How to expand your IELTS vocabulary

Start with language you need to express ideas about familiar subjects: education, work, health, technology and the environment. Take a small selection from a text or recording you understand. If the whole passage is difficult, first work out its meaning rather than collecting every unknown word.

Choose items that solve a real problem in your English. You might need a way to describe a consequence, compare options or explain a preference. Those uses give you a reason to retrieve the expression later.

Collocations are combinations of words commonly used together. Learning a word alongside its usual partners helps you use it naturally. Vocabulary assessment includes appropriate use, so replacing an ordinary word with an unfamiliar synonym can make your meaning less accurate.

For each new expression, check a learner’s dictionary for meaning, pronunciation, word class and an example. Notice prepositions and whether a noun is countable. Then write a sentence about something you can explain without looking at the source.

Keep a short, usable record rather than a copied dictionary entry. The notebook below is a suggested study tool; the aim is to make later practice easier.

• The expression and a plain explanation of its meaning.
• The source sentence or context that helped you understand it.
• A common word combination or grammar pattern.
• Your own sentence, checked for meaning and form.
• A note about pronunciation or spelling if that caused difficulty.
• The next date you will try to recall and use it.

Choose three expressions from one topic. Close the notebook and explain a familiar experience using any that fit naturally. Afterwards, check which expressions you avoided, misused or could not recall. There is no need to force all three into the same answer.

On another day, write a short paragraph on a related topic. Return to the same expressions in a different context and check whether the meaning still works. When you can use an item only in the sentence you memorised, keep practising it before treating it as part of your active vocabulary.

How many new words should I learn each day? Start with a quantity you can review and use. Five carefully chosen expressions can create plenty of work once you check their patterns and try them in different contexts; this is a manageable starting suggestion, not an IELTS requirement.

Do difficult words guarantee Band 7? No. The official criteria consider range and appropriate, accurate use. An unsuitable expression can obscure an otherwise clear idea.

How can I prepare for this webinar? Bring a few expressions you understand when reading but struggle to use. A sentence you have written with each one makes the question easier to discuss.