Hey! Today is my favourite type of episode - the one where I get to chat to a student whose IELTS journey is over. Today, we have Zina, a dentist from Iraq who I worked with one-to-one to help her reach her target scores. Honestly, I feel that Zina is more of a friend than a student, which is why I am was happy so to talk to her today about path to success and what life is like pst-IELTS. You can read more about today's episode at: http://blog.myieltsclassroom.com/ ielts-dentist / In this epis...
Mar 09, 2021•41 min
Last week, Nick and I explained why inventing fake research and statistics to provide "examples" in your essays is exactly the opposite of what IELTS expects you to do, This week, we want to show how you can come up with GOOD examples i.e. those that extend, support and justify your arguments. You can read more about today's episode at: http://blog.myieltsclassroom.com/ good-ielts-examples / In this episode, we will give you some useful vocabulary related to sleep show you how you can use exampl...
Mar 02, 2021•53 min•Ep. 47
Did you know that recent research at Cambridge University has shown that 100% of My IELTS Classroom students are satisfied with their course? I know - it surprised me too! What surprises me more, however, is that students continue to use fake examples in IELTS essays to "support" their ideas. I cannot express strongly enough how depressed this makes me feel. So, in today's episode, I want to present my case as to why inventing fake statistics is pointless at best, and damaging to your writing sc...
Feb 23, 2021•44 min
Hey! Last week we asked you to email us any questions that you have about the IELTS exam, and boy did you deliver! Today, Nick and I try to answer as many as we can, which was a lot! If you are looking for general IELTS help, then this is the episode for you! You can find the full episode notes and a list of the questions that we answer on our blog post page: http://blog.myieltsclassroom.com/ ielts-help / Useful Links Should you ask for a remark of your work? http://blog.myieltsclassroom.com/r...
Feb 16, 2021•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 45
Welcome to our IELTS letters 2021 episode! Every time one of my students emails me their IELTS results, the fist thing I ask them is "What questions did you have in the writing exam?" There are two reasons for this: First, it helps me understand if our students are performing better in some type of questions than others (so I can support future students better). Second, it allows me to build a bank of recent exam questions that I can give to my students to use for high-quality practice. This wee...
Feb 09, 2021•58 min•Ep. 44
There is no doubt that Speaking Part Two can be challenging for many students. After all, talking continuously for 2 minutes is not something we do very often in every day life! However, is using the IELTS PPF method the best way to keep going until the examiner interrupts you? Nick and I think that it is definitely NOT for three reasons! You can read more about today's episode at: http://blog.myieltsclassroom.com/ielts-ppf-method/ In this episode, we will explain what the IELTS PPF method is ...
Feb 02, 2021•46 min
Yes, Nick and I are back to look at six more essay topics that have been reported from the IELTS tests in January 2021. We will breakdown each question to explain what makes it tricky and how you can approach it best. This is an interactive lesson, so please go to our episode page to read and generate ideas for each of the questions before you listen: http://blog.myieltsclassroom.com/ ielts-essay-questions-2021 / In this episode, we will discuss the following questions Some scientists think th...
Jan 26, 2021•50 min
Not every student who sits the exam is doing so to study abroad or migrate. There are some students who simply want to set themselves a challenge and test their current level of academic English. Alisa was one such student. Despite being a graduate from the linguistics department with great language skills, she knew that the best way that she could progress in her own teaching career was to actually sit the IELTS test herself. How did she get on? Great! Find out how My IELTS Classroom helped her...
Jan 19, 2021•43 min
Hey! Are you considering taking the TOEFL test instead of IELTS? Then today's podcast is perfect for you as we go through the TOEFL test to explain how it is similar and different to IELTS. In fact, even if you are already on the IELTS path, you should find this lesson interesting as it shows a totally different approach to testing (and teaching) English as a Second Language. In this episode, you will learn: the basic facts about the TEOFL test why you may want to considering sitting for it what...
Jan 12, 2021•1 hr 16 min
Hey! I think that we can all agree that IELTS 2020 has not been easy. COVID has meant that many of us have had to spend weeks or months indoors, with test centres around the world closing, university courses moving online, and future plans being put on hold as we all try to ride the storm into 2021. However, despite of the hardships of this year, there have been bright spots. This podcast has been one. It wouldn't exist if Nick and I hadn't had spare time on our hands during lockdown. So, join u...
Dec 29, 2020•42 min•Ep. 40
Hey! The festive season is with us, and whether or not you are going home for Christmas or even celebrating at all, today, Nick and invite you to join us for three fun IELTS Christmas quizzes - we will practice some grammar, review some lexis and, most importantly, have some fun at the end of what has been a very long year! Plus, you can enter the My IELTS Classroom Quiz to win a free monthly subscription to the My IELTS Classroom Bronze Writing Package by emailing your answers to these three qu...
Dec 22, 2020•53 min
The sad thing about headings match questions is that they are not only genuinely the most difficult type of question to answer in the reading test as they test you ability to summarise information, but they are made doubly-difficult by all of the poor advice given online about how to tackle them. In today's episode, Nick and I complete two IELTS headings matching questions (one GT and one academic) to show you the right way to approach these questions (and also to illustrate why they can be so d...
Dec 15, 2020•1 hr 2 min•Ep. 38
The matching questions in the IELTS exam should be easy. I mean, you can see the answers – they are just sitting there in the box. So why is it so difficult to match them? Well, today Nick and I will explain by breaking down the two types of listening matching questions to show you how they work and why they can be so tricky (Spoiler - it is all about SYNONYMS!) This is an interactive episode so please have a pen and piece of paper ready so that you can join in the activities. You can see the qu...
Dec 08, 2020•55 min•Ep. 36
Hey! Many students feel confused when they start preparing for IELTS. With so much information online, it can be really hard to know how or where to begin to get the best results. In this post, I want to give you a simple step-by-step guide to starting your preparation for IELTS that is based on my experience training hundreds of students each year. You can read more about today's episode at: http://blog.myieltsclassroom.com/ start-preparing-for-ielts / In this episode, we will explain how to kn...
Nov 24, 2020•50 min
I sometimes think that the world that I live in is very different to the one that IELTS test-takers live in. For example, when I was a child, my sister and I played a lot of computer games. The result? A lot of happy memories and good hand-eye coordination. However, if you ask IELTS test-takers what the result of playing computer games is, the answer is always the same: blindness, lack of social skills, and maybe, a life of crime! You can read more about today's episodes at: http://blog.myieltsc...
Oct 27, 2020•52 min•Ep. 32
Episode Notes I know, I know, I know - not everybody likes grammar! In fact, even Nick hated it when he first started teaching. The problem, though, is that 25% of your score for writing and listening will be awarded based on your sentence structures. There are many places where students can make errors in the writing test, but day upon day, Nick and I see the same 3 common IELTS mistakes again and again. What are they? Well, you will need to listen to find out! You can find the show notes for t...
Oct 20, 2020•53 min•Ep. 30
Today, we have a different type of episode! If you are looking for our usual informative lessons, then go back and have a listen to our back-catalogue as today Nick and I discuss the launch of the new My IELTS Classroom website. It has been a long six months preparing all of the new live lessons and getting the design right, so forgive us if we sound excited - this really is the biggest thing we have ever done and we can't wait for you to see it. in the episode, ee will talk about what is new, w...
Oct 13, 2020•45 min•Ep. 29
How can you make sure that your reports for IELTS line graphs always compare and summarise? You can follow the simple strategies that we are going to give you today! This is an interactive lesson, so make sure you have this webpage open as you listen so you can see the charts and follow the class! http://blog.myieltsclassroom.com/ielts-line-graphs/ Episode Notes The reason we have chosen to look at line graphs is that these are the charts that cause students the most problems. Line graphs give...
Oct 06, 2020•1 hr 2 min
Do you know the difference between a good IELTS letter and a great one? The tone! Writers who are able to engage with the question and write IELTS letters that feels AUTHENTIC are those who walk away with a 7.5 or an 8.0 for General Training Writing Task One instead of a 6.5 or 6.0. You can find out more about today's lesson at http://blog.myieltsclassroom.com/ielts-letters/ Episode Notes Today, Nick and I are going to focus on how you can analyse the prompt to make your formal and semi-formal l...
Sep 29, 2020•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 27
Hey! It’s my favourite type of podcast – the one where I get to sit down and talk to one of our students whose IELTS journey has come to an end. In fact, this week it was Nick who sat down with Abdelaziz to find out how he was able to pass IELTS first time with an overall score of 8.0 (including an 8.0 for writing!). If you are looking for inspiration, motivation, or just good advice about what you can do to reach your target score, then stop listening to me, and start listening to our lovely st...
Sep 22, 2020•38 min•Ep. 26
After the popularity of our first IELTS essay breakdown, Nick and I are back to look at five MORE essay topics from the 2020 Academic and General Training IELTS tests. This is an interactive lesson, so please go to our episode page to read and generate ideas for each of the questions before you listen: http://blog.myieltsclassroom.com/ ielts-essay-topics-2020 / In this episode, we will discuss why some tasks require topic-specific language to be tackled well how to best tackle 2-Part questions...
Sep 15, 2020•52 min•Ep. 25
True? False? Not given? Never have four small words caused so much pain for so many people! But, worry no more! Today, Nick and I will unlock the mysteries of IELTS True False Not Given Questions once and for all.... This is an interactive lesson, so please download the test and questions here before you start the episode: https://tinyurl.com/y2z3rps9 In this episode, we will: show you the difference between scanning keywords and control keywords go through the most common types of control words...
Sep 08, 2020•1 hr•Ep. 24
Today, we enter the "enemy camp" to talk to Katerina Polianskaya, the administrator at LT Pro , an IELTS IDP test centre here in St Petersburg, Russia, to find out what happens "behind the scenes" at an IELTS test centre. Honestly, I really didn't think that Kate would be able to answer very many of the questions that I had for her because I thought it would all be "sensitive" but in the end she gave me a clear answer to EVERY question, including classics like What happens if you write T and F i...
Sep 01, 2020•59 min•Ep. 23
Is the IELTS computer delivered test right for you? Well, that will depend a number of factor, some practical (like time and price) and some educational (like can you read in detail in a computer). But, don't worry - today Nick and I will take you on a full tour of the computer delivered test so that you can work out if you want to type your answers or stick to good old pen and pencil. You can read more about today's episodes at http://blog.myieltsclassroom.com/ielts-computer-delivered-test/ Epi...
Aug 18, 2020•1 hr 5 min•Ep. 21
One thing I have learned while running My IELTS Classroom is that many students need as much emotional support from me as academic guidance. However, I sometimes feel that I do not have the skills needed to help my students who are dealing with failure and IELTS stress management. That is why today, I am so glad to be able to share this interview with the psychologist and art therapist Beverley A'court who takes us through every aspect of stress and failure to give you (and me) some simple techn...
Aug 11, 2020•1 hr 14 min•Ep. 20
Most students think that IELTS Listening Part 1 is the easiest part of the test, but I disagree! I have seen many high-level student lose marks here, which can be a complete disaster if you are aiming for the highest band scores, like an 8.0 for CLB9. You can read more about today's episode at: http://blog.myieltsclassroom.com/ ielts-listening-part-1 / Episode Notes In today's episode, Nick and I want to show you the 4 most common reasons why students make errors in this part of the test, and ex...
Jul 28, 2020•1 hr 8 min•Ep. 18
One of the best ways that you can motivate yourself to study IELTS is to focus on what life will be like after you pass the exam. If you are looking for inspiration, motivation, or just good advice about preparation, then listen to Noor, our Pakistani doctor who is today's IELTS success story!. She will teach you that just because you don't pass first time, it doesn't mean you can't be a winner! You can read more about today's episode at: http://blog.myieltsclassroom.com/ ielts-success-story-noo...
Jul 07, 2020•46 min•Ep. 15
Hands up if you find it hard to motivate yourself to study 🤚 You are not alone! Almost every student I work with struggles at some point to find the energy and determination to hit the IELTS books. That's why today, Nick and I want to invite you to join out 30 Day IELTS Motivation Challenge to get you back on track and studying hard! You can read more about today's episode and find ideas for changes to make at: http://blog.myieltsclassroom.com/ ielts-motivation-challenge / Episode Notes If you ...
Jun 23, 2020•45 min•Ep. 13
Today, Nick and I look at five essay questions from the 2020 Academic and General Training IELTS tests. Why these five? Well, I think that they represent the most difficult questions reported to me by my students! This is an interactive lesson, so please go to our episode page to read and generate ideas for each of the questions before you listen: http://blog.myieltsclassroom.com/ ielts-2020-essay-questions / Episode Notes Want to know how two IELTS teachers would unlock the most difficult IELTS...
Jun 16, 2020•53 min•Ep. 12
Somebody stole my IELTS lessons! Over the last couple of years, I have noticed that teachers often take my ideas and introduce them into their own classes. Usually, I don't mind this, but last week I discovered that somebody was copying my content and presenting it as their own. This made me realise that I really need to teach my students how to know the difference between a good IELTS teacher and an average (or even poor) one. And guess what? That is exactly what Nick and I do in this episode! ...
Jun 02, 2020•50 min•Ep. 10
