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Welcome to our four-part series on expanding your vocabulary for the IELTS exam. Don’t forget to check out the other three posts:
Expanding your IELTS Vocabulary – Travel
Expanding your IELTS Vocabulary - Transportation
Expanding your IELTS Vocabulary - Environment
When working on expanding your vocabulary for your IELTS test, it’s important that you choose a method to achieve your goals in the time that you have available. For example, reading novels and other types of literary works in English can be great for expanding your vocabulary, but it wouldn’t be of much help if your test is only a few days away.
What is IELTS vocabulary?
When it comes to vocabulary for the IELTS, this refers to lexical resource, which is all about how flexibly and fluently you can find the right words and phrases to convey precise meanings. The more you improve in this area, the better your chances of securing a high band score in the IELTS. This page takes a closer look at the vocabulary for IELTS, vocabulary words, an IELTS education vocabulary list, as well as IELTS writing education terms most likely to have an impact on your score.
Why education vocabulary matters in IELTS Canada
Education vocabulary matters for your IELTS in Canada because it has a direct impact on boosting your ‘lexical resource’ score that, in turn, improves your overall score. It helps test takers articulate concepts precisely, enables better comprehension of the reading and listening components, and helps answer common speaking questions, all of which demonstrate fluency in formal language.
IELTS examiners assess a speaker’s accuracy, range, and appropriate use of vocabulary in the Writing and Speaking components. Using topic-specific advanced terms that frequently appear in the education vocabulary can help you score higher than using basic words. Education is also a topic that is featured frequently in the IELTS Speaking and Writing components. Communicating efficiently in an academic environment is valued for a study permit as well as Canadian immigration.
Education Vocabulary for IELTS Canada
On the IELTS Speaking test, it’s very common for candidates to be asked questions related to their own school experience. Because of this, it’s essential that you feel confident using the necessary vocabulary to talk about your education. In fact, it would be a good idea to use these words and phrases as a starting point for your vocabulary sets. Once you’ve covered the vocabulary that is relevant to you personally, you can then expand each set with vocabulary that you can use to talk or write about education in a more general way. Before we analyze a few different sample vocabulary sets, take a minute to think about the information that you’ll need to include so that you can use the new vocabulary appropriately. Writing the vocabulary item and its meaning is a good start, but there are other details that you should also include to make your sets even more effective. These details can include the part of speech, common collocations, examples, and notes on pronunciation. Now look at the vocabulary sets below and pay close attention to the details presented for each word or phrase.
Types of Schools in IELTS Vocabulary
word/phrase | part of speech | meaning | common collocations | example | pronunciation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
primary | adjective | the type of school for children ages 5-11 | primary school, primary education | I think primary education should be compulsory worldwide. | /ˈpraɪ.mer.i/ |
secondary | adjective | the type of school for children aged 11 and up | secondary school, secondary education (synonym: high school) | I still keep in touch with many of my friends from secondary school. | /ˈsek.ən.der.i/ |
mixed | adjective | a school where girls and boys are taught together (antonym: single-sex school) | mixed school, mixed-sex education, mixed-gender education | In my opinion, mixed schools are the way forward. | /mikst/ |
School and Study Related Vocabulary for IELTS
word/phrase | part of speech | meaning | common collocations | example | pronunciation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
assignment | noun | a piece of work given to someone as part of their studies | homework assignment, reading/writing assignment | Back then, I was working on my last reading assignment of the term | / əˈsaɪn.mənt/ |
lecture | noun | a formal talk on a subject | deliver/give/present a lecture, attend/go to a lecture | She delivered a very interesting lecture. | / ˈlek.tʃɚ/ |
thesis | noun | a long piece of writing on a particular subject | write a thesis, complete a thesis, a thesis about/on (subject) | I wrote my thesis on effective treatment strategies for children with ADHD. | / ˈθiː.sɪs/ |
Vocabulary for IELTS: University and College Qualifications
word/phrase | part of speech | meaning | common collocations | example | pronunciation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
bachelor’s degree | noun | a first degree at a college or university | a bachelor’s degree in (subject) | I have a bachelor’s degree in | /ˌbætʃ.əl.ɚz dɪˈɡriː/ |
fellowship | noun | money for teaching or study given to a person studying for an advanced degree | to apply for a fellowship, to be awarded a fellowship | I then applied for a research fellowship at the university. | /ˈfel.oʊ.ʃɪp/ |
doctorate (PhD) | noun | the highest degree from a university | to do a doctorate in (subject), to have a doctorate, a doctorate degree | In developing countries, there aren’t as many people with doctorate degrees. | /ˈdɑːk.tɚ.ət/ |
People in Education: IELTS Vocabulary List
word/phrase | part of speech | meaning | common collocations | example | pronunciation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
principal | noun | the person in charge of a school | school principal | She was the school principal for 15 years. | /ˈprɪn.sə.pəl/ |
graduate | noun | a person who has finished their school, college or university education | high school/ college/university graduate, a graduate in (subject), a graduate of (school) | There are many opportunities for university graduates nowadays. | /ˈɡrædʒ.u.ət/ |
professor | noun | a teacher of high rank in a university | college/university professor, visiting professor (history, law, etc.), professor of (history, law, etc.) | He later became a professor at a local university. | /prəˈfes·ər/ |
Common Vocabulary Mistakes in IELTS (Education Topic
Among the common mistakes related to vocabulary are the use of informal language, incorrect collocations (pairs or groups of words that habitually go together), and the overuse of words that don’t fit the context, making them seem fancier than usual. Many test takers also misuse synonyms and struggle with word forms, lowering their Lexical Resource score in the process.
Avoiding these mistakes is easy if one pays attention to context, only using words that have been used in a similar sentence before. It also helps to avoid paraphrasing too often. Here are some of the more common education-related vocabulary mistakes and how to avoid them:
Informal Language: Formal language is preferred because it is objective, precise, and more suitable for academic reports. It also makes for professional and respectful communication. Informal language is conversational and subjective, making it more appropriate for texting friends.
Misusing Collocations: When word pairs that don't usually go together are used, it can make a test taker's English sound awkward. For native speakers, this may also come across as unnatural. Collocations may be difficult to learn but are crucial for fluency.
‘Fancy’ Vocabulary: Highly specialized vocabulary undermines clarity and can make a test taker come across as pretentious. Enriched vocabulary can improve precision, of course, but overuse can also lead to confusion.
Incorrect Word Forms: These often stem from non-phonetic words because pronunciation may not match spelling.
How to Use Education Vocabulary in IELTS Speaking and Writing
The best way to use an educational vocabulary in the IELTS Speaking and Writing components is by using these words to elaborate. Here are a few more things to keep in mind:
For IELTS Speaking
When asked a question, it helps text takers provide more context and in-depth responses rather than simple ones. Using vocabulary better can help a test taker use idioms more naturally and introduce trends while having a conversation.
For IELTS Writing
Better vocabulary can help test takers adopt a more formal tone, using formal words rather than conversational ones. It also helps demonstrate topic mastery and structure arguments more efficiently, all of which can improve band scores for this component.
Vocabulary for IELTS Listening and Reading (Education Topics)
Education vocabulary for the IELTS Listening and Reading components tends to include terms such as scholarship, pedagogy, and curriculum. There are also key phrases you can focus on, such as academic performance or distance learning, along with collocations like ‘pay off student loans’ or ‘high achievers.’ Here are a few other words to consider:
Common phrases: Write a dissertation, improve literary rates, meet the criteria.
Students: Lecturer, tutor, high achiever, peer.
Collocations: Scholarship, continuous assessment, tuition fees, brain drain.
Academic settings: Formal examination, tertiary education, curriculum.
Tips to Improve Your Vocabulary for IELTS Faster
One of the best ways to improve your IELTS vocabulary, and do it faster, is by learning words that go together. Using topic-specific collocations rather than random words as often as possible can make it easier for you to remember them more often, moving them from your passive memory to your active one. If you start to write them down too, they will be easier to recall during the Writing and Speaking components. Here are a few other things you can do:
Spend more time learning collocations instead of isolated words
Study words by themes, like education or the environment
Try practicing active recall with the help of flashcards
Read more English-language news or magazines
Review words in contexts like news articles
Try to use new words in your writing practice or speaking tests more often
Avoid using words you are unsure of
Write down at least ten new words daily, along with their meanings and pronunciation
Review any new words you have learned after a week or two
Final Thoughts on Vocabulary for IELTS Success
You can also add other sub-topics such as school subjects (maths, geography, physical education, etc.) and other useful vocabulary (campus, scholarship, student loan, etc.) To expand your vocabulary, read articles on education and pick words or phrases you can use in your IELTS. Keep a dictionary and thesaurus handy, and look for vocabulary activities in your IELTS preparation course book or online. And don’t forget to keep your vocabulary notebook (or notes) at hand whenever you’re studying for your IELTS.
