#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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Ever wondered if climbing trees gave your parents grief? Rory shares childhood memories and gives his expert take on why Russia's forests are so huge they act as a natural border with China!
Surroundings (noun) - the place where someone lives and the conditions they live in.
Commission (noun) - a group of people who have been formally chosen to discover information about a problem or examine the reasons why the problem exists.
Heritage (noun) - features belonging to the culture of a particular society, such as traditions, languages, or buildings, that were created in the past and still have historical importance.
To a certain extent (idiom) - somewhat; partly; in a limited way or to a limited degree.
Shelter (verb) - to protect yourself, or another person or thing, from bad weather, danger, or attack.
To take the pressure off (idiom) - take to reduce the amount of stress felt by.
Abundance (noun) - an amount that is more than enough.
Guard (verb) - to protect something.
Grief (noun) - very great sadness.
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Maria: Rory, do you like trees?
Rory: Well, we need them to produce the oxygen we breathe and they generally improve the surroundings more than, you know, grey buildings. So I would say yes, and I think I'm a lot at that.
Maria: Are there any important trees in your country?
Rory: That's a good question. Well, my cousin works for the Forestry Commission. I at least I think so. And they would probably they should and would be better placed to answer. Well, I don't think they're any individually important trees. I would say that forests are an important part of the national heritage and beautify the country to a certain extent. So while there are no important individual trees, groups of trees exist that are.
Maria: When was the last time you went to a forest?
Rory: Well, the school I work in is in a forest, sort of, so I suppose just last week and there are a lot of evergreens like fir trees there that shelter the buildings and local wildlife, which is quite cool.
Maria: Would you like to go to the forest if you're free?
Rory: I don't see why not. Being around nature is quite relaxing and helps take the pressure off. If you have the time, though, you might say that about having time more generally. So if somebody could drive me to the forest, why not?
Maria: Is there forest near your hometown?
Rory: Quite a few, I think. We have a lot of parks like Camperdown and Vinicky near trees in abundance. I'd like to go to them when I'm back, actually.
Maria: Would you like to live in the place that has a lot of trees?
Rory: Well, I live in Russia and I'm from Scotland, so I would say that I already do and I already have lived there. Russia has massive forests. You could get lost in there. I think someone said once. The reason why Russia doesn't need to guard its border with China because the forests are so huge and inhospitable.
Maria: Did you ever climb trees when you were a child?
Rory: Yeah, and it gave my dad no end of grief when my brother and I did it. He always used to say we would break our backs falling out of it. That never happened, though. I always wanted a tree house as well. But we never quite found the time to build one, actually.
Maria: Do you think we need to protect trees?
Rory: I think we already do, don't we? Yeah, there are lots of laws about these things back home, though. I think there are still problems. At least in Russia. There are problems of Chinese companies over harvesting forests, for example, and there's a more international problem of acid rain. Like I think there was a problem between Germany and Sweden once the acid rain from Germany was landing on Swedish rainforests. So that's still an issue. And they would be you know, it's important to protect them since trees are so vital to us being able to live. So, of course, we should protect them. So the short answer is yes, and we should do it more often if we don't already, in addition to balancing that with the other economic concerns we might have.
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