What examiners look for in Lexical Resource
Lexical Resource is a quarter of your Writing and Speaking score. Around Band 6 you have an adequate range of vocabulary but some words are imprecise. At Band 7 you use less common words with an awareness of style and collocation. At Band 8 you use a wide range fluently and precisely, with only occasional slips. In other words, precision and natural word combinations matter more than long words.
Upgrades that work
| Instead of | Try |
|---|---|
| a big problem | a serious / pressing concern |
| very bad for health | detrimental to health |
| do more things to stop it | take further measures to curb it |
| a lot of people | a significant proportion of the population |
| get better | improve considerably |
Build vocabulary that sticks
- Learn words in collocations (“tackle a problem”, “a growing concern”), not as single items.
- Group new vocabulary by common IELTS topics: environment, education, technology, health and work.
- Reuse each new phrase in your own sentence the same day — that’s what makes it available in the exam.
Check your overall level with the vocabulary level checker, then fix any errors with the grammar checker.