Top 5 TED Talks

Top 5 TED talks for IELTS listening

In this post, we will take a look at my top 5 picks from TED Talks

Listening to talks or lectures will really help you to develop your listening skills for the IELTS Listening Test. Listening to something that interests you can make studying more fun and can raise your enthusiasm. If you just practised listening with IELTS test papers you might get bored and lose interest. Dividing up your listening practice into sections, where you study both listening test papers and other sources will be helpful.

Listening to various sources like TED Talks, will not only help you to develop your listening skills but also to improve your use of general English. Non-native speakers often develop their language skills by watching TV shows or movies. For more academic content, listening to TED Talks or TED-Ed is a great way to listen to different accents and test your listening abilities.  

Take a look at my top 5 TED Talks below and let me know what you think in the comments!


1. Do Schools Kill Creativity? – By Sir Ken Robinson

This talk is not only saying a lot about the education systems around the world but the speaker is very funny. When I first watched this video, I was laughing so much and I thought that he was not only an excellent public speaker, engaging with the audience but he supported his key points with really funny moving stories. I also share his views about the arts being seen as lesser subjects in schools and colleges and I am hopeful that one day that mindset will change. 

Listen to the talk and see what you think, make some notes on the following questions >>

  • What are the key points?
  • What do you think of the speaker?
  • Did you enjoy the talk?
  • What is his opinion on the school systems?
  • How did the talk make you feel?
  • Did you write down any unknown vocabulary?


2. What I saw In The War – Janine Di Giovanni

Listen to the talk and see what you think, make some notes on the following questions >>

  • What are the key points?
  • What do you think of the speaker?
  • Did you enjoy the talk?
  • How did the talk make you feel?
  • Did you write down any unknown vocabulary?


3. The Man Behind Tesla, SpaceX, SolarCity by Elon Musk

Listen to the talk between two people and see what you think, make some notes on the following questions >>

  • What are the key points?
  • Do they agree or disagree on anything?
  • How well did you understand the content?
  • Did you write down any unknown vocabulary?


4. Rethinking Infidelity… A Talk For Anyone Who Has Ever Loved By Esther Perel

Ester Perel is a Psychotherapist and her talks are very popular! 

Listen to the talk below and see what you think, make some notes on the following questions >>

  • What are the key points?
  • How well did you understand the content?
  • Did you enjoy the talk?
  • Did you write down any unknown vocabulary?


5. How Fake News Does Real Harm By Stephanie Busari

Listen to the talk below and see what you think, make some notes on the following questions >>

  • What are the key points?
  • How well did you understand the content?
  • Did you enjoy the talk?
  • Did you write down any unknown vocabulary?


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