How Can I Improve My Vocabulary and Reading Score in the IELTS?

IELTS stands for International English Language Test System. The exam validates your command of the English language. They prove this validation through a band score, which every examinee achieves. The band score is in the range from zero to nine and is based upon a candidate’s performance in the various modules of the exam. The different modules are –

1. Reading
2. Writing
3. Speaking
4. Listening

Many aspirants ask “How can I improve my vocabulary and reading score in the IELTS?” Today, we’ll be looking at how you can improve your IELTS writing vocabulary, IELTS reading vocabulary and IELTS speaking vocabulary. This will help you get a clear understanding of what to expect from the exam.

Vocabulary for IELTS

Vocabulary is a collection of words in a particular language. Having a good vocabulary shows that you understand the finer terms in the English language. This helps you a lot in your day-day scenarios and your writing task vocabulary for the IELTS exam. Here’s a list of some topics that you can go through to understand exactly what sort of vocabulary is used in IELTS –

• Education
• Crime
• Diet, Fitness and Health
• Work
• Information Technology
• Environment
• Science
• The Arts

These topics would cover most of the IELTS vocabulary words. However, vocabulary for IELTS is more than just reading and memorising the words. It requires understanding the meaning and learning when to use the word in what context. For this, we’ve listed a simple process for you to follow that’ll help you understand the IELTS vocabulary words.

Also Read : 20 Collocation Words for IELTS: What are Collocation Words and its Significance

• Get Something to Read/Watch

We cannot stress how much this helps in the long run. Instead of making a long list of words and learning them arbitrarily, read a book or watch a movie/documentary. This way, you’ll expose yourself to a lot of unfamiliar words, and since the words were already being used in the context, it’ll be easier for you to grasp the meaning of those words. It’ll also help you keep them for a longer period.

• Noting Down the Words

It’s just not enough to consume the content. You should consume it actively and understand the content. Always keep a notebook aside and get into a habit of noting down unfamiliar words. Search for the meaning of those words and you can even draw something related to that word. Whatever you do, do not let that word escape. Have some kind of visual imprint. It’ll help you keep the word in your memory for a long time. This will also go a long way for practising your vocabulary for IELTS writing.

• Practice to Perfection

This step will force the unfamiliar words learned into your mind. Try writing an essay in English and recording your documentaries. While recording your voice, focus on the pronunciations and try getting it right. This will come handy during the speaking test and you’ll also be brushing up your IELTS speaking vocabulary. Learn from the mistake you make and do it again. Alternatively, you can also try to forget and remember the words. This will train your mind to suggest the word when you call upon it.

• Pro-Tip

Learn just fifteen extra words every day, thoroughly. Learn their context, use case scenarios, and everything else. This may not seem much, but in just under thirty days, you’ll have learned almost four hundred and fifty completely unfamiliar words. And in ten months, over four thousand and five hundred words. Go on gradually, building your vocabulary. It’ll help you score better in all modules of IELTS.

Read online websites which focus on topics in science, education, environment, health.

Also Read : What are Collocations in IELTS? How Can You Improve Your IELTS Vocabulary?

Reading in IELTS

Reading is one amongst the four modules in the IELTS exam. The reading module is a crucial test for deciding your IELTS score. There are some minute differences between reading modules for Academic IELTS and General IELTS, but more or less they are similar. Here we’ll be looking into the Academic reading side of IELTS.

• Academic Reading in IELTS

The focus of this type of IELTS is on the students who wish to study, the words used would also revolve around the student group majorly. The reading module comprises three sections and fifteen questions for which you’re allotted sixty minutes.

Each section consists of a long text which is an article or a paragraph from a published book, magazine or a newspaper. Also, the questions asked are mainly brief answers, multiple-choice, summary completion, matching sentence endings, True/False, labelling diagrams, etc. Texts containing technical terms also have a simple glossary provided with them.

Now that you have a basic understanding of what to expect from the reading module, let’s look at how you can ace it.

• Time it Correctly

You would have just over a minute to answer each question. There’s no time to waste here. But you can easily answer most of them if you just time yourself correctly. There are three sections and you cannot allocate over twenty minutes for a section. Thus, don’t get stuck over a question more than you need to, move on to other questions.

• Questions First, Answers Later

Your focus should primarily be on the questions asked. This way you know the answer when you’re skimming through the paragraph. This helps you in two ways –

1. You don’t read the unnecessary text and get confused.
2. Focusing on questions would help in finding the answers quicker.

The questions are in sync with their answers in the paragraph. So, the first question would have it answered somewhere at the beginning itself. Just read the question thoroughly and match the answer perfectly.

• Spotting Keywords

Each question has a certain keyword that aligns with the answer. Learn to spot the keywords quickly. That’ll help you pinpoint the answer with speed.

• Speed Reading
  

As this is a timed based test, improve your reading skills. You must be able to skim through the passage quickly and locate the answers.

• Paraphrasing

The reading module tests your comprehension skills. This is a test of your vocabulary as well. So, learn to recognize the paraphrases, synonyms, idioms. These will be the key to too many of your answers.

• Practice and Improve

The tips and tricks will mean nothing until you don’t know how to implement them in a better way. Practice and practice. Try giving some reading tests online, apps and always improve upon the feedback and results. Thus you’ll have a pretty good idea of your strengths and weaknesses.

Get Set Go!

There you have it all. We hope this article helped you find out what sort of vocabulary should be used for the IELTS? These are some of the major tips for getting a good band score in the IELTS exam. Remember, these are not the holy grail, but they will help you ace the exams and perform better than the rest. Keep following these blogs for getting more information and keep learning always. All the best!

Also Read : What should I Prioritize: Learning Vocabulary or Collocations for IELTS Preparation?