Page 1 of 76 Table of contents Dealing with unknown vocabulary in IELTS. 3 IELTS vocabulary by topic. 6 IELTS vocabulary for a city environment. 6 IELTS vocabulary for family.
9 IELTS vocabulary for law. 10 IELTS vocabulary for a city infrastructure. 12 IELTS vocabulary for the environment. 15 IELTS vocabulary for education.
17 IELTS vocabulary for city people. 20 IELTS vocabulary for communication. 22 IELTS vocabulary for health. 24 Common errors in IELTS writing – ‘government’.
26 IELTS vocabulary levels. 28 IELTS vocabulary levels – practice exercises. 49 Phrasal verbs and idioms in IELTS. 60 Phrasal verbs with ‘read and write’.
62 Phrasal verbs with ‘read and write’ exercises. 65 Tips for better spelling. 68 Spelling rules in English. 69 Top 10 tips for learning IELTS vocabulary.
72 Page 2 of 76 Dealing with unknown vocabulary in IELTS A wide range of active vocabulary is absolutely essential to get a good result – you need to be informal and relaxed in Part One of the speaking test and in some General Training Task I writing questions, moving through semi formal and then to very formal for Task II writing. However, one issue that is often overlooked is the need for passive vocabulary skills for the reading and listening. Often the answers are ‘hidden’ by using parallel expressions, synonyms and indirect constructions. That’s why it is essential to have not only a good vocabulary but a clear plan how to improve.
When you meet new vocabulary, don’t panic! Avoid jumping straight to your dictionary – here are five pointers that can help you. Read the passage below. What do you think the word in italics means? In every country you visit, you will find a sport that captures the passions of the nation. New Zealand has its rugby supporters, England has its legions of football fans, the Japanese have taken baseball to their hearts and Scotland still proudly supports its curling heroes.
Click here to see the explanation You know the subject of the paragraph is national sports. You can also see the pattern of country or nationality followed by sport. Therefore, it is logical that curling is a sport. Read the passage below.
What do you think the word in italics means? Page 3 of 76 It should come as no surprise that younger people spend much of their leisure time on their feet, engaged in energetic activities, whereas older people opt for more sedentary pursuits like going to the theatre or watching television. Click here to see the explanation The first clause talks about young people, energetic activities and being ‘on their feet’. The word ‘whereas’ tells you that the second clause is a contrast, so sedentary must have the opposite meaning – not active or energetic, not ‘on their feet’. Read the passage below.
What do you think the word in italics means? There are many examples of the cooperation between people and dogs. Guide dogs, for example, give essential assistance to the blind, while beagles, small dogs with short legs, are often used by hunters. Click here to see the explanation It is always a good idea to look closely at the sentence before and after vocabulary that is unfamiliar, as you often find that the word has been explained. From the passage, you know that beagles are ‘small dogs with short legs’.
Read the passage below. What do you think the word in italics means? In my opinion, boxing is an abhorrent sport. Modern society should be opposed to such violent contact sports. Click here to see the explanation Look at the grammar.
There is a subject (boxing), followed by the verb ‘to be’ (is), and the sentence ends with a noun (sport). So abhorrent must be an adjective of opinion and it follows from the second sentence that it has a negative meaning. Page 4 of 76 5 Logic. Read the passage below.
What do you think the word in italics means? Although technology has made mountain climbing both safer and easier, it is not a sport without risks. Bad weather can come quickly and last for long periods and the effects of severely cold weather can lead to hypothermia and, if untreated, death. Click here to see the explanation Think about it! Use your own knowledge and experience to work it out – what happens to people stuck in cold weather for long periods? Now use the skills presented on this page. Read the sentences below – what do you think the words in italics mean? A English football supporters are often accused of being hooligans, although the majority are actually well-behaved fans who have no intention of causing trouble.
B Although it can be a little expensive, thermal clothing is essential when skiing. C Pilates, a form of exercise, is becoming increasingly popular. D Children from impoverished families rarely have overseas holidays or modern toys. E When climbing Everest, Sir Edmund Hillary experienced some of the world’s harshest natural dangers, such as freezing weather, sudden snowstorms, and even avalanches.
Click here to see the answers A: Hooligans – not well behaved fans / do intend to cause trouble B: Thermal – warm clothing C: Pilates – a form of exercise Page 5 of 76 D: Impoverished – lack of money, poor (something that prevents overseas holidays or modern toys) E: Avalanches – snow and ice sliding down a mountain No matter what skills you apply, you may find a word or words that you still do not understand. If this happens, do not panic. Take a guess and move on. Do not spend too much time trying to work it out.
It has been scientifically proven that the human brain is unable to process more than 20 new words at a time before it starts to forget some. The best thing to do is to write 10 new words with a definition and an example sentence in a pocket-sized notebook and have it with you at all times. Waiting for the bus, sitting in a café or just relaxing at home – these are all good opportunities to quickly take out the notebook and revise. When you are sure you are familiar with these words, write down 10 more and start again.
Once a week, review all the vocabulary you have written in your notebook. Ready to practice your skills? Try this exercise (with complete reading text) to see if you can work with unknown vocabulary. IELTS vocabulary by topic IELTS vocabulary for a city environment Essential IELTS vocabulary split into common IELTS topics and subsections. In this lesson, we are focusing on vocabulary used to describe cities, particularly the city environment – the places, buildings and locations that you can refer to when talking or writing about cities.
Page 6 of 76 Take a look at the list below. How many words do you know? If there are any words you are not familiar with, we strongly recommend that you look them up in a dictionary. Once you have looked through the list, try the vocabulary exercise that follows. the suburbs / suburban areas 22.
5-level apartment building 8. bus/train/air terminal 15. urban sprawl Using words from the list above, match a definition with a word: EXAMPLE: The ‘edge’ of the city, where it meets the countryside. Opposite of rural 2.
The main area where most business is done in the city 3. A city that has different influences from around the world Page 7 of 76 4. Residential areas of cities, in other words, where people live 5. An area with many factories 6.
Famous buildings that identify a city, such as the Eiffel Tower 7. A very tall building 8. The rapid growth of a city, often with adverse (negative) effects 9. An area where a high concentration of people live 10.
The main area at which public transport stops or starts from Answers: 1. CBD or Central Business District 3. Suburbs / suburban areas 5. Landmarks / landmark buildings 7.
Terminal Page 8 of 76 IELTS vocabulary for family Essential IELTS vocabulary split into common IELTS topics and subsections. In this lesson, we are focusing on vocabulary used to describe families – the relationships between people, the structure and type of family and more. Take a look at the list below. How many words do you know? We will soon be adding vocabulary exercises to these pages, but for now, we hope the lists help! Family connections • Siblings – brothers or sisters • Immediate family – generally considered to be siblings, parents and children.
However, some people also include grandparents in this list • Extended family – people with a connection to you within the family tree (aunts, uncles, cousins, nieces and nephews etc). Types of family A. A nuclear family – a couple and their children (considered to be the ‘average’ family structure). Statistically, a ‘nuclear family’ can currently has one mother, one father and 2.2 children – the average family unit) B.
A matriarchal family – (can also be used to describe a society) – where the mother/female is considered to be the most important person C. A patriarchal family (can also be used to describe a society) – where the father/male is considered to be the most important person D.Single parent family – where the child/children has only a mother or father E. Same-sex parents – these are parents who are either both male (gay) or female (lesbian). Connecting families and people Page 9 of 76 • Genealogy – studying the family history back into the past, often by hundreds and even thousands of years, to see where someone’s bloodline originally came from • Family tree – a diagram that represents all the members of a family • Lineage – the sequence of people before you (father > grandfather > great grandfather and so on).
IELTS vocabulary for law Essential IELTS vocabulary split into common IELTS topics and subsections. In this lesson, we are focusing on vocabulary used to describe the law – crimes, criminals, the legal system and more. Take a look at the list below. How many words do you know? We will soon be adding vocabulary exercises to these pages, but for now, we hope the lists help! Degrees of crime A.
Misdemeanour – A minor crime, punishable by a fine or a light jail term B. Felony [US English] – a crime punishable by death or imprisonment in excess of one year. Infraction – generally used to describe minor crimes when the law has been broken (e. riding a bicycle at night without lights – it’s breaking the law, but you’re not going to prison for it!) Punishment A.
Capital punishment (the death penalty) – being put to death by the state for crimes committed Page 10 of 76 B. Incarcerated – a formal word meaning ‘to be put in prison’ C. Suspended sentence – a person can be found guilty but their time in prison is delayed for a period of time. Often is a person has not broken the law within a given period, the prison time is dismissed.Maximum security – a prison where there prisoners are watched very closely and chances of escape are very low (compare this to minimum security prisons, which are generally more relaxed and reserved for lesser crimes) E.
Damages – this is where the person or company accused of the crime is found guilty and required to pay money to the person / people they have wronged. Types of crime NOTE: There are hundreds of different types of crime – the list below covers only the words we think will be most useful in your IELTS test! • White collar crime – this refers to non-violent crimes done for money, generally by business and government professionals.