Lexical Resource is one of the four scoring criteria, worth 25% of your IELTS Writing score.
Limited vocabulary, frequent errors
"The number went up because more people came."
Adequate vocabulary, some repetition
"The population increased due to migration and other factors."
Good vocabulary range, natural use
"The population surged primarily due to substantial migration."
Full range, sophisticated use
"The population experienced a dramatic surge, primarily attributable to substantial migration patterns."
Master these vocabulary categories to boost your lexical resource score.
Essential vocabulary for describing trends, changes, and data in Task 1.
A dramatic surge in demand
Prices soar to record levels
Sales rocketed last quarter
Costs escalated quickly
Reached its peak in 2020
Gradually climbed upwards
Sales plummeted by 50%
Prices plunged dramatically
Demand slumped significantly
Slightly dipped in Q3
Market shrank by 10%
Economy contracted
Vocabulary for comparing data, showing similarities and differences.
💡 Example:
"Sweden experienced a surge in population, whereas Finland saw a decline. Similarly, Norway mirrored Sweden's trend."
Vocabulary for explaining reasons, consequences, and relationships between factors.
The increase was <strong>due to</strong> population growth.
Temperatures rose, <strong>resulting in</strong> melting ice.
Urbanization <strong>led to</strong> increased pollution.
Learn to paraphrase effectively to demonstrate vocabulary range and avoid repetition.
❌ Avoid:
"The graph shows that the population increased. The population increase was significant."
✅ Use Paraphrasing:
"The graph illustrates a significant surge in population. This substantial increase occurred over..."
Synonyms
show → illustrate, depict, reveal
Change Word Class
increase (v) → increase (n), growth (n)
Active to Passive
The data shows → The data is shown
Restructure
The population increased → There was a population increase
Useful academic phrases for introducing ideas, adding information, and drawing conclusions.
"It is widely acknowledged that......"
"Research suggests that......"
"Evidence indicates that......"
"Furthermore / Moreover..."
"In addition to this..."
"Additionally..."
"However / Nevertheless..."
"On the contrary..."
"In spite of this..."
"In conclusion / To summarize..."
"Overall / All in all..."
"Therefore / Consequently..."
Learn word combinations that sound natural and demonstrate native-like fluency.
Make
Take
Play
High
Strong
Significant
💡 Example:
"There is a strong correlation between education and income levels."
Avoid these frequent errors that can lower your band score.
❌ Wrong:
The population significantly increased.
✅ Right:
There was a significant increase in population. / The population increased significantly.
❌ Wrong:
The number went up, then went down, and went up again.
✅ Right:
The figure surged, subsequently declined, and then rose again.
❌ Wrong:
make an increase
✅ Right:
show an increase / experience a rise
❌ Wrong:
People say that lots of things happen.
✅ Right:
Research indicates that numerous developments have occurred.
❌ Wrong:
At this point in time, we can see that...
✅ Right:
Currently, we can observe that... / Presently...
