Choosing the word that says exactly what you mean. This is the biggest single source of lost marks in IELTS writing.
How this drill works, and why it is built this way›
In a study of IELTS essays, word choice was the biggest single error — 24.4% of everything marked wrong. That is more than any grammar mistake.
Band 7 does not ask for big words. It asks for exact ones. A simple word in the right place beats a rare word in the wrong one.
The trap changes as you go up. At the harder levels the wrong answer means the right thing. It is wrong for a smaller reason: the wrong partner word, or the wrong feeling.
Read the whole sentence first. The clue is often in the other half.
Every answer comes with The point — one short rule you can use again — and Here, which explains this sentence.
Worked example
Government figures ______ that rural enrolment rose by nine per cent.
A tell · B say · C indicate · D speak
Answer: C indicate
All four words are about communicating. But only indicate can have figures as its subject. People tell and say. Data indicates. Nobody speaks that. The point: look at the subject, and it will tell you the verb.
Moderate · CEFR B1around band 5 – 5.5change level:
The drill moves you up or down on its own. Two good sets and it gets harder; two hard ones and it steps back.
The band range is what this level practises for — it is a guide, not a score. Only your first answer to each item counts towards the level decision.
Your answers and explanations open after the set is complete, the attempt is saved and your email is verified.
