IELTS
Academic vocabulary for IELTS writing and speaking, based on the Academic Word List. AUSLEX is not affiliated with IELTS.
Reviewed entries
586 entriesEntries marked AWL come from the Academic Word List (Coxhead, 2000), a widely used list of words that appear often in university texts. Definitions, examples and translations are written by AUSLEX.
As a result of this (formal).
The council planted trees, thereby reducing summer temperatures.
A long piece of research writing for a university degree, or the main idea of an essay.
She wrote her thesis on coastal erosion.
A subject that people write or talk about.
Choose a topic you know well for your presentation.
To find the origin or history of something; a very small amount or sign.
Many Australians can trace their ancestry to Ireland.
A belief or custom passed down from one generation to the next.
Having a barbecue on Australia Day is a common tradition.
To move someone or something from one place, job or person to another.
You can transfer money between accounts using online banking.
To change something completely, usually to improve it.
Smartphones have transformed how people shop.
The movement of people or goods from one place to another.
Some passengers need a transit visa for stopovers.
To send or pass something from one person, place or thing to another.
Mosquitoes can transmit diseases.
Vehicles and systems for moving people or goods; to move them.
Public transport is free for children in some states.
General direction of change
The graph shows an upward trend.
To cause something to start; the cause of something.
Heavy rain triggered landslides.
Final or most important.
The ultimate goal is to end homelessness.
To experience something, especially a change or medical treatment.
The city is undergoing rapid change.
Real but not immediately obvious; forming the basis of something.
The underlying cause of the problem is a lack of housing.
To begin or agree to do a task or responsibility.
Students must undertake a work placement in their final year.
Special clothes worn by members of a group; the same in all cases.
Most Australian schools require a school uniform.
To join people or things together as one.
Sport can unify people from different backgrounds.
Being the only one of its kind; very special.
The Great Barrier Reef is a unique natural environment.
To use something effectively (formal; "use" is often better).
Hospitals must utilise resources efficiently.
Sound or well-founded in a particular context
The survey used a valid measurement method.
To be different in different situations, or to change.
Rental prices vary greatly between suburbs.
A machine such as a car or bus used to transport people or goods; also a means of expressing something.
Electric vehicles are becoming more common.
A form of something that is different from earlier or other forms.
Download the latest version of the app.
Through or by way of a place, system or person.
You can apply online via the myGov website.