1 Hour Full IELTS Vocabulary Course

Summary

This comprehensive guide emphasizes the critical role of vocabulary in IELTS success, debunking common myths like memorizing complex words for higher scores. It advocates for a contextual learning approach, suggesting daily reading and listening to English materials, noting down new words, and using them in sentences. The script also criticizes ineffective methods like learning from word lists and stresses the importance of understanding word usage, collocations, and topic-specific vocabulary. It offers practical techniques for vocabulary retention, including matching synonyms, categorization, and creating stories with new words, aiming to help learners genuinely improve their English proficiency and IELTS scores.

Takeaways

• 📘 Vocabulary is crucial for effective communication and understanding in English, as it directly impacts one's ability to express meaning and comprehend spoken or written text.
• 🔍 The importance of vocabulary is demonstrated by the clarity of meaning in sentences; removing key words can lead to confusion and misunderstanding.
• 🙅‍♂️ Avoid relying on memorization of a few 'high-level' or 'magic' words to improve IELTS scores, as this approach does not reflect true language ability or vocabulary range.
• 🚫 Do not be misled by popular but misleading advice on YouTube or other platforms that suggest shortcuts to vocabulary improvement, such as memorizing long or complex words.
• 📚 To genuinely enhance vocabulary, engage in regular reading and listening practices in English, focusing on materials that interest you to maintain consistency and motivation.
• 🤔 Develop the skill of guessing word meanings from context, which is not only useful for the IELTS test but also for real-life English communication.
• 📝 Keep a dedicated vocabulary notebook to note down new words, their definitions, pronunciation, synonyms, antonyms, and example sentences.
• 🔄 Regularly review and use new vocabulary in sentences or speaking practice to reinforce memory and understanding, moving beyond mere memorization.
• 🔑 True vocabulary improvement involves learning words in context, understanding their usage, and being able to apply them effectively in various topics and situations.
• 🌐 Utilize free resources like BBC News to find topic-specific vocabulary and practice using these words in relevant contexts to demonstrate a wide-ranging vocabulary.
• 🎯 Aim for accuracy and range in vocabulary use; accuracy refers to correct spelling, meaning, and usage, while range means the ability to use a variety of words appropriate to different topics.

Q & A

Why is vocabulary important for understanding and communication in English?

Vocabulary is crucial for expressing meaning in writing and speaking. Without understanding key words, one can struggle to grasp the meaning of sentences or texts, which is essential for effective communication and comprehension in English.

What is the main issue with focusing on memorizing a list of high-level words to improve vocabulary?

Memorizing a list of high-level words is ineffective because it does not teach you how to use those words in context, and it ignores the importance of understanding and using a wide range of vocabulary, including topic-specific words.

What are the two main problems with popular IELTS vocabulary videos on YouTube mentioned in the script?

The two main problems are: 1) Promising high scores with just a few high-level words, which is misleading because IELTS examiners assess a range of vocabulary usage, not just a few complex words. 2) Suggesting that memorizing a large number of words in a short time can improve vocabulary, which is not a practical or effective learning method.

What does the script suggest about the relationship between the number of high-level words and the IELTS speaking score?

The script suggests that using a few high-level words does not guarantee a high score in the IELTS speaking test. Examiners assess the overall vocabulary usage, including topic-specific words, rather than just the presence of a few complex words.

What is the script's advice on how to effectively learn and improve vocabulary for the IELTS test?

The script advises to focus on learning vocabulary in context, noticing new words while reading or listening, guessing their meanings from context, noting them down with detailed information, and regularly reviewing and using them in practice.

Why is it recommended to read and listen to English daily to improve vocabulary?

Reading and listening to English daily provides continuous exposure to new vocabulary in context, which helps in natural language acquisition and better understanding of how words are used in different situations.

What is the significance of using topic-specific vocabulary in IELTS writing and speaking tasks?

Topic-specific vocabulary is important because it demonstrates to the examiners that a candidate has a wide-ranging vocabulary and can effectively discuss various subjects, which is a key aspect of the IELTS assessment criteria.

What does the script suggest about the percentage of high-level words in high-quality English writing?

The script suggests that in high-quality English writing, such as in The Wall Street Journal or academic articles, the percentage of high-level (C1 and C2) words is actually quite small, with the majority being A1 and A2 words.

Why is it not advisable to rely on memorized lists of words for the IELTS test?

Relying on memorized lists of words is not advisable because it does not help in understanding the usage, pronunciation, style, grammar, and collocations of the words, which are essential for effective communication and are assessed in the IELTS test.

What is the script's view on the idea of learning vocabulary through shortcuts or magic solutions?

The script discourages the idea of shortcuts or magic solutions for vocabulary learning, emphasizing that improving vocabulary is a gradual process that requires consistent effort, context-based learning, and practical usage.

What are some of the techniques suggested in the script for reviewing and remembering new vocabulary?

The script suggests techniques such as matching synonyms, categorizing words by topic or word form, creating stories using new words, and getting feedback on the use of new vocabulary to ensure accurate and effective usage.

Outlines

00:00

📚 Importance of Vocabulary in Language Proficiency

The paragraph emphasizes the critical role of vocabulary in understanding and communicating effectively. It uses the analogy of removing functional words from a sentence to illustrate how essential vocabulary is for grasping meaning in both speech and writing. The speaker warns against common misconceptions regarding vocabulary improvement, such as relying on a few high-scoring words or memorizing word lists, which are ineffective strategies. Instead, the paragraph suggests that a well-rounded vocabulary is necessary for a high IELTS score and genuine language mastery.

05:02

🙅‍♂️ Debunking Myths About Vocabulary Learning

This paragraph dismantles the myths surrounding vocabulary acquisition, particularly the belief that memorizing a list of complex words or using a few 'magic' words can significantly boost IELTS scores. The speaker criticizes the approach of schools and online videos that promote this method, arguing that it reflects a misunderstanding of the IELTS assessment criteria. The paragraph asserts that vocabulary learning should involve understanding words in context and being able to use them appropriately, rather than mere memorization.

10:04

📈 Understanding Vocabulary Levels and Their Usage

The speaker discusses the concept of vocabulary levels, using the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR) as a reference point. They clarify that high-level vocabulary does not necessarily mean complex or long words, and that even advanced texts like The Wall Street Journal or academic journals use a majority of A1 and A2 level words. The paragraph aims to correct the common misconception that high IELTS scores require an excessive use of complex vocabulary, stressing the importance of appropriate word usage instead.

15:05

📝 The Key to Higher Band Scores in Vocabulary

The paragraph focuses on the strategies for achieving a higher band score in IELTS, particularly in vocabulary. It suggests that mastering basic vocabulary (A1 to B2 levels) is crucial before attempting to use more complex words. The speaker uses an example from an IELTS book to illustrate that even a band seven essay uses a majority of simple words, with only a few high-level terms. The emphasis is on using topic-specific vocabulary effectively to demonstrate a wide-ranging vocabulary.

20:07

🚀 Enhancing Vocabulary Through Contextual Learning

This paragraph advocates for the importance of learning vocabulary in context, rather than through isolated word lists. It suggests that input through reading and listening to authentic English materials is essential for vocabulary acquisition. The speaker advises against focusing on speed and instead emphasizes the need for effective learning, which includes daily exposure to English through enjoyable reading and listening activities.

25:08

🤔 Active Engagement with New Vocabulary

The speaker introduces the method of actively engaging with new vocabulary by noticing unfamiliar words while reading or listening, guessing their meanings from context, and then noting them down for later review. This paragraph emphasizes the importance of understanding the use, pronunciation, and common collocations of new words, as well as the value of a dedicated vocabulary notebook for recording and reviewing new terms.

30:10

🔄 The Process of Reviewing and Using New Vocabulary

This paragraph outlines the process of reviewing and effectively using new vocabulary. It suggests regular repetition and contextual use of words to enhance memory and understanding. The speaker recommends creating sentences with new words and getting feedback on their usage to ensure accuracy. The ultimate goal is to be able to use the vocabulary naturally in speaking and writing, reflecting a genuine command of the language.

35:10

🌐 Accessing Topic-Specific Vocabulary for IELTS

The speaker provides guidance on how to access topic-specific vocabulary relevant to common IELTS task two subjects, such as education, health, technology, and the environment. They recommend using BBC News as a resource for identifying and learning these words through daily news stories. The paragraph also highlights the importance of understanding and using these topic-specific words to effectively address a wide range of IELTS topics.

40:11

📚 Techniques for Memorizing and Using Vocabulary

This paragraph introduces four techniques for memorizing and using new vocabulary: matching synonyms, categorizing words by topic or word form, and creating stories with random words. The speaker emphasizes the effectiveness of these methods in helping students remember and use new vocabulary in context, which is crucial for achieving higher band scores in IELTS writing and speaking.

45:11

💡 Conclusion on Effective Vocabulary Learning

The final paragraph concludes the discussion on vocabulary learning by summarizing the key points: the importance of learning vocabulary in context, the use of topic-specific words, and the application of the four memorization techniques. The speaker reiterates that effective vocabulary learning requires active engagement, regular review, and practical use of words in context to achieve a high level of language proficiency.

Keywords

💡Vocabulary

Vocabulary refers to the set of words known to a person or used in a language. In the context of the video, vocabulary is crucial for effective communication and is a key component in language proficiency tests like IELTS. The script emphasizes the importance of improving vocabulary for better understanding and expression in both writing and speaking.

💡IELTS

IELTS stands for International English Language Testing System, which is a globally recognized test for non-native English speakers to demonstrate their English language proficiency. The script discusses common misconceptions about IELTS vocabulary preparation and offers advice on how to genuinely improve one's vocabulary for better test performance.

💡Functional words

Functional words are the grammatical parts of speech, such as prepositions and articles, that structure sentences and give coherence to the text. The script uses the removal of functional words in an example to illustrate their importance in conveying meaning and how their absence can lead to confusion.

💡Content words

Content words are the words that carry the main meaning in a sentence, such as nouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs. The script contrasts content words with functional words to demonstrate that while content words are essential for meaning, functional words are equally important for sentence structure and coherence.

💡Memorization

Memorization is the act of learning something by repetition. The script criticizes the common approach of memorizing lists of words for IELTS vocabulary improvement, arguing that true language acquisition requires understanding and usage, not just rote memorization.

💡Context

Context refers to the circumstances or setting in which something occurs. The script emphasizes the importance of learning and understanding new words in context, as it helps with retention and appropriate usage, which is more effective than memorizing words in isolation.

💡Collocations

Collocations are combinations of words that frequently occur together. The script mentions collocations as an important aspect of vocabulary learning that is often overlooked, but which contributes to the natural and fluent use of language.

💡Band descriptors

Band descriptors are the levels of proficiency described in the IELTS scoring system. The script discusses the misconception that using complex or high-level words will automatically result in a higher band score, which is not accurate according to the official IELTS marking criteria.

💡Range

Range, in the context of vocabulary, refers to the variety and diversity of words a person uses. The script clarifies that having a wide range of vocabulary means being able to use a variety of words appropriate to different topics, not just using complex or long words.

💡Accuracy

Accuracy in vocabulary refers to the correct use of words in terms of spelling, meaning, and grammatical context. The script points out that while range is often misunderstood, accuracy is equally important and is assessed by IELTS examiners when grading test responses.

💡Feedback

Feedback is the response or criticism given regarding a performance or piece of work. The script suggests that getting feedback on vocabulary usage is crucial for learners to understand if they are using words correctly and effectively in context.

Highlights

The importance of vocabulary in understanding and expressing meaning in English, demonstrated through the removal of functional words from a sentence.

The common misconception that learning a few high-level words can significantly improve IELTS speaking scores is debunked.

The ineffectiveness of memorizing word lists for vocabulary improvement and the importance of learning words in context.

The myth of 'magic words' for IELTS success is refuted, emphasizing the need for genuine vocabulary development.

The explanation of how IELTS examiners assess vocabulary, focusing on the use of a range of words rather than just high-level words.

The revelation that high-scoring IELTS candidates use a wide range of topic-specific words, not just complex or high-level words.

The introduction of the Cambridge English Profile Text Inspector tool for analyzing vocabulary levels in texts.

The demonstration using The Wall Street Journal article to show that high-level writing includes a majority of A1 and A2 words.

The strategy of focusing on learning and using A1 to B2 level words before attempting to use C1 and C2 level vocabulary.

The advice against trying to impress the IELTS examiner with a few high-level words and the emphasis on accurate and appropriate word usage.

The recommendation to read and listen to English daily as a means of naturally improving vocabulary.

The suggestion to read news articles related to common IELTS topics as a way of encountering and learning topic-specific vocabulary.

The method of noticing new words while reading, guessing their meanings from context, and then noting them down for later review.

The importance of reviewing and using new vocabulary in sentences to ensure they can be effectively used in speaking and writing.

The four techniques for reviewing and remembering vocabulary: matching, categorizing, using in stories, and getting feedback on usage.

The emphasis on the necessity of using vocabulary in context and thinking in English as a key to achieving a high IELTS score.

The ultimate guide to vocabulary available for free and its role in providing step-by-step guides and strategies for vocabulary improvement.

Transcripts

you've just found the Ultimate Guide to

's vocabulary we've put together

step-by-step guides on how ban n

students improve their vocabulary at

home for free plus lots more techniques

and strategies that we've only ever

shared before with our VIP students so

sit back relax and get ready to improve

your vocabulary is vocabulary important

let me demonstrate with this sentence so

if I said to you meet me at 11:00 p.m.

next to the old Cinema you should know

exactly what I mean but imagine I take

out some of the more functional words so

if I take out this I take out

preposition I take out an

article so I take out the functional the

grammar words if you like and I said

meet me 11:00 p.m. next old Cinema would

you understand what I mean if I said

those just those words to you meet me

11:00 p.m. next old Cinema sure you

would understand exactly what I mean

because these words have meaning

but let's try it the opposite way around

let's remove the the meaning words let's

remove these words and just leave the

more functional words in let's get rid

of that let's get rid of that let's get

rid of that let's just leave the

prepositions and the articles

in and if I said to you add to the would

you understand what I mean you would

have no idea because all the meaning is

gone so when I take out the words when I

take out the important words the

vocabulary then you're going to really

really struggle so this is to

demonstrate that not only is it

important uh for expressing meaning when

you're writing and speaking but if you

did not understand those words imagine

you had no idea what that meant that

meant that meant or that meant you would

have no idea how to how to understand it

if you were doing the reading and the

listening test so it's extremely

important that you are impr improving

your vocabulary every single day and

it's extremely important that you're not

doing the wrong thing if you enter I's

vocabulary into YouTube and you sort by

Page views or video views the two most

popular videos on YouTube related to I

vocabulary are these use these five

words to score high in I speaking and

memorize 1,800 words in 18 hours nearly

a million people have watched this now

first of all do not go to these videos

and be nasty to the people who made them

or leave nasty comments or say anything

negative this is not about being

negative and it's not about bashing

people it's not about that it's about

giving you guys the right information

and the two most popular videos on I's

vocabulary and YouTube perfectly

illustrate the two main problems when it

comes to learning vocabulary so let's

look at the first one use these five

words to score high in the I speaking

test so if I was speaking to the person

who made this video I would simply ask

them these questions because what they

are saying is learn five words and

you'll get a high score on the I

speaking test so what I would say to

them is number one is the examiner a

fool I don't think they are I think it's

their job to do speaking tests day in

day out and are you going to fool them

with five special words so imagine this

imagine you go into the speaking test

and your vocabulary is okay let's say

it's at a band Five band Six level and

then you say these five words is the

examiner going to be fooled into

thinking you have an amazing vocabulary

no because they're going to be basing

your vocabulary score on all of the

words you use not just the five words so

it's just a basic misunderstanding of

how the examiners are thinking about

your speaking score will you use more

than five words hopefully all right

hopefully in the I speaking test you're

going to use more than five words and

you're being judged on all of the words

you're using not five so is it a good

idea to just learn five good words no it

would be a silly idea will you be asked

about a range of different topics yes

and the examiner will be thinking and

listening for topic specific words are

you able to use topic specific words for

a range of different topics just

learning five words is not not going to

help you with that and is saying a word

evidence of a wide vocabulary no

memorizing a word just thinking about a

word and using a word is not evidence

that you have a wide ranging vocabulary

you need to know how to use a range of

different words not just five words so

2.4 million people who follow this video

and if you look at the comments

everybody is saying thank you and how

amazing it is because people are

desperate they really want some sort of

IC System that's going to mean that they

don't have to do any work and get the

score that they need and that's just BS

because there are no high level words

there are no magic words there are no

diamond words there are no golden words

bondline words or impressive words if

you are watching videos that talk about

these then just switch them off and and

they are not showing you the right way

to do things if you are at a school and

I've seen this many times where schools

will get a booklet or like like they'll

create their own textbook and call it

like diamond words or band nine words

and give it to their students it's just

a list of words um that school is is

more interested in your money than there

are in your I results there are

appropriate words there are accurate

words and that's it that's the only way

to think about it think about how you

speak in your native language think

about the last conversation you had with

someone did you go into that

conversation and think how many Diamond

words can I use or how many high LEL

words can I use no you just use the

words that were appropriate and

hopefully you use them accurately and

those are the only two things that you

think about when you're speaking in your

native language or you're writing in

your native language so why do you think

this is any different when you're doing

the IELTS test really comes from people

looking for an easy way out a shortcut

uh a magic solution because I is very

hard and it's a very high stakes test

people are pretty desperate and they

will listen to people who are basically

lying to them if somebody's talking

about these things they're lying to you

they're they're marketing to you they're

not interested in helping you and this

is a very good quote you can put

lipstick on a pig but it's still a pig

all right you might have heard of this

this quote before I can take a pig and

put lipstick on it it's still a pig I

can take a student who is at a band five

and I can give them five words and even

teach them how to use those five words

perfectly but they're still a band five

student they're not going to move from a

band five to a band seven until their

whole vocabulary moves up to that level

teaching them like five words is like

putting lipstick on a pig it's still a

pig and by the way do not again do not

go to the person who made that video and

and start saying nasty things to them

that's not what it's about um it's it's

about helping you guys as much as

possible I hope that you're enjoying

this video but YouTube can be a little

bit confusing and overwhelming so what

we've done is we've created a free iots

course called I fundamentals what IELTS

fundamentals does is it just boils

everything down into the most important

fundamental things that you need to

learn it's designed to help you remove

all of the stress and just get the score

that you need in the quickest possible

Time by just giving you the information

that you need and it covers everything

it's 100% free and it has helped

thousands of students get about 7 eight

or nine if you want to sign up for is

fundamentals for free click the link in

the description thanks very much and

let's get back to the video so that one

is nonsense all right how about this one

memorize 1800 words in 18 hours so you

can probably tell from the title that

this might not be that reliable so is

learning a list of words a good idea so

ignore the fact that this this video is

about learning 1,800 words in 18 hours

most of the advice out there most of the

schools out there are teaching I's

vocabulary in this way learning some

sort of list of words so either a list

of words with the meanings in English or

list of words with the translations in

it does this actually help so these are

the questions that I would ask those

those people making those videos number

one is it a memorization test is I a

memorization ation test are they testing

memorization no it's a language test you

cannot improve your language ability you

cannot improve your ability to produce

language and discuss Topics by

memorizing stuff it's just not a

memorization test it's like trying to

put a square peg into a round hole do

you have to use the word yes and the key

there is use there's a massive

difference between learning a list of

words and learning the meanings and

being able to use those words you have

to understand way more than that for

example spelling pronunciation style use

grammar

collocations none of these are

taught when you learn a list of words

because you're learning those words out

of context you're not actually learning

them in the way that that most people

learn new vocabulary my son is 4 years

old and I read to him every night one of

the reasons why I read him every night

is to improve his vocabulary what I

don't do is go home and say Tom here's a

list of 10 words to read please memorize

these and I've even seen this with some

kids like they some parents show their

kids these like um videos that just say

like Duck ball like trying to teach them

English like that's not really helping

them um does it take time to learn

vocabulary yes most people many many

studies academic Studies have shown most

people can only learn between 10 and 20

words a day some people even fewer than

that do you think you could learn 1,800

words in 18 hours no and why do people

believe that again they're desperate

they want a shortcut they want an easy

way of doing things and another quote a

little knowledge is a dangerous thing

like imagine that I got this camera I

could take this camera and give it to a

stranger walking past my office and say

watch one YouTube video on how to on

photography like they could get that

little bit of knowledge and would they

be able to then become a professional

photo photographer no learning lists of

words is a dangerous thing a little bit

of knowledge is a very very dangerous

thing so the top three ways to summarize

the top three ways to lower your score

if you're doing these things you are

lowering your score number one focus on

a small number of high level or band

nine or like high level words or B

Diamond words or whatever your school

calls them is a terrible idea you are

not improving your vocabulary and you're

probably using those words incorrectly

memorizing lists of words is a terrible

idea because again you're not using

those words correctly you have to use

the words not memorize them and number

three focusing on speed trying to do

things as quickly as possible try and

apply that to any other job that you're

trying to do is doing things as quickly

as possible a good way to do things not

when you're trying to learn how to do

things properly so instead of focusing

on speed focus on trying to do things

effectively what does band seven

vocabulary look like when you talk to

most students they'll say things like

big words long words complex words high

level words but when I students normally

ask me about this or when we're talking

about this and they say how can I use

more big words or how can I use more

complex words what I'll normally ask

them is well what's a small word what's

a simple word what's a low-level word

and and most students the problem is

that they have no idea what the

difference is between a high level word

and a lowlevel word so we're going to

look at that today and we're going to

look at like what is the key to getting

a b seven or above when it comes to

vocabulary so this is the

CFR a common European framework and you

can look this up just type in CFR and

you'll get the different levels of

English so you have C2 C1 B2 B1 and then

it goes down to like A2 A1 um and they

are equivalent to different levels in I

so most of you watching this video want

a b s all right so a band seven

according to this this is from Cambridge

I believe or the British Council it's

around a C1 level uh Bond 8 Bond 8.5

Bond n are around a C2 level so your

Prof efficient so P seven is advanced

level so most of you think that high

level vocabulary means long complex

words and lowlevel vocabulary means

quite simple short words and that's

actually not the case so how do you find

out you know what level a word is well

there's a really really easy way of

doing that just go to Cambridge online

dictionary so just go to Google and type

in Cambridge online dictionary and put

in any word and beside the word you'll

see C1 C2 B1 B2 A2 A1 and it'll tell you

the level of that word so so what what

does this mean well when you hear people

talking about using high level words or

using complex words they probably don't

know what they're talking about and you

should only use the real evidence the

real facts to guide you on this don't

listen to someone who says learn these

five words and you'll get a high score

that's absolute

nonsense so can we get a high score by

using lots of C1 and C2 words most of

you watching this video and I are like

hm all I have to do is just learn lots

of C1 and C2 words put them into my

essay or use them in the speaking test

and I'll get a high score right well not

so much let's have a look so what I

going to show you now is a really great

online tool that you can use and it's

produced by Cambridge English so the

people who write the the IELTS test so

you know that it's relevant and it's

reliable and if you type in um Cambridge

text inspector or Cambridge English

profile text inspector what you can do

is you can put in a text so you could

take the text from The Wall Street

Journal here just as an example put it

in and it will look at all of the words

and it will give you a bar chart or a

pie chart telling you which words are A1

A2 B1 B2 C1 C2 so you would think that

really good writing means that there are

lots of C1 and C2 words and quite a few

B1 and B B2 words and not many A1 and A2

words because they're simple right so

what I did was just take a random

article from The Wall Street Journal and

the Wall Street Journal is quite you

know it's quite highb the the vocabulary

in it it's quite specific it's quite

high level I'm put it in here and what I

found mind was and this is pretty much

the same of any good Journal article or

good

newspaper 36% of the words were A1 and

133% were A2 so 50% of the words were

what most students would say are low

level so does that mean the people at

the Wall Street Journal are like B five

um is writers I don't think so and 14%

B1 uh 10% B2 23% the the tax inspector

didn't recognize the words but here

C1 was 3% and the highest level C2 was

just 1% all right and if you go and

download or or look at some like really

really high level academic scientific

journal articles or any sort of Journal

articles and put it into that you'll

find this kind of pattern a tiny

percentage of the total words are

so-called high level and the vast

majority of the words are not and if you

showed that to most I students or and

some teachers they would say oh that the

vocabulary is not very good um it's not

high level enough so that's kind of

flawed logic and we can look at

something else what I'm going to show

you now is from IELTS 11 so I just

picked one of my official Cambridge ielt

books randomly and this is a student

sample that they give at the at the end

of the book so at the end of the

book I'm sure a lot of you have used

these they have student samples I took

part of a paragraph and one that said it

was band seven so it's probably band

seven vocabulary and let's look at this

one is it full of high level words well

let's have a look and see so as

character is concerned and there's some

grammar mistakes and everything because

that's what that's that's um what what

most b s essays would have they would

have some grammar mistakes so we have

the wearer of

clothes follower of

fashion another

aspect clean ironed

grubby very

casual

smart concerned so the vocabulary that

that they're using I wouldn't say most

people would look at that and say oh

it's really really high level some of it

actually is some of of those words um

such as

grubby iron follower of fashion is a

nice phrase most of the some of these

words are quite high level but the vast

majority of the words are not they are

A1 and A2 words so what does this tell

us about getting a band seven on the I

test to get a band seven on the I test

when it comes to

vocabulary you need to focus on the

basics first you need to be able to do

the A1 and the A2 and the B1 and the B2

stuff first before you even think about

trying to go up to the C1 and the C2

words it's not like the examiner is

going to look at your essay and you've

made a bunch of mistakes with quite

simple A1 A2 B1 B2 words and you have

you know five C2 words and you use those

correctly examiner is not going to look

at those see two words and think this

person's vocabulary is amazing they're

just going to think this person has

memorized a bunch of high level words

and put them into their essay and

they're not silly and if you look at the

vocabulary here follower of fashion

ironed grubby smart uh very casual these

are all uh wearer of clothes these are

all uh words and phrases related to one

topic which is fashion and this is what

the examiners will be looking at more

than using a couple of high level words

they'll be looking for your ability to

use topic specific words because that

will will show them that it that you

have a wide ranging vocabulary because

if you can use lots of fashion words

does that mean that you just study lots

of fashion well maybe if you really love

fashion but if you know a lot of fashion

vocabulary it's highly likely that you

know a lot of other vocabulary about

many other topics so on the speaking

test they're going to ask you about a

range of different topics why do you

think that is to test your vocabulary

for one reason cuz if you can talk about

fashion and maybe the environment and

maybe education and maybe technology and

use topic specific words for all of

those topics you're proving that you

have a very wide- ranging vocabulary not

memorizing just a few high level Words

which might not even be high level um in

the first place as we demonstrated but

learning vocabulary properly and using

it

properly so what can you do number one

don't learn lists of words they're

completely useless don't try and impress

The Examiner you're not going to fill

the examiner you're not going to trick

The Examiner into thinking that by using

you know five or six words that are high

level that your um that your vocabulary

is great walk before you can run the

number of people I see trying to use

very high level vocabulary but getting

the Basics wrong is unbelievable so

focus on the basics first you cannot

learn how to run before you can walk you

can't learn how to walk before you can

crawl um so focus on that first and then

build up and obviously improve your

vocabulary how will I actually improve

my vocabulary what will I do each day to

expand the range of my vocabulary and

improve my use of vocabulary so that I

can improve my read my speaking my uh my

writing and my listening everything on

the I test is affected by your

vocabulary level to thank you for making

it this far in the video I want to give

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answer 100% of the questions that we get

hope that you become a VIP if not enjoy

the rest of this free video so step one

if you want to improve your vocabulary

you need input you need to input some

vocabulary into your brain and the best

way to do that is either reading books

or listening doesn't have to be books

can be reading you know articles on a

website doesn't really matter but you

need some sort of input what doesn't

work is getting a list of vocabulary a

list of vocabulary with meanings or a

list of vocabulary with translations

into your own language that does not

work at all you need to learn and and

notice new words in context so that

means basically reading books or reading

any sort of material as long it's in

English if you want to improve your

English vocabulary and listening to

something again it doesn't matter just

as long as it is genuine English real

English not a list of words and if you

really want to improve your I scores you

should be reading and listening to

English every single day anyway uh the

number of people that that come to to me

and say I want to improve my reading I

want to improve my listening and they

just never read or listen to English is

is stunning and this could just be 5

minutes a day or 10 minutes a day on

your way to work or before you get go to

bed or when you get up or on your lunch

break but find some time each day to

read and listen the question that

everybody asks when we say read and

listen is what do I read and listen to

many students think that there's some

like specific books or specific podcasts

or specific shows that they could listen

to that is going to magically improve

the vocabulary number one the main thing

is just read something you enjoy reading

or listen to something you enjoy

listening to why is that because you're

going to have to do this over a long

period of time you're going to have to

do it every day or you know four or five

times a week if you're reading something

really boring are you going to do that

every day no and you're not going to

really enjoy doing it and our brains

just don't really um you know process

information and learn as quickly as when

we are enjoying something as opposed to

doing something when you're really

really bored doesn't matter if it is a

book about Cricket or gardening or

football or celebrity gossip it doesn't

really matter as long as it's as long as

it's in English and you really enjoy it

the other thing that you can do if

you're specifically trying to improve

your vocabulary for writing is is look

at some of the common task two writing

topics so doesn't have to be the BBC

News it can be any news site in English

but if you look at any news site I just

took today's BBC News you'll have a look

up here Education Health Science

technology business these are all common

topics especially Education Health

Science technology these come up on task

two all the time so what do you do click

on those and you'll find a range of

different stories that you can read

every single day um so if you just spent

5 or 10 minutes every day reading these

how much better would your vocabulary

become and how much better would your

idea generation and developing your

arguments and thinking of explanations

and examples it's going to help

everything when it comes to writing um

and again doesn't have to be the BBC

News it can be anything um but just get

reading get doing something so step two

notice and guess so let's say you you

went into here and you clicked on

technology so I clicked on here and I

find this article about SpaceX sending

their uh their capsule up to the

International Space Station all right so

it's about space exploration which is

actually a topic that comes up quite a

bit um in on task to so what I'm reading

and I'm trying to improve my vocabulary

what I'm doing is I'm noticing any new

words or words that seem a little bit

strange that I don't quite understand so

imagine I'm reading this and I see

commercial astronaut America's new

commercial astronaut capsule so that

seems a little bit strange commercial

like a TV commercial why are they

talking about a TV commercial when it

comes to that or maybe it's something

different so what I would do is I would

first underline it or if you're

listening you could just note it down

and then what I'm going to do is very

very important I'm not going to take

that and just highlight it on my phone

and immediately look at the meaning cuz

that's not going to really help us and

it's this is going to teach us a very

important skill not only for the I test

but for when you move to an English

speaking country because on the IELTS

test and when you move to an

English-speaking country you're going to

notice and hear new words all the time

that you don't understand so it's really

important that you get used to guessing

what they mean from the context all

right guessing what they mean from the

words around it from the title from the

paragraph from the words around it and

try and guess what that means doesn't

mean that you'll be able to accurately

guess every single time but you need to

to develop that skill one you'll develop

that skill which is really important but

two by guessing the meaning it's going

to help you remember the word and use

the word more effectively in the future

so what I would do is I so this is the

word might be multiple words in one

article that you don't really understand

so let's say I don't know what this word

means and I don't know what this word

means so try and guess what they mean

and then we'll move on to step three

which is note them down now there are

many ways that you can Note new

vocabulary down um you could go to a

dictionary like I have here and just

copy and paste the all the dictionary

definition and all the information you

need and you know past that into an

online document or some app on your

phone I think actually the best thing to

do is to get a notebook like a

traditional paper notebook um and

actually write this down and you'll have

a notebook that is your vocabulary

notebook like there's nothing else in it

only new words um and then you have it

in one place and you can review it um at

your leisure I think it's a nice feeling

to have a notebook of all your new words

and you can see that accom M and I'll

keep you going and keep you motivated

but what you want to do is have some

sort of either an electronic or paper

note of each word so I've taken the word

from this commercial and I figured out

that it's not a TV commercial It's

actually an adjective so they're

describing something and look at all the

information that they give you here so

this is from Cambridge online so they've

given you the type of word they've given

you the pronunciation you can listen to

the pronunciation they've given you the

level of the word they've obviously the

definition they've given you some

examples here some uh more examples some

different ways of using this word so the

use but you could also add in

importantly here synonyms antonyms

collocations more examples using it in

context you could other word forms like

when it's used as a nine because this is

the amount of information

that you need in order to remember the

word but more importantly to be able to

use the word and review all of your new

words this is why just having a list of

words with translations or meanings it's

pretty much useless because it'll go in

this ear and out this ear you're not

going to remember it you're not going to

be able to use it and that is the goal

especially in the speaking and writing

test of of the is test we want to be

able to use the vocabulary um in a

sentence correctly after all so get

yourself the best students that I've

worked with the most successful students

and any students who join my VIP course

one of the first things that we tell

them get yourself a notebook a

vocabulary notebook read every day

listen every day note your new words

done but that's not the final step

obviously the final step is review all

right so imagine you have five new words

a day or 10 new words a day after six

weeks you're going to have you know your

your vocabulary book is going to become

pretty full but you need to review these

words because again the goal is to be

able to use them in sentences and there

are a few things that we need to

consider when reviewing first of all

your repetition you're going to have to

do this regularly so you don't have to

do it every day but you could do it you

know once a week and then review them

again a week later or a month but you're

going to have to do them over and over

again that is not exciting um you're

going to be have to be disciplined but

that is how our brains are going to

remember these words and not

just looking at them not just reading

them that isn't going to help you you

have to be able to use them in context

so this

word commercial so how could I use this

how could I write a sentence or how

could I talk about this um in context

the the context that is normally used to

talk about commercial as an

itive so I would write sentences or I

would talk about it and you know you can

make up games or you can do all sorts of

things um with multiple words um in your

um in your vocabulary notebook um this

is an optional step but a very very

important step which is get feedback on

your use of those words um are the

collocations correct is your use correct

is the grammar correct um and that

feedback is really going to help you so

you can you know use get feed Fe back

just yourself by writing an essay and

trying to use as many of those words as

you can or recording yourself speaking

and then checking the grammar and the

vocabulary um or you can get a teacher

or a native English speaker or a very

high level English learner to help you

with that um but that is really the the

thing that is going to make the most

difference getting the feedback that you

need so to summarize input reading and

listening notice new words guess what

they mean note them Doge with all the

information that you need and review and

most

importantly use those words and make

this a habit all right so make it like

let's say you have 30 minutes a day to

do these spend 15 minutes for example

you don't have to do exactly this I'm

just talking theoretically but let's say

you have 30 minutes in the morning 15

minutes reading and noticing new words

and noting down new words and then 15

minutes trying to use those words and

reviewing the words that you have if you

did that every day over an extended

period of Time how great is your

vocabulary going to be much much better

than going to some school that gives you

a list of golden words or Diamond Words

which is a complete waste of time and

many of you are probably thinking is

there a faster way so you're thinking

that's that seems like a lot of work and

it seems like it's going to take a lot

of time if you think there's a faster

way let me know in the comments I don't

think there is I've I've never met a

student who got a high Bond score by for

example looking at a list of words or

memorizing you know five words and using

them um on the test but feel free to

disagree with me but if you think this

is a waste of time then that's kind of

like going to a gym and saying that you

want to build muscles but you don't want

to lift any weights and you want it

immediately things take time you need to

follow a process process there's no

magic hack there's no magic shortcut

that you can take but this is not only

going to improve your a scores but when

you move to that English speaking

country of your dreams you're going to

be able to have a a much richer life

because you'll be able to actually

communicate with people effectively

because that is what um having a wide-

ranging vocabulary will help you do so

I've added all of this information into

a free guide for you so if you go to to

I advantage.com

vocabulary so if you put that into

Google or put it into your browser

you'll go to this page scroll down click

on this button you can add in your email

and your name and you can download it

pretty much immediately range and

accuracy are the two things that the

examiner will be thinking about when

they're assessing your vocabulary on

test day and there's a huge

misconception about what range actually

means so we're going to look at what the

most popular ielt blog and the most

popular YouTube video have to say about

this and why this is totally wrong why

most students are getting this wrong and

simple free methods that you can use to

actually improve your vocabulary range

to a band S 8 or even nine so let's

start off with the difference between

range and accuracy accuracy refers to

are the words spelled correctly is the

meaning correct are the collocations

correct correct and we're not really

going to focus on that today in this

video because the biggest problem that

we see at I Advantage is students

misunderstanding range and what range

actually means and this isn't actually

the student's fault let's look at whose

fault this actually is right most online

resources most teachers not all teachers

but most of them are giving this kind of

advice all you have to do to get abandon

is learn lots of complex words put those

complex words into your essay and you

will magically get a high score well

that is not the case and what this kind

of advice does is it spawns stuff like

this so if you go on to YouTube and you

look at the most popular YouTube video

on vocabulary this video has millions

and millions of views what they tell you

is all you have to do is memorize words

like this Mesmerize dilemma plethora

recapitulate insert those into your

essay and you will magically get a high

score this is not what range means and

if your teacher is teaching you that

then they simply do not understand the

official marking criteria that the

examiners use so what do we do instead

how can we actually improve our

vocabulary to a band n level well what

I've done here is I've divided the page

into the four most common writing task

two topics education and health are very

very common technology the environment

these are not the only topics that you

might get on test day for task 2 but

they are very very common so let's

imagine that we get a question like this

many

students now learn online what are the

advantages and disadvantages so if we

just decided to say you know these days

online learning is mesmerized by

students and this poses a big dilemma

because of a plethora of resources and

to recapitulate blah blah blah blah that

is not going to work because it's not

actually using the vocabulary that we

normally use to discuss this topic if we

get this book so this is just a random

book on this topic that was on my

bookshelf and we go to the first page we

go to the introduction what I've done

here is I've underlined the the topic

specific words so what are topic

specific words these are words that we

need to use in order to discuss this

topic teaching online online education

internet online learning online courses

instructors Learners teaching online

course on the web mobile apps e-learning

all of these words are very very topic

specific but if we compare them with

these words they are actually quite

simple and a huge misunderstanding is

that range means using lots of complex

words and the more complex words you use

the higher your score and the more

simple words you use the lower your

score this is again a complete

misunderstanding of the marking criteria

because what

the people at ielt will do is in the

writing test and the speaking test they

will ask you a range of different topics

a range of different topics and what

they will be testing is do you have

enough of these topic specific words a

range of these different words in order

to answer these different types of

topics that is what range is really

referring to and if you look at these

words let's write them down here none of

these words are actually very very

complex like

learners teaching internet course these

are very very simple words but it's

impossible to write a an effective essay

without using these simple topic

specific words so at I advantage on our

VIP course we do not give students a

list of complex words what we do is we

do something completely different and

we're going to show you that at the end

of this lesson so let's look at the

topic of health and let's look at

another book called lifespan it is about

why we age and why we don't have to so

let's create a task two question so many

people

have

longer

lifespans than others what are the

causes what can we learn from this okay

so this book is by Dr David Sinclair

he's a PhD he's one of the leading

professors

at Harvard Medical School so he's not

going to be using very simple dumb D

language and this is quite a difficult

book to read but if we were to go into

this book and look for to some topic

specific vocabulary this is what we

would find active lifestyle healthy diet

quality of life stress longevity so

again even though this is a professor

from Harvard Medical School writing

about quite a complex topic most of the

vocabulary that he uses is actually

quite simple none of these words and

phrases are actually very very complex

but what they are they are completely

linked to the question it is impossible

to answer this question effectively

without using these topic specific words

it would be impossible to use these

words to answer this question

effectively you could go on this is a

book about social media and its effect

on our ability to focus and to work this

is by Kyle Newport I believe he's a

professor at MIT the leading Science and

Engineering University on the entire

planet but if we look at this book and

the vocabulary that he uses to talk

about

technology again it is not that complex

he uses words like Focus distractions

concentration notifications productivity

just like these they are not complicated

complex words they are topic specific

words do you need a whole library of

books in order to learn this vocabulary

no absolutely not let me jump into my

computer and show you where you can find

topic specific vocabulary for free and

in a place anybody can access okay so if

we go to the BBC News um and we go over

here to the little hamburger menu

sometimes the menu is at the top it

shouldn't be too difficult to figure out

but don't look at the headlines and the

headlines are normally not useful for

our purposes what we want to do is dig

in to these news topics so these are the

main news topics and as you can see

Education Health Science technology

these are the four most popular Tas two

topics

so what you can do is you can click into

any of

these let's start off with science so

we're going into science and the

environment the environment is a very

very common topic there's also some

science related topics but mostly it's

related to the environment for obvious

reasons if we have a look here at the

very first news story will I still be

able to fly in a net zero world so if we

click into this what this is talking

about is reducing our carbon emissions

to zero and the effect that this will

have on our lifestyle specifically about

flying transportation is another very

common topic so if we were to read

through this and pick out the topic

specific vocabulary so lifestyle goal of

Net Zero carbon emissions just in the

first sentence it's filled with these

topic specific words so what we get our

VIP students to do is simply simply go

to the BBC News each day find at least

one story that could be a task two

question identify the topic specific

words and then note these topic specific

words down add enough information so

that they can remember them and then

review them later and they're able to

then use those in their essays to

effectively answer the question what we

do not do is give them a list of complex

words because that simply does not work

and that is a

misinterpretation of the marking

criteria recently I asked some of our

students who got a band eight or a band

n how do they use vocabulary and one of

the key things that they do is they use

one of these four techniques for

reviewing and remembering and then using

vocabulary and these four techniques I'm

going to share them with you today and

anyone can use them just using these

easy things that all of you have okay so

the first technique that I'm going to

show you is something called matching so

get your piece of paper and write some

of the words that you have recently

discovered so here we have innovate

develop device modify breakthrough

obsolete intuitive and censorship so

this student was reading an article on

technology and they noticed these new

words so they wrote down these new words

in their vocabulary notebook and one of

the review techniques that we show them

is we get them to write synonyms of each

of these words beside the new words that

they have learned so not only are they

learning one new word they're learning a

additional new word that is a synonym

synonyms are extremely important not

only for writing and speaking but also

for reading and listening to so how we

get the students to remember these words

is we get them to cut up these new words

and make them into cards and what you

can do is you can spread these out and

what you do is you match them all right

so we have Antiquated all right which

one is

Antiquated obsolete all right and we

could check the meaning of those so the

meaning is on the back obsolete means

not in use anymore Antiquated not in use

anymore so this is correct and then we

match these

up and then we just keep going so

modify develop no breakthrough no adapt

so adapt the verb adapt and modify these

match together and then we just keep

going until we have matched all of them

together and this is really going to

help you remember these synonyms so the

second technique so we have the meaning

of these words on the back of these

cards so what you could do is put

these with the word facing down and the

meaning facing up so we'll just use a

few of them and then what you can do is

you can just read the meaning of the

word and then okay what is that word so

simple to use intuitive yay I got that

one correct not in use anymore obsolete

yeah I got that one correct using new

methods or ideas

original no Innovative okay so by doing

that I am checking the meaning and

remembering the meaning the next thing

that we can do is we can categorize

these words so there's different things

that we could categorize we could

categorize them by topic so let's say

you have some words that are related to

technology some words are related to

education some words are related to the

environment you could categorize them by

that or you could categorize them by

word form there are nouns adjectives and

verbs here so device is a noun so we're

going to put the nouns Here original is

an adjective develop is a verb obsolete

adjective uh

restriction non discovery nine as you

can see we are just categorizing them by

the

different word types the different word

forms you could even categorize by

pronunciation or number of synonyms

there's lots of different things that

you can do to categorize and

categorization really helps our brains

remember and then use these words

effectively on test day but we do always

need to remember that we are not going

to Simply remember these words

remembering the words is okay for

listening or reading but remember for

speaking and writing we actually have to

use these words so how we can do that is

we could take some of these words and

tell a story so let's take just a few of

these words randomly this was actually

done to me in a job interview once when

I was applying for a job was a lawyer

they gave me four random words and says

okay create a story so let's take four

random words so we're going to have this

one

obsolete this one

modify this one

restriction and this one innate and then

what you could do is think about the

meaning of these words and then create a

just a very short story that uses these

words effectively so you could practice

your writing doing this or you could

practice your speaking doing this and

you could actually record yourself on

your phone and listen back and think

about did I use these words effectively

or not um so what I would like you to do

in the comments pause the video can you

write a story like or one or two

paragraphs using these words effectively

I'm going to think about this for about

10 seconds and then create my own story

so I recently switched from an

iPhone

to a Google phone the reason why I did

that is lots of people said that when

you switch to a Google or an Android

phone you can do lots of modifications

you can modify many of the things within

the ecosystem is the problem with

iPhones is they put lots of restrictions

in place and they restrict the amount of

things that you can change in the

operating system however after using my

Google phone for about a week it was

pretty obsolete for me because I was so

used to iOS and the operating system

that it just made using the Google Phone

useless and I couldn't use it at all

because I've been so used to using this

operating system for so long that it is

innate and so intuitive and easy for me

to use the iPhone that I had to switch

back so as you can see what I did was

just take those four words randomly and

believe me this is random I didn't spend

you know two hours thinking of that

story as you could probably tell from

how bad the story was it doesn't matter

how good the story is it doesn't need to

be you know Hollywood Blockbuster and

level story all you're trying to do is

just understand how to use these words

in a sentence and then you'll be able to

remember them that is far more effective

than what most students do what most

students do is they get long lists of

vocabulary with the word and then maybe

the

meaning and then maybe the translation

into their native language I don't know

any other language other than English so

I'm not going to try that one but they

just read these lists of words and this

is useless uh you're not going to

remember words by just reading them and

the meaning and never use the

translation because that causes all

sorts of problems on test day you're

going to be translating rather than

actually thinking in English band 8 band

n students think in English that is a

huge difference between someone

struggling at a band five Bond six level

and someone getting a bond eight or Bond

n bond eight Bond n students do stuff

like this they don't do stuff like this

because doing stuff like this forces

your brain to think in English and use

English this is easy anything easy

doesn't help you improve this is a

little bit more difficult but as you can

see it's pretty fun you could play a

game you could play this with other

people you could play it in the

classroom if you're at a school on the

key it's going to help you remember all

these new words and if you did this once

a day you know how many words are here

there's not that many if you did this

every single day learned you know 10 new

words every day after 10 days you have

hundreds and hundreds of new words and

then you're able to play even more games

review them even more match even more

categorize even more tell more stories

you could write a whole essay just using

these words so I hope you enjoyed that

guide to vocabulary we also have

ultimate guides for speaking and

listening so if you want those click

here