Vocabulary: the words the examiner rewards.
Lexical resource is not a test of how many words you know. It rewards the right word, the natural collocation, and the register that fits the task. Everything here is built to move that mark, not to hand you a longer list to memorise.
Most candidates who plateau at Band 6.5 do not lack words. They reuse plain ones, miss the natural collocation, and reach for the same three linkers. Band 7 is collocation and flexibility; Band 8 is precision. Start with the tool, then build range by topic.
The tool
Word upgrader
Type a common word like good, big or increase and see stronger alternatives laddered by band, with the collocations and an example so you use them accurately.
Open →Topic vocabulary banks
Crime & law
Crime, policing and justice, band by band, with an upgrade table and thirty drills across three exercise types.
Open →Education
Schools, higher education and learning: thirty drills across three exercise types, plus the phrasing that lifts education essays.
Open →Environment
Climate, pollution and conservation: precise environmental vocabulary with thirty drills across three exercise types.
Open →Health
Public health, diet and healthcare: the vocabulary examiners reward, with thirty drills across three exercise types.
Open →Media & advertising
News, social media and advertising: topic vocabulary with an upgrade table and thirty drills across three exercise types.
Open →Technology
Innovation, automation and the internet: technology vocabulary band by band, with thirty drills across three exercise types.
Open →Work & careers
Employment, the workplace and careers: the collocations work essays need, with thirty drills across three exercise types.
Open →Globalisation
Trade, culture, migration and the global economy: a frequent Task 2 topic with thirty drills across three exercise types.
Open →Tourism & travel
The industry, overtourism and sustainable travel: topic vocabulary with an upgrade table and thirty drills across three exercise types.
Open →Government & society
Public spending, services, policy and social goals: the precise verbs of government, with thirty drills across three exercise types.
Open →Culture & tradition
Heritage, identity, cultural exchange and change: a frequent Speaking and Task 2 topic with thirty drills across three exercise types.
Open →Family & children
Family structure, upbringing and childhood: how children are raised, band by band, with thirty drills across three exercise types.
Open →The economy & money
Growth, inflation, the cost of living and inequality: the financial nouns Task 2 rewards, with thirty drills across three exercise types.
Open →Transport
Congestion, public transport, congestion charging and sustainable travel: a frequent Task 2 topic with thirty drills across three exercise types.
Open →Housing & urban life
Affordable housing, urbanisation, overcrowding and the city-versus-countryside trade-off, with thirty drills across three exercise types.
Open →Science & research
Research, evidence, funding, benefit and ethics: the language of science, with an upgrade table and thirty drills across three exercise types.
Open →Advertising & consumerism
Campaigns, brand awareness, endorsement and materialism: a frequent Task 2 topic with thirty drills across three exercise types.
Open →Sport & exercise
Fitness, sedentary lifestyles, grassroots and elite sport: precise health lexis, with thirty drills across three exercise types.
Open →Food & diet
Balanced diets, processed food, obesity and food policy: the nutrition terms Task 2 rewards, with thirty drills across three exercise types.
Open →The arts
Art forms, cultural value, funding and the luxury-or-necessity debate: precise lexis with thirty drills across three exercise types.
Open →Language & communication
Mother tongue, lingua franca, endangered languages and language death: the linguistic terms, with thirty drills across three exercise types.
Open →The internet & social media
Access, platforms, misinformation and online privacy: a fast-moving Task 2 topic with thirty drills across three exercise types.
Open →Ageing & the elderly
Ageing populations, life expectancy, pensions and elderly care: the demographic terms Task 2 rewards, with thirty drills across three exercise types.
Open →Gender & equality
Equal opportunities, the gender pay gap, stereotypes and progress: precise, neutral lexis with thirty drills across three exercise types.
Open →Animals & wildlife
Biodiversity, habitat loss, endangered species and conservation: the ecological terms, with thirty drills across three exercise types.
Open →Energy & resources
Fossil fuels, renewables, efficiency and finite resources: a frequent Task 2 topic with thirty drills across three exercise types.
Open →Poverty & development
The poverty line, developing countries, foreign aid and living standards: the development terms, with thirty drills across three exercise types.
Open →Happiness & wellbeing
Life satisfaction, a sense of purpose, work-life balance and material wealth: the wellbeing lexis, with thirty drills across three exercise types.
Open →Space & exploration
Missions, scientific discovery, technological spin-offs and the cost debate: precise lexis with thirty drills across three exercise types.
Open →Books & reading
Reading habits, literacy, building vocabulary and print versus digital: the reading lexis, with thirty drills across three exercise types.
Open →Method & reference
Vocabulary & cohesion
Why lexical resource is rarely about knowing more words: collocation, register, and the same idea climbing the bands.
Open →Lexical resource
What the criterion actually measures, and how to show range without reaching for rare words you cannot control.
Open →Task 1 language
The language of describing data: trends, comparisons and the verbs of change that Writing Task 1 rewards.
Open →Words letting you down in writing or speaking? In a lesson we look at your own work and fix the word choices quietly holding your band down. Book a lesson →
The book of the method
The Proper English Grammar Guide to IELTS Speaking
The method this site drills for free, written down properly: five response frameworks, thirteen grammatical structures taken to automation, vocabulary by band, pronunciation with audio demonstrations one scan away, and first-language guidance for eight language families. 614 pages, built from more than two thousand documented one-to-one lessons. Most guides teach every candidate the same English; this one starts from what your first language makes you do.
Paperback on Amazon →Kindle edition →The free 79-page companion →