Mistake #1 - Using Memorised ‘Fancy’ Words Incorrectly

Most learners try to impress examiners by inserting big, memorised words.
The result? Unnatural, inaccurate, or inappropriate word choice - a guaranteed Band-6 signal.

❌ Example of the Mistake

“The government should ameliorate the traffic predicament by constructing multitudinous roads.”

Problems:

• ameliorate rarely used in modern academic writing
• predicament mismatched collocation
• multitudinous roads = unnatural, sounds bizarre

🎯 Why Examiners Penalise This

Examiners expect:

• precise, not fancy vocabulary
• natural collocations, not dictionary-words
• controlled accuracy, not risk-taking with unknown terms

Using words you don’t fully control = Band 6.0 LR.

✅ Band-8 Fix Method: “Control > Complexity”

Use simple but precise vocabulary:

“The government should ease traffic congestion by building additional roads.”

This is:

• accurate
• natural
• examiner-friendly

✔ Quick Checklist

• Does this word sound natural in academic writing?
• Would a native speaker use this word here?
• Do I understand the exact meaning + collocations?

Continue to:
Mistake #2 - Misusing Academic Collocations