Maya moves abroad to study. Twenty-four words that IELTS candidates often spell wrong — learned four at a time.
Let's start with the story. The highlighted words are the ones to learn. Read slowly. Press 🔊 to hear a part read aloud.
Maya had always dreamed of studying abroad. When the opportunity finally came — a place at a university in a foreign country — she was definitely nervous, but she was also more excited than she had ever been.
The hardest part, right at the beginning, was finding accommodation. She searched online late into the night, and it was necessary to be careful: some adverts seemed designed to trick or embarrass newcomers. In the end, a colleague on her course was happy to recommend a small flat beside a beautiful park. Maya could hardly believe her luck.
The government paperwork, on the other hand, was a nightmare. She had to register her new address immediately, and the queue at the office stretched out of the door. To her surprise, the official was patient and shared exactly the knowledge she needed. "It is a privilege to help students who take things seriously," he said with a smile.
University life was not quite what she had imagined. She was determined to achieve excellent results, and she knew that would take real discipline. The environment was friendly but fiercely competitive. By February, however, she felt calm and independent, and the move that had once terrified her had turned out, quite unexpectedly, to be the best decision of her life.
What made Maya's first months difficult, and what helped her through them? What would you tell someone who is about to move to another country?
Each word is split into small parts. The yellow part is where people make mistakes. For each word: hear it → say it in parts → read the trick. Then press Hide the words and try to spell all four out loud.
Press 🔊, listen, read the clue, then type the word. If a letter is wrong, you will see which letters are already right. You get a second try before the answer appears.
In IELTS Listening, a correct word that is spelled wrongly scores zero. British and American spellings are both accepted — just be consistent.
Talk about a time you — or someone you know — started something new: a course, a job, or a move to a new city. Use at least six of the words. For two of them, spell the word out loud, part by part: "ac – com – mo – da – tion".
You are registering at a university office. Press 🔊 and write the missing word in each gap. Then check.
1. Type of ______ needed: a single room
2. Course starts: 3 ______
3. Post the documents to your new ______
4. Department: the ______ faculty
5. Office tip: join the ______ early
1. accommodation · 2. February · 3. address · 4. environment · 5. queue
Write four or five sentences: "Some people think that studying abroad is the best way to prepare for a successful career. To what extent do you agree or disagree?" Use and spell correctly: opportunity, knowledge, necessary, achieve.
Which helped you most today: hearing the word, seeing it in parts, or the memory trick? Which word is still the hardest for you — and what trick could you invent for it?