Hey everyone, Exciting news! 🎉 I’m opening a new class time on Sunday at 6pm Beijing time for IELTS speaking practice. This is a small group session, and I only have two spaces available, so if you’re interested in joining, don’t wait! Send me a message or comment on this post to secure your spot. Let’s work together to boost your IELTS speaking skills and get you closer to that Band 7+ score! 💬🎯

The Real Problem: Why You’re Stuck and Not Fluent in English 🤯 Let me lay it out straight for you. You’re working hard, right? Memorizing vocabulary, going through endless lists of words 📝. You feel like you’re making progress. But here’s what happens next... You go to your English class 📚, and the listening exercise is on a completely different topic. None of the words you memorized show up. 😤 Then, you’re asked to do a reading on that same topic. And what do you get? 1-3% of the vocabulary from the listening exercise overlaps with the reading 🧐. So now your brain is juggling all these new words that have no connection to what you just studied. But wait, there’s more. You go home, watch a movie or a YouTube video 🎥… and NONE of the vocabulary you’ve been trying to remember shows up. Instead, you’re bombarded with even more new, random words. 🤦‍♂️ Then, it’s time to actually talk to someone in English 💬, and you feel completely stuck. You can only think of the random words you memorized last week, but they’re useless in this conversation. Your brain is drowning in disconnected information 🌀, and you can’t form the right links between what you’ve learned and what you need to say. And to top it off, next week your school moves on to another topic without ever revisiting the words you just tried so hard to memorize. All that effort? Gone. Wasted. 😔 Your Brain is Stuck in Stage 1 and 2 🧠⛔ Here’s the truth: you’re not stupid, and you’re not bad at learning languages. The problem is the system you’re using—it’s working against how your brain actually learns. Let’s talk about the four stages your brain needs to go through to learn vocabulary: 1. Unconscious Incompetence: You don’t even know what you don’t know. 🤷‍♂️ 2. Conscious Incompetence: Now you realize what you don’t know, and it’s frustrating. 😬 3. Conscious Competence: You can use the words, but it takes effort and focus. 💡 4. Unconscious Competence: You can use the words without thinking—it’s automatic. 🏆

How effective flashcard study could look for study time during the week! Maximise your new words and native sayings Week 1: Building Recognition Day 1 (Monday or Tuesday): Time: 20 mins 🕒 Quickly skim through the flashcards to identify the new words. 🃏 Repeat the process once or twice for initial exposure and recognition. 🔄 Day 2 (Wednesday): Time: 20 mins 🕒 Attempt to recall the words without looking. 🤔 Don't be discouraged if you only remember a portion; it's part of the learning curve. 📉 Day 3 (Thursday): Time: 20 mins 🕒 Review and recall a few more words. 🧠 You should notice improvement in retention. 📈 Days 4-7 (Friday to Sunday): Time: 5 mins per day 🕒 Regularly review and practice recalling the words. 🔄 By the end of the week, aim to recognize all words, with recall ranging from 50-70%. 👀 Week 2: Deepening Understanding Day 8 (Monday): Time: 5 mins 🕒 Focus on the first cards and their examples. 📖 Pay attention to synonyms and useful words related to the target words. 📚 Begin incorporating these examples into your understanding. 🤝 Days 9-14 (Tuesday to Sunday): Time: 5 mins per day 🕒 Continue studying, emphasizing examples, synonyms, and related words. 🧐 Use the words actively in sentences or scenarios. Imagine situations where these words naturally fit. 🌐 Aim for a deeper understanding of how the words are used contextually. 💡 Additional Tips: Daily Review: Spend a few minutes each day reviewing the previous day's words and examples. 🔄 Variety in Use: Try to incorporate the new words into your daily conversations, writing, or even thoughts. 🗣️✍️ Interactive Learning: Create sentences, stories, or associations to make the learning experience more interactive and memorable. 🎭 By following this two-week plan consistently, you should recognize 40-100 new words and recall 20-40 of them with ease, all with just 5 minutes a day! 🚀📚✨ Happy learning, even while sitting on the bus or waiting between classes, or while flicking through Douyin! 🌟📱

Do you think this kind of practice and feedback from a native English speaker would help you grow in speaking confidence and train in order to perform your best in the exam to get your dream score? Chinese version https://share.weiyun.com/ehLEBOEa

Here are three useful and practical responses an IELTS student can use when they don't understand an examiner's question during the speaking exam: 1. Ask for Clarification Politely: 2. Ask for Rephrasing: 3. Confirm Understanding with a Paraphrase: The student can politely ask for clarification by saying: "I'm sorry, could you please repeat the question?" This is a simple way to ask for the question to be repeated, showing engagement and a desire to understand better without appearing too confused. They can also ask for rephrasing by saying: "Could you explain that in another way, please?" If the question was unclear or too complex, this will prompt the examiner to rephrase it, which might help the student understand better. Another approach is to confirm understanding by paraphrasing the question: For example, "Do you mean [your interpretation of the question]?" If the student is unsure about the meaning, they can try to paraphrase and confirm with the examiner, showing active listening while ensuring they answer the question correctly. These responses help maintain the flow of conversation without sounding awkward or overly hesitant.