Top 6 Important words for IELTS writing

December 25, 2021

By Dhruv K. Mangukia

Top 6 Important words for IELTS writing

Below mentioned are few words that I feel are important words for IELTS writing and speaking. I have written the meaning of the word in focus, synonyms, antonyms and phrases. I have also written the example sentences of these words. Please go through them carefully. Try and practice using them in your writing tasks as well as speaking topic.

There are practice exercises after each word. Please complete them and write your answers in the comment section below this post. If you have any questions, confusions or doubts, post them in the comment section below.

Word 1: Surreal – one of the most important words for IELTS writing

Word	Surreal
Meaning	strange
Synonyms	Bizarre, weird, Unreal, unusual, odd, peculiar
Antonyms	convincing, usual, logical, reasonable

Table 1: Word in focus – Surreal

Tip:

Surreal and all its synonyms mean strange. So it's antonym would be any word that has a contradicting or opposite meaning.

Examples:

Upon listening to the arguments of the lawyer in the courtroom, the accused felt that he was talking a surreal mix of facts and fantasy.
Even though the chef at this restaurant is widely acclaimed for her culinary skills, I felt that most of the victuals served here are a surreal mix of spices and Vegetables.
Your music is a surreal mix of the Rock and Jazz genre.
The latest Bollywood movie which was released yesterday is a surreal mix of a love story and murder mystery.

Practice exercise:

Write 5 sentences of your own; each sentence should have surreal or its synonym.

Word 2: Elementary

Word	Elementary
Meaning	Basic, straightforward, uncomplicated
Synonyms	Easy, simple, effortless, rudimentary, facile
Phrases	as easy as pie, child’s play, plain sailing, as easy as falling off a log, a piece of cake
Antonyms	difficult, complex, complicated, advanced

Table 2: Word in focus – Elementary

Tip:

Please check your use case when using synonyms or antonyms of the word 'elementary'.
- If you are referring to something that's basic: the proper antonym, in that case, would be 'advanced'. 
- Similarly, if you are referring to something that is simple, the proper antonym would be 'complex'.

Examples:

The lecture, though advertised as an advanced training opportunity for experts, all the contents of it were nothing more than elementary.
The trainer recommends that for the first two weeks, every new member of the gym should only do elementary exercises.
Despite being an aficionado at nuclear physics, her teaching methods are more suitable for students with elementary knowledge.
The Indian Prime Minister Honorable Mr. Narendra Modi is a man of high moral values with elementary needs.

Practice exercises:

Write three sentences using either the word elementary or nay of its synonym.
Replace the main word with any of the phrases mentioned above.
Write three negative sentences using the antonyms without changing the meaning of the original sentence.

Word 3: Ambiguous – one of the most important words for IELTS writing

Word	ambiguous
Meaning	– something which has more than 1 meaning. – Unclear or inexact since selecting one option over the other is not done.
Synonyms	uncertain, unclear, vague, doubtful, arguable, debatable.
Antonyms	unambiguous, clear, certain, sure.

Table 3: Word in focus – ambiguous

Examples:

Even though the content of this letter is ambiguous, the document itself is evidence of my uncle’s unambiguous alcoholism.
Congress made bold claims of winning the election, but the analysts are ambiguous of such asserts made by the members.

Practice exercises:

As mentioned earlier, the word ambiguous has 2 meanings. Read the above two sentences carefully and check which meaning of ambiguous applies in each case.
Determine whether the above 2 sentences are simple, complex, or compound.
Write 4 sentences using the antonyms.

Memory hook for ambiguous — Easy way to memorize the meaning of ambiguous

Word 4: Ardent – one of the most important words for IELTS writing

Word	ardent
Meaning	passionate or enthusiastic
Synonyms	avid, fervent, zeal, vehement
Antonyms	apathetic, unenthusiastic, unexcited, unpassionate, frigid

Table 4: Word in focus – ardent

Examples:

I am an ardent fan of Sourav Ganguly’s captaincy.
His favorite subject is mathematics and he became an ardent mathematician.
John was smiling at his friend’s failure, but when the teacher told him that he failed his maths test, the smile on his face faded and his expression became ardent.
He is an ardent lover of literature and poetry.

Practice exercises:

Find more synonyms for ardent. please write your answers in the comment section below.
Write 3 negative sentences using the 3 different antonyms of the word ardent.
In the above sentences, find the nouns and determine the type of noun.

Word 5: Oust

Word	Oust
Meaning	to expel or drive out or remove someone from a place or a position
Synonyms	throw out, force out, get rid of, dismiss, evict, purge, dislodge
Phrases	show someone the door, give someone the boot
Antonyms	employ, engage, retain, hire

Table 5: Word in focus – Oust

Examples:

His last employer ousted him on the account of pilfering company’s secret documents.
His last employer did not retain him on the account of pilfering the company’s secret documents.
At his previous job, the boss fired him since he was stealing the organization’s confidential papers.

Note: please read the above sentences carefully.

Practice exercises:

Write 3 negative sentences with an antonym of ‘oust’.
Write 4 sentences using the phrases mentioned above.

Word 6: Technique

Word	Technique
Meaning	– skill or ability – skillful or efficient way of doing something
Synonyms	– art, craft, know-how – approach, manner , style, means, mode
Antonyms	ignorance, incompetence, inefficient

Table 6: Word in focus – Technique

Tip:

Please check the context of your sentence when using synonyms or antonyms of the word 'technique' as there are 2 meanings of this word.
Although both the meanings are similar, in the actual case it may completely change the meaning of the sentence.
The same thing is also applicable to synonyms and antonyms.

Examples:

His teaching technique is well suited for students with elementary knowledge of programming.
We manufacture leather goods using the technique known as hot molding.
The police tried the new investigation technique to solve the robbery case.
When it comes to rowing a boat, his technique is excellent.
Recording your audio is a good technique for evaluating your speaking.

Practice exercises: