vocabulary Archives - Preparation for the IELTS Exam

Learning IELTS vocabulary

June 6, 2024March 7, 2018 by Ray IELTS Focus

Tips and points to consider when learning new IELTS vocabulary.

Updated: June 2024

I often get asked about the best way to learn new words that can be used in IELTS essays or the speaking section. I have not given any word lists on my website because I believe that vocabulary building is your responsibility. It is something that you will have to work on over a period of time.

Some people want lists of words that they can memorise and then randomly put those words into their essays. This is not a good strategy when learning new words.

Using collocations in IELTS

December 4, 2023August 2, 2017 by Ray IELTS Focus

Accurate use of collocations will help you get a high score.

Updated: December 2023

Some of the most important vocabulary needed for IELTS writing are collocations. These are needed for a higher score. Collocations are 2 or 3 words that commonly go together and sound just right to a native speaker. For some tips on building your vocabulary take a look at this blog post here. If you do not know how to use collocations, they will sound or look ‘wrong’ to a native speaker.

For example, ‘use money‘ sounds strange if you go shopping. The correct word is to ‘spend money‘, or if someone speaks in a loud way I can’t say he has a ‘big voice‘ I need to say he has a ‘loud voice’. Or maybe he has a ‘big mouth‘ to describe him as arrogant, not a ‘large mouth‘. When I want to relax in the evening I wouldn’t ‘look at a movie‘ I would ‘watch a movie‘…. and so on…

British and American English in IELTS

May 7, 2024February 21, 2017 by Ray IELTS Focus

Should you use British or American English in IELTS?

Updated: May 2024

Some people are confused about whether to use British or American English in the IELTS test. The answer is that both types are fine. IELTS is not just based on British English, the IELTS listening test has various accents from English speaking countries around the world. You do not get a higher band score in the speaking section for using a British accent either.

Your accent does not matter as long as the examiner can clearly understand you. If you prefer to use American English spelling or vocabulary in the writing section, then stick to that when doing the exam, don’t suddenly switch to using British English spelling or vocabulary, and vice versa.