IELTS Simon

IELTS Listening: 'health and old age' topic

Here's another TED talk that I found interesting. The presenter speaks very clearly, and she uses lots of good vocabulary about the topic of health and old age. Maybe you could make a vocabulary list as you watch.

IELTS Listening: another gap-fill

Listen to the recording and fill each gap in the summary with ONE word only.

Click here to listen

Opening or switching a bank account can seem ______, so it’s important to start by thinking about why you need a bank account. You may need it in order to receive ______ or benefits, to pay ______ bills, to take money out of cash ______, or to make payments using a debit card.

Different types of accounts are available. Current accounts are good for ______ your day-to-day money. They allow you to go ______, so you’ll have to pass a credit check when you apply for one. If you go into the ______ you’ll have to pay fees and ______. Basic bank accounts are similar to current accounts, but they don’t let you go overdrawn.

IELTS Listening: 'seafood' or 'sea food'?

People often ask about compound words. For example, if the answer in the book is "seafood" or "clubhouse", would "sea food" and "club house" be accepted?

The answer is normally yes. As long as the question instruction doesn't say that answers must be one word only, "sea food" and "club house" would be fine.

Click here to see a useful list of compound words.

IELTS Listening: something interesting

The video that I have chosen for today doesn't come from an IELTS test, and I haven't made any questions about it. I just thought I would share something interesting that is related to yesterday's reading exercise. So, here's Bill Gates talking about the physicist Richard Feynman:

Note:
What do you think the title of the video (The Best Teacher I Never Had) means? Can you paraphrase it?

IELTS Listening: more from TED

Are you putting too much pressure on yourself to be successful in your career? If you're feeling anxious about the future, you might find the TED talk below useful.

Here are a few questions to help you follow some of the speaker's main points:

1. How does the speaker define 'snobbery'?
2. What problem does he link to the spirit of equality in many societies?
3. What are the two types of self-help book?
4. What is the negative side of the idea of 'meritocracy'?

IELTS Listening: keywords

Here's a table showing 'keywords' from some of the recent listening lessons here on the blog:

Note:
Did you know the phrases to be in line with and a technological marvel, and the words fortnight and refurbished?

IELTS Listening: no homework!

As a teacher, I always find articles and documentaries about education interesting. Here's a short YouTube video that I watched yesterday. What do you think about the idea that school pupils shouldn't have to do homework?

IELTS Listening: TED talk about 'grit'

I've just watched the interesting TED talk below. The speaker explains that according to her research, the most significant predictor of success among students is "grit". So, what is "grit" and how can we build it?

IELTS Listening: try these techniques

Here are 4 techniques that you could experiment with when practising IELTS listening tests from the Cambridge books:

1. Work on specific sections rather than doing full tests. For example, you could focus on section 1 this week, then do lots of examples of section 2 next week.
2. Do a full test, but allow yourself to listen two or three times. See how many extra answers you get the second or third time you listen to the recording.
3. Do a full test, but give yourself as much time as you want during the breaks (by stopping the recording). This takes away the problem of not having time to read the questions properly, and allows you to focus more on your listening skills.
4. Change the listening test into a reading test. Instead of listening to the recording, use the transcript at the back of the book. Did you get a higher score than usual? If you did, your listening skills need more work. If you didn't, maybe your problem is related to vocabulary.

The suggestions above might help you to find where your weaknesses are. They might also make exam practice a bit more interesting!

IELTS Listening: another TED video

Here's another interesting video from the website ted.com. Before you watch it, here are some suggestions about how you could use this kind of video:

1. Watch the full video once for some general English listening practice.
2. Or watch short sections of the video (e.g. 1 or 2 minutes) and note down some good words and phrases. In other words, videos like this can be tools for vocabulary learning.
3. Or do both of the above: watch the video all the way through without subtitles, then watch it again with the subtitles on and pause to note down the good vocabulary.

PS. Did you learn anything interesting from this talk?

IELTS Listening: interview tips transcript

Here's the full transcript for the listening exercise in last week's lesson:

Click here to listen

Today I'm going to answer the question “Why should I hire you?”, exactly the way I do in my book ‘The Complete Interview Answer Guide’. Now, this is often the last question you will be asked in an interview. Prepare for it. I mean, this is your chance to restate the skills you possess that are most relevant to the position, and to summarise your other qualities that make you the perfect person for the job.

I want you to outline your answer before you go in, and so that you can answer clearly, concisely and with confidence. Your answer should be short, to the point; it should reflect your profession, your background as it relates to your current needs and the problems of the position. Review the job description and tell them how you are the right person for the job by matching up your skill set with each bullet point for the job description. In formulating your answer, be sure to address these areas:

Number 1: Determine their goals for the position. This should come up during your research into the company and the position. If possible talk to others who work for the company. If you're unclear on this point, include it in the questions you ask the interviewer, and be prepared to incorporate it into your answer.

Also, show them that you have the skills needed for the job. Based on the goals you've identified in step 1, determine how your skills and experience support these goals, and if necessary, you know, just refer back to your list of skills.

Thirdly, articulate shared values. Again, this should come up in your research. Look at the company's mission statement and regular business practices. Explain why these are in line with your own values and goals.

IELTS Listening: gap-fill about interview tips

Listen to the following talk by the writer of a book about job interviews.

Click here to listen

(Source: video by Don Georgevich)

Fill the gaps below with one word only.

1. The question "Why should I hire you?" gives you the opportunity to restate your _____ and summarise your other _____.
2. Your answer should be clear, concise and confident, and it should show how your _____ relates to your current needs and the problems of the position.
3. Make sure you address some key areas: First determine the company's _____. Next show how your skills and _____ support the company's needs. Finally, explain how your _____ match those given in the company's mission _____.

IELTS Listening: slow listening practice

Yesterday I found a website where they read news stories slowly. If you find fast English difficult to follow, this website could really help you. And even if your listening skills are excellent, listening to slow English can help you to work on your own pronunciation, intonation and clarity of speech.

Click here to visit the site and try listening to a slow news story.

IELTS Listening: more practice

Have you tried the official listening practice exercises on the British Council website? I've linked to this before but the site seems to have changed recently.

Click here to try an exercise from listening section 1, then move on to sections 2, 3 and 4.

IELTS Listening: gap-fill guessing

Try today's gap-fill task, but read the 4 steps below before you start.

1. Read the transcript below and try to guess the missing words.
2. Then open last week's lesson in a new window on your computer.
3. Start the video, but hide the window so that you can't see it.
4. Listen to the first minute of the talk and fill the gaps below.

For over a decade as a doctor, I've cared for homeless veterans, for working-class ___1___. I've cared for people who live and work in ___2___ that can be hard, if not harsh, and that work has led me to believe that we need a ___3___ different way of looking at healthcare. We simply need a healthcare system that moves beyond just looking at the ___4___ that bring people into clinics, but instead actually is able to look and improve health where it begins. And where health begins is not in the four ___5___ of a doctor's office, but where we live and where we work, where we eat, sleep, learn and play, where we spend the ___6___ of our lives.

When you guessed the missing words, how close were you to getting the correct answers?

IELTS Listening: another interesting talk

Here's another talk from the website ted.com. I'm sure you'll find it interesting, especially if you're a doctor, nurse or other medical professional.

Here are three easy questions about the talk:

1. Why does the speaker tell the story about Veronica?
2. What does the "parable of three friends" demonstrate?
3. In the field of health care, what is an "upstreamist"?

If you have more time, you could note down some of the good words and phrases that the speaker uses.

IELTS Listening: keywords

Here's a table showing keywords from the most recent listening lessons here on the blog. It's always a good idea to review keywords, even if they seem to be easy.

IELTS Listening: film course transcript

Here's the transcript for the recording from last week's lesson. Listen again, and fill the gaps that I've left.

Click here to listen

Fill each gap with one word only.

Students, when they’re applying, really need to reflect, pause for a moment and think what it is that _____ bringing to the course, and _____ they want to go with it. We want to see evidence that they do have some experience of thinking of telling stories visually. We don’t need to see a great deal; they shouldn’t panic about quantity, but they should reflect on what they have got that can show _____ talent and _____ creative ability. Ideally we would like to see moving image work, but if an applicant has not had the chance to do that, then _____ welcome to show us drawings, photographs, animations - any work that is thinking about telling stories over time.

IELTS Listening: multiple choice about film course

Listen to a teacher's advice for students who are applying to a film-making course.

Click here to listen

Which TWO things should students do when applying to the course?

A ... Understand what the course is about.
B ... Think carefully about what they can contribute to the course.
C ... Tell a story about an experience that they have had.
D ... Provide a large quantity of work that shows their ability.
E ... Show an example of their own film work if possible.
F ... Explain why they are interested in the course.

IELTS Listening: underlining

Last week I asked you which words you would underline in the questions below. Now let's see if we can get the correct answers, using only the underlined keywords.

Here are the questions again, with keywords underlined:

1. How might a guest feel when staying in a luxury hotel?

A     impressed with the facilities
B     depressed by the experience
C     concerned at the high costs

2. According to recent research, luxury hotels overlook the need to

A     provide for the demands of important guests
B     create a comfortable environment
C     offer an individual and personal welcome

3. What is the impact of the outside environment on a hotel guest?

A     It has a considerable effect.
B     It has a very limited effect.
C     It has no effect whatsoever.

Now here's the transcript of the recording. Choose the correct answers and explain them by referring to keywords in the questions and transcript.

You wake up in the middle of the night in a strange hotel miles away from home, disoriented most probably from jet lag, when even the most expensive surroundings can seem empty and dispiriting. The research suggests that even the most opulent, luxurious hotels seem to have underestimated the most basic needs of their customers - be they travelling for work or pleasure: the need to feel at home in surroundings which are both familiar and inviting. And the research concluded that what was outside the hotel building simply didn’t matter.

IELTS Listening: minimal underlining

Before the recording starts, you should use the breaks to read through the questions and underline the key words that you'll need to listen for.

But don't underline too many words. For example, if I told you that you could underline only one or two key words in each of the choices (A, B and C) below, which words would you choose?

1. How might a guest feel when staying in a luxury hotel?

A     impressed with the facilities
B     depressed by the experience
C     concerned at the high costs

2. According to recent research, luxury hotels overlook the need to

A     provide for the demands of important guests
B     create a comfortable environment
C     offer an individual and personal welcome

3. What is the impact of the outside environment on a hotel guest?

A     It has a considerable effect.
B     It has a very limited effect.
C     It has no effect whatsoever.

(Questions from Cambridge IELTS 7)

IELTS Listening: interesting videos

I haven't used a video from the website ted.com for a while, so here's an interesting one that I watched recently.

It's a good idea to note down any good vocabulary that you hear when watching online videos. For example, here are a few phrases from the video above:

- high-rise buildings
- urban life
- major cities
- achieve quality of life
- we came up with (= we invented / proposed)
- is under construction (= is being constructed)
- the public realm (= public areas / spaces)
- we are yet to understand (= we don’t understand yet)

IELTS Listening: multiple choice keywords

One reason why multiple choice questions are difficult is that you probably won't hear the exact words that are given in the answer choices. Instead, you'll hear similar words that have the same meaning (synonyms or paraphrasing).

For example, here are the 'keywords' for the multiple choice questions in section 3 of test 3 in Cambridge IELTS book 10:

IELTS Listening: lifespan transcript

Here's the full transcript of the recording in last week's lesson:

For centuries people have been able to improve their lifespans through dietary changes, public health policies and other factors. However, a recent study from the Albert Einstein College of Medicine has found that the limits of human longevity may have already been reached. In fact, researchers believe the maximum lifespan likely peaked decades ago, around 1995.

According to a news release issued by the school, the team used two different data sets, the ‘Human Mortality Database’ and the ‘International Database on Longevity’, as the basis for the study. Based on their calculations, they concluded that humans can typically live a maximum of 115 years, but the absolute upper limit is likely 125 years.

And while they acknowledge that medical breakthroughs could increase the average life expectancy, researchers believe the maximum will likely remain unchanged. As such, they suggest that efforts should focus on improving the health and quality of life, instead of trying to live longer.

IELTS Listening: lifespan gap-fill

Listen to the following recording, and fill the gaps in the summary below.

Click here to listen

Fill the gaps with a maximum of TWO words and/or a number.

For centuries people have been able to improve their lifespans through _____ changes. However, a recent study has found that the limits of _____ may have already been reached. It is believed that the maximum lifespan may have peaked around the year _____. Researchers concluded that humans can typically live for a maximum of _____ years, and that the absolute upper age limit is _____. They recommend that we make efforts to improve the _____ of life, rather than to extend life expectancy.

IELTS Listening: transcript

Here's the full transcript of the recording in last week's lesson:

Photographic Film

The use of photographic film was pioneered by George Eastman, who started manufacturing paper film in 1885, before switching to celluloid in 1889. His first camera, which he called the Kodak, was offered for sale in 1888. It was a very simple and relatively low-priced box camera aimed at the average consumer. The Kodak came with enough film for a hundred exposures and needed to be sent back to the factory for processing when the roll was finished.

IELTS Listening: 'photographic film' gap-fill

Listen to the recording about the history of photographic film, and fill the gaps in the sentences below.

Click here to listen

1. Eastman started manufacturing celluloid film in ______.

2. The "Kodak" was available to consumers from the year ______.

3. It was bought by normal people because it was ______ and ______.

4. The camera was able to take ______ pictures before a new film was needed.

IELTS Listening: free video

Click here to watch my latest video lesson. In this lesson I go through some basic information about the IELTS listening test, and I give a few key tips. Next week I'll add a video with some practice exercises.

IELTS Listening: 'handedness' transcript

Here's the transcript for the listening exercise from last week's lesson. I've left a few gaps for you to fill.

(It) turns out that more than 10% of people, or about 10%, are left-handed. If both parents are right-handed, there's about a 2% chance your child is going to be a _____. If one parent is left-handed, it's about 17%, and if both parents are lefties, there's about a 50% chance your child is also going to be left-handed, with guys _____ twice as often left-handed as girls.

So how do you tell what your child is going to be? (Well) when your baby is about six months of age, he or she may _____ to reach with their right hand, but very quickly will bring out their left hand, and it's not until a baby or a _____ is two years of age that we can really determine hand preference.

IELTS Listening: keywords from a matching task

There's a nice matching exercise in test 2 in Cambridge IELTS book 10 (questions 15 to 20). Here's a table showing the keywords that give us the answers:

Notice that synonyms or similar words are used in almost all of the questions. You need to be ready for this. You won't always hear the exact words from the question.

IELTS Listening: similar words

I often talk about the importance of looking for "keywords" or "similar words" in the reading test, but the same advice applies to many questions in the listening test.

Look at the following question from Cambridge IELTS 4:

Which argument was used against having a drama theatre?

A) It would be expensive and no students would use it.
B) It would be a poor use of resources because only a minority would use it.
C) It could not accommodate large productions of plays.

Find the answer by looking for the "similar words" in the transcript below.

There was, however, much disagreement about whether to build a drama theatre. Just over forty per cent of the respondents were in favour, but a largish minority were strongly against it, claiming that it is elitist and a waste of funds.