How to learn IELTS vocabulary that you actually remember
Lists of rare words don't help. How to learn words in collocations, review them with spaced repetition and use them in your own sentences.
By IELTSora teaching team · Updated · 2 min read
Learn fewer words, better
Ten words you can use correctly are worth more than a hundred you half recognise. For every new word, learn its meaning, one collocation, one example and its other forms.
One word, fully learned
Word: sustainable (adjective)
Collocations: sustainable development, sustainable energy, environmentally sustainable
Forms: sustain (verb), sustainability (noun)
My sentence: "My city needs a more sustainable way to deal with plastic waste."
Review at the right moments
Memory fades fast after learning. Reviewing a word just before you would forget it, after one day, then three, then a week, then a month, fixes it in long-term memory. This is spaced repetition, and it is what the IELTSora flashcards do for you.
Use it within 24 hours
Write a sentence about your own life with each new word, or use it in a speaking practice answer. Words you use become active; words you only read stay passive.
Choose words by topic
IELTS topics repeat: education, environment, technology, health, work, cities. Learn ten to fifteen words for each, and you'll have something precise to say on most questions.
A simple weekly routine
Consistency matters more than the number of hours. A routine of fifteen minutes a day works well for most learners:
- Monday to Friday: review the cards that are due, then learn five new words from one topic.
- Saturday: write a short paragraph or record a one-minute answer using the week's words.
- Sunday: rest, or review any words you keep getting wrong.