Many students who are taking up the IELTS exam approach us with this question. We have discussed in one of our blogs - IELTS Preparation – Things to Know. Today, we will focus on the vocabulary part of IELTS. IELTS is an International English Language Testing System that assesses your language ability. For students who want to pursue higher studies in a country where English is the main language of communication, IELTS is a mandatory test. It comprises of reading, writing, speaking and listening test.

Today, in our online IELTS preparation class, we will teach you all about improving your vocabulary. Essay-writing is an integral part of this test and you can score well only if your vocabulary is good.

IELTS essay structure:

IELTS practice is incomplete without practicing essay-writing. Ideally, you are suggested to read sample essays and make notes of the important phrases. You can also evaluate the structure. The topic of essay may vary, but the phrases can be reused with some changes. However, ensure that you know the meanings of the phrases before using them. Suppose, your general English is not very good and you are using a phrase like "Curiosity killed the cat," it is likely that the examiner will understand that you have mugged up a phrase and tried to incorporate in your write-up. In such a case, you may not create the impression that you ideally wanted to.

Therefore, the best way to go about it is to learn a few phrases and understand their usage in the English language.

Let us look at some of the common phrases that you can use to write an essay.

Personal expressions:

The phrases listed here come handy when introducing a subject in an opinion-based essay or can be used when concluding your essay.

Ex: In my experience ...

It seems to me that ...

I am of the opinion that ...

Impersonal phrases:

You can use these phrases in your introduction to restate the question or in the body of your essay while introducing the subject of argument.

Ex: A common opinion is that ...

It is often said that ...

Many commentators share the view that ...

General writing phrases:

Generally speaking, typically, on the whole, often, frequently, etc. These are general writing phrases and you could use them to generalize a statement that otherwise may appear too strong.

Use examples:

IELTS coaching institutes stresses on the need of using the language of examples while appearing for the IELTS test. Use phrases like: for instance, for example, let us illustrate this with the help of an example, etc.

Conclusion phrases

Ideally, a conclusion paragraph of an essay should begin with:

• In conclusion

• To summarize

Improving your English vocabulary for IELTS can become easy, if you start practicing. Take the help of an online English class. There are a number of IELTS online preparation classes that would help you with mock tests where you can practice your English language ability. Best of luck.