IELTS Academic word list (online and pdf)

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.

Download IELTS Academic wordlist in pdf >


List 1

Words 1-10

Words 11-20

Words 21-30

Words 31-40

Words 41-50

achieve
administration
affect
analysis
approach
appropriate
area
aspects
assistance
assume

authority
available
benefit
category
community
complex
concerning
conclusion
conduct 
consequence

consistent
constitutional
consumer
context
create
culture
data
definition
destructive
discovery

distinction
economic
element
environment
error
equation
establish
estimate
evaluation
evidence

factors
feature
final
financial
focus
function
global
identify
impact
income

Words 51-60

Words 61-70

Words 71-80

Words 81-90

Words 91-100

indicate
individual
injury
investment
involve
issue
item
legal
maintenance
major

media
method
modern
normal
obtain
restrict
occur
participation
percent
period

policy
positive
potential
previous
primary
process
purchase
range
recent
region

regulations
relevant
require
research
resident
resources
response
sector
security
significant

similar
solution
source
specific
strategy
structure
theory
threat
traditional
transport

 

List 2

Words 1-10

Words 11-20

Words 21-30

Words 31-40

Words 41-50

access
activity
alter
alternative
amendment
annual
apparent
application
approximate
artificial

attitude
aware
capacity
challenge 
circumstance
comment
communication
concentration
conflict
considerable

constant
contact
contribution
core
correspond
criteria
cycle
debate
decline
deduction

demonstrate
despite
dimension
domestic
dominant
emerge
emphasis
enable
energy
enforcement

ensure
equivalent
evolution
exclude
exposure
external
facilitate
fundamental
funds
generation

Words 51-60

Words 61-70

Words 71-80

Words 81-90

Words 91-100

hence
hypothesis
illustrate
image
immigration
implement
initial
integration
layer
legislation  

location
logic
marginal
maximum
mechanism
medical
mental
modification
negative
network

 occupation
option
orientation
outcome
overall
parallel
perspective
philosophy
precise
predict

project
promote
proportion
psychology
reaction
remove
resolution
specify
stability
subsequent

sufficient
summary
supply
task
technique
technology
transition
trend
version
volume

 

List 3

Words 1-10

Words 11-20

Words 21-30

Words 31-40

Words 41-50

abstract
accurate
acknowledge
adaptation
adequate
adjust
adult
advocate
aid
attribute

author
brief
capable
civil
classical
comprehensive 
contrary
coordination
couple
decades

definite
deny
discrimination
disposal
diversity
domain
dynamic
eliminate
equipment
estate

exceed
expansion
expert
fees
flexibility
foundation
gender
global
grade
guarantee

identical
ignorance
imply
incentive
incorporated
index
infrastructure
inhibition
innovation
instance

Words 51-60

Words 61-70

Words 71-80

Words 81-90

Words 91-100

instruction
intelligence
interact
interval
investigation
isolated
justification
lecture
liberal
migration

minimum
monitoring
motivation
neutral
obvious
overseas
parameter
phenomenon
prohibit
publish

pursue
rational
recovery
reject
release
reveal
role
satisfy
scope
sequence

simulation
solely
somewhat
status
stress
style
substitution
successive
survey
survive

sustainable
symbolic
topic
trace
transformation
ultimate
underline
unique
utility
visible

 

List 4

Words 1-10

Words 11-20

Words 21-30

Words 31-40

Words 41-50

accommodation
accompany
advance
analogous
anticipate
appendix
appreciate
arbitrary
assure
automatically

behalf
bias
cease
chart
clarity
coherence
coincide
commodity
confirm
contemporary

contradict
controversy
conversely
cooperate
crucial
currency
denote
detect
deviation
device

devote
differentiation
diminish
displacement
display
distorted
dramatic
duration
ethical
eventually

exhibit
explicit
exploitation
extract
federal
fluctuations
format
founded
guidelines
highlighted

Words 51-60

Words 61-70

Words 71-80

Words 81-90

Words 91-100

implicit
incompatible
induce
inevitably
inherent
intensity
intermediate
internal
manual
mature

medium
military
mutual
norms
notion
nuclear
objective
paragraph
passive
perceive

portion
precede
predominantly
priority
prospect
qualitative
radical
random
reinforce
relax

revision
revolution
scenario
schedule
sphere
suspended
target
team
temporary
tension

theme
thereby
uniform
validity
vehicle
via
violation
virtual
vision
widespread

 

List 5

Words 1-10

Words 11-20

Words 21-30

Words 31-40

Words 41-50

abandon
abate
abrupt
accumulation
acquisition
adjacent
aggregate
albeit
ambiguous
ancestor

assembly
assessment
assign
attain
avert
coal
collapse
colleagues
combat
commit

compile
complement
comprise
conceive
concurrent
confined
conform
confuse
consciousness
convinced

creditable
deceive
depression
derive
distribution
divergent
doubt
drastic
election
empirical

encounter
enhance
enormous
entirely
entrepreneur
erosion
forbearance
forthcoming
frustration
goal

Words 51-60

Words 61-70

Words 71-80

Words 81-90

Words 91-100

homogenous
inclination
indulge
infer
initiative
insight
inspection
integral
intervention
intrinsic

invoke
justify
likewise
link
manage
manipulation
merge
nonetheless
notwithstanding
odd

ongoing
overlap
persistent
pose
possess
preliminary
presumption
ratio
refine
relate

reluctant
restore
restraint
rigid
route
sacrifice
scale
so-called
straightforward
subordinate

substantiate
supplementary
sympathy
termination
transmission
undergo
unify
vital
voluntary
whereby