IELTS Energy 1640: Holidays on IELTS Part 2: Let's Talk Traditions

This is an IELTS Energy Podcast, Episode 1640, Holidays on IELTS, Part 2. Let's Talk Traditions. Welcome to the IELTS Energy Podcast from All Ears English. Downloaded more than 35 million times with examiner-trained IELTS whiz Aubrey Carter and Lindsay McMahon, the English adventurer.

If you are stuck with a low score, our insider method will help you get the score you need to unlock your dreams. Get your estimated band score now with our two-minute quiz at allearsenglish.com slash myscore.

Could you describe your holiday traditions in English? This is a common topic on IELTS speaking and you need to be ready. Today, we'll share strategies and phrases for discussing traditions that will boost your fluency scores.

Do you ever start speaking English and suddenly the words disappear? You pause too much, you hesitate, you know what you want to say, but only later, not in the moment when it matters. This is where your fluency is breaking down and it's fixable. That's why we created our two minute fluency quiz.

It shows you your exact English level right now, so you know what to work on next. Are you B1, B2, or C1? Find out. Go now to allearsenglish.com slash fluency score and get clarity on your English level and how you can improve this year, starting today.

One more time, go to allearsenglish.com slash f-l-u-e-n-c-y-s-c-o-r-e. Hello, Lindsay. How are you? Doing great, Aubrey. How's it going? Excellent. Thanksgiving is coming up, which is one of my very favorite holidays.

What's that Thanksgiving tradition that you look forward to? Oh my gosh. When I was a kid, we used to put up the Christmas lights, the holiday lights in our house on Thanksgiving. And maybe I will reignite that tradition with my family now, right?

That's a great tradition. Put up holiday lights. That's the date to do it. It shouldn't be before Thanksgiving. It definitely shouldn't be before Halloween.

Yeah, but what we do now is we actually go every year, no matter where we are, because sometimes we're in different places. This year we'll be in France. We get Bloody Marys. We usually try to do like a turkey trot, and then we go and get Bloody Marys.

I love that. On Thanksgiving, that's an amazing tradition. There's always a bar open somewhere. I love a Bloody Mary with lots of stuff in it. Olives and celery and bacon and all just like stuffed like a bouquet of flowers.

As long as the key is the mix, right? For me, if it doesn't have anything, it's okay. It just has to be a really good mix because I've had a lot of disappointing Bloody Marys over the years. So I'm hoping this year's Bloody Mary will be a good one.

Fingers crossed. Yes. Go to a good brunch spot. Well, I'm excited because... You know, this holiday season, we're thinking about how, what do you need when it comes to the holidays for IELTS?

And traditions is an extremely common topic. You could easily be asked to describe holiday foods and activities that you love. And it's easy to do this in your first language, but can you do it in English? I know I have a hard time with that kind of topic-specific vocabulary in the languages I'm learning.

Exactly. Exactly. So today we're going to learn how to score high when it comes to your vocab score. And we're going to hear sample answers when we have to describe our holiday traditions.

Right, Aubrey? Yes. Awesome. I'm excited for the vocab you're going to learn here and these band nine sample answers. So let's go ahead and listen to the episode.

All right, let's do it. Hey, Jessica, how are you feeling today? Fantastic. It's such a good week. We had such an amazing weekend. We had our last soccer game and Sunday was Mother's Day here.

Oh, yeah. So James and I had like my – it was a dream day. We – I made James like run with me in the morning. So we jogged like two miles together. And then my brother took us out to brunch and brunch guys is a huge.

Everybody goes to brunch on Mother's Day. Yeah. And then we ate a bunch of food and then we exercised again. And then we had a movie marathon. That's awesome.

Yeah. Mother's Day is a big thing in the States. I mean, it's so nice to have a day to celebrate with your mother just to honor her. Right. Because she deserves it.

Oh, my gosh. Your mom is your biggest fan growing up. Right. Oftentimes the one who's, you know, cheering you on and attending your games and pushing you and really your fan.

You know, it's so true. Oh, my gosh. Moms do. do everything for their kids and i know there's lots of great dads too i'm not taking anything away from dads but i know like if i think back to my childhood oh my gosh i don't know where my mom found time for everything i just remember her driving me to like every rehearsal and practice and like everything and still making dinner from scratch and you know what i mean like oh yeah how did she do all of it

Yeah, it's so true. It's so true. And there's always like that typical story of when someone takes a risk, even as an adult, especially as an adult, let's say they launch like an online business, or maybe do a webinar, for example. And the story is always, there was no one in the room except my mom, right?

you know what i'm saying i've never heard this no you've never heard that it's like the idea that anytime as adults we take a risk if you want to tell a story where no one actually showed up for what you presented usually it's just your mom that showed up oh my gosh totally to cheer you on even though she doesn't have anything to do with what you're presenting or what you're trying to do she's always the one there throughout your life who's there for you to be your fan yeah oh for sure oh every day should be mother's day i agree

So what are we talking about today, Lindsay? Well, we are diving into a good question that I just found a few minutes ago. So this is super fresh from our blog. Guys, you can always come back to our blog and ask a good question.

Come back to allearsenglish.com and type in the episode that you're looking for and you'll get it there. All right. So this is a question about how do we deal with wanting to quickly take in information and

Stay in that conversation. Speak quickly instead of having to repeat what we've heard and have a delay and feel awkward and nervous. Yeah, when Lindsay and I first read this question, you guys, it seemed like kind of a tough one, but the more we thought about it, we realized that this happens all the time, even in our first language. So, okay, I'm going to read a bit of this question, and then we're going to help you guys with some real step-by-step activities for how you can develop this listening and speaking fluency.

Okay. Let's see. So this lovely listener said, let's see. I have a question. So sometimes I feel that I need to repeat the sentence in my mind to ensure that I really get it after listening, like reading a text or

Um, that's a weird question, but how can I avoid this so I can understand someone faster? So this is, this is interesting, you guys, because the more that I sort of sat with this idea, I feel like I do this also, if I'm meeting someone new, like for the first time, and maybe I'm nervous, maybe, maybe I'm worried about what this other person will think of me. I think I kind of do this too because like you're afraid of being judged. You're afraid of saying something wrong or misunderstanding.

So it's this fear, this classic fear that we all experience that will cause us to like pause for a second and try and like repeat words. what the person just said yeah yeah yeah this is also I mean so this so you're saying Jessica this happens to you in English too right yeah exactly yeah and I think so in addition to that in a second language when we're just we're just not comfortable right we we're hanging on to everything we hear for dear life as we say in English right yeah totally hanging on to it to make sure we stay in it

Right, exactly. And the key here, like what is causing this in any language, any situation is the fear, which is caused by lack of confidence. It all comes down to lack of confidence in yourself and in your language, right? Either listening skills or speaking skills.

It all comes down to that. Yeah, no, it's so true. But I think that I'm excited for this listener because I feel like once this listener can get over this hump of getting past this, this is actually kind of moving into that next level of loosening up around the language, taking it in and throwing it back out, the response.

After this point, after we give you today a couple of steps, two or three steps to conquer this for this listener... it's going to be smooth sailing from there. You're going to see yourself move to that next level. So that's what we're going to give our listeners today, if anyone else is also in that situation.

Right, Jessica? Oh, and I'm sure people are. For sure. So in order to push yourself to the next level, guys, you have to be very conscious about the activities you're doing, right?

Like really... Practice these skills, like pick it apart. What do I need to practice? And I think first is just starting to develop that confidence, taking a step back from these conversations that are causing anxiety and building the skills first.

So I think a great first step would be to get transcripts of a podcast like this one where it's two people talking to each other, having a conversation or like an interview show, for example, would also be good. But get a podcast with transcripts. And then while you listen, read along. So that develops this listening confidence.

Because I am 100% sure that this listener actually understands a lot more than he thinks. Yeah, no, absolutely. And sometimes it's just starting with that extra material, right? We're not meant to do this all on our own.

Sometimes you need a little something extra, okay? So for this listener, for Mateos is his name. Mateos, you can go and grab the transcripts for today's episode if you go straight to allearsenglish.com forward slash transcripts. And choose the right week.

And if you want to save 50% and subscribe to future transcripts to get into a rhythm for this every week, you can go to allearsenglish.com forward slash subscribe. Okay? That's where we want to go. That would be so great to have this become a habit.

You know, we talk about on this show and the IELTS show. about developing these positive language habits, right? Like finding those minutes during the week that you could carve out for yourself, for your future in English.

This is a great habit. I love that. After doing that first step, right, like just listening and reading at the same time, then you could use the same material, guys, use the same transcript and only listen to one person and you're going to be the other person. So, for example, maybe you're going to be me today and you're going to listen to Lindsay's words and then you're going to pause the podcast and say what I say, right?

So it's like you're participating in this conversation with Lindsay. Oh, that's so interesting. I like this activity. So is Mateo going to just make up?

He's not memorizing what he thinks you said, for example. He's just listening to me and then he's giving his own response. Is that right? Or he's what is he doing?

I think if, if you're still, if you're still very unsure, you can just do my same words. You can just say the same words, but that is the next level after that is to practice your own spontaneous response. And guys, like, here's the thing. You could be anyone.

You could be me. You could be whoever you want in English, right? You don't have to say like a real life response to like, that's true. Yeah. The point is to be developing the spontaneous fluency, the speed, because that's what he's after, being able to listen and respond faster.

Oh, definitely. And on this show, guys, you know that we're spontaneous. We say what's on our minds when we want to. So it's a good example of spontaneity, but it's also clear.

And that's why you listen every day. So guys, it's a good resource right here. Do you know the seven simple secrets to connection in English? Well, you can get them in a free video lesson at allearsenglish.com forward slash secrets.

Go there, enter your email, and you'll be able to immediately download the video and start watching today. allearsenglish.com forward slash secrets. Thanks, guys.

Totally. Yeah. So many ways to use transcripts. I love it. Um, so yeah, so those are the first two steps, guys, like two different ways you could use this podcast and the transcripts.

Okay. And then the next step I think would be to find a speaking partner in real life or on italki, on Skype, whatever resources you have. Um, And it could be another student, you guys.

It doesn't have to be a teacher because this isn't focused on you like being corrected. We're not about being perfect here, right? Connection, not perfection. We're about fluency, responding with your real thoughts, right?

Making that faster and more real, more authentic. So the next step would be to find a speaking partner and just – Get a list of speaking questions. You could do like IELTS speaking part one questions.

There are thousands of those online, easily accessible. And the person just asks you a question and you force yourself. No pause. No thought. Just answer right away.

First thing you think of. Oh, yeah. Those are great questions, guys. Even if you're not taking the IELTS exam, go over and just Google for that for IELTS speaking part one, because they're questions about about what the home, about school, general stuff, very general, good starting points, guys, for you.

They're fantastic starting points, guys. And what I, what I love about this idea for just anyone who's trying to strengthen the speed, the spontaneity, this fluency is that some of the questions will be easy. Yeah. Like, uh, do you work or are you a student?

But then there's like random ones. Like how often do you wear a hat? It really like forces you to be flexible and that's spontaneity, right? Like that's fluency.

Yeah. How often do you wear a hat? That's wonderful. I love that. I love that question. That's so good. And I mean, yeah, exactly. I mean, there's no, you know, italki, I know they have teachers, but they also have informal tutoring where you can find kind of a peer who will sit down with you, right?

30 minutes. And it's fast. It's easy. It's simple. I did a lot of this when I was preparing for Nicaragua. I talked about it on the show, guys. It's a really good way to do that.

You can go to allearsenglish.com forward slash italki and you'll get a special deal if you register right there. And Jessica, there's one experience, though, that a few of our listeners have gone through that really creates this for real, 100% in real life. What is that?

So the – okay. We're talking about the Urban Adventures program, you guys. But the way this connects, like the way that this reflects these activities we're giving you is the speed, the pace, the positive forward momentum. And that's really hard to create by yourselves.

We've given you guys some ideas today, which are fantastic, right? Yeah. Can you do this all day? No. This is, you know, like 30 minutes maybe you get someone to talk to on italki a few times a week.

But if you really want to push yourself to that next level, if you really want to jump across that gap from being an anxious non-participant to being a confident participant in English, it's the Urban Adventures program. Yes. Activities that we get to do are incredible. Exploring the city of Boston, participating in real life adventures all day, some of the night in English.

There's no time to like stop and repeat these sentences in your head, right? Like Mateus, there's no time for that. You are like literally just pushed forward into this fluent response that it's hard to replicate in just daily life. Yeah.

So it's kind of like what we're doing in this program, right? And this year, we're also offering New York guys. It's kind of on a visceral level. We're retraining our brain.

We're kind of rewiring our brain in the way it interacts in English. You know, the activities guys that we talked about so far today are not going to retrain your rewire your brain like the weekend, like the urban immersion weekend will. Yeah. Because you're so deep into it.

You're there. The native speakers are there with you. You're running around the city. You're using your English to speak about deep topics. I mean, that's why our student in October, he finished up, I think it was Saturday night.

He went home, went to call his wife, and English came out. He just started speaking in English immediately. And that's why that happened, right? So that is really that next level.

If you're able to... Come here for the summer, guys, to Boston in August or New York in July. We recommend it. We just had three new signups for the Boston program.

There are still spots available for both New York and Boston. But you do want to get in there now because we're getting into summer. People are making their plans, okay? Yeah.

I'm making all my summer camping plans right now. Now's the time guys. You got to plan ahead. It's something to look forward to, right? Like as we're getting into the spring and people are like school sort of wrapping up and we're entering a new season, a new phase of what's happening in the world around us and our personal lives.

Now's the time to plan because the spring gets busy. Like things are coming to the end, like an end and things are beginning and And before all that craziness starts, it's really nice to have something to look forward to. Just be like, oh, you know what?

I can push through because I get to go to Boston this summer. I get to go to New York this summer. But as you were describing the outcome of the Urban Adventures, this image came to mind of what we're creating here.

It's pushing English to the forefront of our brains. So if we're thinking about what is Mateus' difficulty here, it's that maybe his first language is in the front of his mind and English is in the back. So we're translating. We're being slow to comprehend and respond.

But as is evidenced by one of the students who called his wife and started talking in English, English moved forward, right? English took the front seat because of the pace. I love that. And it's impossible to avoid.

It's going to happen, guys, because you're thrown into it with us as a team, and you're also supported at the same time. So, guys, all right. So I recommend that you go right now to allearsenglish.com forward slash immersion and apply today before the spots run out. But we've taken a good stab at this here, Jessica, today.

We've given Mateos and our listeners a really good set of plans, of ideas to get over this hump, right? Yeah. Yeah, for sure, guys. There's awesome, awesome activities that we've recommended today.

So read the blog post for this episode. Listen to the episode a couple times and add these to your schedule, right? Like create these positive English habits every week. And especially if you're planning to come to Boston, if you're planning to come to New York, this is a great way to get ready, right?

Start developing that fluency, that confidence this week. Yeah, I love it. Awesome. I'm so excited to see some of our listeners this summer, Jessica. And Ozzy is excited, too.

Is Ozzy coming to Boston? Oh, God. Can you imagine? Oh, God. That would be terrible. All right. Very cool. Thanks for hanging out today, Jessica. We'll see you next week back on All Ears English.

All right. Sounds good. Have a good day. Talk to you soon. Bye. Bye. Have you ever walked out of a meeting thinking, I could have said that better? You understood everything, but your response came out short or unclear or not quite like you.

Maybe your ideas are strong, but your English doesn't show it yet. You forget words you know. You can't explain things naturally and fast conversations leave you quietly catching up.

That gap can be frustrating, but it's also very specific and very fixable. Our two-minute fluency quiz helps you understand where that gap is and whether your level is B1, B2, or C1.

When you know your level, progress feels lighter and faster. Take the quiz now at allearsenglish.com fluency score and move closer to speaking English the way you think.

One more time, go to allearsenglish.com f-l-u-e-n-c-y-s-c-o-r-e. Lindsay, I love this chunk. There's nothing like blank, I swear. There's nothing like my mom's homemade gravy, I swear.

It's true. We have such associations with the food we ate as children, right? Especially if our mother prepared it or something. It's so special. So we need a special way to say that.

Exactly. And this is an easy thing to boost pronunciation scores as well. You're not going to want to say this in a monotone. This is something you would be excited about.

Nostalgic memories, the traditions you loved as a kid. Instead of just saying, I really liked whatever it could be. I really liked desserts at the holidays, holiday lights. Instead, there's nothing like and then share what it is that you loved.

Exactly. And what about this expression? There's nothing like curling up on the couch for a movie night, I swear. So saying also what you like to do, right?

So maybe after the holiday meal, you sit down with your family and have a movie night, right? Very common. Yes. Right. Whatever those activities were, it's the food, the traditions, the activities, all of these.

And this is something you need to think about ahead of time, right? Yes. So when you want to use a template, when you're asked about holiday traditions, this is a great one. So we have a little challenge here.

Lindsay, share with us the challenge we have for listeners with a part two question. All right. So we want you to go ahead and practice answering the part two question, describe a favorite holiday tradition. And to do this, you're going to time yourself and speak for two full minutes, Aubrey.

Two minutes is a long time. It's a long time. It is. If you haven't timed yourself, you might be surprised how long that ends up feeling when you're having to share details and think of more vocabulary.

So definitely time yourself. Yep. So if there are any foods or activities that you don't know how to say in English, go ahead and look up the vocabulary that you need and decide how you can describe it if you are asked this question, because Aubrey, this question is pretty common, right? Absolutely.

Yes. Right. This comes up often. You definitely could be asked something like this in part two. Part three could also ask you to compare how traditions are changing where you live or

or the traditions when you were a child compared to what you do now. There are a lot of questions revolving around traditions, and you want to be able to describe what you like to do around the holidays and use high-scoring vocabulary.

Exactly, exactly. So great episode today, Aubrey. Anything else we want to share with our listeners? Yeah, that's it. We're excited for you to practice this.

Be sure you can speak about it for two minutes. Be ready. If you find yourself the second you start trying to describe it and all you can think of is the names of these foods and costumes and activities in your first language, look up that vocabulary, figure out how to describe it in English so that you are ready for these questions. All right.

See you next time, Ombra. You have a good rest of your day. And guys, hit the follow button if you love our show. Yes. Awesome. Thanks. See you next time.

Bye. Bye. Thanks for listening to IELTS Energy. Hit subscribe now and don't forget to find your estimated band score at allearsenglish.com slash myscore.

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