IELTS Writing Task 2: How to Improve Lexical Resource Score in IELTS Writing

Hey! Do you know how the IELTS Writing and Speaking test evaluated?

If not, then here is a brief insight on how you can improve your Lexical Resource/ vocabulary to score well in the IELTS examination.

Lexical resource accounts for one of the parameters of marking assessment criteria of the IELTS Writing test.

The Lexical resource is used in two modules of the IELTS examination-Writing and Speaking. These two modules are regarded as productive modules because they require brainstorming.

Well, of course, you can’t utter a fancy word without brainstorming!

In IELTS using the fancy word is not important, using the appropriate one is. 

The more you use a diverse range of vocabulary, the more you will score in your IELTS exam.

Lexical resource, to be precise, means “Vocabulary”

Practicing Lexical Resource is not rocket science; you just need to pick the right and effective word to fit the context of the text. 

For example- You can use “cutting-edge technology” for “latest technology”

What is the Lexical Resource?

Lexical Resource in IELTS is one of the 4 marketing criteria “that focuses on the range of vocabulary a candidate uses and contributes to 25% to the IELTS marking criteria”.  The students should try to use words in the examination that is simple to understand and impactful and usually uncommon.

Let’s split the two words- Lexical and Resource,

Lexical refers to the stock of words in a language

Resource refers to the range and variety

IELTS tests your ability to use a word in the right context, not on the use of fancy words.

Which essay among the two below do you think will get more weightage in IELTS?

• An essay that is easy to understand
• An essay that has fashionable and sophisticated words that are hard to understand by the examiners

Of course the first one!

Why anyone would want to go through an essay that is hard to comprehend?

Many students share this misconception that using a complex and fancy vocab will help them score well on the vocabulary part. Well, it is not the case.

The examiner will only look for the range and accuracy of the vocabulary used and sees how words help you put your thoughts.

So, you should use a range of vocabularies like the words we use as a part of the daily life conversations in the IELTS Writing and Speaking tests. Apart from that, you can use some uncommon words as IELTS is a proficiency test.

Just like writing tests, speaking demands you to be eloquent and fluent in the expression of your thought and language.  The IELTS aspirants should practice vocabulary by learning new words every day and the use of those words for developing command over the language.

Simple + Effective words= Good essay                         

Even if you want to use a complex or sophisticated word, you can go for its synonym.

 Like instead of writing “it is a difficult task” you can write “it is an arduous task”.

At the same time, you should be aware of the fact that not every synonym or antonym for the given word gives the exact meaning. The aspirants need to be conscious while using these equivalents.

Well, now let’s move on to the main question,

How to Improve Lexical Resource Score in IELTS Writing
Marking Criteria IELTS of the Writing Test

• Task Response
• Lexical Resource and vocabulary
• Coherence and Cohesion
• Grammar

Each criterion has 25% of weightage.

This is the marking criteria for the IELTS Writing Test.

Many aspirants get webbed in the concept of lexical resource and vocabulary and find it challenging to figure out the strategy to use the right words according to the question.

This moves us to our next topic that is

How to build topic related vocabulary
Using the right vocabulary for the topic is extremely imperative for you to hit the desired band score in the IELTS examination.

Therefore, you need to have a clear hold over how to design and plan your vocabulary structure to include in your content.

If you want to have a grip over the topic and the vocabulary, you can adopt the PLBS strategy.

P- Pick a topic

R- Read the topic

B-Brainstorm the Topic

S- Summarize the topic

Pick a topic :

This is the best strategy to build your vocabulary. In this, you can pick any content of about 500-2000 words and go through it. This practice will help you get acquainted with new words and help improve your lexical resource.

Read the Topic :

While reading the topic, have a stopwatch beside you to keep a note of the time. Highlight the key phrases, words that you find important.

Brainstorm the Topic :

While brainstorming the topic, try to find the meanings of the words that appear alien to you and those that you highlighted while going through the topic.

Summarize the Topic :

The next step is to write a summary of the topic you just read.  You can write the summary in the same order, according to your understanding of the topic in the bullet points.

Follow this PRBS strategy for at least 7days and watch for the hike in the score!

Here are examples of the common words you encounter while reading a piece of content.

You may come across any word that catches your attention. You can just Google the word to know its meaning and the synonyms as well to know about it.

Important Parameters of Lexical Resource
Collocation : What is Collocation?

Collocation is the juxtaposition of a particular word with another word with a frequency greater than the chance.

 For example: To save time, keen interest, deep feeling, spoke loudly, and so on.

Importance of Collocation

• Collocation makes the language precise, fluent, and natural
• Helps in expressing lengthy ideas within a few words
• When grouped, collocation demonstrate your language command
• Look at these examples for a better understanding of the concept.

So, here you can see the different meanings of the same words in different sentences. The example provides a glimpse into a weak collocation and strong collocation.

Word Formation

Word formation is the creation of a new word. As vocabulary is a very important part of the English language, word formation forms the base of it.

Word formation has 4 major classes: nouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs. The word-formation helps to express the ideas in a precise manner while writing.

How you can make a new word?

By combining the prefix, suffix, and compounds you can make a new word.  If you are confused about the terms, you can see the example below.
 

Paraphrasing

Paraphrasing is expressing the meaning of the topic by switching the words. It is done to provide clarity over a subject.

You can grasp from the below example as to how you can paraphrase the sentences.

Here in this way, you can paraphrase the sentences to create a better version of the text, and for a better understanding of the topic.

Paraphrasing help in scoring better in the IELTS examination. You can practice paraphrasing by picking up any content piece.

So, in this way, you can improve your lexical resource for securing 25% of vocabulary marks in your score bag.

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