IELTS Speaking Vocabulary

Janice Thompson

5 min read

Updated On Aug 26, 2024

Want to ace the IELTS Speaking test? Boost your performance with essential IELTS Speaking vocabulary tips and strategies to speak more confidently and clearly!

What is Vocabulary?
Importance of learning new words:
IELTS Speaking Vocabulary:

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What is Vocabulary?

IELTS Vocabulary is the body of words used in a particular language. An example of vocabulary is the language used by lawyers.

Some words used daily in the courtroom:

bench trial: Trial without a jury in which a judge decides the facts.
affidavit: a written statement confirmed by oath or affirmation, for use as evidence in court.
capital offense: A crime punishable by death penalty

Importance of learning new words:

You should make sure that you use good vocabulary while speaking. You can improve English vocabulary only by regular practice. Make it a habit to learn new words. Start by learning 5 new words everyday, then slowly progress to 50 difficult words in a week. Also, try to frame sentences using those words and use them when talking to others.

There are also common words like “gorgeous” ,”montonous”, “malignant” etc [The list is endless. The words given are among the commonest] which you can use while speaking in the IELTS exam. You can also practise using vocabulary exercises available online.

If you follow these steps religiously, you will be able to build an impressive vocabulary.

Given below are some new words with meanings:

athleisure – Casual, comfortable clothing or footwear designed to be suitable for both exercise and everyday wear
fantoosh – Fancy, showy, flashy.
hench – strong, fit, and having well-developed muscles (typically used of a man).

IELTS Speaking Vocabulary:

Vocabulary counts for 25% of your score in the speaking and writing test. In the speaking test, you will have to speak face-to-face with a certified examiner. The test is 11-14 minutes long and is divided into three parts. They are:

Part 1	Self Introduction
Part 2	Talking about a topic
Part 3	Further discussion on the topic given in part 2

The Speaking test is the same for both versions (Academic and General Training) of IELTS.

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Topic-based Vocabulary:

Some of the topics and related speaking vocabulary are listed below:

Weather:

Sunny spells – short periods of sunny weather
To get drenched – To get very wet
Heatstroke – a serious condition caused by being too long in hot weather
thick fog – a dense fog that makes visibility very poor
torrential rain – Intense rainfall

Music:

classical music – music that is regarded as part of a long, formal tradition.
a pop group – a small group of people who play or sing pop music together
Track – one of the songs or pieces of music on an album
background music – music that is played while something else is happening
a rock band – a group of musicians that play rock music

Art:

Gallery – a room or building for the display or sale of works of art.
Palette – a thin board or slab on which an artist lays and mixes colours.
Ballet – an artistic dance form performed to music, using precise and highly formalized set steps and gestures.
Novels – a fictitious prose narrative of book length, typically representing character and action with some degree of realism.
Ceramics – pots and other articles made from clay hardened by heat.

Apart from this, there are connectors, idioms, phrasal verbs, collocations, coherence and cohesive devices that are discussed below:

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Connectors: They aid in improving the quality of sentence structure while you’re framing complex sentences. Also, it links one thought to the other. Thus, it gives the conversation a logical flow. Some of them are given below:

Vocabulary to denote time :

Meanwhile
Since
During
Simultaneously
At the same time

Vocabulary to express agreement :

Exactly
So do I
That’s true
I consent that
I approve the idea of

Coherence – It refers to the organization of ideas. You need to organize your ideas in the given manner:

General ideas
| to
Specific ideas
| to
Explanation or Evidence
| to
Example

Linking words or connectors help in achieving coherence

Cohesion: You need to know how to use linking words to avoid filler words such as “Ums” and “Ahs”. If you use filler words because you are in search for the right word, it will lead to a poor score in speaking section. Here’s an example

Question : Describe your childhood friend

Wrong usage : Ummmmmmmmm Aaaaaahh I think Umm Aah I liked her Ummmm Aah because she was very intelligent and secured the first rank in class.
Correct usage: Well, I’m not exactly sure why I liked her so much. But I guess I liked her because she was the topper in class.

Collocations: They are two or three words that go together and sound just right. The watchword is “Don’t learn new words in isolation”. Always learn words in a context.

She spends a lot of money – Correct usage
She uses a lot of money – Wrong usage

Dev has a loud voice – Correct usage
Dev has a big voice – Wrong usage

Sunita was watching a movie – Correct usage
Sunita was looking at a movie – Wrong usage

Idioms: They are phrases that do not have the same meaning as the words actually spoken. The common mistake people tend to make is to go on a search for difficult, uncommon ones which they cannot use properly in a sentence.

Uncommon idiom – it takes two to tango
Meaning: when you want to say that both people involved in a tough situation must accept the blame, or to denote that an activity needs two people who are willing to take part for it to happen.
Example: The street vendor wanted to argue, but it takes two to tango. So I paid what he demanded.

Success lies in practicing idioms which are simple and can be used in day to day language with much ease. Here are some of them :

idiom – To be on cloud nine
Meaning: To feel extremely happy
Example: She was on cloud nine.

idiom – I hit the ceiling
Meaning: To become very angry
Example: The car hit my bike’s headlight. I hit the ceiling and shouted at the driver.

idiom – To have a whale of a time
Meaning: to have lot of fun and excitement
Example: Please visit Shimoga. You can have a whale of a time.

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Phrasal verbs: They are phrases that indicate actions. They usually consist of a verb with a preposition or an adverb. Here are some English phrases to improve your vocabulary.

Phrasal verb	Adverb	Preposition
Cheer	–	Up
Hold		On
Cut	Down	On

Cheer up :
Meaning – becoming happy
Example – On seeing the diamond jewellery, she cheered up.

Hold on :
Meaning – waiting for a short period of time
Example – Hold on! While I give the receiver to my sister.

Cut down on:
Meaning – reduce
Example – Due to recession, the company decided to cut down on its costs.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Is it mandatory to use idioms to get a higher band score in IELTS Speaking?

No, it is not mandatory to use idioms to get a high band score. But, If you are well-versed with the idioms, like their precise meanings, and ways to use them naturally and appropriately, you can use them while conversing with the examiner. However, you must understand the fixed expressions, phrasal verbs, and colloquial expressions of the idiomatic languages.

Will the examiner judge my accent?

Of course not! In the IELTS Speaking test, the examiner will not judge your accent as long as your pronunciation is clear and accurate. If the accent causes errors in pronunciation, it will confuse the examiner.

Are eye contact and body language important for a high score?

No, the examiner is judging your English according to the four criteria: Fluency, Pronunciation, Vocabulary and Grammar. Therefore, eye contact and body language doesn't contribute for a high score.

Why is pronunciation important in IELTS Speaking?

In the IELTS Speaking test, pronunciation is one of the marking criteria, which is worth 25% of your performance. It is a key to getting a high score in IELTS Speaking because it can enhance or damage your entire performance. Therefore, you need to pronounce every word clearly.

Why is vocabulary essential in IELTS Speaking?

Vocabulary contributes up to 25% to your total score in the IELTS Speaking test. Most of the time, candidates fumble or keep on repeating the same thing while searching for complex words, which affects their fluency and score. Thus, they need to have a robust vocabulary and use them wisely in their conversation