Welcome to the December 2020 edition of Spotlight Vocabulary.
In this series, we curate articles that contain ideas and high-level vocabulary you can use in tests like IELTS or OET.
Many students say that they cannot think of ideas for their IELTS essays – reading these articles will help solve that problem.
These are just a selection of the articles we read in December; you can find more on our LinkedIn and Twitter accounts.
How To Use These Articles
If you have time for nothing else – just read them.
Ideally, it would help if you recorded new words with an app like Anki.
Writing down the whole sentence in which the word appears. Instead of just the word will also help. The context will help you to remember the word and use it accurately.
Finally, use the words you learn frequently. That way, you can transfer them from your passive to active memory.
Passive vocabulary is useful for listening and reading tests, but you need ready recollection for new lexical resource to be helpful in speaking and writing.
For the ultimate practice, book a lesson with one of our teachers or submit a Writing Correction.
The Environment, Wildlife and Climate Change
Here’s a question you may never have considered before. What weighs more – humanmade materials, or the entire animal kingdom? Great ideas and vocabulary for the IELTS test in this article.
Here’s a fact you could use in an #IELTS essay on the #environment, #wildlife or #climatechange. We’ve now created a greater weight in plastic than the weight of all land animals and marine creatures combined. 😢 https://t.co/qm5zW3IDst
— Andy T (@withanexpert) December 10, 2020
New species might just be arriving faster than we thought. This article talks about DNA barcoding and will give you an interesting new angle for an essay on biodiversity.
Have you ever heard of DNA barcoding? It’s uncovering new species that have been hiding in plain sight. Good and bad news about biodiversity in this article and plenty of ideas and vocabulary for #IELTS on topics covering #wildlife & the #environment. https://t.co/dORyRPaqk2
— Andy T (@withanexpert) December 26, 2020
Predicting the Future
You often have to predict the future in IELTS Speaking and Writing. Sometimes, you have to write about what someone else has predicted in the Academic Task 1. Read this article for useful vocabulary and grammar structures you can use in this situation.
Here are some failed predictions for 2020 collated by @MichaelJVowles. None of them included a pandemic, but hyper-intelligent ape slaves do make an appearance. If asked to predict the future in the #IELTS test, you could borrow some of the near misses. https://t.co/KXPp7WCbTQ
— Andy T (@withanexpert) December 12, 2020
High-tech tattoos and meat are two predictions for the near future in this article. Read it to discover some more.
Smart tattoos and meatless meat are just two near-future predictions in this article by @ThePourquoiPas. If you need ideas and vocabulary to predict the future of technology for an #IELTS essay, this is your article! https://t.co/Sg9Rx8OnFj
— Andy T (@withanexpert) December 14, 2020
Need some positivity in the Year of Covid? This article provides it in bucketfuls. Fasten your seatbelt and prepare for economic prosperity.
Are you ready for the roaring 20s? This article has plenty of high-level vocabulary to help you pass #IELTS or #OET. We are about to bring this pandemic to heel with one of the greatest public health campaigns ever. Are you ready for your future? https://t.co/bXKhkOperO
— Andy T (@withanexpert) December 23, 2020
Space & Aliens
Space is becoming a fashionable topic in IELTS these days. Would aliens see us as food or friends? Good ideas and vocabulary you can transfer to the IELTS test in this article.
Should we send a seasons greetings card to potential cosmic cousins? @universeundress discusses what might happen if they had a British temperament – and what might happen if they didn’t. Good ideas for #IELTS test day. https://t.co/p7gK9nk9t4
— Andy T (@withanexpert) December 24, 2020
Emotions
Talking about your emotions is becoming a popular topic in IELTS these days. This article talks about how sadness fuels creativity.
Sadness fuels creativity – that’s the finding of Karol J. Borowiecki of @SDUeconhist. This article will provide you with ideas and vocabulary for the #IELTS test – and may explain why IELTS test takers become increasingly creative 😉 https://t.co/UZZAYdGnlI.
— Andy T (@withanexpert) December 28, 2020
And there’s more…
We have not shared all of last months collection.
To see the missing articles, and articles from previous months – visit our Twitter and LinkedIn accounts.
See you next year!