The Importance of Vocabulary in IELTS: Boosting Your Score

Tips to increase your vocabulary for IELTS Speaking, Reading, Writing and Listening Modules

The significance of vocabulary for IELTS, a critical component of IELTS study material, cannot be overemphasized. Words are the building blocks we use to express ourselves in any language. David Wilkins, a notable British linguist, aptly stated, "Without grammar, very little can be conveyed; without vocabulary, nothing can be conveyed". A robust vocabulary is crucial, not just for speaking and writing, but also for listening and reading. Hence, it is essential for test takers to seek IELTS learning materials that guide them on how to improve their vocabulary for IELTS.

Most students, who utilize IELTS material for speaking and other modules, are aware that in IELTS writing and reading, 'lexical resource' is one of the four assessment criteria with a 25% weightage. However, many test takers fail to understand the critical role vocabulary plays in enhancing their chances of securing a high band score in listening and reading. Regrettably, many companies claiming to offer the best online classes for IELTS do not fully incorporate vocabulary development in their programs.

Test takers should be cognizant of the fact that the more they learn high-utility words or IELTS vocabulary words, the better they can comprehend texts or audios containing those words, which will subsequently improve their listening and reading scores. Sadly, not all institutes claiming to be the 'best coaching center for IELTS' focus adequately on vocabulary, an integral part of IELTS learning materials. Vocabulary involves both word-building and word use, and our emphasis today is on this critical aspect of IELTS. Few activities are as delightful as learning new vocabulary. We will explore how vocabulary impacts our score in each of the four modules and the importance of creating your personal dictionary of IELTS vocabulary words.

We will also guide you to free IELTS study material which is easily available online. 

How to improve vocabulary for IELTS

Some of the critical aspects of Lexical Resource or vocabulary that the band descriptors for writing and speaking emphasise are - 

1. Use of a wide range of vocabulary flexibly and fluently to convey precise meaning: 

A very simple way of being flexible with language is varying the part of speech. 

For instance, ‘Do you make plans every day?’ can be answered as ‘Planning is an activity I do on a daily basis’. Here, instead of the noun ‘plan’, the gerund ‘planning’ has been used in the answer. ‘Every day’ has been replaced with the synonym ‘daily basis’. 

Here, instead of the noun ‘plan’, the gerund ‘planning’ has been used in the answer, showcasing the flexibility of IELTS material for speaking.

2. Skilful use of uncommon lexical terms 

Using vocabulary that is less common can definitely earn you brownie points in the IELTS tests. 

For instance, let's take the sentence ‘Some of the movies shown on OTT platforms are not suitable for children’. Less common vocabulary could be - ‘ Some of the feature films aired on OTT platforms are not appropriate for children’. 

3. Use of idiomatic language, naturally and accurately  

To achieve a 7 or higher band score in IELTS speaking, you are expected to use idiomatic vocabulary. An idiom is a phrase wherein you do not go by the literal meaning of the words in it; it has a figurative meaning. 

For instance, ‘I plan to buy a  Louis Vuitton handbag next month even though I know that it is going to cost me an arm and a leg.’ This sentence uses an idiom. Without the idiom, it would simply read as ‘I plan to buy a  Louis Vuitton handbag next month even though I know that it is going to be very expensive’. 

Idioms come very naturally to native speakers of English. When used in the IELTS test, you need to ensure that it sounds natural. Hence, use the idioms in the right context and avoid overuse. 

4. Use of paraphrasing effectively 

Although there is no IELTS vocabulary test, using a range of synonyms and antonyms will definitely help you up your game in the IELTS test. In IELTS speaking, while answering, it is always a good idea to paraphrase the question i.e., avoid using the same language used by the examiner to ask the question. 

For instance, let’s consider the section 1 question - ‘Have you ever travelled abroad?’ The answer - ‘No, I have never travelled abroad’, would not fetch you as good a band score as this answer - ‘Although I am an avid traveller, I have not yet visited a foreign country’ for the simple reason that the question has been paraphrased. ‘Travelled abroad’  has been expressed as ‘visited a foreign country’.

Likewise, in the writing test, for both tasks 1 and 2, the first paragraph normally begins with a paraphrase of the question. An effective paraphrase showcases your command over the language and garners a higher band score for the ‘lexical resource’ assessment criteria.  

5. Awareness of style and collocation 

A collocation is a natural combination of words like ‘fast food’, ‘sense of pride’, and ‘blissfully unaware’ which improve the quality of vocabulary by avoiding common words like ‘very’ and  ‘nice’. Collocations come naturally to native speakers, but not to non-native speakers like us and hence, their use will no doubt earn you a better band score. 

For instance, doesn’t the term ’pitch dark’ sound way better than ‘very dark’? Would you not prefer to say ‘eye catching image’ instead of ‘beautiful image’?    

Note: When looking for the best coaching center for IELTS, you must check how much importance they give to learning new words in their curriculum. This will help ensure you receive comprehensive IELTS learning materials.

How to improve IELTS Vocabulary for Listening and Reading modules

In the IELTS listening and reading tests, the questions are paraphrased. Hence, a good knowledge of vocabulary is important to find the answers easily in a short span of time. If you have a good command of vocabulary, it is easier to understand the meaning of a sentence from context, even if you do not know the meaning of a specific word.  

Let’s take the example of a true/false/not given question.

Question - At first, the Red Guard thought Nushu might be a tool for spies.

Passage/Text - When the Red Guard discovered the Nushu script in the 1960s, they thought it to be a code used for espionage. 

In this example, if you do not know the meaning of the word espionage, you would not be able to get the correct answer. ‘Code used for espionage’ has been paraphrased as a ‘tool for spies’.

This example makes it clear how important vocabulary is for the listening and reading tests as well.

In the IELTS listening test, although you are being tested on understanding what you hear, if your answer is spelt incorrectly, you will not get any marks despite your answer being technically correct. 

We now have a clear understanding of how a wide vocabulary is associated with better performance in all four modules of the test viz. speaking, reading, writing and listening.

Recommendations from the best coaching centre for IELTS

Optimizing your Lexical Resource for IELTS is a crucial step towards achieving a high score in the test. Here at Yuno Learning, recognized for offering some of the best online classes and providing IELTS study material online free, we have a few tips to help enhance your vocabulary and ensure you are better prepared for the IELTS test.

Read to build IELTS vocabulary: Reading is one of the most effective ways to enrich your vocabulary. This could involve novels, magazines of a genre that interests you, or even newspapers. Whenever you encounter unfamiliar words, check their meanings using a reliable online dictionary. Create and maintain your own dictionary of new words and attempt to use them in your daily conversations. Read a range of topics to build a diverse range of vocabulary, an essential aspect of IELTS material for speaking.

Watch TV shows and/or the news: If you are not inclined towards reading, watching web series with good, formal language, or the news can be beneficial. Make sure to pay attention to the dialogues to pick up new vocabulary and observe how phrases and words are used. This will help you to use them effectively in your speaking and writing tests.

Update yourself with commonly used idioms, phrasal verbs, and collocations: A wide range of IELTS learning materials is offered by renowned coaching institutes, including Yuno Learning. These resources can acquaint you with idioms, collocations, and phrasal verbs that you can comfortably use for your IELTS vocabulary test.

It's important to familiarize yourself with common IELTS themes such as crime, travel, home, hobbies, technology, transport, health, weather, sports, shopping, etc. Possessing a diverse vocabulary on these topics ensures that you are never at a loss for words and can understand these words if you encounter them in your listening and reading tests.

At Yuno Learning, we provide carefully curated study material to help you boost your vocabulary, perform well, and achieve a high band score in the IELTS test. Our material is organized topic-wise, making it easy for you to comprehend and relate to. You can use this study material to supplement your IELTS preparation course, or for self-preparation at home. We continually add new learning resources to ensure everything is up-to-date. But, if you want to be guided by one of our expert trainers, consider checking out our Best IELTS Online Coaching offerings. Join from the comfort of your home and attain your desired band score to fulfill your dreams of studying or working abroad!