’re not alone! We’ve heard from many students who are feeling overwhelmed and anxious right now, so don’t be too hard on yourself.

Falling behind is a common study problem, and it’s pretty much inevitable that most students will have been distracted from their IELTS preparation, considering the impacts COVID-19 is having worldwide. It’s completely okay to take some time before returning to your regular study schedule.

When you are ready to move forward with your studies, I’d recommend taking a look at our IELTS Study Plans, and choosing the one that works with your current schedule. But again, don’t be too hard on yourself if you’re feeling overwhelmed. Due to changing circumstances and accommodations, many students are editing down their prior IELTS study plans.

On the other hand, you may have suddenly found yourself with a whole lot more free time than you had expected. If you do feel comfortable using that time for extra IELTS practice, I’d recommend you use this opportunity to take more full-length IELTS practice tests–practice tests are the best way to experience real test-like conditions and they’re a great way for you to track your progress over time.

If you’re a Magoosh IELTS Premium student–or you’re thinking about signing up–you should know that we are pausing and extending student accounts for free as needed.

We also want you to know that our Student Help Team is here not only to help with your IELTS questions, but also with test anxiety and other concerns. Feel free to reach out through the purple Help button on your dashboard or send an email to help@magoosh.com.

Final Words

In the meantime, we’ll continue to put out new, up-to-date IELTS content over on our YouTube channel every week, so visit the Magoosh IELTS channel on YouTube and subscribe to get our latest videos.! I put a link to our channel in the show notes.

We’re following the situation closely and we’ll keep doing our very best to respond to what’s going on, as we continue to help support our IELTS students.

We know this is tough, but we’re here for you. Thanks for tuning in!

26 - 3 Example Agree-Disagree Questions Jan 14, 2019

In this episode, Eliot and Naomi talk about how to understand and respond to an IELTS Academic Writing Task 2 essay question. They'll cover:

Writing Task 2 requirements
Different ways you can write responses to three Task 2 Agree-Disagree example questions

Episode resources and links:

Learn how to improve your IELTS band score with Magoosh! Use coupon code ieltspodcast to save 20% at ielts.magoosh.com

Episode 26 Transcript - 3 Example Agree-Disagree Questions

Translations: (Tiếng Việt, فارسی)

Intro

Welcome to the Magoosh IELTS Podcast! This is Episode 26. In this episode, you’re going to learn how to understand and respond to an IELTS Academic Writing Task 2 essay question that is formatted as an Agree-Disagree question. First Eliot and I will explain the Task 2 requirements, and then we’ll walk you through the different ways you can write responses to three Task 2 Agree-Disagree example questions.

And don’t forget to visit us at IELTS.Magoosh.com for more great resources to improve your IELTS band score. Use coupon code “ieltspodcast” to save 20% off your IELTS test prep!

Okay, let’s get started!

Part 1:

Naomi: Today Eliot and I are discussing IELTS agree-disagree questions. You may run into this type of essay question in the Academic IELTS Writing Task 2.

Eliot: In this episode, we’re going to go over three example agree-disagree question prompts, and show you the ways you could structure your response to each of them.

Naomi: Before we get started with the example questions, let’s talk a little more about Academic Writing Task 2. Eliot, what do you think students should know about this section of the IELTS?

Eliot: Well, IELTS Academic Writing Task 2 is the second of two writing tasks on the IELTS. In Task 2, you’ll be asked to respond to an open-ended essay prompt. If the prompt ends with the phrase: ‘To what extent do you agree or disagree’, you’re dealing with an agree-disagree essay question.

Naomi: Task 1 definitely isn’t easy, but most students find IELTS Writing Task 2 even more challenging. Would you recommend that students spend more time on Task 2 than on Task 1?

Eliot: Yes, definitely. You’ll have a total of 60 minutes to complete both tasks. I suggest that you spend only 20 minutes on Task 1 and use the remaining 40 minutes for Task 2.

Naomi: Ok, so what makes Task 2 more difficult than Task 1?

Eliot: Well, first of all, Task 1 just asks you to transfer information from a visual into writing. But Task 2 requires you to answer an open essay question. There’s no clear or “correct” answer.

Naomi: And Task 1 has a lower minimum word count, right?

Eliot: Exactly. Task 1 requires that you write 150 words or more, but for Task 2 you will be expected to write at least 250 words.

Naomi: So are the two Tasks weighted equally in terms of points?

Eliot: That’s a great question, and the answer is no! Task 2 is worth twice as many points as Task 1, so it’s a really good idea to spend a bit more time on Task 2.

Naomi: So to recap: you recommend that students spend 20 minutes on Task 1 and 40 minutes on Task 2. How should students break down those 40 minutes?

Eliot: Writing speed varies a lot from student to student, so how you’ll want to break down that 40 minutes will depend a lot on how fast you can write.

Naomi: Can you give us a rough guideline?

Eliot: Sure...I suggest you spend between 2 and 10 minutes planning your essay, 25 to 32 minutes writing, and the remaining 5 (or more) minutes editing your work.

Naomi: Great, anything else students should know?

Eliot: Well, the more you practice Task 2 responses, the quicker you will become, so don’t worry too much if you're not hitting your timing goals right away. You just need to keep practicing!

Naomi: Before we hear the agree-disagree sample questions, let’s pause for a word from Magoosh.

Midroll:

Kevin: Do you want a great IELTS score?

Magoosh can help!

Here’s what you’ll get with Magoosh:

In-depth video lessons that cover concepts, pitfalls, and shortcuts
Over 200 practice questions to help you prepare for your exam
24/7 email access to a team of remote tutors ready to answer your questions

Are you ready to improve your score and get into your dream program? Great! We’re ready to help you. Visit us at ielts.magoosh.com and use coupon code “podcast” to save 20% off your IELTS test prep.

Now back to the show!

Part 2:

Naomi: So Eliot, let’s talk about the agree-disagree essay questions. What are some examples of this type of prompt?

Eliot: An agree-disagree prompt would be something like: “The leaders or directors of organizations are often older people. But some people say that young people can also be leaders. To what extent do you agree or disagree?”

Naomi: And how would you answer a question like that?

Eliot: Before writing anything, you should have a clear point of view. Notice how the question asked “to what extent” do you agree or disagree? Make sure your answer responds to that part of the question.

Naomi: What do you mean?

Eliot: I would suggest that you choose one of the three following positions: Either, “I completely agree…”, “I completely disagree…”, or “I partly agree and partly disagree…”.

Naomi: Oh, I see...So let’s start with the “I completely agree” answer. How would you structure a “completely agree” essay response to the prompt from earlier?

Eliot: So remember the prompt was “The leaders or directors of organizations are often older people. But some people say that young people can also be leaders. To what extent do you agree or disagree?”

Naomi: Right.

Eliot: Begin with an introduction stating that you completely agree that young people can be leaders.

Naomi: Okay, sounds like a good start. You’re writing a five-paragraph essay...that means that after the introduction there will be three body paragraphs, followed by a conclusion. What should you write for the body paragraphs?

Eliot: Use each of the first two body paragraphs to state one reason why you agree with that young people can be leaders. You can use the third paragraph either to state a third reason why you agree, or to explain why the opposite view is wrong.

Naomi: Okay, and what about the conclusion?

Eliot: For the concluding paragraph, restate your position one last time, in this case, that you completely agree that young people can be leaders.

Naomi: Okay great, thanks Eliot! Let’s look at another example question, and talk about how to respond if you “completely disagree”.

Eliot: So here’s our second example question: “Maintaining public libraries is a waste of time since computer technology is now replacing their functions. To what extent do you agree or disagree?”

Naomi: Okay, so where should you start?

Eliot: It’s really the same format as for our last example. You’ll just be giving arguments as to why you think the view is wrong rather than right.

Naomi: Okay, so start with an introductory paragraph stating that you completely disagree that maintaining public libraries is a waste of time?

Eliot: Exactly! Then you’ll write your three body paragraphs. And in each one, give one reason that you think that computers aren’t a substitute for public libraries.

Naomi: And then for your conclusion, should you quickly summarize your body paragraphs, and restate that computer technology hasn’t replaced public libraries, and therefore, we should still maintain them?

Eliot: Yes, that’s perfect. You see how similar the “completely agree” format is to the “completely disagree” format?

Naomi: Yes, it’s the same basic structure. You’re just arguing in the opposite direction.

Eliot: Right. But if you decide you’re going to argue for “partly agree and partly disagree”, things will look a little different.

Naomi: How so?

Eliot: Well let’s look at one more prompt. Here’s the example: “People’s shopping habits depend more on the age group they belong to than any other factor. To what extent do you agree or disagree?”

Naomi: Okay. So how do you answer?

Eliot: In the introduction you’ll want to say that you partly agree and partly disagree that age group is the most important factor in determining shopping habits. Then state a few points you agree with and a few points you disagree with.

Naomi: Okay, what about the body paragraphs?

Eliot: You only really need two body paragraphs, but they’ll be a little longer than the body paragraphs in the “completely agree” or “completely disagree” answers. In the first body paragraph, explain the points you agree with. Then in the second body paragraph, explain the points you disagree with.

Naomi: And then in the conclusion you’ll restate your view?

Eliot: Exactly! And those are the three examples of how to answer agree-disagree Task 2 questions on the IELTS!

Outro:

So what did you think? If you need more practice, check out the show notes for a transcript of this episode so that you can follow along and listen again.

Oh and by the way! We’re looking for volunteers to help us translate the show transcripts from English to your first language. If you are interested, please email me at naomi@magoosh.com with the subject line “translation,” and let me know what language you can translate into!

Thanks for listening! If you like our show, help us out by leaving a rating and review in Apple Podcasts, it helps people find us! And don’t forget to hit the subscribe button. Until next time! This is Naomi at Magoosh, wishing you happy studying!

27 - 6 Useful Sentence Patterns to Improve Your IELTS Writing Jan 07, 2019

In this episode, Eliot and Naomi talk about a very important IELTS Writing skill: sentence construction. They'll cover:

Powerful sentence patterns and;
How you can use them to improve your writing

Episode resources and links:

Useful Sentence Patterns for IELTS Writing

Learn how to improve your IELTS band score with Magoosh! Use coupon code ieltspodcast to save 20% at ielts.magoosh.com

Episode 27 Transcript - 6 Useful Sentence Patterns to Improve Your IELTS Writing

Translations: (Tiếng Việt, فارسی)

Intro

Welcome to the Magoosh IELTS Podcast! This is Episode 27. In this episode, we’ll discuss a very important IELTS Writing skill: sentence construction. Eliot and I will talk about some powerful sentence patterns, and how you can use them to improve your writing.

And don’t forget to visit us at IELTS.Magoosh.com for more great resources to improve your IELTS band score. Use coupon code “ieltspodcast” to save 20% off your IELTS test prep!

Okay, let’s get started!

Part 1

Naomi: Sentence structure can be so tricky, can’t it Eliot? I mean, there must be thousands of useful sentence patterns in English.

Eliot: That is true Naomi. But at the same time, you won’t need to use thousands of sentence patterns in your IELTS Writing Tasks.

Naomi: So how many different sentence patterns should our students be thinking about?

Eliot: A handful of really good ones should do the trick for IELTS Writing. In fact, I have a short list that could serve a lot of our students well: six simple but powerful sentence patterns.

Naomi: Only six? Those sentence types must really pack a punch.

Eliot: They do. But what’s really important is that students focus on a small number of sentences they think they can do really well. Trying to master too many sentence patterns can wear you out and waste time. Several good ones is enough.

Naomi: I’m excited to hear about your picks, then. What’s the first pattern students should know from Eliot’s “Stupendous 6?”

Eliot: Let’s start with “it is” plus adjective, plus “that.”

Naomi: (Repeating slowly) “It is + adjective + that.”

Eliot: Right. The phrase “it is,” followed by an adjective, followed by the word “that.” It’s a common sentence beginner. It’s great way to start the kinds of smart-sounding academic sentences you’d use in an IELTS Writing Task 2 essay.

Naomi: Intriguing! But can you give me an example?

Eliot: Yes, let me think of one. OK…. Suppose, for example, that you get a prompt where you are asked whether or not the Internet has improved people’s lives or made their lives more complicated. To describe some of your thoughts on the topic, you could say:

“It is indisputable that the Internet plays an essential role in people’s lives today.”

Naomi: Ooh, that’s a good one! But what if there was a different IELTS Writing topic. What about… say...education!

Eliot: OK, give me a moment, I have something for this….

“It is undeniable that education offers us opportunities to get higher salaries and a better life.”

Naomi: I like it. Let me do one! Hmm…“It is clear that modern technology makes our world more connected and entertaining than ever before.”

Eliot: Nice one! OK, shall we look at another sentence pattern?

Naomi: Yes, please!

Eliot: You can start a sentence with “there is no doubt that….”

Naomi: Could you also say “There is no denying that…?”

Eliot: Yes, that’s a good variation on the pattern. So, an example. How about….

“There is no denying that the cost of living is rising higher and higher in big cities.”

Naomi: Or…

“There is no doubt that child safety is an important concern for parents.”

Eliot: You are coming up with such good examples, Naomi.

Naomi: Aw, thank you. You too, Eliot. OK, what sentence pattern are we going to try out next?

Eliot: Next, let’s look at sentences th at include the phrase “an increasing number.” Or alternatively, “a growing number….”

Naomi: “A growing number of experts feel that climate change is the most serious environmental challenge we face today.”

Eliot: Good one! OK:

“An increasing number of people around the world are using smartphones.”

Naomi: I love these. So far though, it seems like all the examples are just for describing situations or making broad statements. Do you have any sentence patterns that serve other purposes?

Eliot: Sure thing, Naomi. I was just about to get to that.

Naomi: Before we talk through the rest of Eliot’s “stupendous six” favorite IELTS Writing sentence patterns, let’s pause for a word from Magoosh.

Midroll

Kevin: Do you want a great IELTS score?

Magoosh can help!

Here’s what you’ll get with Magoosh:

In-depth video lessons that cover concepts, pitfalls, and shortcuts
Over 200 practice questions to help you prepare for your exam
24/7 email access to a team of remote tutors ready to answer your questions

Are you ready to improve your score and get into your dream program? Great! We’re ready to help you. Visit us at ielts.magoosh.com and use coupon code “podcast” to save 20% off your IELTS test prep.

Now back to the show!

Part 2

Eliot: So my next favorite sentence pattern describes cause and effect. This sentence pattern mentions the effect first, and then the cause. You use “The reason why (effect)...” “... is that (cause).”

Naomi: Let me make sure I understand this pattern. In this kind of sentence, you would say…

“The reason why (something) is that (something).”

I think I get it, but I’m not sure. Could you come up with the first example, so I can really understand how this works with cause and effect statements?

Eliot: I can do that! We’ll start just with a cause and effect. Let’s say the cause is heavy rain, and the effect is flooding….

Naomi: I’m with you so far.

Eliot: Good, good. OK, the sentence pattern could be like this:

“The reason there is so much flooding is that there was a very heavy rainfall.”

Naomi: I get it! “The reason (effect) is that (cause)!”

Eliot: Yes, it’s a little bit of a tricky pattern at first, but once you master that pattern, it’s so useful. So we’ve covered general statements, cause and effect…. Now let’s look at another important writing purpose in IELTS essays: describing a debate over an issue.

Naomi: That does come up a lot in IELTS Writing Task 2. So, what pattern do you recommend for framing a debate?

Eliot: “There is a hot debate over….”

Naomi: “Hot.” I know the most common meaning of “hot.” But “hot” doesn’t mean “high temperature” in this case, does it?

Eliot: It really doesn’t. In this context “hot” means “well known,” and “active.” It’s a great way to describe debates about the modern social issues that come up in the second IELTS Writing Task.

Naomi: The debate is “hot,” so everyone’s talking about it. I can picture that. And I think I have an example. Want to hear it?

Eliot: Sure, go for it!

Naomi: There is a hot debate over how much time children should spend playing video games.

Eliot: That is a nice, relevant, “hot” debate. Ok, I’ve got another sentence pattern for you, with a new purpose: connecting two qualities.

Naomi: OK, what do you mean by connecting qualities? That one is really hard to picture.

Eliot: Yes, that particular aspect of IELTS essay writing is hard to describe without giving both a good pattern and an example. I’ll start with the pattern. The pattern uses comparative adjectives, words like “more,” “less,” “greater,” smaller,” “louder,” and so on. And then the comparative adjectives fall into this pattern:

“The” plus (comparative adjective)(something)(comma) “the” plus (comparative adjective)(something)”

Naomi: (repeating slowly….)

The + (comparative adjective describing something), the + (comparative adjective describing something else)

OK, I’m still a little lost….

Eliot: We really do need an example for this one, don’t we? OK, how about:

“The younger someone is, the more dependent they will be on their parents.”

Naomi: OK, now I get it. You’re connecting the qualities of being young and being dependent. OK, let me show a link between two qualities: “The bigger an animal is, the more food it needs to eat.” I’m connecting size with appetite.

Eliot: I like that one.

Naomi: That’s been six sentence patterns, hasn’t it? Your stupendous six. So beyond those six, what else is out there?

Eliot: There are so many good ones to choose from. If you’re taking the IELTS, pick a handful of sentence patterns you really like. Master them, commit them to memory, and you’ll have a handy group of secret weapons when you get to IELTS Writing Task 2. And if anyone wants to learn a little more about IELTS sentence patterns, check out our blog article “Useful Sentence Patterns for IELTS Writing.” That article covers my sic favorite sentence patterns, with a few extra examples, and there’s a seventh bonus sentence pattern that’s useful for writing a conclusion to a paragraph or to a whole essay.

Outro

So what did you think? If you need to look at these tips again, check out the show notes for a transcript of this episode so that you can follow along and listen again.

Oh and by the way! We’re looking for volunteers to help us translate the show transcripts from English to your first language. If you are interested, please email me at naomi@magoosh.com with the subject line “translation,” and let me know what language you can translate into!

Thanks for listening! If you like our show, help us out by leaving a rating and review in Apple Podcasts, it helps people find us! And don’t forget to hit the subscribe button. Until next time! This is Naomi at Magoosh, wishing you happy studying!

25 - How to Prepare for IELTS Academic Speaking Dec 10, 2018

In this episode, Eliot and Naomi talk about IELTS Speaking. They'll cover:

What makes IELTS Speaking so different
All three parts of the IELTS Speaking section
IELTS Speaking scoring categories

Episode resources and links:

The Complete Guide to IELTS Speaking

Learn how to improve your IELTS band score with Magoosh! Use coupon code ieltspodcast to save 20% at ielts.magoosh.com

Episode 25 Transcript - How to Prepare for IELTS Academic Speaking

Translations: (Tiếng Việt, فارسی)

Intro

Welcome to the Magoosh IELTS Podcast! This is Episode 25. In this episode, we’ll discuss all things IELTS-Speaking. Check the show notes for a complete transcript, and links to the IELTS Speaking resources we discuss.

And don’t forget to visit us at IELTS.Magoosh.com for more great resources to improve your IELTS band score. Use coupon code “ieltspodcast” to save 20% off your IELTS test prep!

Okay, let’s get started!

Part 1

Eliot: The IELTS Speaking section really is unique. You’re not just sitting there alone in a test center with your exam booklet.

Naomi: It is a real change of pace, isn’t it, Eliot? Can you tell our students more about what makes IELTS Speaking so different?

Eliot: Well, most noticeably, it’s an actual interview, where you talk to a real human being.

Naomi: An interview. That sounds intimidating. Is it stressful, like a job interview?

Eliot: Don’t worry, it’s definitely not structured like a job interview and shouldn’t be nearly as stressful. The interview has different sorts of questions, and comes in three parts….

Naomi: What makes each part different?

Eliot: You can think of them as three different pieces of the same conversation. And each part has a connection to the next. In Part 1, you’re asked a series of questions about your personal life. But nothing that’s deeply personal or embarrassing-- just questions about your hobbies, things you like to do with your family, your hometown, etc…. This part of the interview lasts 4 or 5 minutes.

Naomi: That does sound easier than a job interview. So how does IELTS Speaking Part 1 lead to the second part?

Eliot: For the second part, you’re still talking about something personal from your life. But now you need to give a short solo speech. You’ll be given a topic card, and a minute to prepare a speech based on the topic card. The speech itself will last for 1 to 2 minutes. This is longer than you’ll speak on your own during any other part of the test. So they call the IELTS Speaking Part 2 speech “the long turn.”

Naomi: Does that mean Part 2 is even shorter than Part 1? Is IELTS Speaking Part 2 just 2 or 3 minutes long?

Eliot: No, it still lasts 4-5 minutes. After you give your speech, the interviewer asks you some follow-up questions about how you responded to the topic card.

Naomi: About that topic card. I’m having a little trouble picturing it. What does it look like?

Eliot: It’s a small index card with a detailed question written on it. Actually, why don’t I read a typical IELTS Speaking Part 2 topic card to you?

Naomi: Oh yes, that would be very helpful.

Eliot: OK, here’s one:

Describe an important tradition in your family.

You should say:

What the tradition is.
How it’s celebrated.
When it’s celebrated.

And explain why the tradition is important to your family.

Naomi: That really is a lot like the kinds of things you’d discuss in Part 1. So tell me: Does the IELTS set up the Part 1 questions so that they cover the same subject as the Part 2 “long turn”?

Eliot: That would be nice, wouldn’t it? Unfortunately, the topics that come up in Part 1 and Part 2 are random, and aren’t guaranteed to be directly related to each other. But here’s the good news: Part 3 does deal with the same subject you see on the Part 2 “long turn” topic card.

Naomi: You don’t have to give another speech, do you?

Eliot: Thankfully, no. Instead, Part 3 is kind of a “wind-down” exercise from Part 2. The interviewer and the student will have a short follow-up conversation about the subject of the speech, or a closely related subject.

Naomi: It sounds like you’re saying that if the subject changes, it won’t change much.

Eliot: Precisely. And the subject in Part 3, if it’s different, won’t be a full change in topic. Instead, it will be a shift to a similar topic. For example, if the long turn talk is about family, the student and teacher will either continue to talk about family, or about something family related, like respect for elders, or the importance of family versus friends.

Naomi: And the last part of the interview-- does that last 4 to 5 minutes as well?

Eliot: Perfect guess! Yes, parts 1, 2, and 3 are each 4 to 5 minutes long.

Naomi: So what should students know as they prepare to give answers that will get them a good score?

Eliot: Sure here are some important preparation tips to get a great score on this section.

Naomi: Before we look at scoring for IELTS Speaking, and what that means for your IELTS Speaking prep, let’s pause for a word from Magoosh.

Midroll

Kevin: Do you want a great IELTS score?

Magoosh can help!

Here’s what you’ll get with Magoosh:

In-depth video lessons that cover concepts, pitfalls, and shortcuts
Over 200 practice questions to help you prepare for your exam
24/7 email access to a team of remote tutors ready to answer your questions

Are you ready to improve your score and get into your dream program? Great! We’re ready to help you. Visit us at ielts.magoosh.com and use coupon code “podcast” to save 20% off your IELTS test prep.

Now back to the show!

Part 2

Eliot: First and foremost, students should know their interviewer. I don’t mean know the interviewer personally, of course. But students should know what the interviewer is looking for, how the interview’s going to score their response.

Naomi: There must be scoring categories. Kind of like the Writing score categories we talked about in Episode 22? [

24 - Where to Find IELTS Practice Tests (and How to Use Them!) Dec 03, 2018

In this episode, Eliot and Naomi talk about IELTS practice tests. They'll cover:

Why it’s important to study for the IELTS using practice tests
Tips on where to find high quality IELTS practice tests online
How you can use practice tests as part of your IELTS study routine

Episode resources and links:

Learn how to improve your IELTS band score with Magoosh! Use coupon code ieltspodcast to save 20% at ielts.magoosh.com

Episode 24 Transcript - Where to Find IELTS Practice Tests (and How to Use Them!)

Translations: (Tiếng Việt, فارسی)

Intro

Welcome to the Magoosh IELTS Podcast! This is Episode 24. In this episode, you’re going to learn about IELTS practice tests, including what makes a good IELTS practice test, where to find them, and how to use practice tests as part of your IELTS test preparation. First Eliot and I will discuss why it’s important for students to study for the IELTS using practice tests, then we’ll give you some tips on where to find high quality IELTS practice tests online. We’ll end by talking a little bit about how you can use practice tests as part of your IELTS study routine. Check for a link to the free Magoosh IELTS Practice Test in the show notes.

And don’t forget to visit us at IELTS.Magoosh.com for more great resources to improve your IELTS band score. Use coupon code “ieltspodcast” to save 20% off your IELTS test prep!

Okay, let’s get started!

Part 1:

Naomi: Today we’re going to talk about IELTS practice tests, where to find them, and how to use them. So Eliot, why is it important to take practice tests when preparing for the IELTS?

Eliot: On test day, you won’t just do a handful of problems at a time—you’ll have to answer many in a row. Taking practice tests helps you build endurance and get comfortable with the format of the test.

Naomi: Okay, that makes sense. When you’re studying for the IELTS, practicing specific skills—like vocabulary—is important…but you won’t know if you’re fully prepared for the exam until you take a full-length IELTS sample test.

Eliot: Exactly. Building endurance is an extremely important part of your IELTS exam practice, so practice tests should have a big role your study plan.

Naomi: So how many practice tests should students be taking to prepare for the IELTS?

Eliot: Ideally you should take one practice test every week.

Naomi: That’s sound like a lot of practice tests!

Eliot: Yes—it is a lot, but if you stick to this schedule you’ll be extremely well prepared for the real exam.

Naomi: So what are some of the benefits of taking practice tests, besides building endurance?

Eliot: Taking an IELTS practice test will teach you what to expect on test day. The sample exam can also show you your strengths and weaknesses, so you can focus your studying on the areas you need to improve the most.

Naomi: What about if you’re already in the middle of your IELTS preparation?

Eliot: If you’re in the middle of your IELTS prep, taking an IELTS practice test can show you what’s working in your preparation and what’s not.

Naomi: And if the exam is only a few days away?

Eliot: If test day is around the corner, taking an IELTS practice test will give you an idea of what score you can expect to get on the real thing—that way you can go into the exam a little more relaxed.

Naomi: Sounds great! So where can students find these practice tests?

Eliot: Well, a quick Google search will pull up tons of IELTS practice tests. But the trick is to find IELTS sample tests that truly good quality.

Naomi: And what makes a practice test high quality?

Eliot: Not all IELTS practice tests have questions that are like the ones on the real test. If you take a practice IELTS test that’s not much like the real one, you won’t be prepared for the actual exam.

Naomi: Okay, so how can students know the practice test they’re using is realistic?

Eliot: The best IELTS online tests are the ones from the official IELTS websites. Every website offers a free IELTS practice test PDF, or rather multiple IELTS practice test PDFs.

Naomi: Doesn’t Magoosh also offer a free IELTS practice test?

Eliot: Yes! We recently put out a high quality, full-length practice test, which is available on our website. It’s a PDF you can download and print out. Inside this PDF you’ll find questions that reflect exactly what you’ll see on test day.

Naomi: So the PDF includes an IELTS Reading sample test, an IELTS Listening practice test, and also IELTS Speaking practice and IELTS Writing practice?

Eliot: Yes, just like the real thing!

Naomi: Awesome!

Naomi: Before we find out how to take an IELTS practice test, let’s pause for a word from Magoosh.

Midroll:

Kevin: Do you want a great IELTS score?

Magoosh can help!

Here’s what you’ll get with Magoosh:

In-depth video lessons that cover concepts, pitfalls, and shortcuts
Over 200 practice questions to help you prepare for your exam
24/7 email access to a team of remote tutors ready to answer your questions

Are you ready to improve your score and get into your dream program? Great! We’re ready to help you. Visit us at ielts.magoosh.com and use coupon code “podcast” to save 20% off your IELTS test prep.

Now back to the show!

Part 2:

Naomi: So Eliot, do you have any advice on how students should use practice tests in their IELTS study routines?

Eliot: Yes. You’ll need to take the practice tests under the same conditions as the real IELTS exam.

Naomi: So you’re saying students should act as though they’re actually taking the real IELTS exam every time they take a practice test.

Eliot: Exactly. Start by making sure you’re taking the test in the right order. First complete the Listening section, followed by the Reading section. Then complete your two IELTS Writing tasks. And end with the IELTS Speaking interview.

Naomi: What about breaks in between sections?

Eliot: There are no breaks during the first three sections of the IELTS test.

Naomi: So for a truly IELTS-like practice test, you should go straight from Listening to your IELTS practice test Reading section, and then straight from Reading to the IELTS Writing section?

Eliot: Right. And then there will usually be a break between IELTS Speaking and the rest of the exam. To know how long that break will be, check with the exam center where you’ll sit your IELTS. Then use the correct break time in your own IELTS sample tests.

Naomi: Good idea. And it’s also important that you time yourself, right?

Eliot: Yes, you absolutely must take your practice tests according to the real IELTS schedule. During your practice tests, keep a clock or a timer app (such as Google Timer) in plain view.

Naomi: So if you’re using a timer you would set it to 30 minutes for Listening, 10 minutes for transferring Listening answers to the answer sheet, 60 minutes for your IELTS mock test Reading section, and so on?

Eliot: Right. Learn to monitor your own time, without glancing at the clock too frequently. With enough practice, you’ll get a strong sense of the IELTS time limits. By test day, you may not even need the proctor’s guidance at all.

Naomi: Ok, so you’ll take your practice test with a timer…but there’s more to time management than just watching the clock, right?

Eliot: Absolutely. You should also practice pacing skills. This means making the best use of the time you’re given for a section or task and learning how to work quickly enough to finish all the questions on time, without rushing and making mistakes.

Naomi: How can students work on their pacing?

Eliot: When you first start doing IELTS practice tests, don’t stop when your time is up. Instead, take as long as you need. This allows you to focus on accuracy—the most important IELTS skill—first.

Naomi: Then what?

Eliot: As you get more comfortable with the IELTS questions and tasks, you’ll also get faster. Soon, you’ll be ready to hold yourself to the time limits.

Naomi: But you don’t need to follow them at first?

Eliot: Right. The most important thing is that you complete all the questions and keep learning from your mistakes. As you get more comfortable with the test, you’ll get faster.

Naomi: So the bottom line is: take a lot of realistic IELTS practice tests?

Eliot: That’s it! And you can get started right now with Magoosh’s free IELTS practice test PDF. Just make sure to set aside approximately three hours of uninterrupted time to take the test.

Naomi: After the test, check your answers and make note of any questions you missed!

Outro:

So what did you think? If you need more practice, check out the show notes for a transcript of this episode so that you can follow along and listen again.

Oh and by the way! We’re looking for volunteers to help us translate the show transcripts from English to your first language. If you are interested, please email me at naomi@magoosh.com with the subject line “translation,” and let me know what language you can translate into!

Thanks for listening! If you like our show, help us out by leaving a rating and review in Apple Podcasts, it helps people find us! And don’t forget to hit the subscribe button. Until next time! This is Naomi at Magoosh, wishing you happy studying!

23 - How to Study for the IELTS in One Month Nov 26, 2018

In this episode, Eliot and Naomi talk about how to study for the IELTS in one month. They'll cover:

What you should study
How much time you should spend studying
Our 1-month study plan

Episode resources and links:

Learn how to improve your IELTS band score with Magoosh! Use coupon code ieltspodcast to save 20% at ielts.magoosh.com

Episode 23 Transcript - How to Study for the IELTS in One Month

Translations: (Tiếng Việt)

Intro

Welcome to the Magoosh IELTS Podcast! This is Episode 23. In this episode, we’re going to tell you how to study for the IELTS in one month. Afterward, you can check the show notes for direct links to Magoosh’s one month IELTS study plan, and links to recommended IELTS prep materials.

Don’t forget to visit us at IELTS.Magoosh.com for more great resources to improve your IELTS band score. Use coupon code “ieltspodcast” to save 20% off your IELTS test prep!

Okay, let’s get started!

Part 1

Eliot: If you need to study for the IELTS, you may wonder exactly what you should study, and how much time you should spend studying.

Naomi: That really can be tricky. I mean, obviously, you want to practice for all four sections of the test. But is there anything else students should focus on, Eliot?

Eliot: Well, Naomi, studying IELTS Listening, Reading, Writing, and Speaking does cover a lot of the bases. But yes, there are a few other general things students should study. Vocabulary is a big one. A good English vocabulary will help you in every section of the test. And it’s good to study skills that are test specific.

Naomi: Now, what do you mean by test-specific? Can you give me some examples?

Eliot: Sure. Let’s take pacing, the skill of finishing your tasks at the right speed. This skill is really specific to timed exams like the IELTS. But it’s not specific to any one section. It’s not really even a language skill, per se. As another example, it helps to understand the question types you’ll see in each section.

Naomi: It sounds like you’re saying IELTS Prep should focus on language skills, but also include some test-taking skills?

Eliot: You got it!

Naomi: So what does that balance look like? How much time should be spent on language lessons versus skills lessons?

Eliot: Well now, that’s a tricky question. You really do need to strike a careful balance between language learning and skills building. It helps to have a good plan.

Naomi: But how can students put together a really good study plan? It sounds like making a study timetable is a difficult task in and of itself.

Eliot: It really can be tricky. I know this first hand, because I actually wrote some study plans for our blog. That way, students don’t have to put in that kind of hard work, and can focus more on their actual test prep They can use one of the Magoosh IELTS study plans. Our one month IELTS study plan is especially popular.

Naomi: I’ve seen that plan on the blog. So that one month timetable-- it tells tells students how much to study vocabulary, and how much time to spend on each language and testing skill?

Eliot: That’s right. And in addition to covering the kinds of things you need to study, our one month study plan includes a checklist of the resources you should use--the right books, websites, and apps for the perfect 4 weeks of IELTS prep.

Naomi: So what materials do the students need for this plan?

Eliot: It’s a surprisingly simple list, actually. Almost everything comes from just one of two sources: the official makers of the test, or Magoosh. For official stuff, the plan requires The Official Cambridge Guide to IELTS, and two official IELTS websites: IELTS.org and the British Council’s IELTS page. From Magoosh IELTS, students use our video lessons, practice questions, IELTS vocabulary flashcards, and blog posts. Oh, and one resource that’s not from us for from the people who make the test: EnglishVocabularyExercises.com.

Naomi: I’ve been to EnglishVocabularyExercises.com. I didn’t see the IELTS mentioned on the site, though. Are you sure this is a really good source of IELTS prep?

Eliot: Oh, definitely. You’re right that the website doesn’t really deal with the IELTS directly. But this site is all about intermediate to advanced English vocabulary. And that’s the exact level of vocabulary you’ll see on the exam.

Naomi: That makes sense. So to do this study plan, the students need the official guide for the IELTS, the official IELTS websites, the Magoosh IELTS video lessons, flashcards, and blog, and that English vocabulary website.

Eliot: That’s it in a nutshell. And once they have those materials, they can follow our detailed four week planner for IELTS Prep.

Naomi: I feel like I understand the materials and activities now. But how does the actual schedule incorporate all of that? If I recall, you get a list of things to do for each of the four weeks?

Eliot: ...

Naomi: Before we look at the structure of Magoosh’s one month IELTS study plan, let’s pause for a word from Magoosh.

Midroll

Kevin: Do you want a great IELTS score?

Magoosh can help!

Here’s what you’ll get with Magoosh:

In-depth video lessons that cover concepts, pitfalls, and shortcuts
Over 200 practice questions to help you prepare for your exam
24/7 email access to a team of remote tutors ready to answer your questions

Are you ready to improve your score and get into your dream program? Great! We’re ready to help you. Visit us at ielts.magoosh.com and use coupon code “podcast” to save 20% off your IELTS test prep.

Now back to the show!

Part 2

Eliot: In our study plan, you do get a list of what to do each week. And the schedule of study activities is even more detailed than that. We give a day-by-day breakdown of recommended study activities.

Naomi: I can see how this could help a lot of students. So… four weeks, and four sections of the IELTS. Should students focus on a different section each week?

Eliot: I recommend against that, actually. It’s important to remember that the four English skills are used together in real life. So it’s good to study all four skills in a week. Students should also get in some practice with vocab and test skills each week.

Naomi: Wow, that sounds like a lot to cover every week. Will our students really have time for that?

Eliot: Now that is a good question. I set up the study plan so that students need to prep for one or two hours per day, on average. Some days require more study time, though. For example, students should set aside at least three hours on any day where they’re taking a full-length IELTS practice test.

Naomi: That time sounds like it could be manageable. But what if something comes up? What if a student has a really busy day, and they don’t have enough time to do that day’s activities?

Eliot: That definitely happens from time to time. In that case, I encourage students to catch up on those missed activities on another day in the week.

Naomi: That kind of flexibility is good. Are there any other changes students can make to the plans, if they need to?

Eliot: Absolutely. I set up all of the IELTS plans so that students can customize them. Some students, for instance, may be very good at IELTS Reading already, but also really struggle with IELTS Speaking. In that case, they could skip some of the Reading practice and replace it with extra Speaking practice.

Naomi: It sounds like you’re saying the study plan can either be followed closely, or modified?

Eliot: That’s correct. Many students go through our one month study schedule exactly as-is, but I’ve also heard from students who treat this plan as a loose guideline-- a foundation for a personal plan they put together for themselves.

Outro

So what did you think? If you need to look at these tips again, check out the show notes for a transcript of this episode so that you can follow along and listen again.

Oh and by the way! We’re looking for volunteers to help us translate the show transcripts from English to your first language. If you are interested, please email me at naomi@magoosh.com with the subject line “translation,” and let me know what language you can translate into!

Thanks for listening! If you like our show, help us out by leaving a rating and review in Apple Podcasts, it helps people find us! And don’t forget to hit the subscribe button. Until next time! This is Naomi at Magoosh, wishing you happy studying!

22 - How to Prepare for IELTS Academic Writing Task 2 Nov 19, 2018

In this episode Eliot and Naomi talk about how to prepare for the Academic IELTS Writing Task 2. They'll cover:

organization
structure
tone
example questions
scoring

Episode resources and links:

Learn how to improve your IELTS band score with Magoosh! Use coupon code ieltspodcast to save 20% at ielts.magoosh.com Episode 22 Transcript: How to Prepare for the IELTS Academic Writing Task 2

Translations: (Tiếng Việt)

Intro:

Welcome to the Magoosh IELTS Podcast! This is Episode 22. In this episode, you’re going to learn about IELTS Academic Writing Task 2. We’re going to discuss everything you need to know about this second essay, including organization, structure, tone, example questions, and scoring.

Don’t forget to visit us at IELTS.Magoosh.com for more great resources to improve your IELTS band score. Use coupon code “ieltspodcast” to save 20% off your IELTS test prep!

And now, for the show!

Body Part 1:

Eliot: Today Naomi and I will discuss IELTS Writing task 2, and talk about some tips and tricks for writing a really good second IELTS essay.

Naomi: Eliot, what would you say is the first thing students should know about this essay?

Eliot: They should know that this is a bigger essay-- one that takes more work and time than IELTS Writing Task 1. The IELTS recommends you spend 20 minutes on Writing Task 1, but 40 minutes on Task 2.

Naomi: So most of your IELTS Writing section time should be devoted to the second essay? Why is that?

Eliot: There are a few different reasons, actually. One of the reasons comes down to scoring. Task 2 makes up two-thirds of your writing score. And you’re expected to write more-- they need to state an opinion and defend it with examples and details. That’s why there’s a 250 word minimum for the second essay versus the 150 word expectation for that first task.

Naomi: Wow! How can students write all that in just 40 minutes?

Eliot: The key is careful time management for each stage of writing. IELTS Task 2 Essay planning should take 2-10 minutes, then the actual writing should take 25-32 minutes, with 5 minutes left over to go back and proofread.

Naomi: So how exactly should you organize things?

Eliot: In both your outline and your essay, there are a few rules you should follow. Obviously, you’ll want to start with the introduction. Keep that part fairly short. Just restate the topic, and add your thesis. That’s where you state your position and your main points. After that, you can move straight to the body paragraphs. Body paragraph 1 will give supporting details for thesis main point 1….

Naomi: ...And body paragraph 2 covers thesis main point 2?

Eliot: You’re getting the idea! Then, after the body, end with a conclusion, where you restate and review the main points. The conclusion should be short and sweet--like the introduction.

Naomi: What about the writing style? Any special words or sentence structures students should use?

Eliot: The writing will be academic--formal. So we want sentences that are complete, and sometimes compound and complex.

Naomi: So there should be sentence variety.

Eliot: Definitely. And you don’t just need sentence variety. Top scoring Task 2 essays also have word variety. Students should avoid using the same words and phrases over and over. Oh, and keep the tone formal and academic.

Naomi: OK, I think I can almost picture what a good outline and essay look like. But how can I know for sure that I’m picturing the right thing?

Eliot: Well, fortunately for you and our students, Magoosh has some sample materials for that. If you go to our Complete Guide to IELTS Writing Task 2, you’ll see a sample question for the second IELTS essay, and a model outline. Our guide has a model IELTS Writing Task 2 essay as well. We’ll put links in the show notes.

Naomi: That’s great. Now that our students know how to outline and write the essay, what else should they know?

Eliot: It’s also a good idea to look at the question types, and the way this essay is scored.

Naomi: Before we look at IELTS Writing Task 2 question types and scoring, let’s hear from Magoosh.

Midroll:

Kevin: Do you want a great IELTS score?

Magoosh can help!

Here’s what you’ll get with Magoosh:

In-depth video lessons that cover concepts, pitfalls, and shortcuts
Over 200 practice questions to help you prepare for your exam
24/7 email access to a team of remote tutors ready to answer your questions

Are you ready to improve your score and get into your dream program? Great! We’re ready to help you. Visit us at ielts.magoosh.com and use coupon code “podcast” to save 20% off your IELTS test prep.

Now back to the show!

Body Part 2:

Naomi: So you were saying there are different types of questions? How many different types?

Eliot: Students will be happy to hear that there are just five question types for IELTS Writing Task 2. There are agree-disagree question types, advantage/disadvantage, cause and solution questions, questions where you discuss both sides of an argument, and thematic questions that focus on a special topic.

Naomi: In a lot of these questions, I notice you need to discuss two sides to a debate….

Eliot: Most questions are like that, yes. But there are also “Cause and Solution to a Problem” questions. The students need to propose a solution, but they don’t really have to choose a position in the same way.

Naomi: Interesting! I’ll be honest, though. I’m having a little trouble imagining examples of each type of question. Is there a place I can go to see some actual questions?

Eliot: Yes! This is another place where Magoosh has you covered. Our complete guide to IELTS Writing Task 2 includes examples of each of the 5 IELTS Writing Task 2 question types. Check the show notes for that link.

Naomi: Nice! And the outline and structure you described above--that works for any question type?

Eliot: Sure. Essays can be structured the same way no matter what kind of question you get.

Naomi: That’s a relief. But what about scoring? If you answer a different kind of question, will your essay be scored in a different way?

Eliot: Not to worry, all essays are scored by the exact same standards. But I’m glad you brought that up. It’s really important for students to know exactly how IELTS Writing Task 2 is scored. Knowing the scoring system is a powerful way to aim for the best score.

Naomi: So how does the scoring system work, in a nutshell?

Eliot: Well, you get points in 4 categories: Task Response, Grammatical Range and Accuracy, Lexical Resource, and Coherence and Cohesion.

Naomi: What do these category names really mean?

Eliot: Great question! Let’s start with Task Response. Here, the scorers ask themselves “Did this student fully answer the question”? If you follow the structure we talked about earlier-- introduction, body paragraphs, conclusion, you have the best chance of answering the question completely.

Naomi: Got it! I think after task response, you mentioned grammatical range and accuracy? That one’s exactly what it sounds like, isn’t it?

Eliot: Pretty much, yeah. In the Grammatical range and accuracy category, scorers look for the kind of sentence variety we discussed earlier. The grammar of sentences should be varied, and used correctly.

Naomi: OK, and lexical….

Eliot: Lexical resource! “Lexical” means related to words and their meanings. Lexical resource is the use of a good range of vocabulary. It’s the vocabulary variety I mentioned before. With correctly used words, of course!

Naomi: That leaves us with coherence and cohesion….

Eliot: That category is all about your ability to present your ideas logically and clearly. You earn points for laying your your ideas in logical order, with clear connections between the information.

Naomi: And let me guess… I can see more tips and examples for these scoring categories in Magoosh’s Complete Guide to IELTS Writing Task 2, right?

Eliot: That’s right! You can see examples and a lot of extra advice in our Complete Guide to IELTS Writing Task 2. It’s all in the section entitled Improving Your IELTS Writing Task 2 Score (By Scoring Category). Don’t worry, we’ll put links to all of the resources we covered in the show notes.

Outro

So what did you think? If you need more practice, check out the show notes for a transcript of this episode so that you can follow along and listen again.

Oh and by the way! We’re looking for volunteers to help us translate the show transcripts from English to your first language. If you are interested, please email me at naomi@magoosh.com with the subject line “translation,” and let me know what language you can translate into!

Thanks for listening! If you like our show, help us out by leaving a rating and review in Apple Podcasts, it helps people find us! And don’t forget to hit the subscribe button. Until next time! This is Naomi at Magoosh, wishing you happy studying!

21- What You Need to Know about Requesting an IELTS Rescore Nov 12, 2018

In this episode we’re going to talk about requesting an IELTS rescore. Eliot and I will discuss

the rescore process
why you might (or might not) want a rescore
and your chances of success

Episode resources and links:

How to Contest Your IELTS Score

Learn how to improve your IELTS band score with Magoosh! Use coupon code ieltspodcast to save 20% at ielts.magoosh.com Episode 21 Transcript: What You Need to Know about Requesting an IELTS Rescore

Translations: (Tiếng Việt)

Intro:

Welcome to the Magoosh IELTS Podcast! This is Episode 21. In this episode, we’re going to talk about requesting an IELTS rescore. Eliot and I will discuss the rescore process-- how you can ask the IELTS to consider changing your score, and your chances of success.

Visit IELTS.Magoosh.com for more great resources to improve your IELTS band score. Use coupon code “ieltspodcast” to save 20% off your IELTS test prep!

Okay let’s get started!

Part 1

Naomi: A lot of IELTS students wonder how often rescore requests are successful. But, Eliot--for those who may not be familiar with the rescore process, what is a rescore?

Eliot: That is a good place to start, Naomi. A rescore is a process where someone can ask the IELTS to review their score, and possibly change the score. The details on how to request a rescore can be found in the Magoosh IELTS Blog post “How to Contest Your IELTS Score.” I’ll put a link in the show notes.

Naomi: Wow! It’s good to have that option, for sure. Now, I know that on many standardized tests, you can only request a rescore for essays or speaking. Are IELTS rescores like that too?

Eliot: Yes and no. If you want an IELTS rescore, you actually can ask them to review your Listening or Reading scores. But it’s really rare for them to change scores in those sections-- it almost never happens. The real focus of the rescore is writing or speech, just like rescores on other tests.

Naomi: That makes sense. I mean, Listening and Reading are multiple choice, so….

Eliot: So there isn’t much room for human error in scoring those sections. But Speaking and Writing are scored by a rubric, and sometimes an extra set of eyes and ears can discover a scoring mistake.

Naomi: Of course. But how often are rescore requests for IELTS Writing or IELTS Speaking successful? Do students really have much of a shot?

Eliot: The majority of rescore requests don’t lead to a higher score, actually. But that doesn’t mean it’s not worth trying… under the right circumstances. In some cases, a student has an especially good chance at a favorable rescore.

Naomi: OK, so what are some signs that a student should ask for a rescore?

Eliot: Well, rescores are more likely to be helpful if the student needs just a small point increase in IELTS Writing or Speaking. When rescores are successful, they typically raise a section score by half a band, or by one full full band. A bigger score bump is pretty uncommon.

Naomi: It sounds like unless a student needs a tiny boost to their score, maybe they shouldn’t bother?

Eliot: Maybe, but not necessarily. Remember, rescores are designed to catch scoring mistakes. And sometimes mistakes can be bigger than just a single band. If you’ve taken the test and you really feel like your score should have been a lot higher, you might be right. Let’s say you really felt good about your IELTS Writing tasks. You’d done a lot of practice tasks that were at a 7 or 7.5 level, and you felt like you kept up the good work on your exam. But then you got a score of, let’s say….

Naomi: 5?

Eliot: That would be a good example! Imagine you’re a strong writer, and you feel like you brought your usual 7-to-8 level of skill to the test. But to your surprise, you get a 5. Maybe a truly big mistake was made. You just might get a 7 or higher with a rescore.

Naomi: I’m starting to get the idea here! There are different reasons you might want to go for a rescore.

Eliot: Right! A rescore might help if all you need is a slightly higher score in IELTS Speaking or Writing. But it could also help if you’re pretty sure that the scoring was way off.

Naomi: Interesting. Is there anything else students should consider?

Naomi: Before we look at what else students should think about if they’re considering an IELTS rescore, let’s pause for a word from Magoosh.

Midroll

Kevin: Do you want a great IELTS score?

Magoosh can help!

Here’s what you’ll get with Magoosh:

In-depth video lessons that cover concepts, pitfalls, and shortcuts
Over 200 practice questions to help you prepare for your exam
24/7 email access to a team of remote tutors ready to answer your questions

Are you ready to improve your score and get into your dream program? Great! We’re ready to help you. Visit us at ielts.magoosh.com and use coupon code “podcast” to save 20% off your IELTS test prep.

Now back to the show!

Part 2

Eliot: We’ve definitely already covered the two most important considerations: how big of a change do you need, and how sure are you that the IELTS really got your score wrong. But there are definitely other things to think about too. The rescore timeline for example.

Naomi: The timeline? You mean how long it takes for the IELTS to make a rescore decision?

Eliot: Yes. It takes the IELTS 6-8 weeks to review scores. So if the student needs their final IELTS scores sooner than that, there might simply not be time for a rescore. And there’s another time limit of sorts too. The IELTS only allows for rescore requests in the six weeks after you take the test.

Naomi: Wait-- I heard it takes two weeks to get your first score report. Does the 6 week deadline start right after you take the test, or after you get your first set of scores?

Eliot: It starts right after the test. So in a way, you only have four weeks and one day to make a rescore decision, since it takes 13 days for regular exam scores to come out. But there’s more to consider than just time….

Naomi: What else should students be thinking about, besides timelines?

Eliot: Cost! That’s a big one. The fees for rescore vary a lot, and students need to check with their test center to get their exact price. But I can tell you this: the cost is generally high. A rescore can cost about as much as an actual IELTS testing fee.

Naomi: Hold on… you’re saying that a retake and a rescore might cost the same thing?

Eliot: That is a good way to look at it, Naomi. The cost of a rescore and a retake really can be similar, and it can take a month or more to get new scores either way. And that brings me to the final thing students should consider. Can you guess what it is?

Naomi: I’m going to say they should think about rescore versus retake. Did I get that right, Eliot?

Eliot: You sure did--I like the way you’re thinking. Basically, a rescore and a retake are the two ways you can improve your IELTS score. Now, if you’re just a point or two shy of the score you need, a rescore might do the trick. But taking a little extra study time and then sitting for the exam again also give you a good chance of boosting your score at least by a little bit. So if you have enough time to study for a retake in the coming weeks, it might be better.

Naomi: But maybe if students are too busy to keep studying, a rescore is a good option… because then they could potentially raise their score without having to keep studying and take the test again.

Eliot: Exactly! And if a student is really sure they got the wrong score, a rescore is probably better than a retake, since rescores are designed to correct scoring mistakes.

Outro

So what did you think? If you need to look at these tips again, check out the show notes for a transcript of this episode and links to the resources we mentioned.

Oh and by the way! We’re looking for volunteers to help us translate the show transcripts from English to your first language. If you are interested, please email me at naomi@magoosh.com with the subject line “translation,” and let me know what language you can translate into!

Thanks for listening! If you like our show, help us out by leaving a rating and review in Apple Podcasts, it helps people find us! And don’t forget to hit the subscribe button. Until next time! This is Naomi at Magoosh, wishing you happy studying!

20- Four IELTS Academic Reading Strategies Nov 05, 2018

In this episode, you’re going to learn about the IELTS Reading Section,. We'll cover:

Four important Academic IELTS Reading strategies
The difference between the Academic and the General Training IELTS
Tips for the Academic Reading IELTS
What types of questions will be on the test

Episode resources and links:

Free IELTS Practice Test

Learn how to improve your IELTS band score with Magoosh! Use coupon code ieltspodcast to save 20% at ielts.magoosh.com Episode 20 Transcript: Four IELTS Academic Reading Strategies Translations: (Tiếng Việt) Intro:

Welcome to the Magoosh IELTS Podcast! This is Episode 20. In this episode, you’re going to learn about the IELTS Reading Section, including four important Academic IELTS Reading strategies. First your IELTS teacher Eliot and I will discuss the difference between the Academic and the General Training IELTS, then we’ll give you some tips for the Academic Reading IELTS, and we’ll end by talking a little bit about what types of questions will be on the test.

Don’t forget to visit us at IELTS.Magoosh.com for more great resources to improve your IELTS band score. Use coupon code “ieltspodcast” to save 20% off your IELTS test prep!

Okay, let’s get started!

Part 1:

Naomi: Today we’re discussing some basic information you should know for the IELTS Reading test--including four useful strategies to help you get a good score!

Eliot: The first thing to know is the IELTS Reading Test can actually be one of two versions: the Academic version or the General Training version.

Naomi: So, there are two versions of the IELTS?

Eliot: Yes. Different programs and universities will require one version or the other, so make sure to check which version you should take!

Naomi: But both tests evaluate your English reading skills, so they should have a few things in common, right?

Eliot: That’s true! The Speaking and Listening sections are exactly the same. The reading and writing selections are really where you’re going to see the important differences between the two tests.

Naomi: That makes sense. The Academic version of the IELTS is supposed to show how comfortable you are with jargon and technical language, so the readings they choose will probably use more advanced vocabulary than the General Instruction version, right?

Eliot: Exactly. If you plan on taking the Academic version, having a large vocabulary will definitely help you out. You can expect to see sections from academic journals, technical charts and graphs, and textbooks, but also newspapers and magazines.

Naomi: And the General Training version is more like what you would encounter in everyday life?

Eliot: Yes, think advertisements and short magazine articles at the beginning, then more work-related texts in the second section. The last section will be a little more abstract and academic -- that’s the trickiest part of the General Training version.

Naomi: Since these selections are usually from sources like newspapers and magazines, would reading regularly in English help expand your vocabulary?

Eliot: Yes that’s a great idea--and we also have practice tests at Magoosh.com to help you prepare for the specific vocabulary you may encounter!

Naomi: So Eliot, now we know the differences between the Academic IELTS and the General Training IELTS. What are some strategies students can use for taking these tests?

Eliot: The first strategy is to skim each passage for 3 to 5 minutes before looking at the questions. Since you only have sixty minutes to get through the Reading section, pacing is going to be important for staying on track to finish. If you skim the texts before reading the questions, you’ll already have a basic idea of where to look in the text for answers.

Naomi: I think it helps to set a framework for how much time you’ll spend on each section -- because the test is sixty minutes long and has three sections, you should try not to spend more than twenty minutes on each one.

Eliot: That’s a great idea. You could spend three minutes skimming the test before looking at the questions, so you know where to look in the section for the answers you need.

The reading test has 40 questions, and although some are easier or more difficult, they’re all worth one point. It makes sense to move on if you’re having trouble answering one and come back later if you have time.

Naomi: Right! Don’t miss out on easy points.

Eliot: But you shouldn’t forget to read the directions, either. It’s never a waste of time to make sure you know how to mark the right answer, or the right kind of format to use.

Naomi: Exactly!

Naomi: Before we find out some other IELTS Reading strategies, let’s pause for a word from Magoosh.

Midroll:

Kevin: Do you want a great IELTS score?

Magoosh can help!

Here’s what you’ll get with Magoosh:

In-depth video lessons that cover concepts, pitfalls, and shortcuts
Over 200 practice questions to help you prepare for your exam
24/7 email access to a team of remote tutors ready to answer your questions

Are you ready to improve your score and get into your dream program? Great! We’re ready to help you. Visit us at ielts.magoosh.com and use coupon code “podcast” to save 20% off your IELTS test prep.

Now back to the show!

Part 2:

Naomi: So Eliot, what are some other strategies people can use on the IELTS Reading Section?

Eliot: We’ve already talked about the basics of skimming. The second strategy is to underline keywords in the text as you skim.

Naomi: I try to always look at the title and read the first couple sentences, and underline parts that seem important so I can find them quickly.

Eliot: Yeah, make sure not to get caught up in details, and just ignore words you don’t recognize -- they’ll only slow you down.

Naomi: Great, so what’s strategy number three?

Eliot: It’s very similar to our last tip. Strategy number three is to write short notes as reminders about the passage as you skim. That way you can easily locate different parts of the passage later.

Naomi: Good idea! And strategy number four?

Eliot: Strategy number four is to find keywords in the questions, and scan the passage to find those keywords, or paraphrases of those keywords, in the text.

Naomi: So you’re saying that by identifying keywords in the questions, you can easily go back and find the matching concepts in your notes on passages?

Eliot: Yes! For example, if a question asks about a name or date, those should be easy to find in the text.

Naomi: Okay, I see those are helpful strategies. So Eliot, are there certain types of questions that show up a lot in the IELTS Reading Section?

Eliot: Yes! The IELTS has multiple-choice questions like most other tests, but it has some other, more unusual types of questions too.

Naomi: You’re talking about the True/False/Not Given questions, right?

Eliot: Yes, those are one example, and they can be really difficult. For True/False/Not Given questions, you’ll need to decide whether a given statement is true or false according to the passage. If the statement is confirmed by something in the passage, mark “true”...if it can contradict something found in the passage, mark “false”. But if the information isn’t in the text at all, you should mark “not given”.

Naomi: Okay, so I know there are also “matching” questions on the IELTS. Can you tell us about those?

Eliot: Yes, you’ll see questions asking you to match headings, information, features, and sentence endings with different paragraphs from the reading selection.

Naomi: Okay, sounds pretty straightforward. What about “sentence completion” and “short answer” questions?

Eliot: Sentence Completion questions ask you to fill in blanks from words in the text from the ends of sentences. For Short Answer questions you just need to answer a question using information from the text.

Naomi: Okay. And I know there are also “completion questions”…what are those?

Eliot: Those are questions that ask you to complete a set of notes, a table, a diagram, or a summary with information from the reading.

Naomi: Makes sense…and those are all the types of questions in the Reading Section, right?

Eliot: Yes, I think that about sums it up! Just remember to skim the passage before reading the questions, underline and make notes, and don’t waste time on questions you can’t answer!

Outro

So what did you think? If you need more practice, check out the show notes for a transcript of this episode and links to the resources we mentioned.

Oh and by the way! We’re looking for volunteers to help us translate the show transcripts from English to your first language. If you are interested, please email me at naomi@magoosh.com with the subject line “translation,” and let me know what language you can translate into!

Thanks for listening! If you like our show, help us out by leaving a rating and review in Apple Podcasts, it helps people find us! And don’t forget to hit the subscribe button. Until next time! This is Naomi at Magoosh, wishing you happy studying!

19- How to Prepare for IELTS Academic Writing Task 1 Oct 29, 2018

In this episode we cover: -How to prepare for the IELTS Academic Writing Task 1 -What exactly you’ll be asked to do for the Task 1 section of the Academic IELTS. -Tips on how to analyze the Task 1 visuals -A step-by-step breakdown of how to write a strong Task 1 response

Episode resources and links:

The Complete Guide to IELTS Academic Writing Task 1

Learn how to improve your IELTS band score with Magoosh! Use coupon code ieltspodcast to save 20% at ielts.magoosh.com Episode 19 Transcript: How to Prepare for IELTS Academic Writing Task 1

Translations: (Tiếng Việt)

Intro:

Welcome to the Magoosh IELTS Podcast! This is Episode 19. In this episode, you’re going to learn about how to prepare for the IELTS Academic Writing Task 1. Eliot and I will start by discussing what exactly you’ll be asked to do for the Task 1 section of the Academic IELTS. Then we’ll give you some tips on how to analyze the Task 1 visuals, followed by a step-by-step breakdown of how to write a strong Task 1 response.

Don’t forget to visit us at IELTS.Magoosh.com for more great resources to improve your IELTS band score. Use coupon code “ieltspodcast” to save 20% off your IELTS test prep!

Okay, let’s get started!

Body Part 1:

Naomi: Today we’re going to talk about what the IELTS Academic Writing Task 1 is, and how to prepare for it.

Eliot: Task 1 will ask you to write a brief report, usually about two visuals. You’ll have twenty minutes to analyze what you see and write 150 words about it.

Naomi: That’s not much time -- what strategies can we use to craft an interesting, well-organized response?

Eliot: You’re right, it’s not much time...as with the rest of the IELTS, reading instructions closely is critical. Task 1 will ask you to consider two figures, or sometimes maps or flowcharts.

What are they explaining? How can you summarize the information presented? Can meaningful comparisons be made? You should be careful to focus on material you think is relevant, not your own opinions on what the graphs or visuals say.

Naomi: So it sounds like there are really two parts: interpreting the figure and writing the response.

Eliot: I like to think about it that way, too. With only twenty minutes, it helps to think about how you’ll approach it most effectively.

Naomi: Since this test is meant to measure your English skills, you won’t be asked to do any difficult math to understand the charts, right? You should just focus on accurately reporting the information in the figures and explaining it fluently.

Eliot: Exactly. The first thing to do when gathering your information is read the titles and headings of the graphs.

Naomi: Right, titles and headings often act as summaries of the data in the figures, so they’ll help you figure out what’s important.

Eliot: Next, you should take a look at the units and categories in the visual. Understand what is being measured and how that measurement is expressed by the visual.

Naomi: So it’d be a good idea to ask questions like, “Is the visual dealing with changes over time? Is that in days, months, or years?”

Eliot: Yes. The visuals can also show trends, patterns, or sequences. You can make sense of what these have in common by measuring them in similar ways.

Naomi: So once you know what you’re looking at, you can start thinking about what the information means?

Eliot: Exactly. Think about what kind of story the data tells or what argument it makes. Expressing that story or argument in your answer will show you are able to explain complex ideas in English.

Naomi: So you should try to show that you can decide what in the figure is important and what isn’t?

Eliot: Definitely. Try to explain what was most interesting about the graph to you, like you would explain it in a presentation in class or at work.

Before we find out some other IELTS Writing Task 1 tips, let’s pause for a word from Magoosh.

Midroll:Kevin: Do you want a great IELTS score?Well gues what, Magoosh can help!Here’s what you’ll get with Magoosh:

In-depth video lessons that cover concepts, pitfalls, and shortcuts
Over 200 practice questions to help you prepare for your exam
24/7 email access to a team of remote tutors ready to answer your questions

Are you ready to improve your score and get into your dream program? Great! We’re ready to help. Visit us at ielts.magoosh.com and use coupon code “podcast” to save 20% off your IELTS test prep.

Now back to the show!

Body Part 2:

Naomi: Okay so now we’ve talked about how to analyze the visuals, it’s time to start thinking about how to structure and write our response.

Eliot: For Task 1, remember you only have twenty minutes to complete your response. That said, the response itself is fairly short: a minimum of 150 words.

Naomi: I find that one great way to prepare for a test is by deciding in advance how you’re going to organize your answers. When you sit down to take the test, you’ll already know how to begin and what you want to accomplish. Then, instead of stressing out, you can just focus on following your plan. If you interpreted the figures well and understand them clearly, you have already set yourself up for success!

Eliot: Great idea. I also like to break the structure down into the four following categories: introducing the visuals, summarizing the visuals, supporting that summary with key features from the figure, and a conclusion sentence at the end.

Naomi: All of these things can, and should, be concise, right? Since you only need to use 150 words, and you have to be finished in 20 minutes.

Eliot: Yes, definitely keep things as short as you can, while still covering the information. None of these four sections should be more than two to three sentences, at most.

Naomi: The first section, introducing the visuals, seems pretty straightforward.

Eliot: Yes. Just explain, generally, what the figures are about. Start by putting the information contained in the visual into your own words.

Naomi: Right, and you can refer back to the titles and headings for the most important features to include.

Eliot: Once you’ve done that, next you should summarize the main features of the visuals.

Naomi: The IELTS asks you to “select and report” the major points of the visuals, so you shouldn’t spend much time on the details, right?

Eliot: Right, just pick the features of the data that stood out to you the most, or present an argument about what the data is saying.

Naomi: So what’s a good way to highlight the most important things about about the data?

Eliot: Choose what things about the visuals were interesting to you -- I call this “your angle on the data”. Sharing your own perspective shows that you are fluent enough in English to be able to understand the information and make connections comfortably.

Naomi: What about the concluding sentence?

Eliot: If you’re having trouble reaching your word count, a concluding sentence can help you get there. That said, it’s not crucial and won’t necessarily improve your score if you’ve already reached the 150-word minimum.

Naomi: But if you do write a concluding sentence, just restate the main concept of the visuals, and what you learned from them, in a single sentence.

Eliot: Exactly--and then you’re done with your IELTS Writing Task 1!

Outro:

So what did you think? If you need more practice, check out the show notes for a transcript of this episode and links to the resources we mentioned.

Oh and by the way! We’re looking for volunteers to help us translate the show transcripts from English to your first language. If you are interested, please email me at naomi@magoosh.com with the subject line “translation,” and let me know what language you can translate into!

Thanks for listening! If you like our show, help us out by leaving a rating and review in Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen. This helps people find us! And don’t forget to hit the subscribe button. Until next time! This is Naomi at Magoosh, wishing you happy studying!

18- What Is a Good IELTS Score? Oct 22, 2018

In this episode, you’re going to learn all about IELTS band scores, including

how the scores are calculated
what’s considered a “good” score
what the different band scores mean
what IELTS score you should aim for

Episode resources and links:

Learn how to improve your IELTS band score with Magoosh! Use coupon code ieltspodcast to save 20% at ielts.magoosh.com Episode 18 Transcript: What is a good IELTS Score?

(Translations: русский, македонски, Tiếng Việt)

Welcome to the Magoosh IELTS Podcast! This is Episode 18. In this episode, you’re going to learn all about IELTS band scores, including how the scores are calculated, and what’s considered a “good” score in different parts of the world. First Eliot and I will discuss what the different band scores mean, and then we’ll talk a little more about what IELTS score you should aim for depending on what your academic and professional goals are.

Don’t forget to visit us at IELTS.Magoosh.com for more great resources to improve your IELTS band score. Use coupon code “ieltspodcast” to save 20% off your IELTS test prep.

Okay let’s get started!

Naomi: Today we’re going to talk about different scores you can get on the IELTS, and what those scores mean.

Eliot: When you take the IELTS, you will be given a score between 1 and 9 on each section of the test--as well as on the test as a whole.

Naomi: So let’s start from the top. Eliot, can you tell our listeners what a 9 on the IELTS means? How are these scores calculated?

Eliot: Well it varies a little from section to section (you can find rubrics for the IELTS Speaking and Writing sections on our website--we’ll put a link in the show notes), but in general, scoring 9 on the IELTS means that you are completely fluent in English. You understand everything and you don’t really make mistakes. You’re an English expert!

Naomi: What about an 8? Is that pretty similar to a 9?

Eliot: An 8 is very close to a 9--it means you’re basically fluent, but you might make a few mistakes, in especially tricky or unfamiliar situations. Maybe you’re not an “expert”--but you’re very, very good at English!

Naomi: Okay, I’ll take 7. A score of 7 on the IELTS means that you’re good at English, but you do make mistakes sometimes. The difference between a 7 and an 8 would be that 8s really only make mistakes in extremely difficult situations.

Eliot: A score of 6 means you’re a “competent” English user. You know English well enough to navigate some fairly complex language, and even though you make some mistakes, you generally know your way around the language--and you definitely know the basics.

Naomi: A band score of 5 means you’re a “modest” English user. You definitely make mistakes, but you’re still able to understand overall meaning in most situations, especially ones that you’re familiar with.

Eliot: If you score a 4, you would be considered a “limited” English user. You can really only understand basic English in familiar situations, and beyond that you have problems understanding or expressing yourself.

Naomi: A 3 means you’re an extremely limited English user. You can only understand and communicate small amounts in very basic situations.

Eliot: If you score a 2, this means you had a very difficult time understanding or communicating much at all.

Naomi: And a 1 means you had no ability to use or understand English except for a few words here and there.

Eliot: You can also get a 0 if you don’t answer any questions at all, but we figure if you’re putting in the time to listen to this podcast, that’s definitely not going to happen.

Naomi: Okay, so now that we know what each score means, what scores should students aim for?

Eliot: Well, it really depends on what school or program they’re applying for. Most universities or governments will have their IELTS score requirements published online, but to give you an idea of what most schools are looking for, we’re going to take you on a quick tour of some of the IELTS score expectations of schools around the world.

Naomi: If you’re hoping to attend school in Australia, most of the larger universities (like the University of Sydney, the University of Adelaide, and the University of Melbourne) recommend an IELTS score of 7, but will accept scores as low as 5.5 for some programs.

Eliot: University of Alberta and Queen’s University in Canada require an undergraduate score of at least 6, and a graduate score of 7.

Naomi: In the UK, many of the easier programs require just a 6, with at least a 5.5 on any individual IELTS section.

Eliot: But if you want to go somewhere more competitive, like Oxford, you’re going to need at least a 7...and a 7.5 would make you more competitive.

Naomi: Before we find out some other IELTS score requirements, let’s pause for a word from Magoosh.

Midroll:

Kevin: Do you want a great IELTS score?

Magoosh can help!

Here’s what you’ll get with Magoosh:

In-depth video lessons that cover concepts, pitfalls, and shortcuts
Over 200 practice questions to help you prepare
24/7 email access to a team of remote tutors ready to answer your questions

Are you ready to improve your score and get into your dream program? Great! We’re ready to help. Visit us at ielts.magoosh.com and use coupon code “ieltspodcast” to save 20% off your IELTS test prep.

Now back to the show!

Naomi: So Eliot, what’s a good IELTS score for students who want to attend university in the United States?

Eliot: The U.S. government is one of the only governments without a minimum IELTS requirement, but U.S. universities tend to have higher score requirements than many other parts of the world. In general, you’ll want at least a 7--although a 6 or 6.5 will still allow you to qualify for many U.S. schools.

The takeaway here is that if you’re applying to a competitive school anywhere in the world, you’ll probably want to aim for an IELTS score of 7...but if you’re not applying to one of the top universities, you’d be safe with a 6 or occasionally even a 5.

Naomi: So, Eliot, what if someone didn’t get the score they were hoping for? Do you have any tips for improving your IELTS score?

Eliot: Absolutely! If your IELTS score isn’t high enough, your first option is to resit the test--ideally after a little more studying.

But retaking the test isn’t your only option. You can also talk to the university you applied to, and see if they’re still willing to admit you with below average scores. School admissions are sometimes willing to be flexible, especially if you have a strong professional or academic background.

Naomi: That’s a good point. You could also consider applying to a different school that has slightly lower IELTS requirements, right?

Eliot: Yes that’s an option. Plus if you don’t want to retake the IELTS, you might want to think about trying the TOEFL. While there’s no clear answer to which test is “easier”, some people have better luck with one test over the other, so it could be worth giving the TOEFL a shot.

If you’re taking the IELTS in order to get a visa, check to see if there’s a different class of visa you can apply for, that doesn’t require as high of an IELTS score.

Naomi: These all sound like good options...but if you tested at a 5 you probably won’t be a good candidate for most universities, and at a 4 or below it will be difficult to get a visa at all. So how can people improve their IELTS scores?

Eliot: Well, here are a few suggestions. If you want a better score, you should practice your English as much as possible. Read English websites, magazines, and books. Watch English TV shows. Talk to other people in English as much as you can. This will really make a big difference in how you do on the test.

You can also learn more about the test itself. Make sure you know everything you can about the IELTS: the timing, the format, the types of passages, audio tracks that’ll be on there--everything. This way you can get over any nerves you have, and you won’t be as stressed on test day.

Naomi: What about getting feedback on your writing and speaking from someone who knows English, such as a classmate, teacher, or friend?

Eliot: Yes that’s a great suggestion. Just make sure it’s someone whose judgement you can trust.

You should also try to find good vocabulary word lists, and practice using your English vocab in context. Just knowing the definitions of words won’t be enough for you to get the score you want on the IELTS; you’ll have to know how and when to use them.

Naomi: And don’t forget to take care of yourself on test day! More often than not, if a student gets a lower score than they were expecting, the reasons are physical. Maybe they were too tired, or they got hungry and lightheaded during the exam. Or maybe they were sick. Make sure this doesn’t happen to you by resting well and eating well the day before the test, and on the morning of. Being healthy, alert, and calm during your IELTS exam will make a huge difference!

Eliot: Definitely. So the takeaway here is that a good IELTS score varies depending on what school or program you’re applying to, but if you have at least a 7, you’re in good shape.

Naomi: And if you score a 5 or lower, you’ll want to retake the test or consider some other options--but don’t stress too much, there are lots of ways you can improve your IELTS score.

Outro

So what did you think? If you need more practice, check out the show notes for a transcript of this episode and links to the resources we mentioned.

Oh and by the way! We’re still looking for volunteers to help us translate our show transcripts from English to your first language. If you are interested, please email me at naomi@magoosh.com with the subject line “translation,” and let me know what language you can translate into!

Thanks for listening! If you like our show, help us out by leaving a rating and review in Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen--this helps people find us! And don’t forget to hit the subscribe button. Until next time! This is Naomi at Magoosh, wishing you happy studying!

17- How Can I Improve My IELTS Writing Band Score? Answers to Your IELTS Questions Jul 14, 2018

In episode 17, Eliot answers our student questions about taking the IELTS including:

What is test day like?
How can I improve my writing band score?
How can I be more confident during the IELTS speaking test?

Check out these helpful resources:

Task 1 Band Score Descriptors

Task 2 Band Score Descriptors

Magoosh Blog: IELTS Speaking Topics

Magoosh Blog: Test Day Information

Learn how to improve your IELTS band score with Magoosh!

Episode Transcript

(Translations: русский, македонски, Tiếng Việt)

Naomi: Welcome to the Magoosh IELTS Podcast. This is episode 17. In this episode, we will answer our student questions about taking the IELTS including:

What is test day like?
How can I improve my writing band score?
How can I be more confident during the IELTS speaking test?

Be sure to visit us at IELTS.Magoosh.com for more great resources to improve your IELTS band score. Use coupon code “ieltspodcast” to save 20% off your IELTS test prep!

Let’s get started. We have a great show for you today. We asked the Magoosh IELTS Facebook group for their biggest questions about taking the IELTS and your teacher Eliot is going to answer them here.

Eliot: That’s right I know that taking the IELTS can be tough. There’s a lot at stake and we want to help you get the score you need. I’m happy to answer your questions today and if you are listening to this and have questions too, you can email me at help@magoosh.com with a voice memo of your biggest IELTS question and maybe we’ll answer it on a future episode.

Naomi: Yes! We’d love that and make sure to include your name and location in the voice memo too! Are you ready to get started?

Eliot: Yeah!

Naomi: Okay, Kim on Facebook asks: Can anyone tell me what the IELTS test is like, day of? Can I bring a phone and lunch? I’d be taking it in Seattle.

Eliot: Great question Kim, that’s one we get from a lot of students.

You can bring a phone to the center, but required to keep it outside.
You will only be allowed to have a pen or pencil, an eraser and your ID on your desk.
Eat a big breakfast because food is not allowed in the testing room.
Other tips:
- Plan your route to the center a few days before the test and arrive early
- Make sure you bring the proper ID, as instructed by your center
- Listening, reading, writing take 2:40

Link to more information in the show notes.

Naomi: Those are some really useful tips, Eliot. I definitely agree that you should eat a big breakfast before your test. I know when i get hungry I have a hard time thinking about anything besides food.

Eliot: haha (snort)

Naomi: Okay, here’s another question for you. Leticia on Facebook asks: How can I improve my writing from 6 to 7?

Eliot: That magical 7 number is often the cut off for a lot of programs.

Band score calculator link in show notes
How much time do you have to work on writing before the test?
- Consider taking a class or getting a tutor.
- If a short time, focus on:
- - Organization
  - Paragraph development
  - Brainstorming/ideas
  - Vocabulary
  - Grammar editing

If a longer time:
- Work on improving grammar

Naomi: Good tips, Eliot! It sounds like time management is a huge part of succeeding with IELTS writing. Also if you need more practice with vocabulary, I recommend listening to previous episodes of this podcast where we cover a ton of really useful vocabulary you’ll need to know for the IELTS.

Eliot: Exactly. The best way to learn vocabulary is through repeated exposure to new words that you hear in context.

Naomi: Okay I have one last question for you. This one was submitted to us via voice memo to help@magoosh.com . It comes from Jean Luc in Seattle who sent us this message [Recorded] Hi Eliot- I get nervous and make a lot of mistakes during the speaking interview. How can I stop making mistakes?

Eliot:

Many students do get a little nervous on the speaking test. It’s understandable...

Take advantage of Part 1:
- These are easier questions designed to get you warmed up
- Somewhat predictable:
- - We have a great list of questions you can use to study

Master Part 2 planning:
- The STRUCTURE is highly predictable on this one. Practice:
- - Planning a response in one minute
  - Answering each question in the prompt
  - Thinking of details to support your answer

Naomi: This was a lot of fun! Thanks so much for taking the time to answer student questions today, Eliot. I hope that this helps our listeners have a more successful IELTS experience.

Eliot: Yes those were great questions! If this episode helped you, we invite you to send us your questions to help@magoosh.com with the subject line IELTS Podcast and we may answer it on a future episode.

Naomi: That’s our show! Thanks for listening! If you like our show, help us out by leaving a rating and review in Apple Podcasts, it helps people find us! And don’t forget to hit the subscribe button. Until next time! This is Naomi at Magoosh, wishing you happy studying!

16- How to Improve Your English Fluency and Vocabulary (Happy English Advice from Michael) Jul 05, 2018

Visit the Happy English Website and Podcast

In this episode, Michael from MyHappyEnglish.com answers our students' most pressing English language learning questions:

What are the best ways to improve your English vocabulary?Read books that are just slightly above your comprehension level and that are interesting to you. You should be able to understand at 60-70% of the vocabulary.

Once you have vocabulary, what do you do with it? How do you remember it?

Take the word and write it in a sentence that is true for you. If it’s true for you you’ll remember it more easily.
Study those sentences until you know the vocabulary.

How can you be braver when it comes to speaking English?

Think about it like learning how to swim. To learn, you just need to jump right in. The only way to overcome the fear is to do it!

Go out of your way to start conversations. For example, go inside the bank to talk to the staff instead of using the ATM.

You need to use English as often as possible.

How can you improve your English fluency?

Write sentences about things you do every day and speak to yourself out loud as you do these tasks in English. For example, “I am brushing my teeth” then when you go to brush your teeth say to yourself “I am brushing my teeth.”

Out in the world, make observations about things you see and say it out loud in English. For example, if you see two cars you might say “the yellow car is newer than the black car!”

This helps you think in English and it's called image training.

IELTS English Vocabulary 15: Hometown | IELTS Listening | IELTS Speaking | IELTS Reading | IELTS Test Prep Jun 05, 2018

In this episode of the Magoosh IELTS podcast, your teacher Eliot Friesen explains how to use four words all related to hometown: downtown, rural, outskirts, and suburb.

This is the kind of language that is going to help you during the speaking portion of your IELTS exam.

If you like this lesson, please subscribe for more IELTS Vocabulary lessons!

Download the complete list of IELTS Vocabulary words.

Learn how to improve your IELTS band score with Magoosh! Use coupon code ieltspodcast to save 20% at ielts.magoosh.com

Episode Transcript

(Translations: Tiếng Việt, فارسی, عربى, नेपाली, русский, македонски)

Welcome to the Magoosh IELTS Vocabulary Podcast. This is Lesson 15. In this episode, we will cover 4 words all related to the theme of hometown: downtown, rural, outskirts, and suburb.

Don’t forget to check out our show notes for a link to your free IELTS vocabulary list containing these words and others, and visit us at IELTS.Magoosh.com for more great resources to improve your IELTS band score. Use coupon code “ieltspodcast” to save 20% off your IELTS test prep!

Okay! Let’s get started.

I’d like to introduce you to your teacher, Eliot. He is the Magoosh IELTS expert and, here’s a fun fact about Eliot: his family home was located alongside the river that cut through his hometown.

Eliot

Hello Magoosh IELTS podcast listeners, welcome to today’s show. I’m Eliot, the IELTS expert from Magoosh, and when I was a child I loved kayaking on that river next to my house. So today, we’re going to look at four words that are going to help you during the speaking portion of your IELTS exam.

Make sure to go to the link in the show notes to get the full list of vocabulary words.

The theme for the words in today’s episode is hometown, and words we might use to describe the places where we grew up.

Downtown

Okay, downtown is the first word on the list. So let’s start with that one.

Downtown, what does it mean?

Well, the word “downtown” is the name for the traditional center of a city or town. Usually the downtown area contains the city’s business district. So a city’s downtown is its main commercial area.

Most cities and towns have a center, so we can use the word downtown to describe that area, regardless of how large or small the city is. A city of 800,000 people and a town a town of 800 could both have a downtown.

When cities are extremely large they may have more than one downtown. For example, New York City is so big that is has many different downtowns: downtown Manhattan, downtown Brooklyn, downtown Harlem...the list keeps going.

There are also some towns that are too small or spread out to have a downtown. For example Tonopah, Nevada is such a small town that there is no central business district or commercial area.

However, most mid-sized towns and cities do have a downtown, where business and activity is concentrated.

So that’s downtown.

Rural

The next word is rural.

The word rural describes an area that contains mostly farmland and countryside. A rural area is the area located outside of towns and cities.

When people use the word rural they often use it to mean “not urban” -- that is, not cities or towns. While there may still be people living in rural areas, these areas have fewer people than in cities, and the people are typically living farther apart from each other than the people in cities. So if you grew up in an urban area, like London, you might live in an apartment with fifty people all living in the same building. But if you grew up in rural Alaska, your closest neighbor might be many miles away.

Okay? So that’s rural.

Midroll

We have even more words for you coming up, but let’s pause for a word from Magoosh.

Do you want a great IELTS score? Magoosh can help!

Here’s what you’ll get with Magoosh:

In-depth video lessons that cover concepts, pitfalls, and shortcuts
Over 200 practice questions to help you prepare for your exam
24/7 email access to a team of smart and fun remote tutors ready to answer your questions

So, are you ready to improve your score and get into your dream program? Great! We’re ready to help you. Visit us at ielts.magoosh.com and use coupon code “ieltspodcast” to save 20% off your IELTS test prep.

All right, now back to the story!

Outskirts

The next word is outskirts.

So what does outskirts mean? Well, the outskirts of a city or town are the areas at the outer edges of that city or town. The outskirts of a city are the parts farthest away from the city’s center.

So if you live in the outskirts of a city, you still live in that city, but you’re right on its edge. If you lived any farther away from the city’s central area, you would be far enough out that you’re no longer even in the city at all. But if you’re in the outskirts you’re right on the edge.

So outskirts are the area between the city and whatever is outside the city.

As an example, we can look at the location of two different schools in Portland, Oregon. Portland State University is located in Portland, right in the center of the city. We would say that Portland State University is in downtown Portland. But Lewis and Clark College is a ten minute drive west from downtown Portland, in a residential area away from the business and commerce -- and if you drive any farther you’ll leave the city of Portland and enter the city of Beaverton. So Lewis and Clark College is still in Portland, but it’s on the outskirts or Portland.

So that’s outskirts.

Suburb

The final word today is to suburb.

So a suburb is a town or city that is very close to a much bigger city; people who live in the suburbs often travel to the big city for work, shopping, events, or gatherings. A suburb a residential area that is nearby a city.

Suburbs are typically less densely populated than cities -- so that means that the people in the suburbs aren’t living as close together as the people in the cities. For example, many people in cities live in apartment buildings, while people in suburbs are often in single-family houses with yards and open space. Some people move from the city to the suburbs because they want to have more space to live in.

However, suburbs are still more densely populated than rural areas, where most of the land is open countryside or agricultural fields. So someone in a city might live in an apartment building on a street with hundreds of other people and share walls with their neighbors. And someone in the suburbs is more likely to live on a street with ten or twenty other houses that have yards and that don’t share walls with each other. And someone in the rural countryside might live in a farmhouse that is miles away from any of their neighbors.

So suburbs are in between the cities and the countryside, both in terms of location, and in terms of how close together people are living.

So that’s suburbs.

Great! In this episode you learned 4 words related to hometowns--for more vocabulary, download the full list of vocabulary in the show notes and tune in to the next episode.

Outro

So how did you do? Are you comfortable with all of these vocabulary words? If you need more practice, check out the show notes for a transcript of this episode so that you can follow along and listen again.

Oh and by the way! We’re looking for volunteers to help us translate the show transcripts from English to your first language. If you are interested, please email me at naomi@magoosh.com with the subject line “translation,” and let me know what language you can translate into!

Thanks for listening! If you like our show, help us out by leaving a rating and review in Apple Podcasts, it helps people find us! And don’t forget to hit the subscribe button. Until next time! This is Naomi at Magoosh, wishing you happy studying!

IELTS English Vocabulary 14: Free Time | IELTS Listening | IELTS Speaking | IELTS Reading | IELTS Test Prep May 29, 2018

In this episode of the Magoosh IELTS podcast, your teacher Eliot Friesen explains how to use four words all related to free time: Hobby, Pastime, Collect, and Outing.

These words are going to help you during the speaking portions of your IELTS exam.

If you like this lesson, please subscribe for more IELTS Vocabulary lessons!

Download the complete list of IELTS Vocabulary words.

Learn how to improve your IELTS band score with Magoosh! Use coupon code ieltspodcast to save 20% at ielts.magoosh.com

Episode Transcript

(Translations: فارسی, Tiếng Việt, عربى, नेपाली, हिंदी, русский)

Welcome to the Magoosh IELTS Vocabulary Podcast. This is Lesson 14. In this episode, we will cover 4 words all related to what you may do in your free time: Hobby, Pastime, Collect, and Outing.

Don’t forget to check out our show notes for a link to your free IELTS vocabulary list containing these words and others, and visit us at IELTS.Magoosh.com for more great resources to improve your IELTS band score. Use coupon code “ieltspodcast” to save 20% off your IELTS test prep!

Okay! Let’s get started.

I’d like to introduce you to your teacher, Eliot. He is the Magoosh IELTS expert and, here’s a fun fact about Eliot: he has small children at home, so he’s forgotten what free time is.

Eliot

Hello Magoosh IELTS podcast listeners, welcome to today’s show. I’m Eliot, the IELTS expert from Magoosh, and it’s true, I’m not sure I remember what it’s like to have free time...but it does sound wonderful! So today, we’re going to look at four words that are going to help you during the speaking portions of your IELTS exam.

Make sure to go to the link in the show notes to get the full list of vocabulary words.

The theme for the words in today’s episode is free time, and words we might use to describe the things that people use their free time to do.

Hobby

Okay, hobby is the first word on the list. So let’s start with that one.

Hobby, what does it mean?

Well, a hobby is a specific activity that someone regularly does for fun in their spare time. A hobby is a leisure activity.

To help understand what a hobby is, let’s look at the ways that a hobby is different from a job. Okay, so a job is a position of employment, where someone is paid to do something by someone else. But a hobby is an unpaid activity which a person regularly does for relaxation or pleasure.

For example, someone may have a job as a dentist -- this is the work for which they are paid -- but in their free time, when they are not at work, they may also have the hobby of gardening. They are not paid to garden; they’re just doing it for fun.

So that’s hobby.

Pastime

The next word is pastime.

A pastime is an activity done for enjoyment, to pass the time. Sounds a lot like a hobby, doesn’t it?

On the IELTS you should be able to use the words hobby and pastime interchangeably, but there are a few subtle differences between these two words, which you may still want to know.

So let’s revisit the word hobby. A hobby is a specific activity that you enjoy and do often in your free time. For example you could have the hobbies of ice skating and watercolor painting. When you have free time, you might work on your hobbies, and get better at them. A pastime is more like something you do to pass the time when you have nothing else to do. It’s not necessarily a specific skill or activity that you’re working on, like a hobby would be. Pastimes are typically less skill-based activities than hobbies, so things like watching TV or reading.

Okay. So that’s pastime.

Midroll

We have even more words for you coming up, but let’s pause for a word from Magoosh.

Do you want a great IELTS score? Magoosh can help!

Here’s what you’ll get with Magoosh:

In-depth video lessons that cover concepts, pitfalls, and shortcuts
Over 200 practice questions to help you prepare for your exam
24/7 email access to a team of smart and fun remote tutors ready to answer your questions

Are you ready to improve your score and get into your dream program? Great! We’re ready to help. Visit us at ielts.magoosh.com and use coupon code “ieltspodcast” to save 20% off your IELTS test prep.

Now back to the story!

Collect

The next word is collect.

So what does collect mean? Well, collecting is a hobby in which someone purchases and keeps a certain kind of thing. So to collect things is to gather them together.

People who collect as a hobby will find and keep certain types of things that they like. For example, someone might collect seashells, or comic books, or rare coins.

So when someone is collecting a thing -- let’s say they’re collecting stamps -- as a hobby, that means that over a period of time they will be gathering together a large number of stamps from different places, because stamps interest them.

So that’s collect.

Outing

The final word today is outing.

An outing is a planned activity, done outside the home for fun, with other people. An outing is a trip, but it’s typically a trip that lasts for only a day or less.

So an outing is a short trip, taken for pleasure or entertainment. For example, over the weekend your family might go on an outing to the beach for the afternoon. Now let’s say your family decides to camp at the beach for several days. Your visit to the beach would now be considered a “trip” rather than an outing. Outings are sometimes called day trips, because they last a day or less.

Some other examples of outings would be a trip to the museum, or a picnic in the park. The “out” part of the word “outing” tells us that you are going outside of your home. So if you spend your Saturday watching movies in your bedroom, this isn’t an outing. But if you get up, leave your house, and go to the local movie theater to watch movies, the word outing could be used to describe what you’re doing: you’re on an outing to the movie theater.

So that’s outing.

Great! In this episode you learned 4 words related to free time--for more vocabulary, download the full list of vocabulary in the show notes and tune in to the next episode.

Outro

So how did you do? Are you comfortable with all of these vocabulary words? If you need more practice, check out the show notes for a transcript of this episode so that you can follow along and listen again.

Oh and by the way! We’re looking for volunteers to help us translate the show transcripts from English to your first language. If you are interested, please email me at naomi@magoosh.com with the subject line “translation,” and let me know what language you can translate into!

Thanks for listening! If you like our show, help us out by leaving a rating and review in Apple Podcasts, it helps people find us! And don’t forget to hit the subscribe button. Until next time! This is Naomi at Magoosh, wishing you happy studying!

IELTS English Vocabulary 13: School | IELTS Listening | IELTS Speaking | IELTS Reading | IELTS Test Prep May 22, 2018

In this episode of the Magoosh IELTS podcast, your teacher Eliot Friesen explains how to use four words all related to school: Institute, Tutorial, Office Hours, and Course.

This is the kind of language you’re going to hear in the listening passages on your IELTS exam.

If you like this lesson, please subscribe for more IELTS Vocabulary lessons!

Download the complete list of IELTS Vocabulary words.

Learn how to improve your IELTS band score with Magoosh! Use coupon code ieltspodcast to save 20% at ielts.magoosh.com

Episode Transcript

(Translations: Tiếng Việt, فارسی, عربى)

Welcome to the Magoosh IELTS Vocabulary Podcast. This is Lesson 13. In this episode, we will cover 4 words all related to school: Institute, Tutorial, Office Hours, and Course.

Don’t forget to check out our show notes for a link to your free IELTS vocabulary list containing these words and others, and visit us at IELTS.Magoosh.com for more great resources to improve your IELTS band score. Use coupon code “ieltspodcast” to save 20% off your IELTS test prep!

Okay! Let’s get started.

I’d like to introduce you to your teacher, Eliot. He is the Magoosh IELTS expert and, here’s a fun fact about Eliot: he went to a tiny high school with only 200 students.

Eliot

Hello Magoosh IELTS podcast listeners, welcome to today’s show. I’m Eliot, the IELTS expert from Magoosh, and it’s true, there were only about fifty kids in my graduating class. So today, we’re going to look at four words that are going to help you to understand the kind of language you’re going to hear in the listening passages on your IELTS exam.

Make sure to go to the link in the show notes to get the full list of vocabulary words.

The theme for the words in today’s episode is school life, and words we might use to describe different places and events that are related to school.

Institute

Let’s begin. Institute is the first word on the list. So let’s start with that one, okay?

Institute, what does it mean?

Well, an institute is an organization with a particular purpose, especially one that is involved with science, education, or a specific profession.

But when you hear or read the word "institute" on the IELTS, it will almost always refer to a university. So “Institute” is another word for university or campus on the exam.

Many universities that are involved with private research are called institutes. For example the full name of MIT is the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. However, small liberal arts schools or local community colleges are not typically talked about using the word institute. When taking the IELTS, just try to remember that the word institute is talking about a university or its campus.

So that’s institute.

Tutorial

The next word is tutorial.

A tutorial is a period of instruction given by a university or college tutor to an individual or very small group. So on the IELTS, the word “tutorial” refers to a single teaching session between a teacher and one or more students.

A tutorial could be a single lesson on the use of symbolism in a famous novel. Or a tutorial could teach students on how to use a certain computer program. You get the idea.

A tutorial could also be one session in a semester course, a one-on-one meeting with a tutor, or a learning activity that is directed by a student club or university support centre.

Here again, we see an IELTS vocabulary word that is different in British and North American English. In American contexts, “tutorial” is more likely to mean an instructional video or booklet. Of course, the IELTS is a U.K.-based exam, so chances are that when you run into the word “tutorial” on the IELTS it will be the British definition.

Okay? So that’s tutorial.

Midroll

We have even more words for you coming up, but let’s pause for a word from Magoosh.

Want a great IELTS score?

Magoosh can help!

Here’s what you’ll get with Magoosh:

In-depth video lessons that cover concepts, pitfalls, and shortcuts
Over 200 practice questions to help you prepare for your exam
24/7 email access to a team of smart and fun remote tutors ready to answer your questions

So, are you ready to improve your score and get into your dream program? Great! We’re ready to help. Visit us at ielts.magoosh.com and use coupon code “ieltspodcast” to save 20% off your IELTS test prep.

Now back to the story!

Office Hours

The next word is office hours. Technically office hours is a phrase, but it’s an important phrase to know!

So what are office hours? Well, “office hours” is the name for the time that professors and teaching assistants schedule outside of class to meet with students. Office hours are set periods of time during the week which a teacher makes themself available for students to come by their office and ask questions.

For example, a professor might keep office hours on Tuesdays and Thursdays from noon to 2pm. During those scheduled two-hour time periods, students can come see the professor, even if they don’t have an appointment.

Students are encouraged to attend office hours to ask questions about assignments or anything they didn’t understand during class. Office hours are also a great way to get to know your professor, and get a little extra help with your schoolwork.

So that’s office hours.

Course

The final word today is course.

Course is one of the most common words on the IELTS. This may seem like a very simple vocabulary word, but many IELTS test-takers get confused. It’s easy to forget that this word can have two meanings.

The word “course” can be used to mean a single class that a student enrolls in, such as a one-semester history course.

However, on the IELTS, a course can sometimes also refer to an entire degree. A bachelor’s degree can be called a four-year course, and a master’s or doctorate may be described as a postgraduate course.

Note that in North American English, a course is almost always just one class. But again, the IELTS is a U.K.-based exam. Test-takers who are less familiar with British English should be careful when they see this vocabulary word on the IELTS.

So that’s course.

Great! In this episode you learned 4 words related to school life--for more vocabulary, download the full list of vocabulary in the show notes and tune in to the next episode.

Outro

So how did you do? Are you comfortable with all of these vocabulary words? If you need more practice, check out the show notes for a transcript of this episode so that you can follow along and listen again.

Oh and by the way! We’re looking for volunteers to help us translate the show transcripts from English to your first language. If you are interested, please email me at naomi@magoosh.com with the subject line “translation,” and let me know what language you can translate into!

Thanks for listening! If you like our show, help us out by leaving a rating and review in Apple Podcasts, it helps people find us! And don’t forget to hit the subscribe button. Until next time! This is Naomi at Magoosh, wishing you happy studying!

IELTS English Vocabulary 12: Family | IELTS Listening | IELTS Speaking | IELTS Reading | IELTS Test Prep May 15, 2018

In this episode of the Magoosh IELTS podcast, your teacher Eliot Friesen explains how to use four words all related to family: Spouse, In-Laws, Sibling, and Sibling Rivalry.

This is the kind of language you’re going to see in the listening passages on your IELTS exam.

If you like this lesson, please subscribe for more IELTS Vocabulary lessons!

Download the complete list of IELTS Vocabulary words.

Learn how to improve your IELTS band score with Magoosh! Use coupon code ieltspodcast to save 20% at ielts.magoosh.com

Episode Transcript

(Translations: فارسی, Tiếng Việt)

Welcome to the Magoosh IELTS Vocabulary Podcast. This is Lesson 12. In this episode, we will cover 4 words all related to family: Spouse, In-Laws, Sibling, and Sibling Rivalry.

Don’t forget to check out our show notes for a link to your free IELTS vocabulary list containing these words and others, and visit IELTS.Magoosh.com for more great resources to improve your IELTS band score. Use coupon code “ieltspodcast” to save 20% off your IELTS test prep!

Okay! Let’s get started.

I’d like to introduce you to your teacher, Eliot. He is the Magoosh IELTS expert and, here’s a fun fact about Eliot: When he was young, his family took annual road trips criss-crossing the United States.

Eliot

Hello Magoosh IELTS podcast listeners, welcome to today’s show. I’m Eliot, the IELTS expert from Magoosh, and thanks to those road trips, I’ve driven through every U.S. state except Alaska. Which is to say I’ve spent a lot of time with my family. Today, we’re going to look at four words that are going to help you to understand the kind of language you’re going to see in the listening passages on your IELTS exam.

Make sure to go to the link in the show notes to get the full list of vocabulary words.

The theme for the words in today’s episode is family, and how to describe family members and family dynamics.

Spouse

Okay, spouse is the first word on the list. So let’s start with that one, okay?

Spouse, what does it mean?

Well, a spouse is a husband or wife. So your spouse is the person you are married to.

If two people are married to each other, they are each others’ spouses. Spouse is a gender-neutral word, unlike the word husband, which refers to someone’s spouse who is a man, or the word wife, which refers to someone’s spouse who is a woman. The word spouse can be used in place of either husband or wife, but the words husband and wife can only be used in place of the word spouse depending on whether the spouse is a man or a woman.

So if someone asks you if you have a spouse, they’re asking if you’re married. And if you are married, the person you’re married to is your spouse.

So that’s spouse.

In-Laws

The next word is in-laws.

“In-laws” is the word used to describe the relatives of your husband or wife — that is, your spouse. In-laws are the relatives of your spouse. They are called in-laws because they are your relatives by law, rather than by blood, as a result of you marrying into their family.

You would refer to each of your in-laws by their relationship to your spouse, followed by the word “in-law”. So for example, your spouse’s brother is your brother-in-law, your spouse’s sister is your sister-in-law, your spouse’s mother is your mother-in-law, and your spouse’s father is your father-in-law, and so on.

Although you are not genetically related to your in-laws, you are legally considered to be part of the same family, once you are married to your spouse.

Okay? So that’s in-laws.

Midroll

We have even more words for you coming up. But let’s pause for a word from magoosh.

Want an even better score?

Magoosh can help!

Here’s what you’ll get with Magoosh:

In-depth video lessons that cover concepts, pitfalls, and shortcuts
Over 200 practice questions to help you prepare for your exam
24/7 email access to a team of remote tutors ready to answer your questions

Are you ready to improve your score and get into your dream program? Great! We’re ready to help. Visit us at ielts.magoosh.com and use coupon code “ieltspodcast” to save 20% off your IELTS test prep.

All right, now back to the show!

Sibling

The next word is sibling.

A sibling is each of two or more children that has one or both parents in common. So a sibling is a brother or sister.

Like spouse, sibling is a gender-neutral word. Whereas the word spouse can be used in place of the male-gendered word husband, and the female-gendered word wife, sibling can be used in the place of the male-gendered word brother, and the female-gendered word sister.

So if you wanted to talk about any of your parents’ children (other than yourself) you could use the word sibling -- but you could also get more specific and say brother or sister, depending on the gender of the sibling you’re talking about.

Okay? So that’s siblings.

Sibling Rivalry

Just like last time, the final word of the day is actually a phrase—and it’s sibling rivalry.

Sibling rivalry is a feeling of competition between siblings. Generally siblings will compete to be better than each other at a certain skill or to get a greater share of attention from their parents -- especially when they are young children. However some sibling rivalries last all the way through adulthood.

Sibling rivalry is a possible topic not just on the IELTS Listening section, but also in the IELTS Speaking Interview, and possibly in IELTS Writing Task 2. You may be asked to speak or write about the relationship between siblings, so sibling rivalry is a good phrase to know the meaning of—it’s a great phrase to use when describing the competitiveness between children in a family.

So that’s sibling rivalry.

Great! In this episode you learned 4 words related to family. For more vocabulary, download the full list of vocabulary in the show notes and tune in to the next episode.

Outro

So how did you do? Are you comfortable with all of these vocabulary words? If you need more practice, check out the show notes for a transcript of this episode so that you can follow along and listen again.

Oh and by the way! We’re looking for volunteers to help us translate the show transcripts from English to your first language. If you are interested, please email me at naomi@magoosh.com with the subject line “translation,” and let me know what language you can translate into!

Thanks for listening! If you like our show, help us out by leaving a rating and review in Apple Podcasts, it helps people find us! And don’t forget to hit the subscribe button. Until next time! This is Naomi at Magoosh, wishing you happy studying!

IELTS English Vocabulary 11: Work | IELTS Listening | IELTS Speaking | IELTS Reading | IELTS Test Prep May 08, 2018

In this episode of the Magoosh IELTS podcast, your teacher Eliot Friesen explains how to use four words all related to work: Career, Salary, Shift, and Manual Labour.

You'll see this vocabulary in the reading passages on your IELTS exam. These words will also be useful as you’re writing responses to your task one and task two questions.

If you like this lesson, please subscribe for more IELTS Vocabulary lessons!

Download the complete list of IELTS Vocabulary words.

Learn how to improve your IELTS band score with Magoosh! Use coupon code ieltspodcast to save 20% at ielts.magoosh.com

Episode Transcript

(Translations: فارسی, Tiếng Việt)

Welcome to the Magoosh IELTS Vocabulary Podcast. This is Lesson 11. In this episode, we will cover 4 words all related to work: Career, Salary, Shift, and Manual Labour.

Don’t forget to check out our show notes for a link to your free IELTS vocabulary list containing these words and others, and visit IELTS.Magoosh.com for more great resources to improve your IELTS band score. Use coupon code “ieltspodcast” to save 20% off your IELTS test prep!

Okay! Let’s get started.

I’d like to introduce you to your teacher, Eliot. He is the Magoosh IELTS expert and, here’s a fun fact about Eliot: his first job was to deliver newspapers door to door in his neighborhood when he was 10.

Eliot

Hello Magoosh IELTS podcast listeners, welcome to today’s show. I’m Eliot, the IELTS expert from Magoosh, and it’s true, I used to be a newspaper delivery boy. Today, we’re going to look at four words that are going to help you to understand the kind of language you’re going to see in the listening passages on your IELTS exam.

Make sure to go to the link in the show notes to get the full list of vocabulary words.

The theme for the words in today’s episode is work, and different words we might use to describe jobs and things that we do for money.

Career

And in fact, career is the first word on the list. So let’s start with that one, okay?

Career, what does it mean?

Well, a career is the category of work that someone does, specifically one that involves long-term commitment. “Career” is a broader term than “job”. A career is a profession.

To help you understand the difference between job and career, I will tell you about my career and the jobs I’ve had in it. I have had a career as an educator. My current job in this career is a Test Expert position here at Magoosh. As a part-time job, I am also a language tutor. And earlier in my education career, I had a job as a middle school teacher, and then as a university professor.

So you would use the word career to describe the type of work that someone is committed to for a significant period of their life. A career generally also has opportunities for progress. For example, someone with a career in food service may have started out working as a dishwasher, and then eventually worked their way up to running a restaurant.

So that’s career.

Salary

The next word is salary.

A salary is a fixed regular payment, typically paid on a monthly basis but often expressed as an annual sum, made by an employer to an employee, especially a professional or white-collar worker. A salary is an annual wage. Someone who does salaried work is paid a certain amount per week or month, while someone who does non-salaried work is paid per hour.

Both salaried and non-salaried employees may work during certain hours which have been set in advance, according to a schedule. So both types of employees have a shift where they will normally be at work.

But the schedule and hours per day for salary work are not as strictly controlled. A salary worker may have to work much longer hours than usual on a given day, or come in on the weekends.

Sometimes, however, a salary worker’s situation is the opposite. A salary worker may also work shorter hours and have more freedom to leave the workplace during their normally scheduled shifts. Salary workers aren’t paid by the hour and instead receive a fixed rate of pay per week or month.

So as a private math tutor, you would most likely not have a salary, but instead would be paid per hour for each tutoring session. But a math teacher who works at a school would have a salary. So they’ll be paid a flat rate for the year, even though the number of hours they work doing things like grading homework and making lesson plans might vary from week to week.

Okay, so that is salary.

Midroll

We have more words for you coming up, but let’s pause for a word from Magoosh.

Want an even better score?

Magoosh can help!

Here’s what you’ll get with Magoosh:

In-depth video lessons that cover concepts, pitfalls, and shortcuts
Over 200 practice questions to help you prepare for your exam
24/7 email access to a team of remote tutors ready to answer your questions

Are you ready to improve your score and get into your dream program? Great! We’re ready to help you. Visit us at ielts.magoosh.com and use coupon code “podcast” to save 20% off your IELTS test prep.

Now back to the show!

Shift

The next word is shift.

A shift is an interval of work that is scheduled with a specific beginning and ending time. A shift is a work period.

A shift at a workplace often lasts 8 hours, but can be shorter. Shift work is usually paid on an hourly basis.

So for example, a coffee shop employee might work several different shifts a week. On opening shifts, the employee will come in early, open up the shop, and work there until early afternoon. On closing shifts the employee will come in later in the day, take over from the person who worked the morning shift, and stay until the store is closed to make sure everything is properly cleaned and put away.

Different shifts are different work periods during the course of a day.

So that’s shift.

Manual Labour

The final word today is manual labour. So it’s actually a phrase, but it’s a good one to know.

“Manual labour” is the word for work that is very physical, and requires a lot of strength and physical activity. Manual labour is labour done with the hands. Manual labour jobs can be skilled or unskilled.

An example of unskilled manual labour is stocking shelves at a grocery store -- you don’t need any special certification or training in order to stock shelves, but it still can be quite physically demanding. An example of skilled manual labour is carpentry, which requires a lot of background knowledge and training, but is still hands-on physical work.

So that’s manual labour.

Great! In this episode you learned 4 words related to work -- for more vocabulary, download the full list of vocabulary in the show notes and tune in to the next episode.

So how did you do? Are you comfortable with all of these vocabulary words? If you need more practice, check out the show notes for a transcript of this episode so that you can follow along and listen again.

Oh and by the way! We’re looking for volunteers to help us translate the show transcripts from English to your first language. If you are interested, please email me at naomi@magoosh.com with the subject line “translation,” and let me know what language you can translate into!

Thanks for listening! If you like our show, help us out by leaving a rating and review in Apple Podcasts, it helps people find us! And don’t forget to hit the subscribe button. Until next time! This is Naomi at Magoosh, wishing you happy studying!

IELTS English Dialogue 10: Travel - IELTS English Vocabulary | IELTS Listening | IELTS Speaking | IELTS Reading | IELTS Test Prep May 01, 2018

Welcome to the Magoosh IELTS Podcast! This is Lesson 10. In this episode, you’re going to hear dialogue containing the vocabulary words that your teacher Eliot defined in Vocabulary Lesson 5. These are 4 words all related to travel: Accommodation, Transport, Attractions, and High Rise.

If you haven’t listened to episode 5 yet, you might want to listen to that first, so that you know the definitions of these words. Listen here.

You'll see this vocabulary in the reading passages on your IELTS exam. These words will also be useful as you’re writing responses to your task one and task two questions.

If you like this lesson, please subscribe for more IELTS Vocabulary lessons!

Download the complete list of IELTS Vocabulary words.

Learn how to improve your IELTS band score with Magoosh! Use coupon code ieltspodcast to save 20%!

Show Transcript

(Translations: Tiếng Việt)

Welcome to the Magoosh IELTS Podcast! This is Lesson 10. In this episode, you’re going to hear dialogue containing the vocabulary words that your teacher Eliot defined in Vocabulary Lesson 5. These are 4 words all related to travel: Accommodation, Transport, Attractions, and High Rise.

If you haven’t listened to episode 5 yet, you might want to listen to that first, so that you know the definitions of these words. I’ll put a link in the show notes.

Also, check out the show notes to get your free download: the IELTS vocabulary list, which contains these words and others that you’ll find on the test. Plus visit us at IELTS.Magoosh.com for more great resources to improve your IELTS band score. Use coupon code “ieltspodcast” to save 20% off your IELTS test prep!

Okay let’s get started! Listen to this dialogue between Miryam and Torres as they talk about their past travels. See if you can pick out the 4 IELTS vocabulary words as you listen.

Dialogue Part 1

Miryam: Hello, I don’t think we’ve met. I’m Miryam, the new subletter. I’ll be staying in Carolla’s room this month while she’s away.

Torres: Hi Miryam, I’m Torres. My room is the one down the hall, right before the stairs.

Miryam: Nice to meet you Torres. So how did you end up living here?

Torres: I am also from Argentina, like Carolla. We both grew up in the same high rise in Buenos Aires. But she moved here many years ago with her family. And I arrived just six months ago.

Miryam: Did you come here to work, or just to visit the attractions?

Torres: I came to study English. I am on a student visa. But I was a carpenter back in Argentina, so I also work doing construction as often as I can.

Miryam: Ah. I see.

Torres: And yourself? How long have you been here in Manchester?

Miryam: I just arrived in the UK a few weeks ago. I was staying in a hostel here in the city, but I wanted to find some accommodations with a little more privacy...I saw Carolla’s advertisement. And now I’m here. But I think I will leave England after Carolla comes back.

Torres: I see. And what brought you to England?

Miryam: I’m just traveling. I am from Australia originally, but I’ve been on the road for about nine months now. I’ve traveled all over the world. After England I plan to go to Borneo, but I need to save up a little money first. The exchange rate is good in Asia for someone like me who has Australian dollars, but flights are still very expensive. So here in England I am hoping to find some work. But I would also like to have some fun and see the attractions, of course.

Torres: What kind of job are you looking for?

Miryam: In Australia I was a social worker, but I am here on a Working Holiday visa, which means I can only do casual work. During my travels I have been mostly working on farms. But I don’t think it is very likely that I’ll be able to find that sort of work here in the city. So maybe I will bartend, or nanny, or work as a receptionist or cleaner in one of the high rises around here.

Torres: Carolla is a cook at a restaurant nearby, maybe we could call her and see if they are hiring anyone currently.

Miryam: That would be great, I have some experience as a line cook as well. Where is the restaurant?

Torres: It is about ten minutes away from here by car.

Miryam: Okay, cool. How is the public transport in Manchester? I haven’t taken the bus or anything yet. Is there a subway system here?

Torres: Manchester doesn’t have a subway system, but there are a couple other ways to get around. We have a light rail, called the Metrolink, which runs very frequently -- the trams come around about every five or ten minutes. So that is a good way to get around if you are near a station. And then there are the buses, which are run by the branch of the local government that is responsible for transport. Most of the buses just go around the city, but there are also night buses that you can catch down to London or up to the border. That sort of thing.

Miryam: Do you know about how much a bus pass costs?

Torres: I believe it is fifty pounds a month.

Miryam: Okay, so about sixty dollars. That’s still not so bad. I was considering getting a bicycle, but I think public transport is a better choice right now since it’s winter, and riding the bike can get quite cold.

Torres: Yes. I also have a car, so it’s possible that we could carpool, if you’re working nearby.

Miryam: Oh, that would be great! And please let me know if you’re ever going to any parties or shows, or to see any attractions...I’d like to take advantage of the time I have here, but I still really don’t know anyone, and it can be hard to find out about events and get around without a car.

Torres: Yeah, definitely! We’re often having friends over here to barbeque as well, so if you hang around the house you’ll definitely meet everyone this weekend.

Miryam: Cool, I’ll do that! I made some friends at the hostel, but most of them are still staying in accommodations on the other side of town, and I’d like to meet some people a little closer to home.

Midroll

Before we hear the rest of Torres’ and Myriam’s conversation, let’s pause for a word from Magoosh.

Do you want a great IELTS score?

Magoosh can help!

Here’s what you’ll get with Magoosh:

In-depth video lessons that cover concepts, pitfalls, and shortcuts
Over 200 practice questions to help you prepare for your exam
24/7 email access to a team of remote tutors ready to answer your questions

Are you ready to improve your score and get into your dream program? Great! We’re ready to help you. Visit us at ielts.magoosh.com and use coupon code “ieltspodcast” to save 20% off your IELTS test prep.

Now back to the story!

Dialogue Part 2

Miryam: So you are studying English? Does that mean English literature, or English as a second language?

Torres: English as a second language.

Miryam: That makes sense. How long have you been learning English for?

Torres: I didn’t speak any English before I came here.

Miryam: Wow, that’s incredible, your English is already very good!

Torres: I think being in a country where everyone is speaking in English forces you to learn much faster. I am still not very good though, a lot of the time it’s difficult for me to keep up with conversations -- especially if people are speaking quickly.

Miryam: Yeah, that makes sense. But everyone else who lives in this house speaks Spanish right? Did you all know each other in Argentina?

Torres: Yes, our two other flatmates are Mauricio and Camilla. They also lived in the high rise back in Buenos Aires. We went to school together as children.

Miryam: It must be nice to live with people you can speak your native language with, especially people you’ve known for a long time. I’m very lucky that are so many places around the world where people speak English. I’m actually bilingual...I studied German in school for many years. But even though I’m more or less fluent, there are so many things that it’s still very difficult for me to communicate in German. Speaking in English is definitely more comfortable for me.

Torres: Yes, it’s nice to have a break from English sometimes. But everyone who lives here is bilingual as well, so we try to all practice our English together sometimes. Especially when there is someone around, like you, who doesn’t speak any Spanish.

Miryam: Yeah, I definitely don’t know any Spanish...there aren’t a lot of Spanish speakers in Australia. So you are happy living here?

Torres: Yes, definitely! I do miss Argentina, but we do go back from time to time, and it’s important that I learn English, so I’m glad that I’m here. The cost of living is more expensive here than in Buenos Aires, but our living accommodations are good, and I have many friends.

Miryam: Well I’m definitely glad to be out of the hostel. Not that I have anything against hostels, but when you’re traveling for many months, it’s very nice to have your own space and a quiet place to sleep. In the hostels there are always people coming and going at all hours of the night...and even if everyone is asleep, there is almost always someone who snores very loudly.

Torres: Yes, I believe the cost of rent at this house is not much higher than staying at a hostel, so it’s a very good deal. And we are in quite a good location, very close to a grocery store and many bars and restaurants, as well as several bus stops.

Miryam: I’m actually quite hungry, is there anywhere you would recommend that I go for dinner?

Torres: There’s an Indian restaurant two blocks away from here called Bombay House, I think that would be my favorite.

Miryam: Oh, I love Indian food! I think I’ll go there. Would you like to come with me?

Torres: Yeah, that would be great! I think Camilla and Mauricio will be home from work in ten or fifteen minutes, should I call them, and perhaps they could meet us there?

Miryam: Yeah, absolutely! I am really looking forward to getting to know all of you. I think this will be a good month.

Torres: Me too, I am very glad that Carolla found someone so nice to stay in her room!

So how did you do? Did you hear and understand all of the vocabulary words? If you need more practice, check out the show notes for a transcript of this episode so that you can follow along and listen again.

Oh and by the way! We’re looking for volunteers to help us translate the show transcripts from English to your first language. If you are interested, please email me at naomi@magoosh.com with the subject line “translation,” and let me know what language you can translate into!

Thanks for listening! If you like our show, help us out by leaving a rating and review in Apple Podcasts, it helps people find us! And don’t forget to hit the subscribe button so you don’t miss the next lesson. Until next time! This is Naomi at Magoosh, wishing you happy studying!

IELTS English Dialogue 9: Technology - IELTS English Vocabulary | IELTS Listening | IELTS Speaking | IELTS Reading | IELTS Test Prep Apr 24, 2018

In this episode, you’re going to hear dialogue containing the vocabulary words that your teacher Eliot defined in Vocabulary Lesson 4. These are 4 words all related to technology: Device, Mobile, Innovation, and Revolutionize.

If you haven’t listened to episode 4 yet, you might want to listen to that first, so that you know the definitions of these words. Listen here.

The topic of technology is a popular source of questions on the IELTS Speaking test.

If you like this lesson, please subscribe for more IELTS Vocabulary lessons!

Oh and by the way! We’re looking for volunteers to help us translate the show transcripts from English to your first language. If you are interested, please email me at naomi@magoosh.com with the subject line “translation,” and let me know what language you can translate into!

Episode Transcript

(Translations: Tiếng Việt)

Welcome to the Magoosh IELTS Podcast! This is Lesson 9. In this episode, you’re going to hear dialogue containing the vocabulary words that your teacher Eliot defined in Vocabulary Lesson 4. These are 4 words all related to technology: Device, Mobile, Innovation, and Revolutionize.

If you haven’t listened to episode 4 yet, you might want to listen to that first, so that you know the definitions of these words. I’ll put a link in the show notes.

Also, check out the show notes to get your free download: the IELTS vocabulary list, which contains these words and others that you’ll find on the test. Plus visit IELTS.Magoosh.com for more great resources to improve your IELTS band score. Use coupon code “ieltspodcast” to save 20% off your IELTS test prep!

Okay let’s get started! Listen to this dialogue between Ada and Jackie as Jackie helps Ada buy a new phone. See if you can pick out the 4 IELTS vocabulary words as you listen.

Dialogue Part 1

Ada: Hi there! I’ve just moved here from the United Kingdom...so obviously my UK phone doesn’t work anymore. I’m looking to get a new SIM card so that I can use my mobile phone here in America...or I might even be open to buying a new device altogether, depending on how much it would cost. Is that something you could help me with?

Jackie: Yes, of course! We do offer some plans that are SIM card only, depending on whether the device you’re using is compatible with our company’s SIM cards. Would you prefer a SIM card only plan, or do you think maybe it’s time for a new phone?

Ada: Are the SIM card only plans cheaper?

Jackie: Well yes. Since you aren’t paying for the price of a brand new mobile phone, the SIM card only plans tend to cost less…though we do have a couple of deals going on right now that would allow you to get a pretty great phone for much cheaper than they would normally cost brand new.

Ada: Okay, I’ll think about it. Can you tell me a little about the SIM card only plans that you offer?

Jackie: Sure, but before we get started, why don’t you let me have a look at your phone, and I can tell you if it will be compatible with any of our SIM cards. Unfortunately if it’s not compatible you’ll need to get a new device in order to use our cards.

Ada: Yeah, no problem, here’s my phone.

Jackie: …Oh yeah, this mobile is pretty old. Let me just check in back and see if we have any of the older SIM cards left in stock.

Ada: Okay, thanks.

Jackie: …I’m sorry. I don’t think we have anything that is compatible with your current phone. On the bright side, maybe it’s time for an upgrade! Would you be interested in seeing some of the newer devices that we have available?

Ada: Yeah sure, why not.

Jackie: Great, let’s start with this one...So this is the XC-500, and it’s got all your standard smartphone features, plus a high definition screen. And the developers have made some huge innovations with the voice recognition technology – basically you can set it up to respond specifically to your voice. So that’s pretty cool.

Ada: Yeah, that’s neat.

Jackie: ...And then this is the Edge 5 Series, which is also a great device. It comes with a stylus and a physical keyboard, if you prefer a more revolutionized Blackberry-style phone. But see here: there’s still a touch screen and all that good stuff.

Ada: Oh neat, yeah I never quite got the hang of typing on touch screens, I think my fingers are too big or something.

Jackie: Yeah, the touch screens tend to be very sensitive – which obviously is an amazing innovation considering that touch screen technology really only became available in the last ten years...but some people definitely still prefer physical keyboards.

Ada: Okay, great. Are there any other phones that you would recommend?

Jackie: Is there anything in particular that you’re looking for in a mobile device?

Ada: Well if I’m going to be buying a new phone anyways, I would love to get one that has a really good camera – preferably one that can do high definition video. I do a lot of photography and video recordings with my current phone, and I’ve noticed that even though the picture quality is pretty good when there’s enough light, the video always turns out really pixelated and low quality. Do you have any affordable devices that have cameras specifically made for video?

Jackie: Oh, I know just the thing…Okay, so this is the G5-Pro. This phone just came out a few weeks ago, and it’s totally revolutionized the way that we take videos using mobile devices. Basically the main problem facing phone developers has been that there isn’t enough storage space on the devices to store high definition videos. So it’s not even a matter of the quality of the camera lens…there just isn’t enough space on the phone. But with the G5-Pro, they’ve made some major innovations to how we store data. Basically everything is uploaded immediately to the cloud, so space is no longer an issue. Anyways, if you’re looking for a phone with a good video camera, this is the device for you!

Ada: Wow, that sounds like just what I’m looking for!

Jackie: Amazing. And more good news – this phone falls under a promotion we’re doing right now, so if you sign up for a plan with us that includes this device, we’ll give you fifty percent off for the first six months!

Ada: Okay, that sounds really good, I’d definitely be interested in doing that.

Jackie: Do you want me to go over some of the different phone plans with you, and we can figure out which one best suits your needs?

Ada: Yeah, absolutely!

Midroll

Before we find out which phone plan Ada will choose, let’s pause for a word from Magoosh.

Do you want a great IELTS score?

Magoosh can help!

Here’s what you’ll get with Magoosh:

In-depth video lessons that cover concepts, pitfalls, and shortcuts
Over 200 practice questions to help you prepare for your exam
24/7 email access to a team of smart and fun remote tutors ready to answer your questions

So, are you ready to improve your score and get into your dream program? Great! We’re ready to help you. Visit us at ielts.magoosh.com and use coupon code “ieltspodcast” to save 20% off your IELTS test prep. That’s it!

Now back to the story!

Dialogue Part 2

Jackie: Okay, so we have three different types of mobile phone plans for the G5-Pro. All the plans have slightly different features, but the biggest difference is the amount of data you’ll be getting – and obviously the price of the plan. Do you have an idea of how much data you use in a month?

Ada: Hmm, not really. Even though I have a smart phone, I don’t think I’ve had a phone plan that included data before. I would just connect to the WiFi if I wanted to use any of those features.

Jackie: Do you want to stick with a no-data plan? Or would you be interested in trying out a plan with a little bit of data?

Ada: I mean…if it’s affordable then it would be great to have a plan with data. Especially for stuff like the GPS. It’s such a hassle to have to look up the maps ahead of time. And I’m sure I’ll be getting lost a lot since I’m new to this area.

Jackie: Yeah, the GPS is a great feature. And being able to look up maps while on the go will really revolutionize the way you get around. Plus, the good news is that the GPS app actually uses relatively little data. So even if you use the GPS on a daily basis, you probably wouldn’t need a plan with more than one gigabyte of data a month.

Ada: [laughs] Yeah, I have no idea how much a gigabyte is.

Jackie: Don’t worry, most people don’t. So one gigabyte of data would allow you to send or receive about 1,000 emails or browse the Internet for about 20 hours every month.

Ada: Wow, that’s a lot!

Jackie: Yes, and that’s actually the smallest amount of data on a monthly plan that we offer – besides no data of course.

Ada: What’s your plan with the most data?

Jackie: Our plan with the most data offers 16 gigabytes worth of data. So that’s 320 hours of Internet browsing a month. It’s actually an amazing deal, because it only costs $10 more than our next largest data plan, which is only 4 gigabytes a month.

Ada: How can people even use 16 gigabytes in a month…that’s like…what, ten hours a day? No one could possibly be on their phone that much.

Jackie: Well it’s actually easier than you think. Say, for example, you are downloading files, or streaming video…those kinds of activities require a lot more data than just scrolling through Facebook. But you’re right, 16 gigabytes is a lot of data. What we’ve found is that most people who go for this plan actually are using their phones as mobile hotspots for their computers and other devices.

Ada: What does that mean?

Jackie: Well, a mobile hotspot is basically a secure WiFi network. But instead of the WiFi coming from a box that’s installed in your house and connected to cables in the ground, the WiFi is coming directly from your phone, using your data plan.

Ada: Wow, so you’re saying that I could connect my computer to the Internet through my phone anywhere that I had phone service?

Jackie: That’s right! Mobile hotspot technology has totally innovated how we connect to the Internet, especially for people who work on their computers. Whereas before now you would have to go to a library or coffee shop to work, with this data plan you can access the Internet from almost anywhere you want!

Ada: Okay, that actually sounds really amazing. How much does that plan cost per month?

Jackie: It’s $50 per month, but with our promotion it would only cost you $25 a month for the first six months.

Ada: Wow, that’s such a good deal! Sign me up!

So how did you do? Did you hear and understand all of the vocabulary words? If you need more practice, check out the show notes for a transcript of this episode so that you can follow along and listen again.

Oh and by the way! We’re looking for volunteers to help us translate the show transcripts from English to your first language. If you are interested, please email me at naomi@magoosh.com with the subject line “translation,” and let me know what language you can translate into!

Thanks for listening! If you like our show, help us out by leaving a rating and review in Apple Podcasts, it helps people find us! And don’t forget to hit the subscribe button so you don’t miss the next lesson. Until next time! This is Naomi at Magoosh, wishing you happy studying!

IELTS English Dialogue 8: Weather - IELTS English Vocabulary | IELTS Listening | IELTS Speaking | IELTS Reading | IELTS Test Prep Apr 17, 2018

In this episode, you’re going to hear dialogue containing the vocabulary words that your teacher Eliot defined in Vocabulary Lesson 3. These are 4 words all related to weather: Chilly, Muggy, Balmy, and Sleet.

If you haven’t listened to episode 3 yet, you might want to listen to that first, so that you know the definitions of these words. Listen here.

It’s common for questions about weather and climate to come up during the Speaking section, so we’re going to go over a few good vocab words that you can use to talk about different kinds of weather.

If you like this lesson, please subscribe for more IELTS Vocabulary lessons!

Download the complete list of IELTS Vocabulary words.

Learn how to improve your IELTS band score with Magoosh! Use coupon code ieltspodcast to save 20%!

Oh and by the way! We’re looking for volunteers to help us translate the show transcripts from English to your first language. If you are interested, please email naomi@magoosh.com with the subject line “translation,” and let us know what language you can translate into!

Episode Transcript

(Translations: فارسی, Tiếng Việt)

Welcome to the Magoosh IELTS Podcast! This is Lesson 8. In this episode, you’re going to hear dialogue containing the vocabulary words that your teacher Eliot defined in Vocabulary Lesson 3. These are 4 words all related to weather: Chilly, Muggy, Balmy, and Sleet.

If you haven’t listened to episode 3 yet, you might want to listen to that first, so that you know the definitions of these words. I’ll put a link in the show notes.

Also, check out the show notes to get your free download: the IELTS vocabulary list, which contains these words and others that you’ll find on the test. Plus visit IELTS.Magoosh.com for more great resources to improve your IELTS band score. Use coupon code “ieltspodcast” to save 20% off your IELTS test prep!

Okay let’s get started! Listen to this dialogue between Maya and Gabrielle as they talk about learning to surf. See if you can pick out the 4 IELTS vocabulary words as you listen.

Dialogue Part 1

Maya: You know what I’ve been thinking about a lot the past few weeks?

Gabrielle: What?

Maya: I think it’s time for us to properly learn how to surf.

Gabrielle: Yeah, for sure! I would love to actually be able to surf. I really enjoyed that surf lesson we had in San Diego. I’ve wanted to surf since I was in high school, but since I’ve never had my own car, it’s always seemed impossible to get a surfboard to and from the beach.

Maya: Well my new place is so close to the water...we could probably just walk with our boards.

Gabrielle: That’s true...that’s true. So is that what made you decide that now is the time to finally learn to surf for real?

Maya: Well, yeah, first of all, we’re so close to the beach...it’s not like in Oregon. Back then we’d have to plan a whole weekend trip just to get to the coast.

Gabrielle: Yeah, who has the time for that?! Especially when the beaches are always so chilly! Like it’s not fun to hang out on the beach when it’s cold, and I don’t want to have to wear a full wetsuit just to get in the water.

Maya: Right. Do you remember the last time we went out to the Oregon coast? It was literally pouring down rain and sleet...the road was so icy I thought we’d never even make it to the beach.

Gabrielle: Yeah, that definitely made surfing seem way less appealing to me.

Maya: Right?! Anyway, yeah, so now that we’ve been blessed with a house close to the beach and such beautiful, balmy weather, I think we should learn how to surf for real.

Gabrielle: That makes sense. It’s just intimidating to start something new I guess...I hate being a beginner. Once I tried to learn how to ice skate, but I got really frustrated because there were all these little kids there who were extremely good, and I could barely stand up. It’s just sort of embarrassing to be surrounded by people who are much better than you at the activity you’re doing.

Maya: Yeah I feel the same, but I think we really need to learn how to be okay with not being perfect at everything. That’s the only way to learn new skills! You have to start somewhere.

Gabrielle: Yeah. You’re right. So where do we start?

Maya: Well this weekend definitely isn’t the time. Have you noticed how weird the weather has been?

Gabrielle: Yeah, it’s kind of strangely humid and overcast all of a sudden. Isn’t there a word for that?

Maya: Yeah, it’s muggy. So the reason it went from being super hot and sunny to actually kind of chilly, and then overcast but hot and humid over the course of two days is because there’s a tropical cyclone coming in from the north this week.

Gabrielle: Oh, I just remembered that Colin texted me last night to say that he couldn’t sleep because it was so muggy up north where he’s working this week. I haven’t heard that word used a lot before. But I guess it’s typical cyclone weather! Anyways, he also said that he’s annoyed he has to be at work when the surf is so good down south right now.

Maya: Yeah, exactly -- so what’s happening is that this cyclone is coming in from the ocean and heading down the coast this weekend, and that creates these specials winds, which I guess make the surf really huge. Everyone’s heading down south to surf right now. And apparently these weather conditions only happen once every ten years or something.

Gabrielle: Okay, I see. So there are some super special waves coming in right now, but they’re probably too big for beginners like us.

Maya: Yeah.

Gabrielle: To be honest I don’t think I would be able to get all the surfing gear together by this weekend anyways, so the cyclone doesn’t really make a difference.

Maya: True

Gabrielle: But it is nice to have some overcast days for once. Not that I don’t love the sunshine and the balmy beach weather, but it becomes kind of old after a few months. Plus I feel like I’ve been getting sunburned every time I go outside.

Maya: For sure. Well maybe we can try and find some surfboards next week? I’ll be done with summer school after Thursday.

Midroll

Before we find out the rest of Maya and Gabrielle’s surfing plans, let’s pause for a word from Magoosh.

Do you want a great IELTS score?

Magoosh can help!

Here’s what you’ll get with Magoosh:

In-depth video lessons that cover concepts, pitfalls, and shortcuts
Over 200 practice questions to help you prepare for your exam
24/7 email access to a team of smart and fun remote tutors ready to answer your questions

Are you ready to improve your score and get into your dream program? Great! We’re ready to help you. Visit us at ielts.magoosh.com and use coupon code “ieltspodcast” to save 20% off your IELTS test prep.

Now back to the story!

Dialogue Part 2

Gabrielle: Okay, that sounds good. I think my aunt might have some extra ones at her house actually.

Maya: Oh that would be fantastic. I have no idea how much a surfboard costs, but I assume they’re not cheap.

Gabrielle: Yeah, I definitely saw at least one board the last time I was over at her place. And even if she only has one, we could probably borrow that one and then just split the cost of the second board.

Maya: Great, that works for me! Okay so, do you think that we will need wetsuits? The water here is pretty warm, but I assume it gets chilly when you’re out in the water for a few hours at a time.

Gabrielle: I don’t think I’ve seen anyone in wetsuits. You probably stay warm from the physical activity...remember how it was in San Diego? The water wasn’t all that warm, but you’re moving constantly so it’s not a problem.

Maya: You’re right...I probably will have to buy a one-piece swimsuit though. My bikini is fine for swimming, but it’s probably not the best for getting knocked around in the waves.

Gabrielle: Yeah, okay, let’s go look for swimsuits this weekend. Wow my hair is so frizzy today, this humidity is really too much for me.

Maya: I kind of like that it’s muggy, it reminds me of when I was in Bali. But also I don’t have to deal with the frizz because my hair is in braids, so I guess it’s not as much of a problem for me.

Gabrielle: What would you say is your favorite kind of weather?

Maya: Hmm, I think it really depends. I just like variety. Obviously a mild balmy climate is the best, but like I said before, even that gets old after a while. And actually, I don’t mind “bad” weather. It feels so nice and cozy to stay inside when there’s really nasty rain or sleet.

Gabrielle: Ugh but sleet is the worst! You don’t drive, so you don’t know what it’s like to have to deal with the roads being icy. It’s terrible.

Maya: Yeah, I guess you’re right. But you don’t even have a car right now! Anyways I don’t think the weather will even get that bad here in the winter, we’re too far south.

Gabrielle: Yeah, that’s why I moved here!

Maya: That was a very good call. Okay so this weekend we’ll get swimsuits, and you ask your aunt about the surfboards.

Gabrielle: Sounds perfect. So do you think we should...I don’t know...take lessons?

Maya: Yeah, I think if I just tried to go out into the water without any instruction I wouldn’t actually be able to surf at all. I just don’t remember how to do it. And plus if we learn with bad form it’ll make things more difficult later.

Gabrielle: Okay, yeah, you’re right. How much do you think lessons cost?

Maya: No idea. How about I’ll look into that, and you try to get us the boards.

Gabrielle: Sweet, sounds like a plan. I’m so excited that we’re finally going to learn how to surf. I think this could be really great.

Maya: Yeah, I’ve always wanted to surf, I just never made the commitment before. But I think we’re finally ready. Plus we can support each other through the difficult beginning part. It’s always nice to have a friend to learn new skills with. I’m so glad you want to do this with me!

Gabrielle: Absolutely, I couldn’t agree more.

So how did you do? Did you hear and understand all of the vocabulary words? If you need more practice, check out the show notes for a transcript of this episode so that you can follow along and listen again.

Oh and by the way! We’re looking for volunteers to help us translate the show transcripts from English to your first language. If you are interested, please email me at naomi@magoosh.com with the subject line “translation,” and let me know what language you can translate into!

Thanks for listening! If you like our show, help us out by leaving a rating and review in Apple Podcasts, it helps people find us! And don’t forget to hit the subscribe button so you don’t miss the next lesson. Until next time! This is Naomi at Magoosh, wishing you happy studying!

IELTS English Dialogue 7: Environment - IELTS English Vocabulary | IELTS Listening | IELTS Speaking | IELTS Reading | IELTS Test Prep Apr 10, 2018

In this episode, you’re going to hear dialogue containing the vocabulary words that your teacher Eliot defined in Vocabulary Lesson 2. These are 4 words all related to the environment: Pollution, Erosion, Emissions, and Sustainable.

If you haven’t listened to episode 2 yet, you might want to listen to that first, so that you know the definitions of these words. Listen here.

You'll see this vocabulary in the reading passages on your IELTS exam. These words will also be useful as you’re writing responses to your task one and task two questions.

If you like this lesson, please subscribe for more IELTS Vocabulary lessons!

Download the complete list of IELTS Vocabulary words.

Learn how to improve your IELTS band score with Magoosh! Use coupon code ieltspodcast to save 20%!

Episode Transcript

(Translations: فارسی, Tiếng Việt)

Welcome to the Magoosh IELTS Podcast! This is Lesson 7. In this episode, you’re going to hear dialogue containing the vocabulary words that your teacher Eliot defined in Vocabulary Lesson 2. These are 4 words all related to the environment: Pollution, Erosion, Emissions, and Sustainable.

If you haven’t listened to lesson 2 yet, you might want to listen to that first, so that you know the definitions of these words. I’ll put a link in the show notes.

Also, check out the show notes to get your free download: the IELTS vocabulary list, which contains these words and others that you’ll find on the test. Plus visit us at IELTS.Magoosh.com for more great resources to improve your IELTS band score. Use coupon code “ieltspodcast” (that’s one word) to save 20% off your IELTS test prep!

Okay let’s get started! Listen to this dialogue between Andre and Yuriko as they talk about their new jobs. See if you can pick out the 4 IELTS vocabulary words as you listen.

Dialogue Part 1

Andre: Wow, it’s so good to see you Yuriko. How long has it been? Eight months?

Yuriko: Yeah eight months…I’ve been traveling a lot for work. But I’m so glad we could get lunch while I’m in town! I’m flying out again on Friday. It’s so hard to fit everything into my schedule these days.

Andre: Sounds like it. So tell me about this new job. Last time I saw you, I think you were still a raft guide in Colorado…?

Yuriko: Well, I graduated at the end of last May, and that’s when I started the guiding job. But that was just for the summer.

Andre: Remind me what your degree was in again?

Yuriko: I did a Bachelor of Arts in Environmental Science and Sustainable Agriculture.

Andre: Oh yeah, I remember now. Okay, so you were a raft guide for the summer…was that in the Grand Canyon?

Yuriko: Yes, we were in the Grand Canyon. It was such an amazing opportunity. As you know, I’ve spent a lot of time in the backcountry, but there’s no place on earth quite like the Grand Canyon. I really got to know the land. But the National Parks Service is facing a lot of challenges...it was so sad to see how fast the erosion of the canyons is progressing. The way we’re treating the land really isn’t sustainable.

Andre: So why did you leave that job?

Yuriko: Oh, that kind of guiding is just seasonal work, and I needed to be making money year-round. I would love to go back again, but I’m pretty locked in to my current job for now.

Andre: Yeah, so tell me about this new job!

Yuriko: Well my official job title is Environmental Sustainability Consultant. I work as a part of a larger consulting firm of about thirty-five people. We’re contracted out to help companies create plans and programs that will reduce their negative impact on the environment...things like bringing down their emissions, properly disposing of their waste, cutting down on pollution...that sort of stuff.

Andre: And that has you traveling a lot? How do you like that lifestyle?

Yuriko: Yeah, I’ll go to the headquarters, or different worksites, and get a feel for what sort of policies the company already has in place. From there we can develop a plan for the areas where they may be able to improve. It’s really important to get facetime with the people on the ground, and I love seeing new places...but it can be exhausting to be on the road all the time.

Andre: But you like the work, overall?

Yuriko: It was a difficult transition for me at first, of course. Going from being out on the river every day to a lot of paperwork and corporate stuff and waiting in airports. As a raft guide, you get to be out in nature, but you’re also seeing the negative effects humans are having on the environment…the dams, and the pollution, the trash in the river...and you can’t do anything about it. At least at this job I feel like I’m really making a difference.

Andre: Yeah, that makes a lot of sense.

Yuriko: It does bother me that I’m flying so much though—from an environmental perspective. Did you know that one round-trip flight from New York City to Los Angeles produces the same amount of greenhouse gas emissions as ten weeks of driving a car? The carbon footprint of air travel is huge.

Andre: Oh wow, I knew planes used a lot of fuel, but I didn’t realize it was that much.

Yuriko: Yeah. Hopefully as technology advances we’ll be able to create more sustainable ways of traveling….but what about you, what are you up to these days? Still leading backpacking trips?

Midroll

Before we hear from Andre, let’s pause for a word from Magoosh.

Do you want a great IELTS score?

Magoosh can help!

Here’s what you’ll get with Magoosh:

In-depth video lessons that cover concepts, pitfalls, and shortcuts
Over 200 practice questions to help you prepare for your exam
24/7 email access to a team of remote tutors ready to answer your questions

Are you ready to improve your score and get into your dream program? Great! We’re ready to help you. Visit us at ielts.magoosh.com and use coupon code “ieltspodcast” to save 20% off your IELTS test prep.

Now back to the story!

Dialogue Part 2

Andre: Yeah, I’m working full-time for the Outdoor Leadership School now. It’s definitely a for-profit organization, but I like the work.

Yuriko: What kind of trips have you been leading?

Andre: I specialize in the Southwest. So we’re doing one to three month trips out in the desert and canyonlands, which is a whole lot of hiking, as well as courses on outdoor survival skills and ecology. We teach students some of the same things you were talking about: the erosion of the land from farming and development, and how the desert ecosystems have been impacted by people.

Yuriko: I actually did my college thesis on the erosion caused by industrial farming practices in the parts of Arizona that get their water from the dams.

Andre: Oh wow, I didn’t know that...you should definitely pass that along to me, I’d love to share some of that information with my students.

Yuriko: I’d be happy to. Helping businesses lower their emissions is obviously important, but it’s so vital to connect with the younger generation and teach them about the land. How does that quote about love and conservation go?

Andre: It’s “People protect what they love, they love what they understand, and they understand what they’re taught.” Jacques Cousteau. Good quote for a teacher to know [chuckles].

Yuriko: [Laughs] Yeah, you were ready for that one.

Andre: So how’s your family doing?

Yuriko: They’re good. My younger sister is about to start university, so I think my parents are getting a little emotional. Empty nest and all that. I know they miss me, but they respect my work.

Andre: Yeah, I mean it’s hard to criticize your daughter when she’s fighting corporate pollution.

Yuriko: I do what I can. How about you, are you still with Amelia?

Andre: Yeah, we’re good...we’re good. We just got a place together on the west side. It’s a big step for me.

Yuriko: Wow, that’s amazing! I’m so happy for you!

Andre: Yeah, the idea of moving in with someone has always been a bit scary to me...but when you think about it, we’re both out leading trips for at least six months out of the year. And those six months don’t necessarily overlap.

Yuriko: So Amelia works for the Outdoor Leadership School as well?

Andre: Yeah, we met as co-trip leaders actually.

Yuriko: That’s very sweet.

[phone rings]

Andre: Oh, sorry, I’ve got to take this. But I’ll be right back, don’t go anywhere!

Yuriko: No worries, take your time! I’ll get another coffee.

Outro

So how did you do? Did you hear and understand all of the vocabulary words? If you need more practice, check out the show notes for a transcript of this episode so that you can follow along and listen again.

Oh and by the way! We’re looking for volunteers to help us translate the show transcripts from English to your first language. If you are interested, please email me at naomi@magoosh.com with the subject line “translation,” and let me know what language you can translate into!

Thanks for listening! If you like our show, help us out by leaving a rating and review in Apple Podcasts, it helps people find us! And don’t forget to hit the subscribe button. Until next time! This is Naomi at Magoosh, wishing you happy studying!

IELTS English Dialogue 6: Information - IELTS English Vocabulary | IELTS Listening | IELTS Speaking | IELTS Reading | IELTS Test Prep Apr 03, 2018

In this episode, you’re going to hear dialogue containing the vocabulary words that your teacher Eliot defined in Vocabulary Lesson 1. These are 4 words all related to Information: Interpret, Assume, Perceive, and React

If you haven’t listened to episode 1 yet, you might want to listen to that first, so that you know the definitions of these words. Listen here.

You'll see this vocabulary in the reading passages on your IELTS exam. These words will also be useful as you’re writing responses to your task one and task two questions.

If you like this lesson, please subscribe for more IELTS Vocabulary lessons!

Download the complete list of IELTS Vocabulary words.

Learn how to improve your IELTS band score with Magoosh! Use coupon code ieltspodcast to save 20%!

Episode Transcript

(Translations: فارسی, Tiếng Việt)

Welcome to the Magoosh IELTS Podcast! This is Lesson 6. In this episode, you’re going to hear dialogue containing the vocabulary words that your teacher Eliot defined in Vocabulary Lesson 1. These are 4 words all related to Information: Interpret, Assume, Perceive, and React

If you haven’t listened to episode 1 yet, you might want to listen to that first, so that you know the definitions of these words. I’ll put a link in the show notes.

Also, check out the show notes to get your free download: the IELTS vocabulary list, which contains these words and others that you’ll find on the test. Plus visit IELTS.Magoosh.com for more great resources to improve your IELTS band score. Use coupon code “ielts podcast” to save 20% off your IELTS test prep!

Okay let’s get started! Listen to this dialogue between Jerome and Maria as they talk about Maria’s recent date. See if you can pick out the 4 IELTS vocabulary words as you listen.

Dialogue Part 1

Jerome: Hey Maria, how was your date? Seriously, tell me everything!

Maria: Oh wow, Jerome, it was so good! It was really good.

Jerome: That’s great, I’m so happy for you! I want the whole story!

Maria: Well, we just went out to a bar and had a few drinks, and then got dinner at that Kebab place downtown that you and I went to the other night. And then he had to go home. But he was really great – a lot better than I’d thought he would be.

Jerome: I’m so glad that it went well. Are you going to go out with him again? And, uh, remind me of his name?

Maria: His name is Tom. But…yeah, I don’t think we’re going to go out again.

Jerome: What? Why not? You just said it was really good!

Maria: Well, I did have a great time, but I’m always going out with these guys who aren’t looking for anything serious. Maybe that’s my type? Anyways, I always assume I can change them – but really I can’t change them. I shouldn’t even be trying to change them in the first place. And I need to stop chasing people who don’t want what I want. I need to stop ignoring all the red flags.

Jerome: So you think he’s not looking for anything serious?

Maria: Yeah.

Jerome: What did he do to make you react that way?

Maria: He was just really charming. I’m sure it’s easy for him to get dates. So why would he want to settle down with just one person? And it also seems like he works a lot…he probably doesn’t have time for a proper relationship.

Jerome: Did he say that he wasn’t looking for anything serious?

Maria: Not really. He just seems like that type of guy.

Jerome: Huh. Well, I definitely agree that you shouldn’t try to force a relationship with someone who doesn’t want to be in one. But it also doesn’t sound like you have a lot of information about how he feels. You shouldn’t assume that he’s not looking for anything serious either. That is, unless he’s actually told you so, of course.

Maria: Maybe. Still, I got the feeling that he was trying to keep things casual.

Jerome: But how did you perceive that, besides the fact that he was charming?

Maria: Well, he told me that he couldn’t stay out too late, because he had to get up early for work in the morning.

Jerome: That seems like a normal way to react to a Sunday night date. It’s pretty reasonable to want to get enough sleep if you have work in the morning. What’s making you interpret the fact that he wanted to go to bed early to mean that he’s trying to keep things casual?

Maria: I just think that if he was having a good time, he wouldn’t have minded missing a little sleep.

Jerome: I don’t know. Some people are really serious about their work. I don’t think that means that he doesn’t want to spend time with you. Have you heard from him since yesterday?

Midroll

Before we find out whether Maria has heard from her date, let’s pause for a word from Magoosh.

Do you want a great IELTS score?

Magoosh can help!

Here’s what you’ll get with Magoosh:

In-depth video lessons that cover concepts, pitfalls, and shortcuts
Over 200 practice questions to help you prepare for your exam
24/7 email access to a team of remote tutors ready to answer your questions

Are you ready to improve your score and get into your dream program? Great! We’re ready to help you. Visit us at ielts.magoosh.com and use coupon code “podcast” to save 20% off your IELTS test prep.

Now back to the story!

Dialogue Part 2

Maria: No, nothing yet.

Jerome: Yeah, okay. Well I think it’s good that you’re not getting your hopes up. Obviously you perceived something in the way he was acting that made you feel like he’s not super interested in you. But from what you’ve told me about your date so far…I wouldn’t necessarily interpret any of that stuff to mean that he doesn’t want to see you again.

Maria: Maybe you’re right…I did have a lot of fun. And I think he had a good time too. I just don’t know how to react when someone shows an interest in me, because even if they do really like me, that doesn’t mean they will want to make it an ongoing thing.

Jerome: Well, you did just meet each other. I wouldn’t worry about all of that too much yet. All I’m saying is: don’t assume that he doesn’t want to see you again. Give it a little time! Or at least wait until you have a bit more information.

Maria: Ahh!

Jerome: What??

Maria: He just texted me!

Jerome: What did he say??

Maria: He said, “I was soooo tired at work today” and then a smiley face.

Jerome: Wow, I can’t believe he just texted you. Speak of the devil.

Maria: [chuckles] yeah. So what does it mean?

Jerome: Hmm, I’m not sure how exactly to interpret that text. Like, it’s bad that he was tired, but obviously a smiley face is good. So maybe that means that he didn’t mind being tired, because he had a good time last night? I don’t know…whatever he’s trying to say, it’s definitely good that he texted you! Are you going to respond?

Maria: Yeah, I might wait a little while though. I’m not sure what the best thing to say is. How would you react to a text like this?

Jerome: I’ll have to think about it. But yeah, wait a while...if you answer immediately he might perceive you to be someone who’s just waiting by their phone all day.

Maria: Yeah, you’re right. Hey, I’m getting kind of hungry. Do you want to help me make some lunch, and then afterwards we can figure out what I should do?

Jerome: Yeah, that sounds like a good plan! It’s hard to think on an empty stomach.

Maria: I have stuff to make ham sandwiches, does that sound good to you?

Jerome: Yeah definitely, let’s do it. It won’t hurt Tom to wait a little while.

Maria: [chuckles] Keeping him guessing! That would make two of us.

So how did you do? Did you hear and understand all of the vocabulary words? If you need more practice, check out the show notes for a transcript of this episode so that you can follow along and listen again.

Oh and by the way! We’re looking for volunteers to help us translate the show transcripts from English to your first language. If you are interested, please email me at naomi@magoosh.com with the subject line “translation,” and let me know what language you can translate into!

Thanks for listening! If you like our show, help us out by leaving a rating and review in Apple Podcasts, it helps people find us! And don’t forget to hit the subscribe button. Until next time! This is Naomi at Magoosh, wishing you happy studying!

IELTS English Vocabulary 5: Travel | IELTS Listening | IELTS Speaking | IELTS Reading | IELTS Test Prep Jan 23, 2018

In this episode of the Magoosh IELTS podcast, your teacher Eliot Friesen explains how to use four words all related to travel:

Accommodation
Transport
Attractions
High Rise

Travel and locations are commonly discussed in IELTS Listening conversations, as well as in some IELTS Listening solo speeches. So we’re going to go over a few good vocab words that you might hear in the Listening section.

If you like this lesson, please subscribe for more IELTS Vocabulary lessons!

Download the complete list of IELTS Vocabulary words.

Learn how to improve your IELTS band score with Magoosh!Use coupon code ieltspodcast to save 20% at ielts.magoosh.com

Episode Transcript

(Translations: فارسی, Tiếng Việt, हिंदी, Português)

Welcome to the Magoosh IELTS Vocabulary Podcast. This is Lesson 5. In this episode, we will cover four words, all related to travel: Accommodation, Transport, Attractions, and High Rise.

Don’t forget to check out our show notes for a link to your free IELTS vocabulary list containing these words and others, and visit us at IELTS.Magoosh.com for more great resources to improve your IELTS band score.

Okay! Let’s get started.

I’d like to introduce you to your teacher, Eliot. He is the Magoosh IELTS expert and, here’s a fun fact about Eliot: Although he has spent most of his life in the United States, Eliot has also lived in the Netherlands, Germany, Costa Rica, and the Dominican Republic.

Eliot Intro

Hello Magoosh IELTS podcast listeners, welcome to today’s show. I’m Eliot, the IELTS expert from Magoosh. Today, we’re going to look at four words that will be useful for the Listening section of the IELTS. Travel and locations are commonly discussed in IELTS Listening conversations, as well as in some IELTS Listening solo speeches. So we’re going to go over a few good vocab words that you might hear in the Listening section.

As always, make sure to go to the link in the show notes to get the full list of vocabulary words.

Once again, the theme for the words in today’s episode is travel, and things you might come across as a traveller.

Accommodation

So let’s get started. The first word on our list is accommodation. So let’s start with that one, okay?

What does the word “accommodation” mean? Well, on the IELTS, “accommodation” has two meanings.

First of all, accommodation can mean the place where you live. Maybe you live in a house. Or maybe you live on a boat. Maybe you live on a house-boat. Whatever your housing situation is, the place where you live is called your “accommodation.” It’s very likely that accommodation will be used this way in the IELTS Speaking section, where you may be asked to describe the accommodation you live in.

However, “accommodation” can also refer to the places people stay when they are travelling, places such as hotels, inns, and hostels -- rather than their permanent homes. So in the IELTS Listening section, maybe an audio track is about travel, the word “accommodation” is probably being used to talk about the place someone is staying temporarily while traveling.

So, that’s accommodation.

Transport

The next word is transport.

So, what does transport mean?

Well, the word “transport” refers to the way that people move from one place to another, if they aren’t walking. In IELTS conversations, there is often talk about long distance transport, such as trains and airplanes taken to holiday destinations.

The IELTS may also include discussions about transport within a town or neighbourhood. In these cases, transport could be by a car, bicycle, scooter, or bus, which are all ways you might get to local places like work, school, or the supermarket.

Transport is the name for whatever you use to get around. So if someone asked what form of transport you use to get to school, you might say “the bus” or “my car” or “a bike”, depending on how it is that you get to school.

So that’s transport.

Attractions

The next word is attractions.

What does attractions mean?

Well, in IELTS conversations about travel and places, “attractions” refers to tourist attractions, which are interesting places that tourists like to visit.

Attractions are often places with historical or cultural value, such as cathedrals, museums, or other landmarks, like the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco. Attractions can also be places of great natural beauty, like the Great Barrier Reef in Australia or the Grand Canyon in Arizona.

The root of the word attractions is attract, which means to make someone interested in something. So attractions are the interesting places that tourists and travelers want to visit.

So that’s attractions.

High Rise

The final word today is high rise.

What does high rise mean?

Well, a “high rise” is a very tall building, often seen in a city center. High rise buildings are especially common in and around the main square of a city center or the downtown area. Another word for high rise is skyscraper, which you may have heard before.

Big cities like Tokyo and New York City have a lot of high rises, while smaller cities like San Francisco only have a few high rises, which are usually built in the center of the city.

If you can recognize a city just by looking at a photograph of it, you are probably recognizing the unique high rises that make up the city’s skyline. For example, the Empire State Building is one of New York City’s most recognizable high rises, and you’ll see its image on a lot of postcards from New York.

So that’s high rise.

Great! In this episode you learned 4 words related to travel – for more words, download the full list of vocabulary in the show notes and tune in to the next episode.

If you like our show, help us out by leaving a rating and review in iTunes and don’t forget to hit the subscribe button. Until next time! This is Naomi at Magoosh wishing you happy studying.

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IELTS English Vocabulary 4: Technology | IELTS Listening | IELTS Speaking | IELTS Reading | IELTS Test Prep Jan 16, 2018

In this episode of the Magoosh IELTS podcast, your teacher Eliot Friesen explains how to use four words all related to technology:

Device
Mobile
Innovation
Revolutionize

The topic of technology is a popular source of questions on the IELTS Speaking test.

If you like this lesson, please subscribe for more IELTS Vocabulary lessons!

Download the complete list of IELTS Vocabulary words.

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Episode Transcript

(Translations: فارسی, Tiếng Việt, Português)

Welcome to the Magoosh IELTS Vocabulary Podcast. This is Lesson 4. In this episode, we will cover 4 words all related to technology: Device, Mobile, Innovation, and Revolutionize.

Don’t forget to check out our show notes for a link to your free IELTS vocabulary list containing these words and others, and visit IELTS.Magoosh.com for more great resources to improve your IELTS band score.

Let’s get started.

I’d like to introduce you to your teacher, Eliot. He is the Magoosh IELTS expert and, here’s a fun fact about Eliot: The first piece of technology Eliot ever owned was a cassette tape player.

Eliot Intro

Hello Magoosh IELTS podcast listeners, welcome to today’s show. I’m Eliot, the IELTS expert from Magoosh. Today, we’re going to look at four words that will be useful for the Speaking section of the IELTS. The topic of technology is a popular source of questions on the IELTS Speaking test, so we’re going to go over a few good vocabulary words that you can use to talk about the field of technology as a whole, as well as some specific pieces of technology.

As always, make sure to go to the link in the show notes to get the full list of vocabulary words.

Once again, the theme for the words in today’s episode is technology, and ways to describe different types of technology and technological advances.

Device

So let’s get started. The first word on our list is device. So let’s start with that one, okay?

What does the word “device” mean?

Well, a device is any technological machine. I know this sounds pretty general, so let’s get a more specific look.

When we use the word “device”, we are typically speaking about an electronic item that allows people to get on the Internet, make phone calls, or possibly send messages. So usually when we say “device” we are talking about someone’s phone, or computer, or tablet. However, there are more kinds of devices than just the ones you use to connect to the Internet or call your mom.

Technically, any mechanical or electronic tool is a device. For example, while your laptop is a device, something as simple as a measuring stick is also a device. A device is any piece of technological equipment.

Don’t worry too much about being able to identify every single device. Just remember that most of the time when someone uses the word device, they’re talking about a phone or a computer. For example, you may have seen advertisements for services that allow you to watch television shows on “all of your devices.” Obviously these ads are using the word “device” to refer to things like phones, computers, and televisions – not measuring sticks!

So, that’s device.

Mobile

The next word is mobile.

What does mobile mean?

Well, the word mobile describes technology related to phones, or other wireless devices that connect to the Internet or send calls and text messages to people

So you can see there is some overlap between “mobile” and “device.” To keep things from getting confusing, let’s be really clear about the differences between these two words.

The word “device” is a noun, meaning that a device is a thing -- like a cellphone or computer. The word “mobile” is an adjective, meaning it describes something.

In this case, we use the word mobile to describe anything that is a wireless device. So a television is a device. A television that can wirelessly connect to the internet is a mobile device. However, you’ll mostly hear this word, mobile, used to describe cell phones, which we also call mobile phone, or simply “mobiles.”

So that’s mobile.

Innovation

The next word is innovation.

What does innovation mean?

Well, an innovation is a new and valuable idea or an invention. The word innovation is also commonly used to refer to technological changes in general. A good way to remember the meaning of the word “innovation” is to think of an innovation as being something that is new and improved.

So, for example, when laptop computers were invented, they were considered to be a huge innovation -- since before laptops came out everyone had been using clunky desktop computers. Laptops were like desktops, but new and improved.

While we can describe things outside of the field of tech using the word innovation, innovation is mostly associated with advances in technology, and that’s probably the context you will hear it used most on the IELTS.

So that’s innovation.

Revolutionize

The final word today is revolutionize.

Revolutionize, what does that mean?

Well, when referring to technology, to revolutionize means to make a big, important change in the way we use technology. To revolutionize something is to alter it dramatically, so that it is much better.

It’s easy to get confused between innovation and revolutionize, because they both involve improving technology. However, innovation is a noun (a thing) and to revolutionize is a verb (or an action). That’s one difference. Innovation does have a verb form though, which is to innovate. So we’re going to have to get more specific about the difference between these two words.

Here’s a good way to think about the difference between innovation and revolutionize: To revolutionize something is to make a widespread lasting change in a field, while an innovation is any type of new improvement, regardless of whether it makes a widespread lasting change or not. These words mean two different things, though we will often see them together.

For example, the iPhone was an innovation, which revolutionized the smartphone industry. The iPhone itself was a new and valuable invention (otherwise known as an innovation!), which changed the way people thought of phones, revolutionizing the entire phone industry.

So that’s revolutionize.

Great! In this episode you learned 4 words related to technology–-for more vocabulary, download the full list of vocabulary in the show notes and tune in to the next episode.

If you like our show, help us out by leaving a rating and review in iTunes and don’t forget to hit the subscribe button. Until next time! This is Naomi at Magoosh wishing you happy studying.

Learn how to improve your IELTS band score with Magoosh!

IELTS English Vocabulary 3: Weather | IELTS Listening | IELTS Speaking | IELTS Reading | IELTS Test Prep Dec 31, 2017

In this episode of the Magoosh IELTS podcast, your teacher Eliot Friesen explains how to use four words all related to weather:

Chilly
Muggy
Balmy
Sleet

It’s common for questions about weather and climate to come up during the Speaking section, so we’re going to go over a few good vocab words that you can use to talk about different kinds of weather.

If you like this lesson, please subscribe for more IELTS Vocabulary lessons!

Download the complete list of IELTS Vocabulary words.

Learn how to improve your IELTS band score with Magoosh! Save 20% with coupon code ieltspodcast.

Episode Transcript

(Translations: فارسی, русский, Tiếng Việt, Português)

Welcome to the Magoosh IELTS Vocabulary Podcast. This is Lesson 3. In this episode, we will cover 4 words all related to weather: Chilly, Muggy, Balmy, and Sleet.

Don’t forget to check out our show notes for a link to your free IELTS vocabulary list containing these words and others, and visit IELTS.Magoosh.com for more great resources to improve your IELTS band score.

Let’s get started.

I’d like to introduce you to your teacher, Eliot. He is the Magoosh IELTS expert and, here’s a fun fact about Eliot: Eliot grew up in a part of the U.S. known for tornadoes and had to hide in the basement on more than one occasion.

Eliot Intro

Hello Magoosh IELTS podcast listeners, welcome to today’s show. I’m Eliot, the IELTS expert from Magoosh. Today, we’re going to look at four words that will be useful for the Speaking section of the IELTS. It’s common for questions about weather and climate to come up during the Speaking section, so we’re going to go over a few good vocab words that you can use to talk about different kinds of weather.

As always, make sure to go to the link in the show notes to get the full list of vocabulary words.

The theme for the words in today’s episode is weather, and ways to describe different types of weather.

Chilly

So let’s get started. The first word on our list is chilly. So let’s start with that one, okay?

Chilly...what does chilly mean?

Well, when describing weather, “chilly” means cold in a way that is uncomfortable. Chilly is similar to the word “cold”. However, we mostly use “chilly” to describe weather, or how weather makes us feel, whereas the word “cold” can be used to describe anything that’s low in temperature.

For example, on the first cold day of autumn, people would probably describe the weather as chilly. They may also describe themselves as chilly, if they happen to get caught outside without a jacket!

On the other hand, the word “cold” can be used to describe a much wider variety of things than the word chilly. When you put your leftover pizza in the refrigerator, the pizza will become cold. But we wouldn’t describe the pizza as chilly. We just use chilly to talk about weather that’s cold enough to make us uncomfortable.

So, that’s chilly.

Muggy

The next word is muggy.

Okay, “muggy” means very hot and humid. Like chilly, muggy is really only used to describe weather. This makes sense when you think about it, because air is the only thing that can be humid. Humid air is air that has a lot of water vapor in it. So for weather to be muggy, it would have to not only be hot, but also humid.

Some climates – like the tropics – have a lot of muggy weather, while other climates – like the mountains – will almost never have weather that’s muggy. And don’t forget, humidity is a key part of what makes weather muggy. So weather in a desert climate probably wouldn’t be muggy, because even though deserts get very hot, there typically won’t be much water vapor in the air.

Like chilly weather, muggy weather can make us uncomfortable. Most people dislike muggy weather, because when the air is muggy it can be difficult to stay cool, and you get very sticky.

So that’s muggy.

Balmy

The next word is balmy.

Finally some good weather! Balmy means a comfortable outdoor temperature, not too hot and not too cold, usually with some gentle wind. We could also describe balmy weather as mild, or temperate.

Although balmy weather isn’t too hot, it’s still warm. Just think of what it’s like on a really nice day summer day, when it’s not too hot, but you don’t have to wear a jacket.

It’s no surprise that balmy weather is something that most people enjoy. For example, a lot of people choose to vacation in places where the weather is balmy, so they can enjoy spending time outside. Balmy weather is pleasant and warm, but not too hot.

So that’s balmy.

Sleet

The final word today is sleet.

So far, all of our words in this episode have been adjectives. Adjectives are words that describe something. In this case, we have been describing weather, by talking about the weather’s temperature and how it makes us feel. Sleet is different, because sleet is a noun, meaning it’s a thing rather than a description.

Sleet is a mix of snow and rain, falling together from the sky. Sleet is similar to frozen rain (which we call hail). However, sleet is not completely frozen, so it’s not solid like hail. Just imagine snow mixed with water. It’s very wet, icy snow, raining down.

You wouldn’t want to get caught outside without an umbrella and a warm coat when there’s sleet coming down. Many people also try to avoid driving their cars when sleet has been falling, because sleet can make roads icy.

So that’s sleet

Great! In this episode you learned 4 words related to weather – for more words, download the full list of vocabulary in the show notes and tune in to the next episode.

If you like our show, help us out by leaving a rating and review in iTunes and don’t forget to hit the subscribe button. Until next time! This is Naomi at Magoosh wishing you happy studying.

Learn how to improve your IELTS band score with Magoosh!

IELTS English Vocabulary 2: Environment | IELTS Listening | IELTS Speaking | IELTS Reading | IELTS Test Prep Dec 31, 2017

In this episode of the Magoosh IELTS podcast, your teacher Eliot Friesen explains how to use four words all related to the environment:

Pollution
Erosion
Emissions
Sustainable

You'll likely see this vocabulary in the reading passages on your IELTS exam.

If you like this lesson, please subscribe for more IELTS Vocabulary lessons!

Download the complete list of IELTS Vocabulary words.

Learn how to improve your IELTS band score with Magoosh!Use coupon code ieltspodcast to save 20% at ielts.magoosh.com

Episode Transcript

(Translations: русский, 普通话, فارسی, Tiếng Việt)

Welcome to the Magoosh IELTS Vocabulary Podcast. This is Lesson 2. In this episode, we will cover 4 words all related to the environment: Pollution, Erosion, Emissions, and Sustainable.

Don’t forget to check out our show notes for a link to your free IELTS vocabulary list containing these words and others, and visit IELTS.Magoosh.com for more great resources to improve your IELTS band score.

Let’s get started.

I’d like to introduce you to your teacher, Eliot. He is the Magoosh IELTS expert and, here’s a fun fact about Eliot: he’s is a scuba diver who is passionate about ocean conservation!

Eliot Intro

Hello Magoosh IELTS podcast listeners, welcome to today’s show. I’m Eliot, the IELTS expert from Magoosh. Today, we’re going to look at four words that you are likely to see in the reading passages on your IELTS exam.

Now, I did tell you that you don’t need to memorize all of the specialized words that you’ll see in IELTS Reading. However, it is still helpful to look at a few common words from the most common topics in IELTS Reading passages.

I’m talking about the environment and life sciences. The IELTS loves these two closely related topics. Below are some environment and life science words that you are likely to see somewhere in the Reading section.

Make sure to go to the link in the show notes to get the full list of vocabulary words.

The theme for the words in today’s episode is the environment, and the relationship between the environment and humankind.

Pollution

So let’s get started. The first word on our list is pollution. So let’s start with that one, okay?

Pollution, what does it mean?

Well, “pollution” describes things from the human world that enter the environment and harm it. Pollution is contamination that makes the environment impure.

So one example of pollution is the garbage that we dump into the rivers and oceans.

This garbage can release toxic chemicals into the water, killing plants and animals, and destroying ecosystems.

Another example of pollution is the smoke that our cars and factories release into the air.

In many big cities around the world, the smoke from factories and cars has caused so much air pollution that the air isn’t safe to breath anymore. In these cities, you will see people wearing breathing masks to protect themselves from the pollution in the air.

When humans put harmful things into the environment, it damages the environment.

That’s pollution.

Erosion

The next word is erosion.

So “erosion” is when dirt or sand gets removed from the surface of the earth by wind or water. When dirt washes or blows away, plants die off, and ecosystems change. Erosion is what we call this process of soil being worn away, causing changes in the environment.

One example of natural erosion is the Grand Canyon in Arizona. This giant gorge was formed by the Colorado River wearing down the rock over many centuries. The erosion caused by the river is what created the beautiful canyon we see today.

Not all erosion is natural. Human activities can also often lead to erosion. When humans cut down trees, the soil beneath the trees is exposed. Without the trees to stop the wind, or the roots to hold the soil together, erosion will take place much more quickly. This is one way in which humans are responsible for erosion.

When the soil is worn away nothing can grow there anymore.

So that’s erosion.

Emissions

The next word is emissions.

“Emissions” refers to any kind of gas, smoke, or air that is released into the environment. We often use the word “emissions” to describe the pollution that humans are putting into the air.

So for example, when a factory produces smoke, we call this smoke the factory’s emissions.

Many human activities produce emissions that pollute the environment, and scientists have advised that we reduce our emissions in order to protect the planet.

One of the reasons that electric cars are becoming more popular is that they produce fewer emissions than traditional gas-burning cars.

So that’s emissions.

Sustainable

The final word for today is sustainable.

To be sustainable is to not cause damage to the environment or use up all of a resource. If an activity is sustainable it means that the activity can be continued indefinitely without environmental consequences.

Solar power is an example of a sustainable energy source. We will never run out of sunlight, and setting up solar panels doesn’t create much pollution. The fact that we can keep using solar energy without destroying the environment or completely using up the sun’s energy is what makes solar energy sustainable.

Oil is an example of an energy source that is not sustainable. Eventually we will use up all the oil stored in the earth. Drilling for oil also hurts the environment, which could one day lead to the earth becoming too damaged to continue supporting life. Oil is not sustainable.

If something’s sustainable it means we can keep doing it.

So that’s sustainable.

Great! In this episode you learned 4 words related to the environment—for more vocabulary, download the full list of vocabulary in the show notes and tune in to the next episode.

If you like our show, help us out by leaving a rating and review in iTunes and don’t forget to hit the subscribe button. Until next time! This is Naomi at Magoosh wishing you happy studying.

Learn how to improve your IELTS band score with Magoosh!

IELTS English Vocabulary 1: Information | IELTS Listening | IELTS Speaking | IELTS Reading | IELTS Test Prep Dec 28, 2017

In this episode of the Magoosh IELTS podcast, your teacher Eliot Friesen explains how to use four words all related to giving and receiving information:

Interpret
Assume
Perceive
React

You'll see this vocabulary in the reading passages on your IELTS exam. These words will also be useful as you’re writing responses to your task one and task two questions.

If you like this lesson, please subscribe for more IELTS Vocabulary lessons!

Download the complete list of IELTS Vocabulary words.

Learn how to improve your IELTS band score with Magoosh! Use coupon code ieltspodcast to save 20% at ielts.magoosh.com

Episode Transcript

(Translations: русский, 普通话, فارسی, Tiếng Việt, Português)

Welcome to the Magoosh IELTS Vocabulary Podcast. This is Lesson 1. In this episode, we will cover 4 words all related to information: Interpret, Assume, Perceive, and React

Don’t forget to check out our show notes for a link to your free IELTS vocabulary list containing these words and others, and visit IELTS.Magoosh.com for more great resources to improve your IELTS band score.

Let’s get started.

I’d like to introduce you to your teacher, Eliot. He is the Magoosh IELTS expert and, here’s a fun fact about Eliot: he does not like watermelon!

Eliot Intro

Hello Magoosh IELTS podcast listeners, welcome to today’s show. I’m Eliot, the IELTS expert from Magoosh, and it’s true, I’m not a picky eater, but I just don’t like watermelon. Today, we’re going to look at four words that are going to help you to understand the kind of language you’re going to see in the reading passages on your IELTS exam.

These words will also be useful as you’re writing responses to your task one and task two questions.

Make sure to go to the link in the show notes to get the full list of vocabulary words.

The theme for the words in today’s episode is information, and what we do with information when we think about things or when we interpret things.

Interpret

And in fact, interpret is the first word on the list. So let’s start with that one, okay?

Interpret, what does it mean?

Well, to interpret something means to make sense of something. To analyze something.

We could use it, for example, in a situation where you are trying to analyze something you’re reading or hearing in another language, a language that’s not your native language.

When you hear a word, and you are able to say it in your own language, maybe you’ll then try to explain it to a friend who doesn’t understand, you are interpreting what you hear.

But it doesn’t have to be another language, you could interpret something that’s already in your own language.

Often we use the word interpret for understanding something that’s complicated or difficult to understand, right?

So maybe you have a complicated contract you’re looking at, and maybe it’s so complicated, you need a lawyer, or somebody, to help you understand what’s there.

The lawyer is going to interpret it for you, to make sense of it, or analyze it for you.

That’s what interpret means.

Assume

The next word is assume.

To assume is to make a conclusion about something without having all of the facts or information.

We often use the word assume when we’ve discovered that we are actually thinking about the wrong thing, or we’ve made a mistake about something.

So for an example, maybe you thought a friend wasn’t coming to a party you were throwing.

But then, actually, she did arrive.

Okay so, you could say in that situation to your friend, “hey, I assumed you weren’t coming to my party, but I was so happy that you actually came.”

To assume something is to think a certain way about something, without having all the facts or information.

It does not necessarily mean you were wrong.

You can assume something and find out that you’re correct about it later. For example, maybe you assume your friend isn’t going to the party, and in fact she doesn’t go. This time her actions supported your assumption. (Assumption is the noun form of the verb “to assume” by the way. To assume is the verb.)

But, it’s to think something without having all of the facts or the information. Okay? So that’s assume.

Perceive

The next word on our list for today is to perceive.

To perceive something simply means to sense or to feel something without clear evidence.

We often use perceive when we’re taking in information that is not clear or not certain.

So for example, maybe a teacher can perceive that her students are tired or bored, right?

The students aren’t telling the teacher, hey teacher, I’m bored.

Instead the teacher is picking up clues from the student’s body language, or maybe the students are yawning—and in this way the teacher perceives that they are bored or tired.

When you perceive something, you’re taking in indirect information and trying to understand it.

So that’s perceive.

React

The final word today is to react.

To react is different than the words we’ve discussed so far because when you react to something, it’s a response.

When you react to something, it means that you respond in a particular way directly to that thing you just observed or noticed.

So for example, when we use the word react in athletics or sports, when somebody throws you the ball, you’re not going to just let it hit you, you’re going to react to it. You’re going to try to catch it.

So that’s react.

Great! In this episode you learned 4 words related to information. For more vocabulary, download the full list of vocabulary in the show notes and tune in to the next episode.

If you like our show, help us out by leaving a rating and review in iTunes and don’t forget to hit the subscribe button. Until next time! This is Naomi at Magoosh wishing you happy studying.

Learn how to improve your IELTS band score with Magoosh!

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