Welcome to the July 2020 edition of Spotlight Vocabulary.
This is a series of curated articles selected around topics that you are likely to come across on test day. In each article, you will discover ideas and vocabulary you can use in both the Speaking and Writing sections of your test.
These are just a selection of the articles we read in July; you can find more on our LinkedIn and Twitter accounts.
How To Use These Articles
Start reading! It’s as simple as that.
If you have a little more time, record the words you find in a vocabulary app, like Anki.
If you have more time, then don’t just record the word, record the whole sentence in which the word appears. Learning new vocabulary in context will help you to remember it and to use it more accurately.
It is essential to use the words as often as you can. If you don’t, you won’t be able to use the words actively. If you use them in Speaking, you may pause and hesitate – damaging your fluency and pronunciation scores.
Passive vocabulary is useful for listening and reading tests, but you need immediate recollection for it to be helpful in speaking and writing.
For the ultimate practice, book a lesson with one of our teachers or submit a Writing Correction.
Space
This topic has cropped up a few times recently. Top-up your intergalactic vocabulary by reading this article…
The topic of #space has appeared in #IELTS recently. Lots of interesting thoughts and good #vocabulary in this article by @trevortmahoney on a potential new home for mankind. Will English become an intergalactic language? https://t.co/6IwlHw9CgX pic.twitter.com/AETi8FO4Nb
— Andy T (@withanexpert) July 11, 2020
Clothing
This is one of our own articles on the topic of clothing – a topic that your could encounter in any part of the IELTS test. Click on the link to find a good vocabulary resource for clothes – and start talking to your wardrobe…
Here’s an #IELTS Part 2 Speaking Question…
Describe an occasion when you wore your best clothes
You should say:
— when it was
— what you wore
— what they looked like
and explain why you wore your best clothes.⁰⁰
Click for a model answer!https://t.co/hxMY7SAsfr pic.twitter.com/gqbz3F03Nc
— Andy T (@withanexpert) July 17, 2020
Marine Life
From space to the depths of the ocean, this month’s edition of Spotlight Vocabulary has it all. This article will help you answer Speaking questions related to animals or sea life…
What is not especially big or ferocious – an arm’s length from head to tail, and has a snuffling, moustachioed snout? Click the link to find out and unearth #animal vocabulary to impress on examiner on #IELTS test day. https://t.co/pLdlZntuPH pic.twitter.com/Z7M6GUZYSQ
— Andy T (@withanexpert) July 19, 2020
Social Media
Social media come up regularly as a topic in the IELTS test. This article will give you plenty of food for thought as well as some new vocabulary…
Have you hear of doomsurfing? Maybe you are doing it right now! This article will equip you with arguments and vocabulary to talk about the merits and dangers of social media in the #IELTS test. Stop scrolling – start reading! https://t.co/3ZSVvgWeRs
— Andy T (@withanexpert) July 21, 2020
Genetics
Should we be able to edit the DNA of our children? Is it inevitable that we will? If we do, what kind of a person would that make us?
Plenty of food for thought in this BBC podcast about the morality of genetics. Should create a world in which prospective parents can order the characteristics of their designer babies from a tick-box à la carte menu? Vocabulary and ideas for #IELTS https://t.co/yTL38ZveCN pic.twitter.com/QdMBmjI9nM
— Andy T (@withanexpert) July 23, 2020
Affluence, Consumerism, Pollution and the Environment
It’s difficult to pigeon hole this article under one topic – but is well worth the read. Covid-19 is not an existential threat – but affluence might just be…
Is affluence a greater existential threat than Covid-19? This article has Lots of ideas and vocabulary you could use for #IELTS topics connected with the environment, pollution and consumerism.. https://t.co/VRlDIRo96N pic.twitter.com/36AYAj1njQ
— Andy T (@withanexpert) July 31, 2020
And there’s more…
Ou Twitter and LinkedIn accounts have many more articles that you may have missed but would benefit from.
To see the missing articles, and articles from previous months – visit our Twitter and LinkedIn accounts.
See you next month!