IELTS with Fiona: a comprehensive guide to IELTS

How do you describe a natural process diagram in IELTS Writing Task 1?
In this episode, I walk you step by step through a Task 1 diagram showing the formation of rain-shadow deserts.
You'll learn how to:
🌧️ identify the key stages before you start writing
🏔️ organise a natural process logically
🔗 show cause and effect clearly
✍️ use linking words and participle clauses to connect stages
👀 select the important details without adding information that isn't shown
📝 write a clear introduction, overview and description
This is a useful example because natural processes can look complicated at first, but once you break the diagram into manageable stages, they become much easier to describe.
The full lesson is included in my IELTS Writing course, my IELTS Resource Library, and in my Task 1 Extension Course: Maps, Cycles and Processes.
Task 1 Extension Course: Maps, Cycles and Processes

Key vocabulary
🌬️ moist = containing water or moisture
moist air
⬆️ rise = move upwards
Moist air rises.
❄️ cool = become colder
The air rises and cools.
☁️ form = develop or be created
Clouds form.
🌧️ rainfall = the amount of rain that falls
There is heavy rainfall on the windward side.
🏔️ windward = the side facing the wind
the windward side of the mountain
🏜️ leeward = the side sheltered from the wind
the leeward side of the mountain
➡️ inland = away from the coast
Dry winds reach inland areas.
🔗 consequently = as a result
The air loses its moisture. Consequently, it becomes drier.
🔄 result in = cause something to happen
This results in very little rainfall.

This lesson focuses on the topic of Happiness as it appears in the IELTS test.
We'll go through vocabulary related to the topic, and I walk you through a difficult Academic Passage 3 text about the science of happiness.
Keywords
mental health  – a person’s emotional and psychological wellbeing.
well-being  – the state of being healthy, happy, and comfortable.
wealth  – a large amount of money or valuable possessions.
the rat race  – a busy and stressful way of life where people compete for success, money, or status.
basic survival needs   – the essential things people need to live, such as food, water, shelter, and healthcare.
possessions –  , the things that a person owns.
optimistic   – expecting good things to happen in the future.
pessimistic   – expecting bad things to happen or focusing on negative outcomes.
materialistic   – believing that owning money and possessions is very important.
to suffer from depression  – to experience a serious mental health condition that causes persistent sadness and loss of interest.
to have a positive mindset   – to think in a hopeful and confident way, even when facing difficulties.

What is this text about?
This book review is about a book called The Happiness Industry by William Davies.
The book says that many governments, businesses, and psychologists believe that their goal should be to make people happier.
These ideas came from a philosopher called Jeremy Bentham, who said that happiness means having pleasure and avoiding pain. He also believed that happiness could be measured.
Today, some governments and companies try to measure happiness and change people's behaviour. They use psychology, advertising, and research to encourage people to act in certain ways.
William Davies thinks this is a problem. He argues that treating happiness like a science can be a way to control people. He believes governments should be careful because trying to make people happy can reduce people's freedom.

Get the full set of notes with Speaking and Writing models plus Listening and Reading videos in the ⁠Resource Library⁠ on my website, and in the ⁠Members Academy⁠ Vocabulary and Reading Courses.

In this podcast, you'll learn key words and concepts that will help you understand and discuss the topic of nature and nurture.
🧬 nature  = the traits we are born with (genetics)
🏠 nurture  = the experiences we go through in life (environment)
The lesson is based around a reading text called 'The Unselfish Gene'.
Find the full lesson notes with audio, video and model answers for Speaking and Writing on my website https://ieltsetc.com.

In this episode, we explore the topic of language(s) in IELTS.
From bilingualism and language learning to language loss and global communication, you’ll learn the key vocabulary and ideas you need for Reading, Listening, Writing, and Speaking.
Perfect for boosting both your confidence and your band score.
This podcast focuses on a reading about Silbo Gomero, a whistling language in the Canary Islands.
⛳️ Learn 3 common keywords in True, False, Not Given questions.
Get the full lesson in the Bronze Members Academy.
https://ieltsetc.com/2026/04/ielts-vocab-topic-languages-learning/

In this episode, we use the story of the Céide Fields (an archaeological site in Ireland) to help you improve the skills you need for IELTS Listening.
You’ll practise following a real lecture-style talk, identifying key information, making educated guesses, and dealing with common challenges such as recognising paraphrasing, understanding fast speech, and listening for common gap fill answers and spelling patterns for uncountable nouns and plurals.
We also focus on useful topic vocabulary for IELTS, especially words related to archaeology and farming, and show you how these ideas can appear in different sections of the test.
By the end of the episode, you’ll feel more confident handling Section 4 of the IELTS Listening test while building the vocabulary and strategies you need for a higher band score.
bog 🌧️🌿
a very wet area of land where the ground is soft and full of water, often with thick layers of peat that can preserve plants and objects for a long time.
excavation 🏺digging in the ground to find old objects or structures
Neolithic 🪨relating to the late Stone Age, when people first farmed and lived in settlements
settlement 🏠a place where people live, often long-term
grazing 🐄 animals eating grass in a field
paddocks 🚜small fields where animals are kept
soil fertility 🌱 how good the soil is for growing plants
crop rotation 🌾🔁 growing different crops in the same field over time
livestock 🐑 farm animals such as cows and sheep
settlement farming 🏡🌾 farming done by people living permanently in one place
food storage 🫙keeping food to use later