IELTS Plus: Episode 70 - Seasons

Hello everyone and welcome back to the IELTS plus English podcast where today we're going to talk all about seasons. So it's an easy one today. I do want to give a little... note to students out there I've definitely mentioned this multiple times but I'm working with a guy at the moment a particular student comes to my mind and it's something I really emphasize with him

And it's really transforming his answers. So I just want to give you this note to keep in mind with your studies. I divide vocabulary into topic-specific vocabulary. And general use vocabulary. Two sets of vocabulary. Now, topic specific is wonderful. You must develop that. That's what you do with me each week. We have a topic. You get 10 words in my textbook and that's developing your topic-specific vocabulary. However, one of the quickest and easiest ways to transform your language

is by learning only 10 general use, high level general use vocabulary that you can use in any answer, any circumstance. So... I really want to hear my students quickly find some words like tremendously, primarily, consequently. Maybe ubiquitous or detrimental. You've heard me use these words before. They sound really fancy. You know, you won't hear them all the time in spoken English because they are...

They're high level. But by really focusing on 10 of them and getting comfortable with 10, they're going to come out in your answer every single time. And don't worry about repetition. because you're only gonna do one exam with one examiner. So 10 words, let them come out. You can probably use them once or twice per exam.

And that will really transform your vocabulary. So it's something I really emphasize with my students. And that's what I'm working on with a particular student who comes to my mind nowadays. So that's my quick tip.

Of course, when we talk about topic-specific vocabulary, we do have today's list. Seasons, we're talking about harvest, solstice, hibernate. And some great words related to weather, like mild and scorching. So those words are available in my textbook, www.britplus.net. And you can go and check it out there. A lot of people have given me some nice feedback, so I hope it helps you out too. Let's get started. So a little bit of an easier one today. I'm feeling relaxed.

What is your favourite season of the year? This has changed a lot for me. When I lived in England, I always loved summer. There was no contest. However, the summer in Korea is so scorching hot with high humidity that it's unbearable. So I would say spring is my favorite season. Okay. What activities do you enjoy doing in each season? Well, if I mention each season, I would say in spring, I like hiking. Summer, I like swimming.

Autumn, I think I like reading books and having a coffee in the cooler air. And then in winter, of course, skiing is a big one. So... Each season definitely in Korea has different nice activities to do, but those are my favorites. Excellent. Okay. Part two. So today's...

Question is, describe your favorite season. Easy. So I'm going to get straight into it. I've already told you my favorite season, but let's do two minutes. My time starts now. I'd like to tell you about spring. When I first came to Korea 15 years ago, I was definitely a huge fan of summer. But what I quickly realized is that the Korean summer is so humid and the temperatures go up to 35, sometimes 40. So for me, it's pretty unbearable.

And I found that also the winters are exceptionally cold and really dry. So you've got these two extremes which are quite difficult to live in. But the... Seasons of transition, which are spring and autumn, are really pleasant. In spring particularly, you move towards, from this freezing cold weather, you move towards chilly nights. and mild days and it's really pleasant you can start going out going to the parks hiking outdoor activities they are so important to me

So spring is a great opportunity to start getting outside again. Let me tell you a little more about Korean spring. As I said, the nights are chilly, but... It is very dry still, so you don't really get frosty mornings like you do in the UK. The days are mild. Sometimes they even get hot, especially towards the end of spring. And we have a lovely blossom festival. Actually, it's a festival in Korea, but this period where the blossom blooms, and it's just so beautiful.

The whole country changes and the mountains go pink. I can see it from my window. So spring is a really pleasant time of year. For me personally, I'm a huge fan of hiking. So it's a great... Okay. I think that was okay. I did the very typical progression through my structure and I made it to... For me personally, the opinion section. And as usual, the clock timed out during that. So that was a well-executed part two. I won't say any more than that. Let's go to part three.

Well, especially in a country like... where the seasons are quite, it's changing nowadays, but really the seasons are quite distinct. The lifestyle changes so much from season to season. So in winter... Definitely people go inside. They don't want to come out. They don't want to spend time outside. The animals hibernate. The wildlife disappear. The mountains become very quiet.

Whereas in summer, although people are definitely getting outside more, there is definitely towards the end of summer a difficulty experienced by people and sleepiness. It just becomes quite exhausting, that hot summer temperatures. In between, you have this lovely, pleasant period where people...

Really get outside, the bike roads get busy, the hiking trails get busy. So yeah, it really changes people's lifestyles. What are the advantages and disadvantages of living in a place with four distinct seasons? I suppose the biggest advantage of having four distinct seasons is that you can do a variety of activities. I think a lot of people would be quite happy to have a variety of things they do through the year from skiing and snowboarding to things like surfing in the summer.

So that's definitely a big advantage. On the other hand, I'd say the biggest disadvantage is the amount of clothing you need. I know for me in Korea, with our four distinct seasons, I have a huge range of clothing and I need all of it. And therefore, I need all of the wardrobe space. And for everyone in Korea... we have this period in spring and autumn where you have to change everything and put all of your previous clothing into storage.

and prepare for an upcoming season whichever that is so that can be difficult Good. Quick tip there. I've told you this before, but it's an important one. When they say advantages and disadvantages, my advice, you don't have to do this, but my advice is pick... one main advantage, pick one main disadvantage. I just feel that by doing that, you can maintain clarity and depth in your answer.

I don't like it when a student just lists things. I prefer a clear advantage with an example, maybe, and a clear disadvantage.

with an example. That's what I did in my answer. Our last question, in what ways can climate change impact the traditional patterns of seasons? Well, I think climate change, we're seeing that happen, is that we are losing those transition seasons, which are spring and autumn. The summer is definitely lengthening. And some people say the winter is also lengthening. I don't think the winter is getting colder necessarily, but it...

Certainly the summer, for me, since living in Korea, you can really notice that the summer is starting at the end of June, whereas it used to be closer to August. And it goes right through until really deep into October, even the end of October. So that's an incredibly difficult period. and can be very frustrating that it lasts so long. Good. Okay. You can notice there that I did make an error. I said autumn instead of August. It's perfectly fine to make that kind of error.

and correct yourself try not to repeat entire sections but to quickly go back and change a vocabulary because you chose the wrong one is fine and that is everything good I hope you enjoyed today's episode. A few tips there today, really, really important ones that I emphasize with students. And that is everything. So next lesson, we are on smartphones. So...

I don't know if that's an easy one or a difficult one. I think for most of us, it's one that we can really relate to. So maybe not too bad. So study tremendously hard this week. and I'll see you next Monday to talk about smartphones.