UPDATED CONTENTS FOR THE TEST

TOPICS FOR THE WRITING AND SPEAKING:

What do you think of homeopathy? Is it a life-changing revolutionary miracle cure or is it a scam based on fake pseudo-science with no real effect on health?

What is the best way to find your better half? Are online matching websites a good option or is face-to-face interaction the only real way to discover if he/she is the one?

Is complimenting or catcalling a woman always wrong? Where is the line between a well-intended comment and a sexist offence bordering sexual harassment?

What is the secret to a happy marriage/relationship? How would you describe a good partner? Would you be able to forgive infidelity? Would you tell a friend if you discovered their partner was being unfaithful?

Why are people so gullible and naive regarding fake news and urban legends? Do you believe everything that you are told or do you contrast the information in case it is biased?

What do you think is the future of cities? Are you optimistic about their environmental impact and the quality of life of its dwellers? Are cities going to be green and efficient places where people live a happy and healthy cosmopolitan life or are they becoming inhospitable, polluted, stressful and inegalitarian?

If you had to plan a vacation, would you rather go to an exotic, vibrant, chaotic city like Cairo or to a spotless, well-run, affluent city like Vienna? What are their pros and cons?

What are the advantages and disadvantages of living in a small town like Icod? On the whole, is life in the country healthier? And more eco-friendly?

SPEAKING DEBATES:

1 Life in a big city vs life in a small town

2 Catcalling is sexual harassment vs complimenting is not always wrong

3 Homeopathy and alternative medicine is a scam vs traditional medicine needs to adapt and adopt, learn from alternative remedies and adopt new therapies

4 Online dating vs traditional dating

6 The future of cities is terrible vs the future of cities is promising

7 Holidays in Cairo vs holidays in Vienna

TOP TIPS:

WRITING: You will have to write 2 texts of approximately 200 words

SPEAKING: You have to speak for about 5 minutes individually (monologue), and then for about 7 minutes with a partner, giving your opinion and debating in pairs (dialogue).

WRITING AND SPEAKING: You will always have a choice between at least two options, so don't worry, in all the cases you will have an extra chance to escape from the topics you don't like ;)

GENDER EQUALITY

VOCABULARY REVISION LOVE RELATIONSHIPS

LONDON BRIDGE BLACK FRIDAY ATTACKS

BLACK FRIDAY, CYBER MONDAY, GIVING TUESDAY

MADRID CLIMATE SUMMIT

WHAT`S THE SECRET TO A HAPPY MARRIAGE?

PRINCE HARRY: PROUD FATHER

HOW ROMANCE RUINED LOVE

Vocabulary

movement
group of people working together to support an idea

zeitgeist
the spirit of a particular time

benchmark
a standard from which other things are judged

idealised (thing)
an, often imagined, perfect version of something

nitty-gritty
the important or practical detail involved in a situation or thing

flawed
a thing which is imperfect in some way

LOOKING FOR THE PERFECT MATCH

Click here and on the picture above.
Vocabulary

• being the third wheel
  (here) being in a place where you are not needed
  soulmatesomeone who thinks and behaves like you, and loves you
  reputabletrustworthy
  algorithmset of instructions which help a computer to do calculations
  catfish (informal)person who creates a fake online dating profile, in order to trick people into giving them money
  sassyvery confident
  eagernessenthusiasm
  nichespecific to a group
  extra-marital affairsecret sexual or romantic relationship that your husband or wife does not know about
  red facesembarrassment
  casual sexsexual relationship that will not develop into a romantic relationship
  chemistry(here) physical attraction between people
  blind datemeeting with romantic purposes between two people who don't know each other, and which was organised by someone who knows them both
  flirtingbehaving towards somebody in a way that shows that you are sexually or romantically attracted to them
  fussy
  (here) demanding; wanting specific things and refusing to accept alternatives

WHEN ARE WE CROSSING THE LINE?

GENDER-BASED VIOLENCE

LOVE; EXPLAINED

HOMEOPATHY: MYTH OR FACT?

THE WORLD'S DEADLIEST CAT. OR IS IT?

LIFE AND DEATH OF...

Clik HERE to watch the video

OVERPOPULATION EXPLAINED

THESE ARE THE REAL HORROR STORIES OF TODAY'S WORLD

5 Horrific Urban Legends That Turned Out to Be True

Full article HERE

CONNECTORS AND NARRATIVES

Full article HERE

QUORA: A FORUM COMMENT ON THE FUTURE OF CITIES

What will cities look like 40 years into the future?

Click HERE to read the whole forum.

INSTRUCTIONS: Write two short comments on the forum (100 words each). One of the comments must reflect your personal views and the other one must reflect the opinion of one of the people listed below. Think of what comments these people might leave on the forum and elaborate an answer according to their profile. Use your best English.

1. An apocalyptic environmentalist
2. A greedy builder
3. A corrupted politician
4. A technological visionary
5. A virtuous campaigner
6. A wealthy philanthropist
7. Greta Thunberg
8. A scholarly & optimistic citizen
9. A renowned expert
10. An apathetic & pessimistic citizen

IELTS SPEAKING: TOWNS AND CITIES

See the full website HERE

RELIGION AND BABIES

POVERTY AND OVERPOPULATION

FOOD FOR THOUGHT: A REPORT ON WORLD POPULATION

  A United Nations report on world population trends has provided some interesting food for thought on the future demographics of our planet. The world’s population is currently 6.5 billion and is set to increase and level off to about 9 billion people. The report says population explosions will occur in Africa and Asia, but not in the rest of the world, “Considerable diversity exists in the expected population growth of countries. The

population of many countries, particularly in Africa and Asia, will increase greatly inthe coming decades.”  

  Conversely, population levels in developed countries are expected to fall, because of decreased fertility rates caused by increased contraceptive use. The report also indicates half of the world’s population will be city dwellers by 2007. That is a huge jump from the figure of 30% urbanization in 1993. The five most populated cities today are Tokyo (35 million people), Mexico City (19 million), New York (18.5 million), Bombay (18.3 million) and Sao Paulo (18.3 million). In 1950 only Tokyo and New York had populations of more then 10 million people. By 2050 there will be 22 cities of that size. 

  The report concludes, “the current population picture is one of dynamic population change, reflected in new and diverse patterns of childbearing, mortality, migration, urbanization and ageing. The continuation and consequences of these population trends present opportunities as well as challenges for all societies in the twenty-first century.”

CITY LIFE OUTSIDE THE CITY

COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS 
1. When did the urbanization process begin? 
2. What triggered this process? 
3. What three factors made people move to the cities? 
4. If people could telework, what impact would that have? 
5. Regarding access to services and goods, what is the current problem with delivery in rural areas? 
6. How can the problem of delivering goods in rural areas be solved? 
7. Regarding energy efficient houses, can living in the country be eco-friendly? 8. According to Julio Gil’s predictions, will cities disappear?

CITIES CAN SAVE THE PLANET

Click HERE

PEOPLE TALK ABOUT LONDON

INSPIRATION FOR THE SUMMER!

UPDATED CONTENTS FOR THE FINAL EXAMS IN MAY 2019

Writing:

Two texts.

FOR AND AGAINST ESSAY (250 words) possible topics:

-Fossil fuels

-Longer prison sentences and the death penalty

-Same-sex marriage

-Mass tourism

-The sustainability of economic growth
-Living together before marriage ELIMINATED

STATISTICS REPORT (BAR CHARTS) (150 words) possible topics:

-Women in the Spanish Parliament

-Brexit voters by age

-Police killings in the US by race

-Catalan speakers in Catalonia

-Children poverty in Spain ELIMINATED

-Salaries in the EU ELIMINATED

-Immigration and emigration in Spain ELIMINATED

-Carbon emissions US and China ELIMINATED

Speaking.
Monologue: preparation time 3 minutes. You can take notes. Presentation time: 5-6 minutes. 

-Do you think alternative energies can be a realistic alternative to fossil fuels?

-Do you think the death penalty is wrong in all cases?

-Do you believe same-sex couples should be able to marry and adopt children?

-Is tourism destroying the planet or can it also help conservation?

-Are private schools better that public shools?

-At our levels of consumption, is economic growth sustainable?

         -Is nuclear energy a reasonably green option?
        -Is living together before the wedding essential for a long-lasting                successful marriage? ELIMINATED

Dialogues: preparation time 3 minutes. Presentation time 6-7 minutes. These are the topics:

-DEBATES ON:

-Fossil fuels

-Living together before getting married ELIMINATED

-The death penalty

-Same-sex marriage

-Mass tourism

-The sustainability of economic growth

DATES FOR THE FINAL EXAMS IN MAY

⚠📑🇬🇧*Los exámenes finales escritos serán el miércoles día 8 de mayo (Writing) y el lunes día 13 (Reading & Listening)* , y el *speaking entre el miércoles día 15 y el lunes día 20* . El speaking es en parejas y sólo hay que venir uno de esos dos días, dependiendo del turno que tengan. *Entrega de notas el miércoles 22*⚠📑🇬🇧

TOURISM: PROS AND CONS

Click here to read the full article.

SAME-SEX MARRIAGE

RANDOM CONVERSATION TOPICS

BLUE MONDAY?

WINTER IS NOT COMING

AMAZING TECHNOLOGY. SUSTAINABLE FUTURE?

DI CAPRIO ON CLIMATE CHANGE

ENLIGHTENING ARTICLES ABOUT THE ENVIRONMENT

SAVING PLANET EARTH

BREXIT EXPLAINED

THE PRIME MINISTER OF SPAIN AT THE WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM OF DAVOS

MEDIATION TASK

Read the article HERE

HOW TO FIX DEMOCRACY