Choosing the word that belongs in an essay, without reaching for a word you cannot control.
How this drill works, and why it is built this way›
Academic writing is not harder words. It is different words — a smaller, duller, more exact set that repeats across every subject.
The Academic Word List is 570 word families and covers about 10% of academic text. The general service list covers about 80%. Together, roughly nine words in ten.
The commonest fix is replacing a two-word verb with a one-word verb: find out becomes discover, put off becomes postpone, go up becomes rise.
Formal does not mean long. Use is better than utilise almost every time. Reaching too far is its own error — see drill V6.
Worked example
Scientists are trying to ______ why the birds left the area.
A find out · B determine · C figure out · D suss out
Answer: B determine
All four mean the same. Find out and figure out are two-word everyday verbs; suss out is slang. Determine is the single formal verb that does the same job. The point: in academic writing, prefer the one-word 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.
