Collocations & Academic Vocabulary
Master the vocabulary patterns that distinguish Band 7+ speakers
Who it's for
Written for B2 (upper-intermediate) students who can discuss most topics and now need precision and range.
IELTS Speaking and Writing preparation, for band 5 and up. More IELTS Test Preparation lesson plans
Skills it practises
- Speaking: discussion questionsevery lesson
- Vocabulary: a target word listevery lesson
- Reading: a text or news storyevery lesson
- Controlled practice: gap-fills, matching, sorting and moreevery lesson
- Role-play: a dialogue to act outevery lesson
Lessons
- Strong CollocationsGoal: produce six strong collocations - raise awareness, pose a threat, draw conclusions - accurately in timed Part 3 answers.57 minFree
- Formal vs Informal RegisterGoal: upgrade casual defaults - 'a lot of', 'stuff', 'get' - into the semi-formal register Part 3 rewards, without sounding robotic.57 minOutline
- Less Common VocabularyGoal: deploy precise, less common words - discern, flourish, scrutinise - in timed answers, exactly where all-purpose words lose marks.50 minOutline
- Topic-Specific VocabularyGoal: build starter vocabulary banks for the five everyday IELTS topics - environment, technology, education, health, society - and prove each bank works in a timed answer.50 minOutline
- Formal vs. Informal RegisterGoal: shift register on demand - the same idea delivered Part 1-casual and Part 3-formal, with natural blends in between, like a Band 7 speaker.57 minOutline
- Topic-Specific Vocabulary SetsGoal: build deep word banks for the four harder IELTS topics - crime, work, media and cities - and deploy each as a connected cluster in timed answers.57 minOutline
- Paraphrasing and SynonymsGoal: say the same idea three different ways - synonym swaps, structure flips, word-form changes - fast enough to use in the test.57 minOutline
- Idioms for Natural SpeechGoal: deploy a small trusted set of idioms - a double-edged sword, an uphill battle - naturally in timed Part 3 answers, never forced.57 minOutline
How to use it in a lesson
- Lessons run 50 to 57 minutes, with a timing on every stage, so you can see before you start what fits your slot.
- Start with "Strong Collocations": its whole plan is on this site, stage by stage, with the target vocabulary, free to read and to teach from on any video call.
- For a shorter slot, skip a practice stage or cut the discussion short: the stages are a guide, not a script.
Teach Collocations & Academic Vocabulary with your student
Lesson 1 of this course is free. A free account opens it in the interactive player, and the rest of the course is included with Starter. Teaching it live with your student in the Tuton classroom starts with a 7-day free trial.
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