Real IELTS Examiner Techniques | Practical Structures | Personal Feedback

Task 1 Lexical Resource

Book A Free CLass

Lexical Resource in IELTS Academic Writing Task 1

Understanding Lexical Resource

In IELTS Academic Writing Task 1, Lexical Resource (LR) measures your range of vocabulary and how appropriately and accurately you use language to describe and summarise visual data.
To score highly in this criterion, you must show the ability to use precise, varied, and natural vocabulary while avoiding errors, repetition, and informal expressions.

A strong Lexical Resource score can significantly boost your overall Writing band, particularly if combined with high marks in the other assessment criteria.

What Examiners Look for in Lexical Resource

To achieve a high band score for Lexical Resource, your response must:

  • Demonstrate a Wide Range of Vocabulary: Use a variety of words and phrases to describe trends, comparisons, and changes accurately.

  • Ensure Accuracy: Use vocabulary correctly to convey your intended meaning without awkwardness or confusion.

  • Avoid Repetition: Replace repeated words with appropriate synonyms or paraphrased expressions.

  • Be Contextually Appropriate: Avoid informal, casual language or unnecessarily complicated vocabulary that sounds unnatural.

What to Avoid:

  • Repeating the same words or phrases too often.

  • Using vocabulary incorrectly or creating unnatural collocations.

  • Making vague generalisations (e.g., “everything increased”).

  • Using informal language (e.g., “went up a lot”).

Key Vocabulary for IELTS Writing Task 1

Building a strong vocabulary set for IELTS Task 1 will help you describe trends, comparisons, and processes more accurately and naturally.

Describing Trends:

  • Increases: rise, grow, surge, climb, go up, escalate

  • Decreases: decline, fall, drop, plunge, dip, go down

  • Stability: remain constant, stabilise, plateau, no change

  • Fluctuations: vary, oscillate, fluctuate, experience volatility

Comparisons and Proportions:

  • higher than, lower than, the highest, the lowest, significantly more/less

  • nearly equal, approximately, twice as much as, half of

Time and Frequency:

  • gradually, steadily, sharply, dramatically, over the period

  • annually, once a year, over the course of

Connecting Ideas:

  • however, in contrast, by comparison, similarly, likewise

Quantifiers and Numbers:

  • a majority of, a minority of, one-third, two-thirds, a quarter, 50 per cent

Processes:

  • produce, manufacture, transform, process, generate, assemble

Strategies for Expanding Your Vocabulary

A wide range of vocabulary is essential, but it must also be natural and appropriate.
Here are some practical strategies to help you improve your Lexical Resource for IELTS Academic Writing Task 1:

  • Develop Synonym Lists:
    Create personal lists of synonyms for common words.
    Example: “increase” → rise, grow, climb, surge, escalate.

  • Learn Collocations:
    Focus on natural word pairings that sound authentic in academic writing.
    Example: “sharp increase,” “steady decline.”

  • Practise Paraphrasing:
    Regularly rewrite sentences using different vocabulary and structures.
    Example: “The graph shows a rise in sales” → “Sales increased significantly.”

  • Analyse Model Essays:
    Highlight effective vocabulary and phrases in high-scoring sample essays and incorporate them into your practice.

Good vs Bad Examples of Lexical Resource

Bad Example:

“The graph shows that sales went up a lot in 2010. Then they went down. After that, they went up again.”

Why It’s Bad:

  • Overuses “went up” and “went down.”

  • Lacks precision and academic tone.

Good Example:

“Overall, the graph shows that sales surged in 2010, followed by a slight dip before climbing steadily in subsequent years.”

Why It’s Good:

  • Uses precise, natural vocabulary.

  • Describes the trends with appropriate verbs.

  • Shows range and accuracy without sounding forced.

Strategies to Enhance Lexical Resource in IELTS Academic Writing Task 1

Here are 10 specific strategies you should apply to develop strong lexical resource:

  1. Expand Your Vocabulary:
    Build a broad range of words for describing trends, comparisons, and processes.
    Create synonym lists to avoid repetition.
    Example: “increase” → rise, climb, grow, surge, escalate, peak.

  2. Use Topic-Specific Vocabulary:
    Tailor your language depending on the task type:

    • Trends: upward trend, fluctuate, decline, stabilise

    • Proportions: majority, minority, one-third, a quarter

    • Processes: manufacture, transport, transform, assemble

  3. Incorporate Collocations:
    Learn natural academic word pairings:

    • significant increase

    • sharp decline

    • steady growth

    • gradual reduction

    • noticeable fluctuation

  4. Use a Range of Synonyms:
    Avoid repeating the same word by varying your vocabulary.
    Examples:

    • big → significant, substantial, considerable

    • small → slight, marginal, minor

  5. Employ Precision in Descriptions:
    Use specific terms for subtle differences:

    • marginal increase (small rise)

    • significant drop (large decrease)

    • plateaued (remained stable)

  6. Avoid Informal or Inaccurate Language:
    Replace casual phrases like “went up a lot” with precise academic alternatives such as “rose significantly” or “experienced a sharp increase.”

  7. Paraphrase the Task Prompt:
    Vary sentence structures and synonyms when rewording the question.
    Example:

    • Prompt: “The bar chart shows the percentage of people employed in three sectors from 2000 to 2020.”

    • Paraphrase: “The bar chart illustrates the proportion of workers in three industries over the two decades from 2000 to 2020.”

  8. Practise Using Advanced Expressions:
    Include higher-level vocabulary naturally:

    • twice as much as

    • threefold

    • slightly higher than

    • constituted, accounted for, represented

    • over the period, between 2010 and 2020

  9. Analyse Model Answers:
    Study high-scoring responses and pay attention to how vocabulary is used effectively and naturally. Highlight and re-use useful phrases.

  10. Proofread for Word Choice:
    Check your essay for repetitive words or weak vocabulary choices. Replace them with synonyms or paraphrases to maintain a strong, varied style.

Final Advice on Lexical Resource for IELTS Academic Writing Task 1

Mastering Lexical Resource is not about using complicated vocabulary — it is about using the right word, at the right time, in the right way.
By building a wide vocabulary base, practising paraphrasing, and focusing on natural collocations, you can significantly improve the quality of your writing and move closer to achieving a Band 9 in IELTS Academic Writing Task 1.