IELTS Vocabulary: Topic-wise IELTS Academic Vocabulary, Scoring Criteria, Importance, Tips & Sample; www.ielts.org

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IELTS vocabulary is the building block of your IELTS preparation. Without IELTS academic vocabulary preparation, it is impossible to communicate and convey your thoughts and ideas on the day of the test. A strong vocabulary will help you in all the sections of the IELTS exam – Listening, Reading, Writing, and Speaking. However, vocabulary is not an end in itself. You will need the knowledge of grammar and the skill of accuracy to convey your ideas correctly.

IELTS Vocabulary Scoring Criteria

Before we try to understand the scoring criteria of IELTS vocabulary scoring criteria with the help of band descriptors, let us understand what exactly “high-level” words are.

IELTS in CEFR Scale

The CEFR (Common European Framework of Reference for Languages) establishes a relationship between certain levels and IELTS band scores. The following chart will help you understand the comparison:

Now that you have understood the comparison between CEFR levels and IELTS band scores, let us understand their relevance in terms of vocabulary.

Whenever you come across a word that you do not know, you should search the same on the online Cambridge dictionary. Once you search the word, you will get to know which word is A1, A2, B1, B2, C1, or C2. Then you can compare that level with the IELTS band scores using the chart given above.

We have taken two words here: Picturesque and Dump. Note that the word Picturesque is a B2 level word, while the word Dump is a C2 level word.

IELTS Vocabulary Band Score

The table given below has been taken from IELTS band descriptors and provides information about the scoring criteria of the IELTS Writing section, with respect to vocabulary:

Band Scores	Lexical Resource
9	Wide range Natural Rare minor errors
8	Wide range Conveys precise meaning Skillful use of uncommon words Occasional inaccuracies in the choice of words and collocation Rare errors in spelling
7	Sufficient range Some awareness of collocation Occasional errors in the choice of words, spellings, and word formation
6	Adequate range Use of uncommon words with some inaccuracy Some errors in spelling and word formation but no difficulty in conveying the meaning
5	Limited range Noticeable errors Some difficulty for the reader
4	Repetitive basic vocabulary Errors cause difficulty for the reader
3	Very limited range Severely distorted meaning
2	Extremely limited range No control over word formation
1	Only few isolated words

The table given below has been taken from IELTS band descriptors and provides information about the scoring criteria of the IELTS Speaking section, with respect to vocabulary:

Band Scores	Lexical Resource
9	Full flexibility and precision Natural and accurate
8	Wide vocabulary Precise meaning Skillful use of uncommon words Paraphrasing
7	Flexible use Use of uncommon words with some inappropriate choice Paraphrasing
6	Wide enough vocabulary Clear meaning despite some inappropriacies Generally paraphrases successfully
5	Limited flexibility Mixed success in paraphrasing
4	Can convey only basic meaning Frequent errors Rare paraphrasing
3	Simple vocabulary to convey personal information Insufficient vocabulary for less familiar subjects
2	Isolated or memorized words

Importance of Vocabulary on the IELTS

On the Writing and the Speaking sections of the IELTS, a good vocabulary contributes to the following:
- It comprises 25% of total marks on these sections.
- It helps you covey your ideas in a coherent and easy-to-understand manner. Besides, it helps you carry on the discussion with the examiner.
On the Listening and the Reading section of the IELTS, a strong vocabulary helps you in the following:
- It helps you understand what has been asked, and answer the question accurately.
- On the Reading section, a strong vocabulary will give you an added advantage of quickly locating the correct answer using the technique of skimming.

IELTS Vocabulary Preparation Tips

Memorization of an entire booklet of words will not help you unless you know how to use those words. Working on your grammar, collocations, pronunciation, and meaning of sentences will fetch you a higher band than just memorizing random words.
Do not be misled by information that gives you “top 5 IELTS words” or “top 10 IELTS words”. You do not know whether these words will even fit the context. Secondly, you will be scored on the basis of your performance on the entire section and not just 5 or 10 words.
You should be focused on using correct, accurate, and appropriate words that fit the context. If you use “5 high-level C1 and C2” words with a flawed grammar and incorrect meaning, the examiner will be easily able to identify that you have memorized those words.
Improving your vocabulary takes time and it is an organic process where you improve every single day by putting-in constant efforts.
Resources:
- Cambridge Vocabulary for IELTS: It is a comprehensive book which covers the entire content in a structured manner along with practice exercise at the end of each chapter.
- IELTS Vocabulary Masterclass 8.5: This book contains an exhaustive list of words along with practice exercises. It also has an IELTS Listening and Reading mini-dictionary.
- Read newspapers and articles related to common topics such as Education, Science, Technology, Business, Tourism, etc. Note the words that you do not understand, and find their meaning, synonyms, antonyms, usage, collocation, and the related grammar. You can maintain these words in a notebook or in e-format. It is not sufficient to just make a note of these words; you must periodically revise them as well.
- Listen to podcasts: There are good podcasts available on Spotify. These podcasts will help you build a strong vocabulary base and contribute to your listening and speaking sections.

Collocations for IELTS

Simply put; collocation means two or more words that are used together so that it sounds correct. E.g., ‘Breaking Benjamin released many hit albums’, rather than, ‘Breaking Benjamin published many hit albums’. Proper use of collocations will allow you to express your ideas more convincingly and coherently so that the native speakers can understand them. There is no logic behind it, either you know them or you don’t.

Other examples are:

- Make: Make a choice, make a wish, make a point, make friends, etc.
- Have: Have fun, have lunch, have dinner, have a shower, etc.
- Keep: Keep moving, keep in touch, keep walking, etc.

There are various types of collocations:

- Noun + Noun: e.g. Ceasefire Agreement
- Noun + Verb: e.g. Plane took off
- Adjective + Noun: e.g. excruciating pain
- Adverb + Adjective: e.g. fully satisfied
- Verb + Adverb: e.g. whispered softly
Idioms for IELTS

An idiom is an expression that is not understood if the words are considered separately. Rather, it is understood if the words are taken together. Some idioms are given in the chart below:

Idiom	Meaning
Under the weather	To feel ill
Spill the beans	To reveal a secret
Break a leg	To wish someone luck
Sat on the fence	Indecisiveness
Beat around the bush	To avoid talking about what is actually important
Pull someone’s leg	To play a practical joke
Once in a blue moon	Rarely
Come rain or shine	No matter what
Out of the blue	An event that happened unexpectedly
Back against the wall	Stuck in a difficult situation
Blind as bat	Cannot see
Green with envy	To be jealous
Jump on the bandwagon	To follow a trend

Phrasal Verbs for IELTS

Phrasal verbs are phrases that indicate action, e.g., abide by. Some phrasal verbs are given in the chart below:

Phrasal Verb	Meaning
Abide by	To obey
Add up	To make sense
Agree with	Have a same opinion
Back down	To withdraw
Blow up	To get angry / To explode
Break into	To enter forcefully
Ease off	To become less severe
Get away	To escape
Get rid off	To remove/eliminate
Let down	To disappoint

Topic-wise Academic Word List for IELTS: We are providing some important words, related to certain topics, which you should be aware about. These will help you answer the questions on the given topics:
- Art: Culture, Aesthetic, Portray, Performance, Connoisseur, Playwright
- Business: Economy, Small-business, Business houses, Investments, Deficit, Business cycle
- Education: E-learning, Online education, Curriculum, Discipline, Subjects, Graduate
- Food: Culinary, Nutrition, Diet, Carbohydrates, Protein, Meal
- Health: Medicine, Medication, Healthcare, Overweight, Underweight
- Technology: Innovation, Development, Device, E-commerce, Information Technology, Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning