Vocabulary is one of the aspects tested in the IELTS exam, which is involved in listening, speaking, reading, and writing. In the listening section, for example, candidates not only need to recognize words by sound but also write them correctly, especially in fill-in-the-blank tasks like Parts 1 and 4. Let’s focus on Part 1, where the vocabulary is related to everyday life and doesn’t include difficult words. However, accuracy in spelling, capitalization, and singular/plural forms is important.
Today, I’m sharing a list of answer words from last year’s IELTS Part 1 exams that I’ve summarized, so you can get a sense of the types of words IELTS expects candidates to master. Keep in mind, though, that this is just a snapshot from a few exams and isn’t the compelete picture. Regular practice is still key to building a solid vocabulary foundation.
Key Words Tested in IELTS Listening Part 1
| A | accounts |
|---|---|
| ads | |
| adults | |
| afternoon | |
| age | |
| agency | |
| animals | |
| animals | |
| anniversary | |
| apartment | |
| April | |
| art | |
| artists | |
| B | back |
| bakery | |
| balcony | |
| beach | |
| Beacon | |
| bicycle | |
| bike | |
| biography | |
| bird/birds | |
| birdwatching | |
| booking | |
| boots | |
| box | |
| breathing | |
| bridge | |
| brushes | |
| bus | |
| C | café |
| cake/cakes | |
| camp | |
| car | |
| caravan | |
| card | |
| cartoon | |
| cash | |
| castle | |
| cave | |
| certificate | |
| child | |
| childseat | |
| chocolate | |
| cinema | |
| city | |
| clay | |
| cleaning | |
| climbing | |
| clothes | |
| coach | |
| coats | |
| coin | |
| color | |
| comedy | |
| concentration | |
| conference | |
| confidence | |
| cook/cooking | |
| cookery | |
| cousin | |
| criminal | |
| Crown | |
| cycling | |
| D | dance |
| date | |
| December | |
| decorations | |
| dentist | |
| desk | |
| difficult | |
| dining | |
| discount | |
| discussion | |
| diving | |
| donation | |
| donkey | |
| drama | |
| E | eggs |
| electric | |
| entrance | |
| error | |
| exercises | |
| experience | |
| F | faces |
| factory | |
| feedback | |
| fiction | |
| films | |
| first | |
| fish | |
| flat | |
| floor | |
| flower/flowers | |
| food | |
| forest | |
| French | |
| fruit | |
| furniture | |
| G | games |
| garage | |
| garbage | |
| garden | |
| gift | |
| glass | |
| gold | |
| golf | |
| greenride | |
| guide | |
| gym | |
| H | harbour |
| hat | |
| health | |
| heated | |
| helicopter | |
| helmet | |
| hike | |
| holiday | |
| horses | |
| hot buffet | |
| hotel | |
| hours | |
| house | |
| ice pack | |
| I | India |
| instruments | |
| insurance | |
| international | |
| internet | |
| J | July |
| K | keyboard |
| L | lake/lakes |
| lamb | |
| languages | |
| laundry | |
| leaflet | |
| leak | |
| library | |
| lock | |
| locker | |
| lunch | |
| luxury | |
| M | magazines |
| manager | |
| map/maps | |
| market | |
| massage | |
| materials | |
| meat | |
| medal | |
| menu | |
| message | |
| microphone | |
| microwave | |
| milk | |
| moderate | |
| money | |
| months | |
| morning | |
| mountains | |
| museum | |
| newspaper | |
| N | night |
| noise | |
| noisy | |
| north | |
| nurse | |
| nursery | |
| nuts | |
| O | October |
| office | |
| online | |
| opera | |
| organic | |
| pain killers | |
| paint/paiting | |
| P | Palace |
| paper | |
| park/parks | |
| pencil | |
| phone | |
| photography | |
| photos | |
| piano | |
| pipe | |
| pool | |
| post office | |
| postage | |
| pottery | |
| primary | |
| procedure | |
| program | |
| purple | |
| R | race |
| radio | |
| reliable | |
| return | |
| road | |
| roof | |
| room | |
| round | |
| rows | |
| S | safe |
| safety | |
| sailing | |
| sandwiches | |
| school | |
| seafood | |
| security | |
| singing | |
| smell | |
| snowboarding | |
| soup | |
| south | |
| speed | |
| spring | |
| station | |
| steps | |
| stick | |
| stone | |
| stories | |
| student | |
| summer | |
| Sunday | |
| supermarket | |
| swim/swimming | |
| T | talk |
| technology | |
| temperature | |
| tent | |
| theatre | |
| Thursday | |
| tour | |
| towel | |
| training | |
| transport | |
| trees | |
| truck | |
| Tuesday | |
| tutor | |
| twin | |
| U | uniform |
| university | |
| V | variable |
| villages | |
| vision | |
| W | waitress |
| wall | |
| waterfall | |
| weather | |
| wedding | |
| weeks | |
| west | |
| wet | |
| White | |
| women | |
| wood | |
| work | |
| workshop/workshops | |
| Y | yoga |
The table above shows that both singular and plural forms of certain nouns, as well as different tenses of some verbs, may be tested. So, when answering questions, it’s essential to identify the correct form based on the context, especially in the listening and writing sections. This attention to detail can help avoid unnecessary mistakes.
