In this episode, Kev talks honestly about the common mistakes IELTS candidates make — especially when it comes to speaking. Drawing on a busy week of lessons with Chinese IELTS students, Kev explains why so many people are stuck at Band 6 and how small changes can make a big difference.

He covers:
✅ Why short answers kill your score
✅ How to expand naturally (without sounding weird)
✅ Why repeating words like "chocolate, chocolate, chocolate" won't help
✅ The danger of memorised answers
✅ How to sound more natural and fluent

Plus updates on The English Native, Kev's YouTube, and plans to help students in China get better access to materials.

For transcripts and more free resources, visit: theenglishnative.com

Follow on Instagram: @thee.nglishnative

Kev's English Podcast

IELTS Speaking: Why Chinese Students Keep Scoring 6 — Common Mistakes and Solutions

Just a Quick Intro. Welcome to the Channel :)

From Nil 2 Skillz

Welcome Aboard :)

Trascrizione

L’etimologia del termine “Carnevale” deriva, con molta probabilità, dal latino “carnem levare” (eliminare la carne). Anticamente infatti l’espressione indicava il banchetto dell’ultimo giorno subito prima della Quaresima cristiana. 

The etymology of the term "Carnival" is most likely derived from the Latin word "carnem levare" (to eliminate the flesh). In fact, in ancient times the expression indicated the banquet on the last day immediately before Christian Lent. 

Coriandoli means “confetti”: sono piccoli pezzi di carta colorata che vengono lanciati durante le feste, come il Carnevale, per celebrare.

Maschera means mask: è un travestimento indossato per nascondere l'identità durante le feste e i balli in maschera.

Sfilata di carri means float parade: è una parata di carri decorati che sfilano per le strade durante il Carnevale, solitamente accompagnati da musica e ballerini.

Ballo in maschera means Masked Ball: è una festa in maschera dove le persone indossano costumi elaborati e ballano insieme nel periodo del Carnevale.

Frittelle Veneziane are typical sweets from Venice: sono dolci tipici del Carnevale di Venezia, fatti di pasta lievitata fritta e zucchero a velo.

Quaresima means Lent: è un periodo di 40 giorni prima di Pasqua, durante il quale i cristiani si preparano per la festa attraverso la preghiera e il digiuno.

Volo dell’angelo literally means Flight of the Angel: è un evento che si svolge durante il Carnevale di Venezia, solo a Venezia, dove una persona vestita da angelo vola dal palazzo Ducale in piazza San Marco, simboleggiando la discesa di un messaggero divino.

3 minutes Italian

Le parole del Carnevale - 3 minutes Italian

注意：途中に祭りの音楽が挿入されます。そこは、音を下げて流してますがヘッドホンで聞いてる方はびっくりするかもしれないので自分でも少し音を下げるといいですよ。音楽は「さん、はい」と言ったあとに流れます。（1:20頃）

・青森県の「ねぶた祭り」についての紹介
・「はねと」とは浴衣を着て、花笠をかぶって跳ねながら踊る人たちのこと。「らっせらー、らっせらー」と掛け声をあげて跳ねる。
・「ねぶた」とは大きな灯篭のこと、夜はライトアップされてとても綺麗、幻想的
・「はねと」「お囃子」「ねぶた」が一体となって町を練り歩く
・東北三大祭りのひとつ
・まとめ

Nihongo tokidoki Inaka hougen with Megumi Na

日本で一番すごい祭りかも！青森県のねぶた祭りについて　Learning about Tohoku area

Planning has begun on a new, car-free town which the authorities plan to locate on waste ground, close to the Condolanda power plant. It will consist of houses, parks and public transport facilities, as well as public buildings such as a police station, a secondary school, town hall, etc. There will be commercial buildings including a shopping mall, office blocks, retail stores and a medical centre. There will also be a large area of modem apartment blocks, and residents will welcome the addition of a nearby leisure centre. The heating for all the buildings will come at low cost from the power plant.


English Mini Lessons

Buildings in a new town

En este episodio el protagonista es el cáncer de cuello uterino, también conocido como cáncer cervical. Exploraremos los factores de riesgo, los síntomas, los métodos de diagnóstico y las opciones de tratamiento disponibles para el cáncer de cuello uterino. Además, hablaremos sobre la importancia de la prevención y la vacunación contra el Virus del Papiloma Humano (VPH), una de las principales causas de este tipo de cáncer.

¡Hablemos de salud!

Cáncer de cuello uterino: lo que es importante saber

“梗“，”浅浅“，”破防“…… 这些流行的网络用词到底什么意思？一起来学习吧！

Chillchat (Learn Chinese and Chill)

(全中文) 这些网络热词你知道吗？

British writer Bill Bryson once wrote that "London is a city of endless possibility" — and perhaps, endless traffic?

The UK capital is the most congested city in Europe, according to transport analytics company Inrix.

The company looked at data from different cities around the world, and found that drivers in London spent an average of 101 hours sitting in traffic in 2024. That's up from 99 hours in 2023, and 97 hours in 2022.

According to Inrix, these delays cost the city more than $4.8 billion a year — or about $1,200 for each of London's 4 million drivers.

Inrix says London's bad traffic congestion is caused by the "concentration of population, employment and economic activity."

But although it's Europe's most congested city for the fourth year in a row, London has improved in the global rankings. It was third in the world in 2023, but is now in fifth place globally. It is still, however, the only European city in the top five.

Istanbul has jumped to first place, up from sixth, with drivers in the Turkish city spending an average of 105 hours in traffic per year.

New York and Chicago are next on the list, followed by Mexico City in fourth place.

Inrix also calculated each city's "downtown speed" — that is, the speed at which a driver can expect to travel 1.6 kilometers in the center of the city during morning rush hour.

For each of the top five cities, the downtown speed was under 25 kilometers an hour.

Practice Listening, Reading & Comprehension

London Drivers Spend 101 Hours in Traffic a Year

En el episodio de hoy vemos un uso del subjuntivo condicional, pero no la típica frase si...si, sino que usaremos el nexo de subjuntivo "a condición de que + subjuntivo".