Welcome to the February 2021 edition of Spotlight Vocabulary.
This series features curated articles containing vocabulary and ideas for topics common in the IELTS test.
Would you like to read more? Sign up to our LinkedIn and Twitter accounts.
How To Use These Articles
The most important thing is to read them. If you can, capture new vocabulary on an app – for example, Anki.
If time permits, write down the whole sentence in which the word appears. Learning new vocabulary in context will help you remember it and use it accurately – especially when it comes to collocation.
Finally, use the words whenever you have an opportunity. This will help you to transfer them from your passive to your active vocabulary.
For the ultimate practice, book a lesson with one of our teachers or submit a Writing Correction.
Furniture and the Environment
Have you ever struggled to carry new furniture through the doors of your home?
Check out this solution which involves growing furniture into custom made moulds. No soil or sunlights needed – and a great way to reduce stress on the environment…
If you have had to talk about furniture in the #IELTS test – or suggest ways to save the environment, @SteevoToday has written an interesting article about lab-grown furniture. This could also be the best way to furnish your future martian home! https://t.co/3WgOTKmUCw
— Andy T (@withanexpert) February 6, 2021
Working from Home
Working from home has become almost the default these days – and is also a common IELTS Speaking and Writing Task 2 question. These articles ask who benefits the most and highlight four hidden risks…
Who benefits more from working from home – the employer, society, or the worker? @mit_ide has some answers to help you with this question on #IELTS test day. https://t.co/djvnMGfsDA
— Andy T (@withanexpert) February 8, 2021
Many of us work from home now – and discussing the benefits and dangers is an #IELTS topic. This article highlights 4 hidden risks of #workingfromhome You should definitely read it before exam day. Maybe you should read it before you get back to work! https://t.co/rSA5wEcKUj pic.twitter.com/vcqcLiutFv
— Andy T (@withanexpert) February 15, 2021
The Digital City and Urban Spaces
If you need to stock up on vocabulary for discussing urban spaces – this is your article!
This article is packed with high-level vocabulary and ideas you can use to describe #cities and #urban spaces in the #IELTS test. It’s also written by a non-native speaker who is better than many a native! https://t.co/d7dtdX0N2I
— Andy T (@withanexpert) February 10, 2021
Describing Your Home
This is one of the most common topics on IELTS Speaking test day. The author of this article shows you how to answer it in style…
Describing your #home is one of the most common questions in #IELTS #Speaking. This article by Hiba Memon, ‘a 3rd culture kid,’ gives you an outstanding example of what you could say. https://t.co/FDib5Hr0On
— Andy T (@withanexpert) February 12, 2021
Technology and Vaccines
Admiral Nelson was a strong supporter of how technology benefits our lives. Plenty of ideas and examples you can use in the test…
This article about Admiral Nelson and the smallpox vaccine discusses how #technology has benefited our life for centuries. Plenty of ideas & #vocabulary to impress an examiner on test day! And an interesting read too! https://t.co/6oo7q5FaXe pic.twitter.com/MHRd47n1l3
— Andy T (@withanexpert) February 17, 2021
The Internet
Plenty of vocabulary and ideas here to help you tackle any internet-based topics on test day…
Is the #internet broken? The Brit who invented HTML & the WWW thinks so. @wearediplomacy explains how he aims to fix it with something called dWeb. What do you think? Good vocabulary and ideas to inform an opinion about #theinternet on #IELTS test day. https://t.co/s2wFgW4onW pic.twitter.com/Y6JxxZh71z
— Andy T (@withanexpert) February 19, 2021
AI and Robotics
Was it an insect or a drone? That’s a question you might have to start asking yourself very soon!
This is the kind of article you might have to tackle in the Reading test…
Could reverse engineering insect brains on silicone be the 3rd wave of AI? This article is similar to the type you encounter in the #IELTS #Reading test and contains plenty of ideas & vocabulary for #Speaking & #Writing too! https://t.co/o05LM7sGDG
— Andy T (@withanexpert) February 21, 2021
Infrastructure
This is not only a topic in its own right – it is also a part of many other topics. Is expensive infrastructure a barrier to success? …
This article by @AdieTomer considers whether infrastructure is affordable and whether the cost of accessing it in developed countries creates a barrier to progress. You will find good vocabulary you can use on #IELTS test day – for Task 1 and Task 2 https://t.co/S5ZceC0PJ2
— Andy T (@withanexpert) February 23, 2021
IELTS General Task 1
We’ve noticed that’s it’s difficult to find good quality vocabulary that covers the kind of contexts you will find in IELTS General Task 1.
This new section in the Spotlight IELTS Vocabulary series aims to address that problem…
Bathrooms
If you had to write a letter about a problem with your bathroom – what would you say? Read this article to arm yourself with the kind of vocabulary which you might find useful…
Six things you should know when redoing your bathroom – or vocabulary that will help you pass #IELTS General Task 1. Many test candidates struggle to find high-level language when writing a letter. This article supplies plenty of bathroom-related vocab. https://t.co/IaMfyQW6H7
— Andy T (@withanexpert) February 25, 2021
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 month!