IELTS Speaking: Lexical Resource
Your vocabulary: its range, its precision, and whether you can work around a word you do not have. The widespread belief that this rewards rare and impressive words is the single most damaging myth in IELTS preparation.
Precision beats rarity
A common word used exactly is worth more than an unusual word used approximately. "The traffic is heavy" is correct English; "the traffic is ponderous" is a thesaurus accident, and the examiner hears which one it is instantly.
- Collocation is most of this criterion — heavy traffic, strong accent, make a decision, do research. Words that belong together.
- Paraphrase is explicitly rewarded. Not having a word and getting round it cleanly scores well.
- Topic-specific vocabulary shows range better than a long word does: the actual terms of your job or your subject.
Idioms, and why they usually backfire
The higher descriptors mention idiomatic language, and candidates respond by inserting idioms wherever they fit, which is almost never where a native speaker would use them. An idiom used slightly wrongly is more conspicuous than no idiom at all. Use the ones you genuinely use; do not learn a list.
The same is true of "advanced" connectors. A candidate who says "moreover" four times in two minutes is displaying a word, not a range.
Lexical Resource — FAQs
2 questions
Learn words in phrases rather than alone, because collocation is what this criterion actually measures.
Describe it. Paraphrasing well is explicitly rewarded, and stopping is not.
More speaking question types
Sources
Written from the test board's own published material and checked on 1 October 2026.