IELTS Vocabulary Preparation

Vocabulary is the part of IELTS you can prepare for most directly. Lexical Resource is one of the four scoring criteria in both Writing and Speaking — a quarter of each band score — and the Reading and Listening papers are, before anything else, tests of whether you know the words in front of you. Examiners reward precise topic vocabulary, natural collocations and varied linking language; they mark down repetition and vagueness.

Most vocabulary apps hand you a word list. This course drills the words into you: every item is an exercise with audio and an example sentence, scheduled by spaced repetition so a word comes back exactly when you are about to forget it.

What the course covers

The course contains over 1,600 exercises across 14 lessons, and the lesson list mirrors how IELTS actually tests vocabulary:

  • Nine topic lessons — Education & Learning, Environment & Nature, Technology & Innovation, Health & Medicine, Society & Culture, Economy & Business, Government, Law & Crime, Science & Research, Arts & Media. These are the domains IELTS reading passages and essay questions are drawn from, roughly 100–130 words each, every one with a definition, an example sentence and audio.
  • Advanced Collocations & Phrases (150 exercises) — a growing body of evidence, plays a pivotal role: the prefabricated academic phrases that separate Band 6 writing from Band 7.
  • Linking Words & Discourse Markers (80 exercises) — the coherence-and-cohesion language the Writing criteria name explicitly.
  • Band 7+ Grammar Structures (180 exercises) — inversion, cleft sentences, hedging, nominalisation: the structures examiners list under grammatical range.
  • Describing Data & Trends (75 exercises) — the exact vocabulary of Writing Task 1: rise, plummet, fluctuate, peak, plateau, and how to qualify them.
  • Synonyms & Paraphrasing (120 exercises) — paraphrase is the core skill of the Reading paper and the fastest way to stop repeating yourself in essays.
Start the IELTS Vocabulary course — free

No sign-up needed to start. Every lesson is free.

What this course deliberately does not do

Honesty matters more to us than a bigger promise, so here is the scope, stated plainly:

  • Nobody grades your essays or simulates the speaking test. This course builds the language layer; productive-skill feedback has to come from a teacher, a partner or the official practice materials.
  • The exercises are not in IELTS question format. We drill the vocabulary, not the test mechanics. For format practice, the official free materials from the test makers are good and we suggest you use them.

What you get in exchange is depth where it counts: every word practised to recall, not recognition — you type the answers, you hear the audio, and the schedule brings each word back until it sticks.

How to use it

Start at lesson 1 and let the spaced-repetition schedule pace you. Reviews come first on any day you study — a review left too long is usually a review you get wrong. The topic lessons build your range; the collocations, linking and structures lessons at the end turn that range into marks in the Writing and Speaking criteria.

Start the IELTS Vocabulary course — free

No sign-up needed to start. Every lesson is free.

Frequently asked questions

How many words do I need for IELTS Band 7?

High-band candidates typically control several thousand word families, but the exam does not test raw counts — it rewards precise use of academic vocabulary, topic vocabulary and collocations. This course drills over 1,600 exercises covering exactly that layer, on top of the everyday English you already have.

Does this course grade my writing or speaking?

No. Nobody here scores your essays or simulates the speaking interview, and we would rather say that plainly than pretend otherwise. What the course does is put the words, collocations and structures the examiners reward at your fingertips, so that when you practise the productive skills elsewhere, the language is there.

Is the course really free?

Yes. Every lesson and every exercise is free, and you can start without creating an account. A paid Pro tier adds conveniences like statistics and unlimited AI-tutor questions, but none of the learning sits behind it.

How long does preparation take?

The course uses spaced repetition, which works best as a daily habit. Learners who do a few hundred exercises a week typically work through the full course in two to three months, with reviews keeping earlier words alive while you add new ones.

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