Academic Vocabulary Lists and IELTS Success

V. Module 2- lesson 2

Ahmed Abdirahman

9/28/20252 min read

One of the keys to success in IELTS, especially in Writing and Reading, is the use of academic vocabulary. Everyday English words like big, good, or nice are too basic for an academic test. Instead, IELTS rewards students who use precise, formal vocabulary that reflects an academic style. This is where lists like the Academic Word List (AWL) by Coxhead (2000) and the Academic Vocabulary List (AVL) by Davies and Gardner (2013) become important.

The AWL contains 570 word families that appear frequently in academic texts across subjects like science, law, and education (Coxhead, 2000). Examples include analyze, assess, establish, and significant. These are not highly technical words limited to one field but are widely used in essays, reports, and research papers. For IELTS students, mastering AWL words helps them write essays with stronger arguments and read academic passages more easily.

The AVL is a more recent list, developed from 120 million words of academic texts. It includes words like system, method, factor, and research (Davies & Gardner, 2013). Unlike the AWL, the AVL is larger and more representative of modern academic writing. Both lists are valuable, and students preparing for IELTS should practice words from them.

For example, instead of writing: “There are many good reasons why education is important,” a student could write: “There are several significant factors that demonstrate the importance of education.” The second sentence uses academic vocabulary like significant and factors, which shows the examiner strong lexical control.

Spelling also plays an important role. Common mistakes such as happyness instead of happiness or makeing instead of making can lower scores. IELTS examiners expect accuracy in both spelling and word choice. Learning how words change with affixes helps avoid such errors.

In addition, academic vocabulary helps students sound more formal, which is essential for Writing Task 2. Words like children, increase, eliminate, and apologize are more formal than kids, go up, get rid of, and say sorry. Choosing the formal version is critical in academic essays.

Finally, using academic vocabulary improves coherence. For example, transitions like moreover, nevertheless, and therefore connect ideas logically, while informal connectors like plus or anyways are inappropriate for IELTS writing.

To improve, students should create flashcards for AWL or AVL words, write sentences with them, and review them regularly (University of Minnesota CCAPS, n.d.). Over time, this builds the habit of using academic vocabulary naturally in both writing and speaking.

Mastering academic vocabulary is not about memorizing lists but about using words in context. With consistent practice, students will see progress in their IELTS band scores.

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