Attribute - Word of the Day for IELTS Speaking & Writing

The word 'Attribute' refers to people, objects, ideas, and trends with more precision. Remember that vocabulary is one of the most important skills to acquire for a band 8+ in the IELTS Speaking and Writing sections. Therefore, you can  use this to clarify why trends occur, or describe qualities of a person. As you are expected to use language that is precise, varied, and academic, such advanced vocabulary words can make your answers more analytical and well-structured. With diligent practice, you will learn to incorporate it into your answers for the IELTS Exam.

What is the Meaning of ‘Attribute’?

Using appropriate IELTS Vocabulary can help synthesize your concepts as you answer for the IELTS Speaking & Writing sections. Words like ‘Attribute’ would give you an opportunity to express complex thoughts with ease while focusing on turning simple statements into well-organized and analytical answers. However, before you use any word, you must first be aware of its grammatical factors and sentence structures to avoid making any mistakes. The table below would help you get familiar with its meaning, synonyms, and example sentences.

Check out the video below to learn 9 Vocabulary Tips to IMPROVE Your Score for the IELTS Writing Task 2!

Common Mistakes to Avoid When Using ‘Attribute’ in IELTS Speaking & Writing Sections

The use of the word ‘Attribute’ can immediately give your answers an academic tone, but only when it is used correctly. However, there could be times when you can make a mistake by confusing its verb and noun forms, pairing it with incorrect prepositions, or putting it in answers in an unnatural way. Such errors can reduce clarity in your IELTS Speaking & Writing sections. To avoid making such errors, you can check out the following which includes the most frequent mistakes along with their corrected versions.

• Using the word ‘Attribute’ without including the preposition ‘to’

The verb ‘Attribute’ is always to be followed by the preposition ‘to’ which will make the sentence provide clear information.

• Using it as a noun when meaning the verb form of the term

The noun form of the word ‘Attribute’ means quality while the verb form of the term relates to credit or assign cause. Therefore, you need to figure out if you are looking for a quality or a cause before including them in your sentence.

• Using it in informal topics where simpler words are appropriate and better in conveying the information

Since the term is formal in its nature, this would make the answer sound forced or unnatural. Therefore, use it in contexts such as cause, reason, and factors.

• Overusing the word repeatedly in one answer

Repetition lowers lexical variety for which you must use synonyms like credit, associate, link.

• Incorrect tense forms 

Spelling/tensing errors lower accuracy which can lower the band scores for the parameter of Lexical Resources. Remember that the correct forms would be attribute / attributed / attributing.

• Using the term for people instead of actions/events

Such usage of the word could turn out to either be unnatural or grammatically incorrect which can affect your scores in both lexical resources and grammatical range and accuracy. Remember to provide reason, outcome, result and not for characterizing people.

Exercise on the Word ‘Attribute’ for IELTS Speaking & Writing

When you have become familiar with the meaning of 'Attribute', you can become familiar with the particular contexts in which you can incorporate it. As you dive into the exercise given below, you can check each sentence provided and analyse where it could be inserted, keeping its definition in mind so that your choice would help you describe the intended idea.

1 Many people _____________ social media as a convenient tool for learning, while others find it distracting.

2 The researcher tried to _____________ the claim by providing strong evidence to the contrary.

3 To reduce the negative effects of pollution, governments are introducing policies to _____________ environmental damage.

4 In today’s world, smartphones have become _____________; you can see them everywhere.

5 The designer was asked to _____________ on her concept to help the jury understand the inspiration.

6 Some students mistakenly _____________ their poor performance to bad luck rather than a lack of preparation.

Answer to the Exercise on ‘Attribute’ for IELTS Speaking & Writing

Now it's your turn to see how well you can use 'Attribute'. The more you learn from your errors and the better you become at using the term, the more proficiency in vocabulary you develop for advanced word choices. This steady progression would guide you in getting an IELTS Band Score of 8+ in the IELTS Speaking and Writing sections.

1. Attribute
2. Refute
3. Mitigate
4. Ubiquitous
5. Elaborate
6. Perceive

As you learn the word ‘Attribute’, you can also note down its common collocations and phrases which can help improve your clarity in your Speaking and IELTS Writing sections. As you add this to your vocabulary list during preparation, you can use it in describing a person’s qualities, explaining the causes of a situation, or analyzing trends. Keep practicing such high-value vocabulary and develop the confidence as well as the linguistic range that are necessary for getting a higher band score.

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Also Check: 

• Five Ways to Improve Your Vocabulary
• 1200 Common Words in IELTS Listening
• IELTS Vocabulary Words List for Band 8 or 9
• How to Build Vocabulary for the IELTS Exam: Practical Tips
• IELTS Exam Preparation Tips for Band Score of 8+