Improving lexical resource for IELTS writing task 2

Lexical resource contributes to 25% of the overall mark for IELTS writing task 2. This post summarizes the requirements and provides a study strategy.

Improving lexical resource for IELTS writing task 2

Requirements

Do's and don't's from the band descriptors:

  • ✅ DO: Use a wide range of vocabulary.
  • ✅ DO: Use collocations correctly. Use collocations.
  • ✅ DO: Chosen words should sound formal yet natural.
  • ❌ DON'T: Repeat words.
  • ❌ DON'T: Use contractions.
  • ❌ DON'T: Make spelling mistakes.

Extra:

  • ✅ DO: In your intro where you paraphrase the question, be sure to use synonyms and not directly use the same vocabulary as used in the question.

Tips

  • Topic vocabulary: List common topics and find the related vocabulary to study. The list that I started :).
  • Question types: Find common synonyms typically used per question type. This Udemy course helped me.