Reading · Unit 4: Band 7 to 8.5
R43: Building a word bank from your reading
Target band 7.5 to 8.5
Most students learn vocabulary from lists: 500 IELTS words, 1000 essential words. They memorise them, forget most of them in two weeks, and wonder why. Words learned from lists have no story. Words learned from real reading come with context: a sentence, a topic, a feeling. Those are the words that stay. This lesson shows you how to build a word bank that actually works.
Why this matters
At band 8, you need to understand less common words and, more importantly, recognise them when they're paraphrased. A personal word bank, built from your own reading, trains both. It also feeds directly into your Writing and Speaking.
What to collect
Don't collect every new word. Collect words that are:
- Useful in many topics, like significant, contribute, decline
- Part of a paraphrase you noticed, like elderly for older people
- Strong collocations, words that go together, like pose a threat, play a role, raise awareness
- Topic words that appear often in IELTS, like habitat, emissions, urbanisation
Skip words that are very rare or very technical. You'll probably never see them again.
How to record a word
One line per word is enough. But include context.
| Word / phrase | Meaning | My sentence from the article | Topic |
|---|---|---|---|
| pose a threat | be a danger | "Plastic waste poses a threat to marine life." | Environment |
| decline | fall, decrease | "Bee numbers have declined sharply." | Nature |
| elderly | old (polite) | "Elderly residents rarely used the app." | Society |
| contribute to | help cause | "Stress can contribute to poor sleep." | Health |
Group by topic
Organise your bank by IELTS topics: environment, health, education, technology, history, work, cities. When you prepare for Writing Task 2 on education, your education words are all in one place.
Review with spaced repetition
Words stick when you see them again just before you forget them.
| When | What to do |
|---|---|
| Same day | Read your new words once |
| Next day | Cover the meanings and test yourself |
| After 3 days | Test again |
| After 1 week | Test again, and use 3 words in a sentence |
| After 1 month | Final check |
Free flashcard apps can do this timing for you automatically.
Use your words
A word isn't really yours until you've used it. Each week, write a short paragraph or say a one-minute answer using five words from your bank. This links Reading to Writing and Speaking.
Try it yourself
From this sentence, what would you add to your word bank?
"Rapid urbanisation has placed enormous pressure on water supplies in many developing countries."
Suggested entries: rapid urbanisation (fast growth of cities), place pressure on (create stress for), water supplies, developing countries.
Honest note
A word bank only works if you review it. Many students build beautiful notebooks they never open again. Ten minutes of review a day is worth more than a hundred new words a week.
Your task today
Start your word bank. Add five words or phrases from today's reading, each with your own sentence.