Collins Vocabulary for IELTS by Anneli Williams (Book + Audio)

Courtney Miller

4 min read

Updated On Feb 05, 2022

Summary

Limited-Time Offer : Access a FREE 10-Day IELTS Study Plan!

Vocabulary for IELTS helps you improve your vocabulary when preparing for the IELTS examination. You can use the book to study on your own or as supplementary material for IELTS preparation classes. It is suitable for learners at level 5.0 to 5.5 aiming for the IELTS band score 6.0 or higher.

Summary

The Vocabulary for IELTS book and CD cover vocabulary items and skills which are relevant to all four exam papers: Listening, Reading, Writing and Speaking. In each unit, you work towards an exam practice exercise which is modeled on the actual IELTS exam. Each unit contains activities that help you develop, step-by-step, the vocabulary knowledge and skills to help you tackle the exam. Exam tips throughout the book highlight essential vocabulary-related learning strategies and exam techniques.

[do_widget id=custom_html-47]

Content Units

Each unit is divided into three parts.

Part 1: Vocabulary introduces vocabulary related to the topic or function of the unit. Definitions for and vocabulary are presented using Collins COBUILD full-sentence definitions, and IELTS-style example sentences show how the words are used in context. Parts of speech and the different forms of the words are also listed.

Part 2: Practice exercises provide a structured set of exercises which help you develop the skills to successfully apply vocabulary knowledge to the exam. Each unit and practice exercise focuses on developing vocabulary and skills for a particular paper.

Part 3: Exam practice provides practice exercises in a format that follows the actual exam giving you the opportunity to familiarize yourself with the kinds of questions you will encounter in the exam. This section focuses on a particular exam paper and is highlighted in grey for easy reference.

Exam Tips

There are exam tips and strategies in each unit. These are in boxes for easy reference.

Answer Key

A comprehensive answer key is provided for all sections of the book including model answers for more open-ended writing and speaking tasks.

Collocations

At the back of the book, you can further develop your vocabulary by studying the list of the most common collocations for the vocabulary presented in the units.

How to Use this Book

The book is divided into 20 units. Units 1-9 cover vocabulary for topics that frequently appear in the exam, such as health and education. Units 11-19 cover words for general functions, such as describing problems and solutions. Units 10 and 20 provide revision exercises. Unit 10 revises the vocabulary and skills covered in Units 1-9, and Unit 20 revises the vocabulary and skills covered in Units 11-19. All 20 units help you develop skills such as paraphrasing and working out the meaning of unfamiliar words from context.

Each unit is self-contained so that you can study the units in any order. You can choose the unit you want to study either by selecting the topic you want to study or by selecting which exam paper you want to practice. Only the units with practice on the Speaking and Listening papers contain audio. The contents pages at the beginning of the book provide an overview of what is in each unit so you can use this to choose which units you would like to study first. These pages also give you information on which units contain audio.

You will probably find it helpful to begin each unit by reading the vocabulary items in part 1, then working through the exercises in preparation for the exam practice exercise at the end. Try to do the exam exercises within the time limit to give yourself realistic exam practice.

In order to learn a new word, it is usually necessary to revisit it several times. The revision units help you to do this. However, it is also a good idea to avoid writing your answers in the book so that you can do the exercises again at a later date.

It is also advisable to keep a vocabulary notebook. Knowing a word and how to use it involves understanding many aspects of it. The more information you can record the words you are learning, the more useful it will be. Key definitions, parts of speech, common collocations and example sentences are all very helpful. Don’t forget to use the Collocations section at the back of the book to help with this.

Getting well-informed feedback on your writing and speaking exam practice exercises would also be an advantage. However, if this is not possible it is still important to do the exercises in full. Studying model answers can help you develop the ability to assess your own work. If possible, record yourself when speaking, and listen carefully to your performance. Avoid memorising model answers. Remember that in the actual exam, it is important to answer the question and not just speak or write about the topic

As a final preparation before the exam, you could re-read the exam tips in the boxes. This will remind you of the strategies for success in the exam.