#1 IELTS PODCAST IN THE WORLD
Every week, Maria and Rory get together to discuss the latest IELTS Speaking topics, providing model answers and vocabulary to help you improve your general spoken English and achieve a higher band in your IELTS exam.
Rory admits he's become a bit of a couch potato! Listen as he and Maria share Band 9 vocabulary for daily routines and explore grammar for discussing past habits and hypothetical situations.
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Is a blockbuster with a big-name star guaranteed to succeed? Rory discusses why casting "non-entities" can still lead to a box office hit and shares powerful vocabulary for writing movie reviews.
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Rory shares why a recent trip to the cinema was a 'real letdown.' Listen to find out which blockbuster film he thought took 'absolutely ages' and learn how to describe your own disappointing experiences.
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Rory explains why he avoids high-rises but would visit a royal residence. Listen as he and Maria share stunning vocabulary for architecture and Rory cracks a dad joke about the world's tallest building!
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Should parents reward their kids for everything? Rory weighs in on when praise becomes a problem and shares some C2-level grammar that Maria says is essential for a Band 9. Listen for tips on avoiding selfish kids!
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Listen as Rory shares a personal story about his high-flying cousin! He reveals the idioms and transitions you need to talk about achievements and navigate tricky interview-style questions with confidence.
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Has Rory ever locked himself out of the house? Listen as he and Maria share tales of misplaced keys, momentary panic, and the one accessory everyone should have on their keychain. Don't get left in the cold!
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Are electric cars really the future? Rory shares a surprisingly pessimistic view on saving the planet, revealing a powerful idiom and a clever trick for when you need a moment to think in your exam.
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Rory plans a wild road trip to the rugged north of his country! Discover the advanced idioms, phrasal verbs, and transition phrases he uses to describe his dream journey and impress the examiner.
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Rory reveals he's switching careers and going 'all in' on a new venture. Listen to find out what major shifts are coming and why his move to Russia was so worthwhile for his professional development!
This episode’s vocabulary
Routine (noun) - your usual way of doing things, especially when you do them in a fixed order at the same time.
To gain (verb) - to get or achieve something, usually as a result of a lot of effort.
Competency (noun) - the ability to do something successfully or efficiently.
Worthwhile (adj.) - worth the time, money, or effort spent; of value or importance.
Ongoing (adj.) - continuing; still in progress.
To go all in (phrase) - to fully commit to a task or endeavor; to give or be prepared to give all of one's energy or resources toward something.
Major (adj.) - important, serious, or significant.
Minor (adj.) - lesser in importance, seriousness, or significance.
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Maria: Rory, do you like changes?
Rory: I suppose it depends on what kind, actually. If it's a positive change, like, if your work at the gym is working well, then it's great. If it's a change for the worse, then it's not great, like, a change in working conditions to be at home, or, for example, which some of us are having to do now. I don't like that. I'd rather be in the classroom.
Maria: Do you often change?
Rory: Um, not too often. I have a pretty regular routine going on that I quite like, so I don't think I'd change it that much. Although, I should say it's designed to enable positive change through self improvement. So you could argue that I'm changing all the time, I suppose.
Maria: What do you change?
Rory: Um, well, I don't usually change it, but my workout routine at the gym gets changed by my personal trainer and I have the chance to change my lesson plans to suit the classes I teach, which is good for them and good for me. It keeps me on my toes.
Maria: What would you not like to change?
Rory: I don't like last minute changes, I suppose that's because I have a fixed idea of how things should be and then my expectations are set. But if we speak about more specific things, then I don't usually like changing my outfits, to be honest. Especially at work. I get quite comfortable with them.
Maria: Have you changed a lot since your childhood?
Rory: Oh, definitely. I used to be fat and eat junk food and I didn't study properly at all. So all of those things have changed for the better now, I think.
Maria: What was the last change you made?
Rory: Well, I say I changed it, but really my personal trainer changed it. I changed my routine at the gym. And by that I mean I hired a personal trainer to help make it more effective. So instead of just doing the same three sets of exercises all the time, now we do lots of different exercises and that seems to be working quite well.
Maria: What has been the greatest change in your life so far?
Rory: Probably moving to Russia, to be honest with you, I think it changed everything. I gained access to more opportunities for professional development, and I gained new clients, and I got to do a variety of jobs which expanded my competency. So that's been great. It was very worthwhile to move out of my comfort zone and move here.
Maria: Have there been any changes in your hometown recently?
Rory: I suppose it depends on how you define "recently". I think there are a lot of ongoing changes down at the waterfront area. For example, they're reworking and renovating a lot of the buildings there. And that's been going on for quite a while now. I can't think of anything that's happened this year just because of the crisis. But last year, I'm sure they opened a lot of new stores, for example. Whether that's still the case now, I'm not so sure.
Maria: What do you plan to change next year?
Rory: Well, actually, it's funny. We talked about changes to my career path because I'm going to change my career again next year. I'll go back to university and become qualified as a primary school teacher. And I'm planning to go all in on this podcast so we can open up a range of services online, amongst other things as well, and I'll move back home. So next year is going to be a year of major changes,