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How I study Vocabulary (IELTS)

Enriching your academic vocabulary is essential in the IELTS test. Vocabulary is one of the cores of IELTS. It is important in all four macro skills and without a wide knowledge of it, getting the band score that you want or need may seem to be a very far-fetched idea (maybe next to impossible!) As a result, various vocabulary books are published. These books claim to list almost all words that are used in the IELTS test. It may be so, but what is the best way to study and learn vocabulary? Is it memorization? Should you memorize each and every word you read in your book of choice? Should you make your own list of synonyms? Use them in your sentences?

Well, of course, all of these ways are helpful and probably effective. However, I am a firm believer in the idea that vocabulary is best learned incidentally. No memorization required. Memorize is just temporary but when you learn a word incidentally, it sticks to your brain for a longer time. Still, the easiest way to learn is to read, read, and read. There is no shortcut to learning a language. But do not fret, I'll be sharing some of the activities I did and used with my students in our vocabulary class. It may be boring for some or useless. The point here is to understand different ways of studying vocabulary.

To learn the proper spelling of a word, I do this:

Unjumble the letters to reveal the correct spelling


1. AESE                                ___________
2. TOVERPY                        ___________
3. RACHASITCERCIT         ___________
4. KASE                                ___________
5. COATGET                      ___________
6. DOECPILACMT              _________
7. MINDOTAN                   _________
8. TLYSTANOCN                _________
9. RAVY                               _________
10. THEPD                          _________

To practice grammar, I try this:

Write your own example sentences using the words in the box.
  • Intellectual
  • Loose
  • Bomb
  • Holy
  • Anxious
  • Guard
  • Impressive
  • Exception
  • Nervous
  • Fee
1. ____________________.
2. ____________________.
3. ____________________.
4. ____________________.
5. ____________________.
6. ____________________.
7. ____________________.
8. ____________________.
9. ____________________.
10. ___________________.

To learn pronunciation, I try to spell the words according to their sounds. (I do not use the IPA symbol since most of my students are not familiar with it)

Correct the spelling

            1.  BEESIBOL      __________                      
            2. PEATCH           __________
3.  DEVAYS          __________                   
4. STEEDI             __________
            5.  PRAID             __________                       
            6. STOWLEN       __________
7.  RIMOWT         __________                    
8.  KOLUM           __________
9.  CUNPUSHUN __________                     
10. KALLM           __________
I hope you find these activities helpful! If not, sorry. Please suggest other ways and I will try it out on my own or to my students. Thank you!
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