Vocabulary (Lexical Resource) is one of the marking criteria of IELTS Speaking. The examiner assesses how rich your vocabulary is, whether you use synonyms, various fixed expressions and phrasal verbs .
Vocabulary (Lexical Resource) is one of the marking criteria of IELTS Speaking. The examiner assesses how rich your vocabulary is, whether you use synonyms, various fixed expressions and phrasal verbs .
If your goal is 7.0 or higher, you need to use advanced words and phrases to demonstrate the variety of your vocabulary.
Use a variety of expressions and words to express your point of view:
It was good. Very good.
Really good, yes! Nice, very nice.
Usually, we use simple words in informal conversations. In IELTS Speaking, however, you need to use more complicated words (to get a high score) despite the informality of this part.
It was amazing. Really enjoyable.
Fantastic! Exceptional.
Do you feel the difference? Of course, we exaggerate this way: good is not the same as amazing. But what does it sound like? And it doesn’t matter if it was really just "good". The examiners do not assess the content, but the vocabulary, and it should be rich.
So, we try to use the words which are more complicated:
| Simple | Complicated |
| Food | Cuisine |
| Big | Enormous |
| Tasty | Delicious |
| I like | I’m fond of I’m keen on I’m into |
| Good | Excellent Amazing Incredible |
| Bad | Terrible |
| Happy | Ecstatic |
| Sad | Depressed Miserable |
| Important | Crucial Essential |
| Nice | Enjoyable |
| Pretty | Attractive Gorgeous |
| Little | Tiny |
| Hard | Challenging |
| It' easy | It’s a no-brainer Like ABC |
| Interresting | Entertaining |
| Funny | Hilarious |
| Clean | Spotless |
| Hot | Boiling |
| Cold | Freezing |
| I was tired | I was exhausted. |
| Old | Ancient |
IELTS Speaking Part 2 linking words
To start:
I’d like to talk about…
I’m gonna talk about…
I’d like to tell you about…
What I’d like to talk about is… (my ipad/my trip to Liverpool)
The card contains the topics that you are talking about one by one. In order not to lose the logic of conversation, you can use the linking words:
First of all, … Secondly,… Finally,…
And also…
What’s more,…
Besides,…
Another thing is that…
Another reason why…
Phrasal Verbs
Want to speak like a native speaker? - Use phrasal verbs.
They will make your speech more natural - this is what you need for a high score for IELTS Speaking.
Phrasal verbs - verb + preposition
For example:
Put off
Go on
etc.
Enrich your vocabulary with these phrasal verbs:
| I sometimes fall out with my colleagues. | (argue) |
| My friends never let me down. | (disappoint) |
| I was cracking up when I was watching this TV programme. | (was laughing) |
| I really enjoy trying out new things. | (discovering/doing) |
| I’m thinking of taking up tennis. | (discovering/doing) |
| I usually hang out with my friends at the weekend. | (spend time) |
In order to get 7.0 and higher for the Speaking part, you also need to use such words correctly - advanced words and less commonly used expressions to show the range of vocabulary.
|
I reckon ... I believe that ... In my opinion, ... |
I guess that ... In my view, ... I'd say that ... I'm sure that ... |
When you don't know what to say - say these phrases
-
That's a tough one ... (это сложный вопрос)
-
That's a challenging question!
-
I've never thought about that!
-
That's an interesting question!
-
I've no idea what to say, to be honest.
You can use more complex adjectives (extreme adjectives). For example, instead of "very good", it’s better to say "impressive" because "very good" is too simple)
Here are some good adjectives
Enormous
NY is enormous!
Tiny
My bathroom is tiny.
Fascinating
It's fascinating!
Crucial
It's crucial to learn foreign languages.
Gorgeous
We stayed in a gorgeous hotel.
Exceptional
The service was exceptional!
Essential
It's essential to success.
Awesome
We had an awesome time!
Complicated
Life is complicated :)
Spectacular
The view from the top was spectacular!
Impressive
The city was impressive.
Hilarious
This film is hilarious!
Entertaining
It was really entertaining.
How to master IELTS Writing: Task 1 & Task 2
14 lessons / 7+ hours of video content
- How to write an answer to ANY type of Essay task
- How to write an answer to ANY type of Graph task
- How to structure your answer
- What to write in each paragraph
- What grammar to use
- How to link your ideas
- What vocabulary to use
- What you should write to get a high score