Vocabulary for IELTS: Your Complete Guide to Scoring Higher

When you are about to take the IELTS exam, you have most likely already heard that vocabulary is a big deal. Knowing how to develop your vocabulary correctly can be the difference between a Band 6 and a Band 7, 8 or even 9. This guide will take you through all you need to know about IELTS vocabulary: why it is important, what kind of words to study and the best ways to practice.

Read Also: IELTS Band Score 

 

The importance of Vocabulary in IELTS

 Vocabulary is also assessed in all four parts of IELTS, Reading, Writing, Listening, and Speaking. The Writing and Speaking parts have a scoring criterion known as Lexical Resource that directly quantifies the variety of words used and their accuracy.

 In the absence of a good vocabulary, your writing will most probably be wordy, repetitive and unclear. Conversely, a variety and correct vocabulary may impress the examiner, because it indicates a greater degree of language proficiency.

 In the IELTS band descriptors, "precision" under the Lexical Resource criterion refers to the accurate and appropriate use of vocabulary. It does not imply that you should merely have knowledge of a word, but that you should apply it in the appropriate context, and with the appropriate meaning.

Read Also: IELTS Speaking Test

 What Types of Vocabulary Should You Learn?

 1. Synonyms

 Learning synonyms, which are other words that have the same meaning, is one of the most helpful skills in IELTS. The IELTS exam has numerous synonyms particularly in the Listening and Reading tests where you have to match ideas although the words are different. As an example, there are synonyms of increase and rise. The automatic switching of these will automatically avoid repetition and demonstrates your knowledge of the word range to the examiner.

 2. Antonyms
 The knowledge of antonyms, or words that have the opposite meaning, is imperative in scoring high in the IELTS exam. An example is that since you know that complex is the opposite of simple, you are more adaptive to a greater number of questions.

 3. Academic Word List (AWL).
 The Academic Word List is mandatory in case you are undertaking the IELTS Academic. Academic word list Practising the Academic Word List can increase your vocabulary range and it is especially important when you want to reach a Band 7 or higher. These are the words that are easily found in academic texts - words such as analyse, significant, establish and contribute.

 4. Topic-Specific Vocabulary
 Themes that are constantly tested by IELTS include education, environment, technology, health, society and globalisation. These are some of the general themes that are present in the IELTS test and therefore, by learning the words in these themes, you will be able to use them in writing and speaking in case such a topic arises.

 5. Idioms and Phrasal Verbs.
 Idioms count toward your vocabulary score. They are not formal and cannot be used in text, yet you may resort to some of them in IELTS Speaking. You can also learn the phrasal verbs like bring about, carry out and look into as they provide variety to your language.

Read Also: IELTS Preparation 

 How to Learn Vocabulary the Right Way

 This is a common mistake among many students who memorise long lists of words. This rarely works. The smarter way is to do this:

 1. Read Every Day: Reading many different things can be a great way to build up your vocabulary; this includes newspapers, books, and academic journals. You can learn more complicated vocabulary that is used in various situations by reading the articles in the reputable sources. You read and mark new words and find their definitions.

 2. Learn Words in Context: There is no better way to learn new words and learn to use them correctly than to learn them in context, looking at real sources of information, not just lists. When you read a word in a sentence, you can know its meaning, its tone and it sounds natural.

 3. Limit New Words Per Day: The human mind can only effectively remember around 15 new words in a foreign language per day — anymore, and you risk not learning them properly and making mistakes. Concentrate on quality and not quantity.

 4. Use Flashcards: Flashcards are a fun way to learn and practise new vocabulary. Make flashcards with the word on one side and definition, synonyms and an example sentence on the other. You can also enter digital flashcard apps whereby you can go through them anywhere.

 5. Maintain a Vocabulary Notebook: Revise new words on a regular basis and use them in sentences. By writing a word with its meaning, a sentence and pronunciation, you are much more likely to remember it than you were before you read it.

 6. Create Mind Maps: Mind maps are illustrated depiction of a subject area, comprising words and phrases that relate to the subject. This will enable you to remember the words better because the words are organized in a pattern and not in a boring list. Attempt to develop a mind map on such topics as environment or education and take off with related words.

Read Also: IELTS Mock Test

 Vocabulary Tips for Each IELTS Section

 1. Writing: Employ a combination of technical vocabulary, connective words, and words related to the subject. Do NOT repeat the same word over and over again, use synonyms instead. To achieve a good score especially in IELTS Writing, you must learn to paraphrase and avoid mistakes. It is necessary to know what words should be repeated and what to paraphrase.

 2. Speaking: It is possible to receive more points in IELTS Speaking by using specific words as it demonstrates to the examiner that you are capable of using a great variety of words. As an example, when you say that a film is eye-opening as opposed to interesting, it means that it provided you with a new understanding or a new perspective.

 3. Reading and Listening: A good vocabulary will assist in comprehending the answers by synonyms and the paraphrases used in the questions and answer choices, which is the key to matching the correct answers.

Read Also: IELTS Writing Test 

 Common Vocabulary Mistakes to Avoid

 • Using words that you are not certain about. To know a few words very well is preferable, rather than to possess a large vocabulary, which you cannot correctly use, because this will cost you some valuable marks.
 • Dressing up your answers. When a word does not sound natural or it does not fit in, then it will not benefit your score but hurt it.
 • Ignoring uncountable nouns. The most common vocabulary mistake in IELTS is with uncountable nouns. Such words as information, advice, equipment are not subject to plurality - always check these.

 Make a Habit, Not a Word List

 The best IELTS students do not learn vocabulary the eve of the test. It is much better to study new words 5-10 minutes a day than to do everything at the last moment. The key to vocabulary knowledge is consistency.

 With a simple day-to-day strategy of five days a week, you can have 300 or more new words in your notebook in a month or more, and nearly 2,000 new words in six months.

 Always practise words in sentences and learn small and stay consistent. In the long run, you will have developed a large vocabulary, build confidence, and be well on your way to getting the IELTS band score you desire.

Read Also: IELTS Reading Test