IELTS Academic Vocabulary Builder: Improve Your Band Score on the IELTS Academic Exam Jackie Bolen www.org –––––––– Copyright © 2023 by Jackie Bolen All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording or other electronic or mechanical means without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations in critical reviews and certain other non-commercial uses permitted by copyright law. For permission requests, write to the publisher/author at the following address: Jackie Bolen: jb. Table of Contents About the Author: Jackie Bolen.5 How to Use this Book .6 Top 10 Tips to Prepare for the IELTS Academic Exam.14 Abandon the Plan .16 Speak With Candor.20 Brash and Aggressive.36 Vanished Into Thin Air.38 Hard to Decipher.40 In the Ballpark .46 What's the Verdict?.52 Advocate for Yourself .56 Shades of Gray .66 Applying for University .76 Protecting the Environment.80 An Ethical Issue.94 For the Long Haul .98 Knowledge-Based Economy.100 In the Black.104 Housing in Vancouver.106 Pull It Off.110 Graduate from College.120 The Start-Up.124 Talking About Strategy.128 By No Means.130 Balance of Power .136 Out of Luck.142 Swallow My Pride.144 Before You Go.146 About the Author: Jackie Bolen I taught English in South Korea for 10 years to every level and type of student.
I've taught every age from kindergarten kids to adults. Most of my time has centered around teaching at two universities in Cheonan and Busan. These days, I'm teaching teenagers and adults in Vancouver, Canada. In my spare time, you can usually find me outside surfing, biking, hiking, or snowshoeing.
In case you were wondering what my academic qualifications are, I hold a Master of Arts in Psychology. During my time in Korea I successfully completed both the Cambridge CELTA and DELTA certification programs. With the combination of almost 15 years teaching ESL/EFL learners of all ages and levels, and the more formal teaching qualifications I've obtained, I have a solid foundation on which to offer advice to English learners. I hope that you find this book useful.
I would love it if you sent me an email with any questions or feedback that you might have.com/c/jackiebolen Pinterest: www.com/eslspeaking Email: jb.com You may also want to check out these other books by Jackie Bolen. It's easy to find them wherever you like to buy books. − English Collocations in Dialogue − Advanced English Conversation Dialogues − 1001 English Expressions and Phrases How to Use this Book This book is designed to help you build a bigger vocabulary for the academic version of the IELTS exam. If you want to get a high score, it will be necessary to know the kind of language you'll find in this book.
To use this book, I recommend doing one lesson per day, instead of all of them at one time. This will help you to remember the material. There are about 10 weeks of lessons. Do the exercises, and try not to cheat by looking at the answers! Use a vocabulary notebook, and be sure to write down any new words that you learn.
Review them frequently and consider making some flashcards. Push yourself to use this new vocabulary when speaking and see if you can find them when watching English TV or movies, or reading. Make sure you know how to pronounce any new word that you learn. Look on YouTube or Google, “How to say _____” to find out.
This will help you get a higher score on the speaking section. This book is one way to expand your vocabulary range. You might also consider extensive reading and listening as well. Find things to listen to (podcasts, movies, TV shows) or read (books, magazine, newspaper articles) that are at your level, or just slightly below.
The key is to read or listen just for fun and to not have to use a dictionary all the time. This will not only help you become more familiar with English vocabulary but it'll also help you improve your grammatical accuracy as well. Top 10 Tips to Prepare for the IELTS Academic Exam If you want to get a high score on the IELTS exam, here are some tips to pay attention to. #1: Learn the Test Format Knowing what to expect on test day is key to getting a high score.
Familiarize yourself by looking online for some tests. Better yet, consider taking an IELTS prep class with an experienced teacher. #2: Study Academic English Unlike some other English exams, the academic IELTS is all about academic English! You may not have previously studied this kind of language before. Don't worry—that's what this book is all about! #3: Practice Focusing for 2-3 Hours at a Time This test takes a long time (2:45).
Put your phone away and practice studying for a long period of time, without taking breaks. Get used to focusing for hours. #4: Eat Breakfast and Get a Good Sleep Make sure you're at your best for the exam. Get enough sleep the night before.
It's a waste of time to “cram” and “pull an all-nighter!” It's best to be sharp and focused. Make sure to eat a good, healthy breakfast beforehand. Bring a small snack to eat during the short breaks. Wear a t-shirt and bring a sweater along with you.
This way, you can adapt to a hot or cold room and remain comfortable. #5: Improve your English Typing Skills You may be proficient at typing on a keyboard in your first language, but what about English? If you're doing the computer-based exam, this is a key factor. Make sure to do an online tutorial to improve your speed and accuracy. If you're doing the paper-based exam, be sure to bring sharpened pencils, an eraser, and a selection of nice pens.
#6: Practice Taking Notes Note taking is a key skill for college students. It's also allowed on the IELTS exam and can be helpful in getting a high score, so get some practice with it. Whenever you listen to or read something, be sure to take some notes. Create your own shorthand for common words.
For example, I use a triangle for “change.” I also make frequent use of an equal sign, or an equal sign with a line through it to represent things like equal, similar, same, different, unequal, etc. #7: Answer Every Single Question On a multiple choice test with 4 questions, you have a 25% chance of randomly guessing the right answer. However, the good news is that there are usually 1 or 2 answers that are obviously not correct. Eliminate 1 of them, and you have a 33% chance.
Eliminate 2, and you have a 50% chance of getting it right. All that to say, never leave blanks on this exam. Answer every single question. Try to eliminate some answers, if possible, and then make your best guess.
For the speaking portion, just say something. You may get partial points. #8: Practice Writing with a Time Limit Are you one of those people who carefully choose every word that you write in English? Maybe you ponder over whether or not your sentence is grammatically perfect? This is a bad habit that you need to break for the IELTS exam. There is a strict time limit, and you won't finish the tasks if you do this.
Look up some writing practice tests for the IELTS online. Follow the time limits. I recommend spending a short time thinking about the points you want to cover and making some brief notes about that (1-2 minutes per section). Then, start writing.
Allow 3-5 minutes for proofreading at the end to check for any mistakes. Get used to doing this during your practice sessions, and you'll ace the exam. #9: Make a Study Plan You will have to spend a significant amount of time preparing for this exam if you want to get a high score. I don't want to lie about that! The best thing to do is to start around 6 months before.
Make a study plan. Include a mix of all four skills, along with studying academic English vocabulary. Learn about the test format and do practice exams. When the test day comes, you'll be able to feel confident that you've put your best effort in! #10: Choose a Test Date Wisely Maybe you're doing the IELTS to apply for a college or university? Don't plan to get your results only a few days before the college application deadline.
What if your score isn't high enough? You won't have time to study more, retake the test, and wait for your results. Instead, I recommend doing the first attempt 6-8 months before the application deadline. If you do well, that's great! If you don't, then you still have 3-4 more months to study, retake the test, and submit your application. This is the stress- free way! Controversy Gary is telling his wife, Anna about something that happened at work.
Gary: So there was controversy at work today. Anna: Oh! Tell me more! Was it something with Bob again? Gary: Of course. He's always a factor! If he had even a modicum of social grace, he could avoid most of his troubles. Anna: So what happened? Gary: Well, he kept contradicting our boss during a meeting.
Not in a polite way though. He was so rude to her. People think that management might terminate him. Anna: That's kind of rash, isn't it? And not their usual style.
Isn't he overall quite a good employee? Gary: Well, he is meticulous in his work but has no people skills. Vocabulary controversy: Disagreement, usually in a public kind of way. factor: Something that contributes to the final outcome. modicum: A small amount.
contradicting: Saying the opposite thing. terminate: Fire; let go. rash: Hasty; without careful thought. style: A way of doing something.
overall: Taking everything into account. meticulous: Paying close attention to detail; not making errors. Vocabulary Challenge The decision caused a lot of ______ among the students. That's kind of _____.
Can we talk about it before you do it? She's a _____ person. I'm sure she'll be a great accountant. Stop _____ me in front of the kids. We need to be united! We have to _____ Tommy.
He's been late to work at least 5 times this month. _____, it was a decent movie, but it was too long. What's the main ____ that's preventing us from getting the contract? If you had even a _____ of ______, I wouldn't make fun of you all the time! Answers controversy rash meticulous contradicting terminate overall factor modicum, style Widespread Outrage Emily and Kara are managers, talking about changing a policy for their employees. Emily: I'm thinking that we need to be more rigid about break times.
A lot of people are quite brazen about taking way too long of breaks. Kara: I can't deny that it is a significant problem. However, wouldn't it trigger widespread quitting? Morale is already so low here. That might be a good thing though.
We have so many people that are implacable and aren't happy, no matter what we do. Kara: Yes, I just don't want to lose anyone integral to that new product we're releasing. Emily: You're right. Let's think some more about this.
Vocabulary rigid: Unable to change or adapt. deny: Refuses to give or grant somebody something. significant: Large; important. trigger: Cause an event or situation to happen.
morale: Enthusiasm of a particular group. implacable: Describes someone who isn't happy, no matter what you do. integral: Very important. Vocabulary Challenge You're being very _____ with regard to this decision.
There are lots of other options we could consider. There is a _____ difference in price between the two quotes. Bob is the worst. He's totally and completely _____ if someone doesn't go his way.
Those birds are so _____, stealing the food. What's the _____ for her anger?