On this page you can find an ultimate IELTS academic wordlist that consists of 5 sub-lists with 100 words in each. The lists get increasingly difficult. By learning these words you will learn the most common and important vocabulary that occurs in IELTS.
Vocabulary is equally important for reading and writing. By knowing a lot of prevalent words you will understand the reading texts better. Moreover, vocabulary is one of the four marking criteria used to assess you IELTS writing. So one of the secrets of a successful essay is a broad range of vocabulary.
Simply memorizing the words is not enough: you need to know how to adopt the words in your writing.
So, having learnt the word resolute, you should be able to apply it in your writing. For example: her resolution to become a designer has led her to success.
Don't worry if you haven't learnt all of the word lists: quality is more important than quantity! It's much better to learn 1 word list well than 5 word lists poorly.
List 1
Words 1-10
achieve
administration
affect
analysis
approach
appropriate
area
aspects
assistance
assume
Words 11-20
authority
available
benefit
category
community
complex
concerning
conclusion
conduct
consequence
Words 21-30
consistent
constitutional
consumer
context
create
culture
data
definition
destructive
discovery
Words 31-40
distinction
economic
element
environment
error
equation
establish
estimate
evaluation
evidence
Words 41-50
factors
feature
final
financial
focus
function
global
identify
impact
income
Words 51-60
indicate
individual
injury
investment
involve
issue
item
legal
maintenance
major
Words 61-70
media
method
modern
normal
obtain
restrict
occur
participation
percent
period
Words 71-80
policy
positive
potential
previous
primary
process
purchase
range
recent
region
Words 81-90
regulations
relevant
require
research
resident
resources
response
sector
security
significant
Words 91-100
similar
solution
source
specific
strategy
structure
theory
threat
traditional
transport
List 2
Words 1-10
access
activity
alter
alternative
amendment
annual
apparent
application
approximate
artificial
Words 11-20
attitude
aware
capacity
challenge
circumstance
comment
communication
concentration
conflict
considerable
Words 21-30
constant
contact
contribution
core
correspond
criteria
cycle
debate
decline
deduction
Words 31-40
demonstrate
despite
dimension
domestic
dominant
emerge
emphasis
enable
energy
enforcement
Words 41-50
ensure
equivalent
evolution
exclude
exposure
external
facilitate
fundamental
funds
generation
Words 51-60
hence
hypothesis
illustrate
image
immigration
implement
initial
integration
layer
legislation
Words 61-70
location
logic
marginal
maximum
mechanism
medical
mental
modification
negative
network
Words 71-80
occupation
option
orientation
outcome
overall
parallel
perspective
philosophy
precise
predict
Words 81-90
project
promote
proportion
psychology
reaction
remove
resolution
specify
stability
subsequent
Words 91-100
sufficient
summary
supply
task
technique
technology
transition
trend
version
volume
List 3
Words 1-10
abstract
accurate
acknowledge
adaptation
adequate
adjust
adult
advocate
aid
attribute
Words 11-20
author
brief
capable
civil
classical
comprehensive
contrary
coordination
couple
decades
Words 21-30
definite
deny
discrimination
disposal
diversity
domain
dynamic
eliminate
equipment
estate
Words 31-40
exceed
expansion
expert
fees
flexibility
foundation
gender
global
grade
guarantee
Words 41-50
identical
ignorance
imply
incentive
incorporated
index
infrastructure
inhibition
innovation
instance
Words 51-60
instruction
intelligence
interact
interval
investigation
isolated
justification
lecture
liberal
migration
Words 61-70
minimum
monitoring
motivation
neutral
obvious
overseas
parameter
phenomenon
prohibit
publish
Words 71-80
pursue
rational
recovery
reject
release
reveal
role
satisfy
scope
sequence
Words 81-90
simulation
solely
somewhat
status
stress
style
substitution
successive
survey
survive
Words 91-100
sustainable
symbolic
topic
trace
transformation
ultimate
underline
unique
utility
visible
List 4
Words 1-10
accommodation
accompany
advance
analogous
anticipate
appendix
appreciate
arbitrary
assure
automatically
Words 11-20
behalf
bias
cease
chart
clarity
coherence
coincide
commodity
confirm
contemporary
Words 21-30
contradict
controversy
conversely
cooperate
crucial
currency
denote
detect
deviation
device
Words 31-40
contradict
controversy
conversely
cooperate
crucial
currency
denote
detect
deviation
device
Words 41-50
devote
differentiation
diminish
displacement
display
distorted
dramatic
duration
ethical
eventually
exhibit
explicit
exploitation
extract
federal
fluctuations
format
founded
guidelines
highlighted
Words 51-60
implicit
incompatible
induce
inevitably
inherent
intensity
intermediate
internal
manual
mature
Words 61-70
medium
military
mutual
norms
notion
nuclear
objective
paragraph
passive
perceive
Words 71-80
portion
precede
predominantly
priority
prospect
qualitative
radical
random
reinforce
relax
Words 81-90
revision
revolution
scenario
schedule
sphere
suspended
target
team
temporary
tension
Words 91-100
theme
thereby
uniform
validity
vehicle
via
violation
virtual
vision
widespread
List 5
Words 1-10
abandon
abate
abrupt
accumulation
acquisition
adjacent
aggregate
albeit
ambiguous
ancestor
Words 11-20
assembly
assessment
assign
attain
avert
coal
collapse
colleagues
combat
commit
Words 21-30
compile
complement
comprise
conceive
concurrent
confined
conform
confuse
consciousness
convinced
Words 31-40
creditable
deceive
depression
derive
distribution
divergent
doubt
drastic
election
empirical
Words 41-50
encounter
enhance
enormous
entirely
entrepreneur
erosion
forbearance
forthcoming
frustration
goal
Words 51-60
homogenous
inclination
indulge
infer
initiative
insight
inspection
integral
intervention
intrinsic
Words 61-70
invoke
justify
likewise
link
manage
manipulation
merge
nonetheless
notwithstanding
odd
Words 71-80
ongoing
overlap
persistent
pose
possess
preliminary
presumption
ratio
refine
relate
Words 81-90
reluctant
restore
restraint
rigid
route
sacrifice
scale
so-called
straightforward
subordinate
Words 91-100
substantiate
supplementary
sympathy
termination
transmission
undergo
unify
vital
voluntary
whereby
