Word Choice

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: ...

Mistake #4 - Using “Fake Advanced” Words These are words students assume are “advanced,” but native speakers never use in academic writing. ❌ Examples nowadays modern society in the modern era of globalisation utilise (when use is better) aforementioned problems These sound robotic or outdated. 🎯 Why Examiners Penalise This Fake-advanced vocabulary = memorised templates. IELTS scoring discourages anything that reduces authenticity. ✅ Band-8 Fix Method: “Academic, Not Pretentious” Examples: ...

Mistake #6 - Using Vague or Empty Vocabulary Words like things, aspects, issues, situations are overused and vague. ❌ Example “There are many aspects causing problems in society.” Meaning = unclear. 🎯 Why Examiners Penalise This Vague vocabulary = weak ideas. Examiners reward specific, concrete wording. ✅ Band-8 Fix Method: “Name the Noun” “There are several factors contributing to social inequality.” Continue to: Mistake #7 - Wrong Word Form Ready to improve your IELTS Writing score? ✍️ Join IELTSWrite now to get a free IELTS essay check instantly! ...

Mistake #9 - Topic Vocabulary Errors Many students use subject vocabulary incorrectly - especially in technology, environment, or education topics. ❌ Examples renewable energies → correct: renewable energy internet addiction used wrongly for screen dependency global warming vs climate change confusion 🎯 Why Examiners Penalise This Incorrect topic vocabulary signals weak subject knowledge, lowering LR. ✅ Band-8 Fix Method Learn topic vocabulary through real examples, not lists. Continue to: Mistake #10 - Misusing Adverbs of Degree ...

Mistake #10 - Misusing Adverbs of Degree Words like very, really, extremely are okay in speaking - not writing. ❌ Example “Pollution is a very serious problem that extremely affects people’s health.” 🎯 Why Examiners Penalise This These adverbs add no academic precision. ✅ Band-8 Fix Method Replace weak intensifiers with precise adjectives: very big → significant very important → crucial very harmful → detrimental Continue to the next part of the series. ...