Neil McLaren
I live and work in Bratislava and have been teaching for more than twenty-five years. I’m the Social Community Manager in charge of the British Council’s global social media channels for learners.
Location Bratislava, Slovakia
Activity
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Neil McLaren replied to roberta tomasi
Glad you liked it @robertatomasi ! You're right - adding the yogurt from the marinade to the sauce is just as good as using cream, and healthier! The only thing of course is, since it had raw chicken in it, you need to make sure you cook it thoroughly if you add it to the sauce. whereas the cream is just added at the end.
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Good question @LyudmylaTkachenko . The reason I do it that way is because I don't have grill pan with a rack to put it on. You can't cook it in a baking tray etc. because the juice coming out of the chicken will mean it cooks in the liquid instead and it won't get that slightly charred, barbecue taste that real chicken tikka has. Real chicken tikka is cooked...
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Neil McLaren replied to Vera A
Yes @VeraA I love my TARDIS teapot too - it was a present from my daughter :-)
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Neil McLaren replied to roberta tomasi
Yes Roberta, you can easily mix them yourself if you can't find them ready-made: https://www.vegrecipesofindia.com/garam-masala-recipe-garam-masala-powder/
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Neil McLaren replied to Lyudmyla Tkachenko
Exactly @LyudmylaTkachenko , like this recipe: https://www.vegrecipesofindia.com/garam-masala-recipe-garam-masala-powder/
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Neil McLaren replied to Reina Himelfarb
There are lots of recipes online @ReinaHimelfarb ,like this one https://www.vegrecipesofindia.com/garam-masala-recipe-garam-masala-powder/
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Neil McLaren replied to Hend Abu Krayem
Exactly @HendAbuKrayem all the spices in it shouldbe available, like black and white pepper, cloves, cinnamon, cumin, coriander seeds, anise etc. Then you can mix it yourself the way you like it.
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Neil McLaren replied to Laura Wilhelm
They're convenient @LauraWilhelm , and spices definitely, but sauces and pastes don't taste quite the same! Honestly, try this recipe - it's delicious! :-)
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Neil McLaren replied to Shreya Sreedharan
To be honest, @ShreyaSreedharan , the Andrew Scott version is one of my favourites of the bunch because it seems so fresh and natural and as these reviews from the Guardian and Time Out point out, really gives the impression that he is wrestling with these thoughts and articulating them for the first time aloud:
'With “To be or not to be”, you feel Scott is... -
Neil McLaren replied to Teresa Holmes
Hi @TeresaHolmes , sorry about the delay, it's there now!
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Neil McLaren replied to Bill Edminster
Apparently it was Elizabeth Bishop (quoted in this book of letters: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/125225.One_Art) who said that 'The best line of iambic pentameter is not in classical poetry but in W. C. Handy’s ‘St. Louis Blues,'. But Auden undoubtedly agreed, and was heavily influenced by blues traditions, as in Refugee Blues:...
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Neil McLaren replied to Brian Holborow
Roald Dahl, who features in our Exploring English: Language and Culture course (https://bit.ly/EELanguageCulture) invented more than 500 words in his books @BrianHolborow , and while they may not have entered everyday use like Shakespeare's, there are certainly millions of people who grew up with words like 'scrumdiddlyumptious'!...
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Neil McLaren replied to Alvaro Solis
Good guess, but I'm afraid that's not it @AlvaroSolis ! I'm talking to everyone with both.
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Neil McLaren replied to Zachary Jones
I'm sorry about that @ZacharyJones ! All the videos on this course were done by the educators at home during Covid restrictions, and none of us are professionals - it's what we cook at home! It's still delicious though!
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Neil McLaren replied to Tale Lady
That's right @TaleLady ! :-)
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Neil McLaren replied to Muhammad Junaid Anwar
I agree @MuhammadJunaidAnwar ! I was concentrating on the filming so much I skipped any garnish! Green chillies would be great, or maybe some coriander leaves!
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Neil McLaren replied to Shreya Sreedharan
Hi @ShreyaSreedharan , I checked the links and there was a problem with the No Fear Shakespeare one, which I have fixed now. I couldn't find any problem with the Biography link though, and it opened fine for me, so maybe there is some geographical restriction. Try these resources instead:...
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Neil McLaren replied to Bill Edminster
For anyone who hasn't seen it yet, @ShreyaSreedharan and @TatianaZaitseva , this clip is a good introduction and a great tie-in to what we've been looking at this week! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A8M8qTclbho
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Neil McLaren replied to Gill McKenzie
Yes, it's not for everyone @GillMcKenzie , and I've seen a few comments from people who were unimpressed! But when I first saw it, it made me laugh out loud - which is rare! I think it's great that you can take something as undeniably dark and deeply serious as Hamlet, retain just the skeleton of the key plot points and transform it into an original black...
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Neil McLaren replied to Marian Karam
It's there now @MarianKaram !
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This one @ElisabethWatkins : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Q3EnDtbg8w
And there is another version coming out next month from the Coen brothers, starring Denzel Washington: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VDGvPEOxKpg -
I have to say, I love the music and the way that one is filmed too - it creates a great atmosphere.
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Hi Shreya, it IS also on YouTube - you can join here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oD9pnnALF3Q
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Hi @RamMaghenthar , as I've menioned to a few people, you don't need to remember much in these tasks. You write the answers down at the same time as you listen or you make notes if you're not sure of something. The questions themselves also help. So it''s not like you listen to the recording and then have to remember eveything to answer the questions.
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Don't worry @HarshitAgrawal - you don't need to remember them. You will write your answers down as you listen.
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It's not really necessary to remember in the test itself @EuniceMarindany - you will answer the questions as you listen and the questions themselves will help you keep track.
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Exactly @SantiagoOrdonez - it's all about practice.
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Neil McLaren replied to astrid A
Hi @astridA and @DaniNascimento , no I'm afraid not! As you enter the answers directly while you listen there is no need to transfer them, so the time at the end is shorter.
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Neil McLaren replied to Anthony S
Don't worry @AnthonyS - although you may meet a range of accents in IELTS, none of them are particularly strong and all the speakers use standard English. So while there is some variation in the way some sounds and words are pronounced, it should not cause any problems.
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Neil McLaren replied to Caroline Lopes
Luckily IELTS uses more formal situations @CarolineLopes - business telephone calls, lectures, discussions between students on academic topics etc. so slang is not something you will have to worry about.
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Neil McLaren replied to Harshit Agrawal
That's certainly true @HarshitAgrawal and why this course is so important to develop the skils and techniques that will make it easier for you to focus and concentrate on active listening.
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That's right @YulyMak - these tips apply to all four of the Understanding IELTS courses - and really to all FutureLearn courses!
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Claire is sadly not an educator on this course @MaggieHannan , but I'll pass on your message!
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Neil McLaren replied to Arsenii Trofimov
These Understanding IELTS courses are perfect for that @ArseniiTrofimov - from a teacher's point of view they really break down the skills required and how to approach and develop them systematically. So more than just helping you with the test format, they give you a very clear idea of what you need to focus on in class, and activities that you can use to do...
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Neil McLaren replied to Sepideh Jodeyri
Perfec timing @SepidehJodeyri ! I hope you can set aside enough time to work through all the content this month - it will help you a lot, I'm sure.
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It was @AndrzejMiller !
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Neil McLaren replied to Art Channel
This is a good, clear introduction @ArtChannel , although I think you could problably make it a little shorter and clearer by redrafting the opening sentence.
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Neil McLaren replied to Beatriz Ena
This is a good first attempt @BeatrizEna . There are a couple of small grammar points to check, like your article at the start and a few spelling/typos. One other thing to be careful of is consistent style - 'mates' is very informal English and should not be used in this type of essay. But apart from those things, you have clearly given the context,...
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Careful about your use of past tense in the opening sentence @RenelitoTangkay . You start out well, but do not mention your own position, which the task asks for. So I'd suggest hat after you have set the context, as you have done here, then you should think of a different way to continue the introduction.
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Neil McLaren replied to BEN SHI
Hi @BENSHI I think you have unfortunately done the same thing that we warned against in the article - that is, you have jumped straight in wih your opinion without providing context or outlining the problem. You can include your points here in your introduction, but you need to help the reader understand what you are talking about and why first.
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Neil McLaren replied to Art Channel
Good sentence @ArtChannel , although perhaps another word than 'in' might be better?
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Neil McLaren replied to sara habbouchi
This is a good start @sarahabbouchi , but be careful of tense!
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You've done well with parts of these, especially with changing the parts of speech and selecting appropriate vocabulary, which is our focus here. However in terms of grammar I'd recommend looking at them a little more closely. 'Which are more affordable nowadays' is additional detail, which means it is a non-defining relative clause. What changes do you need...
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Neil McLaren replied to Carlos Calagua
There are several good parts in your sentences @CarlosCalagua , bu alsoa few things to consider. The first part of sentence 1 is good, but try again with the time expression from 'since' onwards. In your third sentence everything is good until the very end 'contact from one another' - can you try and say what you mean a little differently?
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Well spotted @MariaMadalenaBatim , that is indeed true.
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Neil McLaren replied to Peichao Mi
That's cerainly an important part of it @PeichaoMi
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Absolutely @DaryaDobreykina
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Thanks for sharing @LujainEzou . I also like this one: https://www.wordhippo.com/
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If it works for you, that's great @LuisaMancilla ! But maybe for IELTS, you might want to cut back a little on chaos! :-)
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Yes @PeichaoMi , it's good to focus, but rather than only reading shorter articles, I'd suggest starting by breaking up longer articles into smaller parts. Don't feel you have to read them in one step. Read part, make notes, choose some useful vocabulary, then put the article away and come back to it a bit later. Use your notes from the earlier section to...
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Exactly @MariaMadalenaBatim ! They are all topics that anyone who follows news and current affairs will know something about.
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Well, to be fair @robertatomasi , questipns on technoolgy very often focus on the social or economic effects of that technology, so it might not be so far as you think.
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That's good to hear @FranciscoCoelho .
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Yes @PeichaoMi , the resources we share on this course will help you with that. You're right that the secret is in making that step from reading about the topics and thinking about them in general terms to then thinking about the type of questions you might be asked about them, and how you would answer. Thinking about them in that way will also help you...
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Neil McLaren replied to Jose Luis Ola Garcia
It certainly is @JoseLuisOlaGarcia !
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Neil McLaren replied to Darya Dobreykina
The Economist is good for all the reasons you mention @DaryaDobreykina , and it's also useful for the Reading tests because the level of language and the style they use is quite similar to the type of articles you meet there.
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Neil McLaren replied to Yhonny Porras Anzola
Absolutely @YhonnyPorrasAnzola , and your speaking too.
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Neil McLaren replied to Anastasia Culiciu
Yes, I've been watching Explained too @AnastasiaCuliciu and it's definitely useful.
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Neil McLaren replied to David Usamah
7.0 David - make sure you select 'Academic' in the calculator, as the required scores are different.
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Neil McLaren replied to Beatriz Ena
The order does not matter in this type of question @AngelicaBorbon - only that you include the correct three letters. You can do it in any order.
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Neil McLaren replied to Angelica Borbon
Yes, these are all valuable lessons to learn @AngelicaBorbon - you'd be surprised how many people lose points for exactly these things.
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Neil McLaren replied to Anastasia Culiciu
I think you might have selected General rather than Academic in the calculator @AnastasiaCuliciu . @ArtChannel is right - 35/40 is 8.0 in the Academic test (bt 7.0 in General) https://www.ieltspractice.com/ielts-score-calculator.php
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Neil McLaren replied to Priya Rafferty
That's an excellent score @PriyaRafferty
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Neil McLaren replied to Bouchra ESSADDOUQUI ESSLIMANI
That's still a good score @BouchraESSADDOUQUIESSLIMANI . But yes, the difference between False and Not Given is the one to be careful of!
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Neil McLaren replied to Dani Nascimento
32/40 would be 7.0 @DaniNascimento, which is a very good score - you can check here: https://www.ieltspractice.com/ielts-score-calculator.php
I'm glad to hear the course has helped, and if you keep practising with the resources we've shared I'm sure you'll be even more confident by the time you take your test! -
Neil McLaren replied to Art Channel
That's an excellent result @ArtChannel !
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Neil McLaren replied to Thu Nguyen
You can check what band score you would get in Listening and Reading here: https://www.ieltspractice.com/ielts-score-calculator.php
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Neil McLaren replied to Thu Nguyen
That's certainly not a bad score @ThuNguyen ! It's equivalent to 6.5, which is the score most universities ask for, so I'd say you are definitely on track!
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Neil McLaren replied to Yhonny Porras Anzola
Great! I hope you get on well.
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Neil McLaren replied to Yelyzaveta Zavadetska
That's a good point @YelyzavetaZavadetska and it certainly does happen.
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Neil McLaren replied to roberta tomasi
I'm afraid that depends on the situation in each test centre @robertatomasi . Many test centres us wireless headphones now, but not all.
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Neil McLaren replied to Gentil Pessoal
You can try both while you're practising @GentilPessoal and see how you feel then.
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Neil McLaren replied to Cinthia Aibar
I think that's probably true for many people @CinthiaAibar . The last 18 months or so has really changed a lot of people's relationship with technology.
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Neil McLaren replied to Lucas Queiroz
Oh no @LucasQueiroz ! That was not our aim - we wanted to make you feel more relaxed by seeing exactly what to expect! Don't worry!
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Neil McLaren replied to Udoka Kafor
Good to hear @UdokaKafor !
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Neil McLaren replied to Vitória Pellizzari
Yes, you are provided with everything you need @VitóriaPellizzari .
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Neil McLaren replied to Madonna Spencer
That's great to hear @MadonnaSpencer - that's the result we were hoping for!
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Neil McLaren replied to Sofia Sciacovelli
Good luck @SofiaSciacovelli ! I know you've worked hard and commented all the way hroigh the course so well done! I hope it has helped you a lot, and as you say I hope you and everyone on the course will get the results they need!
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Neil McLaren replied to Nandini Bhattacharya
No, none at all @NandiniBhattacharya . The format, content and assessment are exactly the same.
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Neil McLaren replied to Paul Chakafa
Good luck @PaulChakafa ! I hope all our advice has helped.
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I'm afraid you will @VenturaJacquelineAstorgaCerda ! If reading is not part of your daily life then it's essential that you start practising it as soon as possible.
