In this episode of Kev’s English Podcast, Kevin Dean dives into one of the most common mistakes IELTS candidates make in Writing Task 2: using memorised phrases.

Learn why sentences like “In the contemporary era…” or “This essay will discuss both views…” actually hurt your lexical resource and coherence scores — and what to say instead.

✅ Perfect for IELTS students aiming for Band 7 or higher
✅ Useful for those struggling to sound natural in academic writing
✅ Includes real examples from students + better alternatives

🎯 Want more tips? Visit theenglishnative.com
🎥 Watch 600+ videos on writing at The English Native YouTube
📸 Follow Kevin on Instagram: @thee.nglishnative

Don’t forget to subscribe and share with other IELTS learners!

Kev's English Podcast

KEP 33: IELTS Writing Task 2: The Phrases You Must Avoid for Band 7+

Hi :D

I forgot to upload this yesterday. I hope your day (Wednesday) is off to a great start.

As an English language learner, you are probably bombarded with content from all of the popular social media platforms. 

Some good and some questionable. 

In this short podcast, I will tell you one thing to look out for.

Good luck!


English with FatimaHB

"Simple" English is Not "bad" English

5 ， kǒu wèi --taste
          口  味  
měi ɡè rén de kǒu wèi dōu bù yí yànɡ 。 
每  个 人  的 口  味  都  不 一 样   。 
nǐ xǐ huɑn chī shén me kǒu wèi de cài ？ 
你 喜 欢   吃  什   么 口  味  的 菜  ？ 


6 ， zhēn +adj--really~
         真    
zhè ɡe cài zhēn dì dào ！ 
这  个 菜  真   地 道  ！ 
nǐ zhēn cōnɡ mínɡ ！ 
你 真   聪   明   ！ 


Laura cheng Chinese

Laura Chinese Language points for order food 6

NATASHA: What time is it? We’re going to be late!
TONY: It’s a quarter after seven. We’re on time. Don’t panic.
NATASHA: But I thought we had to be at the restaurant by 7:30 for 
the surprise party. We’ll never make it there with all this 
evening traffic.
TONY: Sure we will. Rush hour is almost over. Anyway, the party 
starts at 8:00. But I do need help with directions. Can you 
call the restaurant and ask them where we park our car?




LANGUAGE NOTES
• It’s a quarter after seven. This phrase is one of the most common ways of stating 
this time. It means: “It’s 15 minutes past 7:00.” Another possibility here is to simply 
say: “It’s seven fifteen.” In general you can say: “It’s a quarter past the hour.” How do 
we know the time of day? Look for context clues: “evening traffic.”
• In the dialog, Natasha and Tony are going to a surprise party. They need to be on time. 
Therefore there is an element of stress and urgency. When someone is stressed for 
time you can use expressions like: Don’t worry. / Don’t stress. / We’re fine. / We will 
be on time.
• Natasha thinks the surprise party begins at 7:30. There are two different ways to 
express this time. You may say simply “seven thirty” or “half past seven.”
• Rush hour is the time of day—usually in the morning and evening—when traffic is 
heavy because of people commuting to and from their workplace by bus, by car, by 
subway, on foot, etc.

English Conversation practice (30-day challenge)

Day 5: Ask about the time

In this episode you will learn how to ask "How old are you ?"

HSK2

Made Chinese easy!

What will do you when you are coping with stress? 
Share your magical "tips" with us~

Blabla Chinese 

06. How to Relieve Stress_ 如何缓解压力？

A little talk on the different way of pronouncing those sounds

The Italian Miscellaneous Podcast🖐 

E aperta & chiusa O aperta & chiusa

5 Tips to Improve Your Confidence Speaking Business English.

1. Display some interest

You want to show that you are engaged while listening to others. Ask questions that will get others to talk. Show interest in the topic. It'll not be long so if the topic isn't interesting - it will not be long AANNDD... you can learn something new, look for that!

2. Use positive language.

Use positive words and phrases that will stir the conversation to a positive end. 

3. Use gestures to show understanding

Be a little bit like people from Italy - communicate with your body, let other people know that you are into what they are describing, try not to be dull and passive, right? :)

You can immediately apply the tips tomorrow and let me know how you'll liked them!

If you need assistance to become fear-less when communicating to colelagues, in meetings, during zooms calls or talking to clients - let me know what your challenges are.

I hold different meetings for different clients - read some of my class types. I'm sure you'll like some of it.

See you tomorrow.

Job Interview Preparation | Build Strong Communication Under Pressure

5 Tips to Improve Your Confidence Speaking Business English.

As there are 4 areas: Speaking, Reading, Writing & Listening and I’ll add the 5th one – Thinking in English I’ll be presenting you with some tools daily to enhance each area.

Let’s dive into the third Part for today and it’s on Listening & Comprehension:

Here are the comprehension questions:

Where is Chicago in the United States?

a The west coast
b The Midwest
c The south
d The east coast

What sport do the Chicago Cubs play in Wrigley Field?

a Rugby
b Football
c Soccer
d Baseball


Why was Keith impressed by the Chicago Water Tower?

a It supplies water to the entire population.
b It is one of few landmarks that survived a historical fire.
c It is the tallest building in the city.
d It is the only remaining monument of the World’s Fair.


What event was important for Chicago in 1892?


a The World’s Fair took place here.
b Jackson Park became open to the public.
c The Great Fire destroyed a large part of the town.
d Wrigley Field was constructed.


How did Keith arrive to the rooftop of the Willis Tower?

a He used an indoor elevator.
b He climbed the building’s exterior.
c He walked up the interior stairs.
d He took an outdoor elevator.

See you in the part 4 and it will be on Speaking. 

Check out my posts - you'll find a lot of valuable tools to practice your English every day for free!