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Vocabulary Essentials

IELTS VocabularyAcademic Words for Band 7-9

Build your academic vocabulary for IELTS Writing. Learn essential words, collocations, and paraphrasing techniques to boost your lexical resource score.

25% of Writing Score
500+ Essential Words
100+ Collocations

Why Vocabulary Matters in IELTS

Lexical Resource is one of the four scoring criteria, worth 25% of your IELTS Writing score.

Band 4-5

Limited vocabulary, frequent errors

"The number went up because more people came."

Band 6

Adequate vocabulary, some repetition

"The population increased due to migration and other factors."

Band 7-8

Good vocabulary range, natural use

"The population surged primarily due to substantial migration."

Band 9

Full range, sophisticated use

"The population experienced a dramatic surge, primarily attributable to substantial migration patterns."

Essential Vocabulary Topics

Master these vocabulary categories to boost your lexical resource score.

📈

Data & Trends Vocabulary

Essential vocabulary for describing trends, changes, and data in Task 1.

Increase / Growth

Surge

A dramatic surge in demand

Soar

Prices soar to record levels

Rocket

Sales rocketed last quarter

Escalate

Costs escalated quickly

Peak

Reached its peak in 2020

Climb

Gradually climbed upwards

Decrease / Decline

Plummet

Sales plummeted by 50%

Plunge

Prices plunged dramatically

Slump

Demand slumped significantly

Dip

Slightly dipped in Q3

Shrink

Market shrank by 10%

Contract

Economy contracted

⚖️

Comparison Vocabulary

Vocabulary for comparing data, showing similarities and differences.

Similarities

SimilarlyLikewiseIn the same wayShared a similar patternBoth showedMirroredCorresponding

Differences

In contrastConverselyWhereasHoweverOn the other handUnlikeDiffered significantly

💡 Example:

"Sweden experienced a surge in population, whereas Finland saw a decline. Similarly, Norway mirrored Sweden's trend."

🔗

Cause & Effect Vocabulary

Vocabulary for explaining reasons, consequences, and relationships between factors.

Causes

Due toBecause ofOwing toAttributable toStemming fromResulted from

The increase was <strong>due to</strong> population growth.

Effects

ConsequentlyAs a resultThereforeThusHenceResulting in

Temperatures rose, <strong>resulting in</strong> melting ice.

Relationships

Contributed toLed toTriggeredPromptedSpurredInduced

Urbanization <strong>led to</strong> increased pollution.

🔄

Paraphrasing Techniques

Learn to paraphrase effectively to demonstrate vocabulary range and avoid repetition.

❌ Avoid:

"The graph shows that the population increased. The population increase was significant."

✅ Use Paraphrasing:

"The graph illustrates a significant surge in population. This substantial increase occurred over..."

Paraphrasing Strategies:

Synonyms

show → illustrate, depict, reveal

Change Word Class

increase (v) → increase (n), growth (n)

Active to Passive

The data shows → The data is shown

Restructure

The population increased → There was a population increase

📚

Academic Phrasebank

Useful academic phrases for introducing ideas, adding information, and drawing conclusions.

Introducing

"It is widely acknowledged that......"

"Research suggests that......"

"Evidence indicates that......"

Adding Information

"Furthermore / Moreover..."

"In addition to this..."

"Additionally..."

Contrasting

"However / Nevertheless..."

"On the contrary..."

"In spite of this..."

Conclusion

"In conclusion / To summarize..."

"Overall / All in all..."

"Therefore / Consequently..."

🔗

Common Collocations

Learn word combinations that sound natural and demonstrate native-like fluency.

Make

a decisiona choicea differenceprogressan effort

Take

actioninto accountadvantageplaceresponsibility

Play

a rolea key rolea partcrucial role

High

leveldegreerateproportionstandard

Strong

correlationrelationshiplinkgrowthevidence

Significant

increaseimpactrolecontributiondifference

💡 Example:

"There is a strong correlation between education and income levels."

Common Vocabulary Mistakes

Avoid these frequent errors that can lower your band score.

Word Form Errors

❌ Wrong:

The population significantly increased.

✅ Right:

There was a significant increase in population. / The population increased significantly.

Check if you need noun or adverb form

Overusing Common Words

❌ Wrong:

The number went up, then went down, and went up again.

✅ Right:

The figure surged, subsequently declined, and then rose again.

Use varied vocabulary instead of repeating words

Incorrect Collocations

❌ Wrong:

make an increase

✅ Right:

show an increase / experience a rise

Learn natural word combinations

Too Informal

❌ Wrong:

People say that lots of things happen.

✅ Right:

Research indicates that numerous developments have occurred.

Use formal, academic language

Wordiness

❌ Wrong:

At this point in time, we can see that...

✅ Right:

Currently, we can observe that... / Presently...

Be concise and direct

Practice Your Vocabulary

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