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Low Band Score? Peruse These 500+ Most Frequently Used Words for IELTS Vocabulary Enhancement

Low Band Score? Peruse These 500+ Most Frequently Used Words for IELTS Vocabulary Enhancement

Introduction

The International English Language Testing System (IELTS) was founded by the British Council, along with partnered organizations IDP English and Cambridge Assessment English. It started during the 1980s to assess the four English Macro Skills: Reading, Listening, Speaking, and Writing. Moreover, IELTS is an international standardized test used by people who want to study or stay abroad from their country to an English-speaking country.

This standardized test aims to assess individuals who want to go to an English-speaking environment and be able to live with people who speak English. It could be for studying, work, and life skills purposes. However, this test has only two main categories:  academic and the general training courses.

These two courses have the same set of tests to be taken. However, they have different treatments depending on the provided topic, especially in writing and speaking. These two are considered productive skills. The candidate must formulate messages in written and spoken English—especially the IELTS vocabulary words to be included in both media.

According to David Wills (2018), who has worked as an IELTS instructor since 2010, in his journal,

“You see, writing is hard. Even native speakers make mistakes in punctuation, spelling, and grammar. We do it all the time.”

With this, not everyone is perfect and even if you are a native speaker, you are not exempt and be held advantageous.

On the other hand, speaking English is easy. However, what makes it difficult is the word choices to convey a message. It is important to use highly advanced vocabulary words in speaking as well, as it is also part of the criteria to be assessed namely the Lexical Resource. Using simple IELTS vocabulary words can also affect your band score.

The Purpose of Studying IELTS Courses

Studying thoroughly for the IELTS makes the candidate more aware of the rules and how to ace different Macro Skills. Not just about the Productive Skills — Speaking and Writing, but also the Receptive Skills — Listening and Reading. The latter also needs IELTS vocabulary words to understand some sentences and concepts.

Having a profound vocabulary is a great advantage to ace the four tests. Moreover, the Receptive skills need vocabulary words to decipher the true meaning because it uses synonymous words to be used on the test booklet. Below are the purposes of learning IELTS courses before taking the test:

  • Builds Up Vocabulary

You can learn words that are suitable for every test you are going to take. Each test requires vocabulary words to understand and to produce a message. These vocabulary words are your weapon in taking the IELTS Examination, especially  when the candidate aims for a band score of 8 and up.

  • Makes You Aware of the Rules and Structures

Taking IELTS Courses before taking the real IELTS Examination makes you familiar with the rules and structures of each test. It has different formatting and answering strategies, especially in writing and speaking.

  • Helps You Become Prepared

IELTS Courses prepare an individual for the real IELTS Test because it provides a variety of mock tests to enhance one’s skills. It can also assess your English proficiency in each Macro Skills. Moreover, doing mock tests can help you check your progress and areas of improvement. The teachers will provide feedback and stress your weaknesses and how to improve them.

IELTS Vocabulary Enhancement for Receptive Skills

For candidates who have lower band scores when it comes to listening and reading, here are some IELTS vocabulary words that are frequently used. Remember: This test was established by the British Council and it will be evaluated in different band descriptors for each Macro Skills. Therefore, the IELTS vocabulary words should be in British English as well. For example, colour not color; organisation not organization; lift not elevator, flat not apartment, and many more.

Days of the Week
Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday

 

Months of the Year
January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November, December

 

Day Equivalents
Week = 7 days
Months = 30-31 days
Quarter = every 4 months
Semiannual = every 6 months
Year = 365 days
Decades = 10 years
Score = 20 years
Silver Jubilee – 27 years
Golden Jubilee – 50 years
Diamond – 60 years
Jubilee – 57 years
Century = 100 years
Millennium = 1000 years

 

Cardinal Numbers
One, Two, Three. Four, Five, Six, Seven, Eight, Nine, Ten, Eleven, Twelve, Thirteen, Fourteen, Fifteen, Sixteen, Seventeen, Eighteen, Nineteen, Twenty, Twenty-one, Fifty-five, One hundred

 

Ordinal Numbers
First, Second, Third, Fourth, Fifth, Sixth, Seventh, Eighth, Ninth, Tenth, Twentieth, Twenty-first, One hundredth, One hundred and first

 

Street Addresses
Avenue, Crosswalk, Highway, Street, Boulevard, Road, Strip, Alley, Lane, Pavement, Park, Square, Court, Bridge, Crescent, Crossroads, Roundabout

 

Colours

Red: Crimson, Garnet, Ruby, Scarlet, Rose, Vermillion, Burgundy, Wine, Maroon, Blood

Orange: Marigold, Tangerine, Rust, Carrot, Cantaloupe, Flesh, Peach, Apricot, Cream, Tan

Yellow: Canary, Gold, Daffodil, Butter, Sepia, Incandescent, Amber, Blonde, Champagne, Lemon, Ochre, Mustard

Green: Evergreen, Emerald, Lime, Mint, Chartreuse, Sage, Army, Jade, Verdant, Peridot, Olive

Blue: Cerulean, Skyblue, Cobalt, Navy, Periwinkle, Sapphire, Azure, Teal, Denim, Indigo, Turquoise, Aquamarine, Cyan

Violet: Lilac, Purple, Mauve, Lavender, Magenta, Periwinkle, Amethyst

Pink: Fuchsia, Flamingo, Hot Pink, Crepe, Rosewood, Coral

 

Subjects
English, Mathematics, Science, Physics, Psychology, Astronomy, Astrology, Finance, Engineering, Geography, Linguistics, Literature, Commerce, Home Economics, Cookery, IT, Philosophy, Political Science

 

Continents
Asia, Australia & Oceania, North America, South America, Africa, Europe, Antarctica

Countries
China, England, Japan, the Philippines, Russia, the United States of America (USA), the United Arad Emirate (UAE), Zimbabwe, Pakistan, Greece, Turkey, North Korea, South Korea, Brazil, Argentina, Namibia

Languages
Welsh, French, British, Filipino, Portuguese, Mandarin, Cantonese, Japanese, Thai, Mongolian, Italian, Spanish, Hindi, Bengali, Javanese, Korean, Vietnamese, Telugu, Rajasthani

 

College/ University
Paper, paperwork, lesson, laptop, book, library, module, syllabus, admission, proofreading, notes, notepad, group discussion, outreach, speech, seminar, research, report, study room, canteen, stadium, dining hall, student’s lounge, teacher’s office, experiments, laboratory, auditorium, assignment, activity, campus

 

Research Words
Hypothesis, scope, delimitations, alternative, null, snowball, sampling, cluster, introduction, methodology, conceptual framework, descriptive, experimental, quasi-experimental, theoretical framework, in-text citation, references, quantitative, qualitative, APA Style, MLA Style

 

Transportation
Ship, gondola, jeepney, car, pedicab, taxi, bus, metro, train, airplane, sailboat, jet plane, bicycle, tricycle, motorbike, helicopter, parachute, hot air balloon

 

Shapes
Circle, triangle, square, rectangle, star, diamond, trapezoid, parallelogram, sphere, pyramid, cone, cube, cylinder, oval, hexagon, heptagon, octagon, nonagon, decagon, scalene

 

Culinary
Marinate, sauté, mince, slice, dressing, stir, beat, stew, chill, grill, grate, sprinkle, rinse, golden brown, fry, froth, chunk, chop, cuisine

 

Weather
Sunny, snowy, rainy, stormy, thundery, cloudy, drizzling, freezing, smog, misty, foggy, clear, dry, gloomy, hot, warm, cool, lightning, hail storm, sand storm, tornado, whirlwind, cold

 

Feelings
Happy: fulfilled, great, ecstatic, excited, delighted, glad, satisfied, pleased, optimistic, blessed, cheerful, joyful, mirthful, blithe, blissful

Sad: dismay, crestfallen, blue, woeful, dull, gloomy, downcast, unhappy, wistful, upset, grieved, dismal, dejected, depressed,

Angry: Fury, agitated, petrified, tense, horrified, mad, madman, suspenseful, fearsome

Disgust: scorn, hostility, annoyance, loathing, repulsion, grudge, discontent, irritation, hate, dislike, despise

Fear: apprehensive, dread, awe, panic, alarm, nightmare, creepiness, fright, qualms, consternation

 

Places
Cottage, local library, sports center, city council, road, supermarket, university, parliament, hospital, restaurant, park, bookshop, main road, police station, fire station

 

Nature
Grassland, lawn, field, garden, landslide, storm, typhoon, cyclone, earthquake, tsunami, coast, lake, gulf, plateau, volcano, hill, spring, stream, reef, valley, peninsula, islands

IELTS Vocabulary Enhancement for Productive Skills

For candidates who need more confidence in their English speaking and writing tests, these IELTS vocabulary can help you build the foundation. This can help you enhance your productive skills. Having Mock tests can also help you mold yourself to become a good speaker and writer using the English language.

Instead of “Very” Words

  • Very happy – thrilled
  • Very sad – devastated
  • Very angry – furious
  • Very good – great
  • Very new – brand new
  • Very short – brief
  • Very weak – fragile
  • Very strong – powerful
  • Very dumb – asinine
  • Very funny – hilarious
  • Very boring – tedious
  • Very dull – mundane
  • Very clean – spotless
  • Very ugly – hideous
  • Very bad – awful
  • Very beautiful – gorgeous
  • Very smart – brilliant
  • Very loud – deafening
  • Very dirty – filthy
  • Very rich – wealthy
  • Very poor – destitute
  • Very rare – obsolete
  • Very busy – swamped
  • Very quiet – silent
  • Very long – lengthy
  • Very big – enormous
  • Very tasty – delicious
  • Very hungry – ravenous
  • Very tired – exhausted
  • Very thirsty – parched
  • Very full – stuffed
  • Very careful – cautious
  • Very dangerous – perilous
  • Very scary – terrifying
  • Very annoying – infuriating
  • Very colorful – vibrant
  • Very large – colossal
  • Very clear – vivid
  • Very cheap – stingy
  • Very simple – basic
  • Very difficult – challenging
  • Very important – crucial
  • Very upset – distraught
  • Very slow – sluggish
  • Very cold – freezing
  • Very hot – scorching
  • Very lazy – lackadaisical
  • Very calm – serene
  • Very scenery- picturesque
  • Very wet – soaked
  • Very dry – arid
  • Very worried – anxious
  • Very attractive – charming
  • Very shy – timid
  • Very confused – perplexed
  • Very sleepy – lethargic
  • Very loved – adored
  • Very exciting – exhilarating
  • Very thin – gaunt
  • Very secret – clandestine
  • Very often – frequently
  • Very cute – adorable
  • Very evil – wicked
  • Very fancy – lavish
  • Very lively – vivacious
  • Very neat – immaculate
  • Very bad – atrocious
  • Very chaotic – pandemonium
  • Very rude – vulgar
  • Very talkative – loquacious
  • Very roomy – spacious
  • Very wise – sagacious
  • Very perfect – flawless
  • Very shiny – gleaming
  • Very sparkly – stellar
  • Very scared – petrified
  • Very pale – ashen
  • Very fast – rapid
  • Very tall – towering
  • Very tight – constricting
  • Very expensive – costly
  • Very eager – keen
  • Very true – genuine
  • Very creative – innovative
  • Very afraid – apprehensive
  • Very detailed – meticulous
  • Very deep – profound
  • Very different – disparate
  • Very crowded – bustling
  • Very complete – comprehensive
  • Very painful – excruciating
  • Very old – archaic
  • Very wit – clever
  • Very sarcastic – satirical
  • Very similar – identical
  • Very humble – modest
  • Very arrogant – boastful
  • Very crispy – crunchy
  • Very regretful – remorseful
  • Very rusty – corroded

Locations

  • In
  • On
  • At
  • Under
  • Below
  • Above
  • Beyond
  • In Between
  • In front of
  • Next To
  • Behind
  • Across
  • In the middle
  • In the centre
  • North ↑
  • South ↓
  • East →
  • West ←
  • To the North
  • To the South
  • To the East
  • To the West
  • At the top
  • At the bottom
  • Alongside
  • Nearby

Advanced Words (Simple – Advance)

  • Fool – idiot
  • Particular – specific
  • Independent – autonomous
  • Vote – volition
  • Choice – prerogative
  • Produce – innovate
  • Selfish – egoistic
  • Inventory – stock
  • Able – capable
  • Bless – bestow
  • Pass to someone – bequeath
  • Well-mannered – polite
  • To bring something up – to raise
  • Problem – phenomenon
  • Hypothesis – speculation
  • To oversee – supervise
  • Ballot – poll
  • Glitter – sparkle
  • Unusual – odd
  • Strange – unorthodox
  • Never known before – unprecedented
  • Nice – pleasing
  • Attitude – demeanour
  • Suggest – propose
  • Before – prior
  • New – fresh
  • Fight – argue
  • Belly – stomach
  • Hate – loathe
  • Throw garbage – litter
  • Wonderful – marvelous
  • Important – essential
  • Cruel – mean
  • Obligatory – compulsory
  • Many – numerous
  • Manipulate – maneuver
  • Uncared – neglected
  • Obvious – transparent
  • Unaware – Oblivious
  • Short time – ephemeral
  • Reliable – trustworthy
  • Thinking too much – apprehensive
  • Opposite – contrary
  • Friendly – amiable
  • Possible – feasible
  • Use – utilize
  • Give – provide
  • Appearance – countenance
  • Calm – tranquil
  • Peaceful – serene
  • Courage – valor
  • Fearless – dauntless
  • Mistake – blunder
  • Lots of – ample
  • Easy to manipulate – gullible
  • Miserable – morose
  • Shameless – brazen
  • Not strict – lack
  • Slow to understand things – obtuse
  • Large crowd – hordes
  • Detailed list of things – itemized
  • Make something ba better – ameliorate
  • Increasing – ascending
  • Decreasing – descending
  • New member – novice
  • Rumor – hearsay
  • Really exciting – exhilarating
  • Strong and aggressive – fierce
  • Very bad and unpleasant – foul
  • Mood – temper
  • Bitter and angry – acrimonious
  • Very kind- benevolent
  • Mysterious – cryptic
  • To belittle or criticize – disparage
  • Lacks plan, purpose, energy – desultory
  • Remove – eradicate
  • Empty it – deplete
  • Happened by chance – fortuitous
  • Sociable person – gregarious
  • In large numbers or groups – hegemony
  • Too great and extreme – ineffable
  • A particular point in time – juncture
  • Difficult and complicated – knotty
  • Sloe and relaxed – languid
  • Wicked or criminal – nefarious
  • Famous in a bad way – notorious
  • Difficult to understand – obfuscate
  • A solution to a problem – panacea
  • Unrealistic and impractical – quixotic
  • Aggressively greedy – rapacious
  • Positive in bad situations – sanguine
  • Saying a little – taciturn
  • Everywhere at a time – ubiquitous
  • Showing strong feelings – vehement
  • Read carefully – peruse
  • A feeling of regretful longing – wistful
  • Death – demise
  • Stop – cease
  • Intense longing – yearning
  • Energetic and enthusiastic – zealous

Food and Drinks Vocabulary

  • Brussels sprouts – mushy
  • Coconut – moldy
  • Bread – stale
  • Fish – spoiled
  • Beef – moldy
  • Gin – flat
  • Clam – moldy
  • Squash – rotten
  • Tea – bitter
  • Milk – spoiled
  • Broccoli – wilted
  • Strawberry –  fermented
  • Plum – overripe
  • Beer – skunky
  • Pear –  rotten
  • Watermelon – mealy
  • Lamb – rotten
  • Salt – clumped
  • Venison – rancid
  • Pepper – stale
  • Oil – rancid
  • Sweet potato –  sprouted
  • Mustard – separated
  • Honey – crystallized
  • Chicken – slimy
  • Zucchini – moldy
  • Turkey – rancid
  • Bacon – rancid
  • Egg – cracked
  • Tomato – rotten
  • Kiwi – shriveled
  • Cream – curdled
  • Meat – rotten
  • Rice – weeviled
  • Peach  – bruised
  • Vodka  – spoiled
  • Pasta – soggy
  • Ham – moldy
  • Flour – infested
  • Coffee – stale
  • Raspberry – mushy
  • Mussel – rotten
  • Yogurt – spoiled
  • Apple – bruised
  • Papaya – rotten
  • Cheese – moldy
  • Blackberry – moldy
  • Orange – dry
  • Mango – mushy
  • Spinach – soggy
  • Oyster – spoiled
  • Potato – sprouted
  • Cauliflower – spoiled
  • Cider – fermented
  • Radish – dried out
  • Sugar – crystallized
  • Canned food – expired
  • Asparagus – shriveled
  • Onion – spoiled
  • Cherry – moldy
  • Champagne – flat
  • Garlic – dried out
  • Whiskey – flat
  • Cucumber – limp
  • Rum – rancid
  • Grapes – shriveled
  • Shrimp – spoiled
  • Avocado – browned
  • Lemon – moldy
  • Blueberry – squished
  • Jelly – crystallized
  • Ice cream – melted
  • Peanut butter – separated
  • Spices – faded
  • Eggplant – mushy
  • Pumpkin – moldy
  • Banana – overripe
  • Pineapple – fermented
  • Bell pepper – wrinkled
  • Juice – fermented
  • Sausage – spoiled
  • Jam – moldy
  • Butter – rancid
  • Artichoke – moldy
  • Water – stagnant
  • Lobster – mushy
  • Lettuce – wilted
  • Carrot – mushy
  • Duck – spoiled
  • Lime – shriveled
  • Soy sauce – spoiled
  • Syrup – fermented
  • Soda – flat
  • Crab – spoiled
  • Celery – limp
  • Pork – rancid
  • Vinegar – cloudy
  • Melon – spoiled
  • Beet – rotten
  • Wine – oxidized

Transitional Words

Addition:

  • Along with
  • Moreover
  • In addition
  • Furthermore
  • Apart from this
  • Additionally
  • Also
  • Too
  • Besides
  • Not only… but also
  • More so

Emphasis:

  • Obviously
  • Particularly
  • Especially
  • Clearly
  • Specifically
  • Undoubtedly
  • Essentially
  • Without a doubt
  • It should be noted
  • Caveat
  • Absolutely
  • Definitely

Result:

  • As a result
  • Thus
  • With this
  • All in all
  • Hence
  • Henceforth
  • Consequently
  • Due to
  • For this reason
  • Therefore

Illustration:

  • For example
  • Such as
  • To illustrate
  • For instance
  • Especially
  • Particularly
  • To clarify
  • Including
  • Namely
  • Following are

Generalisation:

  • In general
  • Generally
  • For the most part
  • As the rule
  • On the whole
  • In most cases
  • Some studies show

 

Conclusion:

  • As can be seen
  • Generally speaking
  • As shown above
  • According to the aforesaid
  • Given these points
  • In the long run
  • All things considered
  • Finally
  • Considering these reasons
  • As noted

 

Contrast:

  • Unlike
  • Consequently
  • However
  • Meanwhile
  • On the other hand
  • Nevertheless
  • Nonetheless
  • Notwithstanding
  • Whereas
  • In contrary
  • To counter
  • Even so
  • Differing from
  • Despite/ In spite of
  • Apart of

 

Following:

  • At this time
  • Before anything else
  • To begin with
  • Currently
  • Firstly, secondly, … finally
  • First and foremost
  • Finally
  • Before
  • Previously
  • First, next, then, lastly

 

Comparison:

  • Just as
  • Similarly
  • Just as
  • Compare to
  • Correspondingly
  • Simultaneously
  • Equally
  • In comparison with

Summary:

  • To sum it all
  • In conclusion
  • In a nutshell
  • In short
  • Briefly
  • Altogether
  • Overall
  • All in all
  • To summarize
  • In essence

Condition:

  • If
  • In that case
  • Possibly
  • Perhaps
  • Maybe
  • Even when
  • Could… would
  • Unless
  • Under any circumstances
  • Except

Time Collocations:

  • Former
  • Latter
  • Amidst/ Amid
  • As soon as
  • When
  • As of now
  • Recently
  • Currently
  • After
  • Before
  • Prior
  • Succeeding
  • Once
  • Until
  • By the time

5 Tips for IELTS Vocabulary Enhancement

It is important to note that applying some tips as your strategy in each test is a must. It can help you to get a higher score and improve your testmanship. Choosing QQEnglish as your partner in your IELTS Journey is a great way to improve yourself and your IELTS vocabulary, along with passionate and dedicated teachers, for your abroad preparation. Thus, below are some tips to enhance your vocabulary in each test:

  • Listening

You need to listen carefully to the instructions and the amount of words to be used. The test items are in chronological order, so there is no need to jump to the other items. A lot of synonyms will be used in this part. Thus, having a great IELTS vocabulary helps you to ace this.

  1. Practice active listening.
  2. Know different English accents.
  3. Write keywords from the material prior to listening.
  4. Read the test items thoroughly before listening.
  5. Take notes while listening and pay attention to synonyms.
  • Reading

There are a lot of paraphrased sentences on the questions that differ from the exact word choices in the passage. Some test items are not arranged chronologically, which would take you some time to look for answers. For this reason, you need to pay attention to the main idea of the sentences or paragraphs.

  1. Read varied informative resources.
  2. Have a word bank for your vocabulary.
  3. Get the gist.
  4. Take note of context clues, paraphrases, and sentence structures.
  5. Master fast reading skills and the art of prediction.
  • Speaking

You need to integrate highly advanced words into your speaking test to show mastery of the English language. It assesses how well you know some words in English, especially those that are rare. As such, you need to speak spontaneously, as well, to sound natural when using those advanced IELTS vocabulary words.

  1. Practice speaking English every day.
  2. Record and listen to yourself.
  3. Enhance your pronunciation.
  4. Engage with a native speaker.
  5. Fluency over perfection.
  • Writing

This is the most complicated test to be taken because it has many rules to follow. It is important to know the difference between literary words and technical words. Some words are applicable to creative writing but not to academic writing. Consequently, it can affect your band score. Moreover, the usage of punctuation marks, various grammar tenses, correct spellings, and the organization of ideas are also things to consider. Having a varied range of IELTS vocabulary is helpful as it can show how well you can paraphrase and substitute the words in the given rubric.

  1. Write some keywords while drafting your answer.
  2. Make sure the ideas are connected and consistent.
  3. Proofread and revise as much as possible.
  4. Use various grammar structures.
  5. Practice writing with a timer.

Key Takeaways

Learning English is difficult yet fun if you are fond of learning new words in English. However, having a profound IELTS vocabulary is not a guarantee of getting an overall band 9.0, rather it can help you elevate your score. It can also show how well you can apply words in English and how to use them spontaneously without hesitation and confusion. 

Pluto QQE

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