Looking after Your Feet
During Summer
With the arrival of warmer weather, many of us will be baring feet that have spent all winter hidden inside shoes and socks. If you haven’t kept up a foot-care regime over the winter months, get one started as soon as possible!
Dry or rough skin can be made smooth and supple by exfoliating with Scholl Rough Skin Remover, then moisturising with Scholl Deep Moisturising Cream or Scholl Re-Hydrating Moisture Mousse. Dull or discoloured nails can be given a fresh summer look with Scholl Healthy Nails, Nail Brightening System.
In hot weather, feet are likely to perspire more. Apart from potential odour problems, this leads to conditions that allow bacteria and fungi to thrive. Keep your feet cool and hygienic by:
• Wearing cotton socks whenever you have shoes on. Cotton absorbs perspiration, allowing your feet to breathe.
• Choosing shoes with leather lining. This will also help to absorb perspiration and help your feet from becoming too hot.
• Allow your feet maximum exposure to fresh air by not wearing shoes or socks at all when relaxing at home. Please note, if you have diabetes or circulatory problems, going bare-foot is not recommended because of the increased risk of cuts or abrasions going unnoticed.
Footwear
Many types of summer footwear - such as sandals or flip-flops - are associated with particular foot problems. By offering limited support and inadequate padding, some types of summer footwear can cause pain in the soles and ankles. Open-backed footwear can leave your heels prone to cracking. Shoes with an open design on top can leave the delicate skin on your upper foot exposed to the sun.
• Footwear with straps or thongs between the toes can lead to friction and blisters.
On Holiday
Going on holiday rarely involves a break for our feet. Trips to hot, dry climates increase the likelihood of dry skin, cracked heels and increased perspiration. Often, our footwear changes from the well-worn and comfortable to newly-purchased sandals or flip-flops. This can cause friction that leads to blisters and other painful problems. When packing your bags, remember to pop a few foot care products in with your beachwear and sunhat.
Feet get sunburned too!
It’s easy to forget about the skin on the tops of your toes, upper feet and ankles. But its thin nature and the fact it’s usually protected by shoes and socks makes it especially susceptible to sunburn. Best, therefore, to use the same type of high-factor cream you’d use on your face. A few weeks before your holiday, start up an exfoliating and moisturising regime and start trimming your toenails on a regular basis. If your journey will involve a flight lasting four hours or more, don’t forget Scholl Flight Socks. Evidence suggests flights of this duration or longer may increase the risk of developing a DVT.
During Winter
The cold weather of winter can lead to a variety of health implications for your feet. The extremities of the body - such as toes are more susceptible to losing heat, particularly if you have circulatory problems.
Wearing thicker socks and shoes that provide an adequate layer of insulation from ground-chill are obvious precautions. Natural materials, especially cotton or wool, will help prevent the build-up of moisture in your shoes, so depriving bacteria and fungi of the conditions they need to spread.
Take care not to warm up chilly feet too quickly - by placing them in hot water, for instance. This can cause chilblains, a painful condition that arises when heat causes the blood to start flowing too quickly for the surrounding blood vessels to cope with. The resulting leakage into the surrounding tissue then causes itchy, red areas of swelling.
Because your feet are likely to spend large amounts of time hidden in shoes and socks during the winter, it’s important to maintain a foot-care regime. While washing, drying, exfoliating and moisturising, keep a careful watch for the early signs of problems, such as the build-up of hard skin that can lead to a callus or a discolouring of the nails which can be the first signs of a fungal infection.
As soon as you can you should begin a of foot-care.
The Nail Brightening System is for nails which have lost their shine or become .
In summer, you can keep your feet cooler by using .
Your heals are more likely to crack if you wear shoes.
You should start cutting your toenails regularly shortly before .
In winter, you can stop bacteria building up by wearing socks made of .
There is a risk of developing if you warm up your feet too quickly.
AI explanationShows the answer. Tap to open.
Question Focus: Synonym match - summary says 'begin' and 'foot-care', passage uses 'get one started' and 'foot-care regime'
Correct Answer: regime
Why this is correct: The passage says get one started as soon as possible, referring to a foot-care regime. The summary paraphrases this as 'begin a ___ of foot-care'.
Passage Reference: If you haven't kept up a foot-care regime over the winter months, get one started as soon as possible!
Common Mistake: Students sometimes write routine, which fits the meaning but is not the exact word from the passage. You MUST copy the passage word. This is a synonym trap.
Paraphrasing: Passage: 'foot-care regime' = Summary: 'a ___ of foot-care'
Tips: When you see 'a ___ of', expect a singular noun from the passage.
Key Vocabulary:
- regime = routine
- maintain = keep up
Question Focus: Direct detail - describing nail condition
Correct Answer: discoloured
Passage Reference: Dull or discoloured nails can be given a fresh summer look with Scholl Healthy Nails, Nail Brightening System.
Why this is correct: The passage clearly states dull or discoloured nails can be treated with the Nail Brightening System. The summary rephrases this as nails that have lost shine or become ___.
Common Mistake: Some students write dull, but the summary already says 'lost their shine'. Adding dull repeats the idea and does not match the wording. This is a partial truth trap.
Paraphrasing: Passage: 'discoloured nails' = Summary: 'nails which have lost their shine or become ___'
Tips: If the summary already paraphrases one adjective, the gap usually needs the second one.
Key Vocabulary:
- discoloured = changed colour
- dull = not shiny
Question Focus: Synonym match - 'keep your feet cooler' paraphrases 'help your feet from becoming too hot'
Correct Answer: leather lining
Passage Reference: Choosing shoes with leather lining. This will also help to absorb perspiration and help your feet from becoming too hot.
Why this is correct: The passage explains that shoes with leather lining help absorb perspiration and stop feet becoming too hot. This matches 'keep your feet cooler'.
Common Mistake: Students may write cotton socks, which are also mentioned, but that advice is about absorbing perspiration, not directly about shoes keeping feet cool. This is a wrong section trap.
Paraphrasing: Passage: 'help your feet from becoming too hot' = Summary: 'keep your feet cooler'
Tips: Check carefully whether the summary is talking about socks, shoes, or materials.
Key Vocabulary:
- lining = inside layer
- perspiration = sweat
Question Focus: Direct detail - cause of cracked heels
Correct Answer: open-backed
Passage Reference: Open-backed footwear can leave your heels prone to cracking.
Why this is correct: The passage states that open-backed footwear leaves heels prone to cracking. The summary paraphrases this as 'your heels are more likely to crack'.
Common Mistake: Some students write sandals, which are mentioned earlier, but not all sandals are open-backed. This is a partial truth trap.
Paraphrasing: Passage: 'Open-backed footwear' = Summary: '___ shoes'
Tips: Be precise. IELTS often wants the exact descriptive word, not a general category.
Key Vocabulary:
- prone to = likely to
- cracking = splitting
Question Focus: Time reference - when to start trimming toenails
Correct Answer: your holiday
Passage Reference: e. A few weeks before your holiday, start up an exfoliating and moisturising regime and start trimming your toenails on a regular basis.
Why this is correct: The passage says a few weeks before your holiday, you should start trimming your toenails regularly. The summary shortens this to 'shortly before ___'.
Common Mistake: Students sometimes write a flight, but that relates to flight socks, not toenails. This is a context shift trap.
Paraphrasing: Passage: 'before your holiday' = Summary: 'shortly before ___'
Tips: Watch for time phrases like before, after, during. They guide you to the right sentence.
Key Vocabulary:
- regular basis = routinely
- trim = cut
Question Focus: Cause and prevention - stopping bacteria building up
Correct Answer: natural materials
Passage Reference: ns. Natural materials, especially cotton or wool, will help prevent the build-up of moisture in your shoes, so depriving bacteria and fungi of the conditions they need to spread.
Why this is correct: The passage explains that natural materials help prevent moisture, which stops bacteria and fungi spreading. The summary paraphrases this as stopping bacteria building up.
Common Mistake: Students may write cotton or wool, but that is too specific and exceeds the wording needed. This is a partial truth trap.
Paraphrasing: Passage: 'Natural materials... prevent the build-up of moisture' = Summary: 'stop bacteria building up'
Tips: If the passage gives examples, the answer is often the general term before them.
Key Vocabulary:
- build-up = accumulation
- depriving = stopping
Question Focus: Direct cause-effect relationship
Correct Answer: chilblains
Passage Reference: ad. Take care not to warm up chilly feet too quickly - by placing them in hot water, for instance. This can cause chilblains, a painful condition that arises when heat causes the blood to start flowing too quickly for the surrounding blood vessels to cope with. The resulting leakage into the surrounding tissue then causes itchy, red areas of swelling.
Why this is correct: The passage clearly warns that warming feet too quickly can cause chilblains. The summary directly reflects this risk.
Common Mistake: Some students write swelling or itchy areas, but these are symptoms, not the condition itself. This is a context shift trap.
Paraphrasing: Passage: 'This can cause chilblains' = Summary: 'There is a risk of ___ developing'
Tips: When the passage names a condition, IELTS usually wants that exact medical term.
Key Vocabulary:
- chilblains = painful cold-related swelling
- extremities = body ends
General Tips:
- Summary completion questions follow passage order. Use the location of the last answer to find the next one quickly.
- Always copy the exact word or words from the passage. Synonyms are marked wrong.
- Check grammar clues like articles, prepositions, and verb forms around the gap.
- Watch the word limit carefully. Even one extra word makes the answer wrong.
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