Level C1 (approx. band 7-8) · Academic and General Training At band 7 and above, the questions stop rewarding simple word-spotting. The hardest passages are built as arguments: a writer reports a view, concedes a point, pushes back and lands on a conclusion. The answer to a question often depends on a small word like "this" or "the latter", or on what the writer implies but never says outright. In this episode: • Following the argument • Reference words • Implied meaning • Unknown vocabulary • Reading lab • Language bridge • Practice • Self-check questions with answers Key points: • Label each move, and look for the writer's view after the contrast. • Every pointing word has a target; find it before you answer. • An inference needs evidence on the page. • Guess from parts, context and grammar, and keep moving. IELTS Complete Course: a self-study podcast from A1 to C2 for Academic and General Training. Listen, pause and answer, then take the 52-question quiz. Audio voiced with AI from an original script by Dr. Rashmi R Nair. Independent course, not affiliated with the IELTS test owners.