Benedict Cumberbatch: Confident in Acting, Shy in Life
Benedict Cumberbatch appears extremely confident in his acting roles, even if he may not always feel that way in real life. This shows that confidence can be a performance, something built through practice rather than natural ability.

🗣 What Can IELTS Candidates Learn from This?

Just like Benedict, IELTS candidates don’t need to be naturally confident speakers—they just need to sound confident! They need to fake it till they make it.

Even if you're nervous, act as if you're confident.

Confidence isn’t about never feeling nervous—it’s about handling nerves like a pro. If actors can do it on stage, you can do it in your IELTS Speaking test.@ieltsboyko

💳 Debit Card vs. Credit Card vs. Loyalty Card
🔹 Debit Card – Connected to your bank account; money is deducted instantly.
➡ I used my debit card to pay for lunch, and the amount was withdrawn from my account immediately.

🔹 Credit Card – Allows you to borrow money from the bank and pay later (often with interest).
➡ I booked my hotel using a credit card, and I’ll pay it off next month.

🔹 Loyalty Card – A store rewards card that offers discounts or points; not a payment method.
➡ I used my loyalty card at the supermarket and got a 10% discount.

💡 Other Useful Financial Terms:

✔ Online Transactions – Digital payments (I prefer online transactions for shopping)
✔ Bank Transfer – Moving money between accounts (She sent me money via bank transfer)

@ieltsboyko

How Passion Drives Learning

This video perfectly demonstrates how our mind works. When we're truly passionate about something, we don't need to force ourselves to memorize information—it just sticks effortlessly.

Take four-year-old Max, for example. He loves cars. I've never asked him to memorize car brands, but when I play Forza Horizon, he naturally asks about the names. And guess what? They stay in his mind without any effort!

The same principle applies to learning vocabulary. Some struggle to learn words by heart, while others, fueled by love for English, naturally enrich their vocabulary without even trying.

So, find your passion—it makes all the difference!

PS, Max can't read

"Synonyms" that are actually NOT synonyms

1. Step vs Stage
2. Exam vs Test
3. Client vs Customer
4. Than vs To
5. Affect vs Effect
6. Nursing home vs Residential home vs Care home
7. A cause vs to cause
8. Valuable vs invaluable*
9. A challenge vs to challenge
10. Delay vs postpone vs procrastinate
11. Traffic congestion vs Traffic jam
12. Crop vs Harvest
13. Degree vs Diploma
14. Worry vs Concern
15. Historic vs historical

@ieltsboyko

Last IELTS mock test at the Intellectuals this year, guys