Common questions about IELTS we get are about vocabulary and what you need to use to get high marks. Questions like these are common.
“What vocabulary do I need to use to get high scores in IELTS writing?”
“How many complicated words do I need to use to get high marks in IELTS writing?”
This is a common mistake people make in IELTS. They think they need to use really complex vocabulary to get high marks and this is not the case.
Why not? we hear you ask. Well, an examiner answers both questions…….
We see so many people try to use complex language when they can’t use simple language correctly. So, it doesn’t matter if you use ‘opine’ or ‘think’, if you can’t use simple vocabulary correctly, you will not get passed Band 6.0 as IELTS penalises errors. For example, here we see a candidate trying to use ‘ample’ when they should be using ‘a lot of’
“This causes ample a lot of family conflicts”
We also see people try to paraphrase and whoever is telling you that you need to paraphrase so much is very much mistaken. What this does is lead to more mistakes. For example, here, the candidate tries to use ‘diminish’ but it is used in the wrong context.
“The opponents of this view claim that there are better methods that should be employed to diminish lower the crime rate successfully.”
And here, a candidate has tried to paraphrase ‘lower the crime rate’ and ‘sentencing’. Both phrases are in the question but it is ok to take some key words from the question.
“It is often argued if the most efficient way against criminality to lower the crime rate is by charging with a sentencing criminals to for more years in prison”
Unless you are a Band 8/9 level student, forget about opining, and diminishing, and focus on accuracy. This is often the difference between a Band 6 and Band 7 candidate.
This is really good advice. We see so many people using vocabulary that is archaic but they can’t control simple structure. Use what you know and use it well. This is what will get you higher mark in IELTS. IF you need professional help that will save you lots of money paying IELTS exam fees, you can
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Hi Team,
I have a question regarding booking of IELTS Exams- Can we book it even through Cambridge assessment site or only British council or IDP only?
Hello. Well, the answer to this is a little complicated. IELTS is co-owned by the British Council and IDP so they use their centres to do the exams. To do an exam, you have to pay one of these organisations to do an exam. The exam itself is produced by Cambridge but they do not run the sessions themselves. There is not difference between the British Council or IDP (although there are a lot of conspiracy theories about this; they are nonsense though) but you will find that the British Council tend to run IELTS in Europe and the Middle East and IDP in Australia and some of South East Asia. IELTS in the US is run by different organisations. So, a long answer to your question but, no, you cannot book an exam with Cambridge directly.
Best wishes
The upmyielts team