CAMBRIDGE

VOCABULARY
FOR THE IELTS
Teacher: Hoa Dang​
PROGRAM
• Collocations related to relationships, families and early learning
• Speaking parts 1, 2 and 3
• Writing Task 2: Direct questions (complex essays)
• Homework: Reading and Listening pages 9 &11
• Q&A
 3

COLLOCATIONS
A collocation is a group of two or more words
that are almost always put together to create a
specific meaning. Using a different combination
of words sounds unnatural or awkward. For
example:
• to make a mistake, but not to do a mistake
• a big decision, but not a large decision
• to commit a crime, but not perform a crime
SPEAKING AND
WRITING SKILLS
Lexical Resource
 Band 8

Writing
band descriptor

Band 7
 Band 8

Speaking Band
Descriptor

Band 7
 7

UNIT 1: GROWING UP
Building up
collocations
by topic
 RELATIONSHIPS 8

Page 8
 The relationship between …and …
 Have a lot in common with …
 The relationship between …and … has broken down
 Have totally different tastes
 Establish/ develop a good working relationship with…
 There can be a lot of conflict between …and …
 RELATIONSHIPS 9

Page 8
childhood, adolescence, and adulthood
 He spent his childhood in India.
 She had a happy childhood.
 the problem of childhood obesity
 childhood memories/experiences
 in/during (somebody's) childhood in early
childhood
 Her childhood problems persisted into adulthood.
 His problems began in early adulthood.
 a child reaching adulthood
 FAMILIES AND EARLY LEARNING
Page 9
 experience a rewarding friendship
 have a better/positive relationship with
siblings/ friends/ colleagues
 get the chance to master sophisticated social
and emotional skills
 accommodate the needs of their children
 nurture and develop social competencies/
skills
 avoid the negative sibling interaction that can
launch children on a path of anti-social
behavior
COMPOUND NOUNS 11

Page 10
immediate family (1)
extended family (2)
family gatherings (3)
sibling rivalry (4)
stable upbringing (5)
active role (6)
family resemblance (7)
physical resemblance (8)
maternal instinct (9)
striking resemblance* (10)
* Does not appear in the recording
PRONUNCIATION
Many children have had difficulty with having a (5) stable
upbringing. many of them have grown up in families that are
very disorganized and they just really haven't had an
opportunity to get a good strong start on young adulthood.
There are some ways parents can play an (6) active role in
their child's development: be present, provide guidance, be a
role model, encourage independence by playing an (6) active
role in their child's development, parents can help their
children become well-rounded individuals who are prepared
to face the challenges of life.
Find sentences which contain the compound nouns at the
link below and practice saying the sentences by copying the
speaker.
https://youglish.com/
 13

MY IMMEDIATE FAMILY

ME OLDER SISTER MOM​ DAD

 14

MY EXTENDED FAMILY

ME SISTER MOM​ DAD

GRANDPA COUSIN COUSIN GRANDMA

Page 10
3.2. Listen and tick the phrases you hear. Then practice
answering the questions yourself.
1. Tell me about you family
2. Who are you most similar to in your family?
3. What do you think it takes to be a good parent?
Page 10
3.2. Listen and tick the phrases you hear (Recording 1b)
1. Tell me about you family
Student: Well, my immediate family is relatively small, just
my parents, my two brothers and me. But both of my parents
come from very large families so my extended family is very
large- I have 25 cousins! Our family gatherings are pretty
chaotic, but fun. We're a very close-knit family. Even though
we don't live together any more. the family ties are still very
strong. When we were little there wasn't very much sibling
rivalry between us. I think it's because we had a very stable
upbringing. Both of my parents played a very active role in
our school life, and our home life, and they taught us to
resolve our conflicts in a very fair way. I consider myself very
lucky.
Page 10
3.2. Listen and tick the phrases you hear (Recording 1b)
2. Who are you most similar to in your family?
Student: Well, you can see a very clear family resemblance
between my brothers and me but everyone tells me that the
physical resemblance between me and my maternal
grandmother is very striking. Sadly, I never got to meet her
because she died before I was born. But I've seen photographs
of her at my age and we're quite alike. Other than that, I
think I have my father's temperament - we're both very
stubborn! But, thankfully, I also inherited his mathematical
brain!
Page 10
3.2. Listen and tick the phrases you hear (Recording 1b)
3. And what do you think it takes to be a good parent?
Student: Well I don't think just anyone can be a good parent:
Not everyone has the right instincts. I think I have a very
strong maternal instinct, because I love taking care of small
children. So I hope to become a mother one day. I think it
takes a great deal of patience and love.
 19

IELTS SPEAKING TEST

SAMPLE QUESTIONS
SPEAKING PART 1
• Do you get along well with your family?
• Who are more important to you, your friends or family members?
• How much time did your parents spend with you when you were a child?
• Who are you closest to in your family?
• Do you want to have children in the future? Why?
* Try to use as many collocations as possible.
SPEAKING PART 2
Describe a family member you want to work with in the future. You should say:
Who he/she is
Whether you worked together before
What kind of work you would like to do with him/ her
And explain how you feel about this family member
•Follow-up question: Are you willing to work with this family member?
* Try to use as many collocations as possible
SPEAKING PART 3
• How can parents affect a child’s development in terms of social skills and
intelligence?
• In what ways have families in your country changed in recent years?
• What role do grandparents play in the family in your country?
• What do you think about single-parent families?
• Do you think it is important to have dinner with family?
• Why do some people not always eat with their family?
• Do you think that meals are the best way to communicate with family members?
* Try to use as many collocations as possible.
 WHAT IS THE BEST WAY TO
LEARN VOCABULARY?

UNDERSTAND RAISE AWARENESS OF LISTEN, READ, WRITE AND

VOCABULARY IN CONTEXT COLLOCATIONS SPEAK ABOUT THE TOPIC
EVERY DAY

BUILD UP VOCABULARY BY TOPIC NEVER LEARN WORDS

SEPARATELY * SPEAKING SKILLS ARE
CRUCIAL BECAUSE THEY HELP
ALWAYS RECORD NEW YOU REMEMBER VOCABULARY
LEXICAL ITEMS IN A NOTEBOOK BETTER AND IMPROVE YOUR
PRONUNCIATION
 24

HOMEWORK
LISTENING PAGE 9 READING PAGE 11

• Note all the new vocabulary while you read or listen and learn
them in context so that you can use them correctly. Pay
attention to collocations and record them in your notebook.
 25

SUMMARY
Being able to use collocations correctly will allow you to
achieve a higher score overall, especially in the Writing and
Speaking tests as they are useful in expressing your ideas
flexibly and accurately.
Q&A
Ask me any questions.
WRITING TASK 2: IS THIS
A POSITIVE OR
NEGATIVE
DEVELOPMENT?
 28

THE IMPORTANCE OF
FAMILY MEALTIMES

Physical health

Mental health
WRITING TASK 2
• In some parts of the world it is becoming popular to research
the history of one's own family. Why might people want to do
this? Is it a positive or negative development?
• Today family members do not eat meals together. Is this a
positive or negative trend?
ESSAY STRUCTURE
Is this a positive or negative development ?
IDEA PLANS
Step-by- step instructions
IELTS READING
Strategies for the maximum score

What do you know about the IELTS

Reading Test?
• 60 minutes
• 40 questions
• 3 long passages (The total text length is
2,150-2,750 words).
• No transfer time
READING QUESTION
TYPES
Answers usually come in order
 Gap fill (sentences, summaries,
diagrams)
 Matching sentence endings
 SAQ (Short – answer questions)
 T/F/NG or Y/N/NG
 Multiple Choice
READING QUESTION
TYPES
Answers never come in order

 Matching headings
 Matching information
 Matching names with statements or
information
GENERAL READING STRATEGIES
 Understand question types and strategies for
finding the correct answers for each.
 Use authentic practice tests to find out what
your weaknesses are (do 2-3 practice tests).
Focus on the questions that you get wrong.
Work on them more often.
DEVELOP READING STRATEGIES FOR
EACH QUESTION TYPE
• Type 1: Gap fill
Reading the following paragraphs and answer the questions
below each paragraph.
Resource: Cambridge IELTS 18, Academic practice tests pages
61-64)
 38

BEFORE YOU READ

• What is Reading Passage 1

about?
• How many question types are
there?
• Which question type is the
easiest for you? Which
question type do you find the
most difficult?
 39

BEFORE YOU READ

timber /ˈtɪmbə(r)/
[uncountable] trees that are
grown to be used in
building or for making
things.
 40

BEFORE YOU READ

• Cement /sɪˈment/
[uncountable]
​a grey powder made by
burning clay and lime that
sets hard when it is mixed
with water. Cement is used in
building to stick stones
and bricks together and to
make very hard surfaces.
 BEFORE YOU READ
• Cross-laminated timber
Gỗ ghép nhiều lớp
CLT is an engineered wood product
consisting of layers of kiln-dried
dimension lumber (usually three, five,
seven or nine) oriented at right angles
to one another and then glued to form
structural panels. By gluing layers of
wood at right angles, the panel delivers
excellent structural rigidity in both
directions. In special cases, double
outer laminations may be parallel and
not alternating crosswise.
 42

QUESTION TYPES AND

STRATEGIES
• Questions 1-4: Matching information (Answers never
come in order)
• Questions 5-8: Summary completion (Gap fill)
(Answers come in order)
• Questions 9-13: Matching features (Answers never
come in order)
Which type of question would you answer first? Why?
 PARAGRAPH D
A possible alternative to concrete is wood. Making buildings from wood may seem
like rather medieval idea, but climate change is driving architects to turn to treated
timber as a possible resource. Recent years have seen the emergence of tall
buildings constructed almost entirely from timber. Vancouver, Vienna and
Brumunddal in Norway are all home to constructed tall, wooden buildings.

Making buildings with wood

Wood is a traditional building material, but current environmental concerns are
encouraging 5 ………. to use wood in modern construction projects.
5. architects
 Are there any other questions related to
paragraph D?
A possible alternative to concrete is wood. Making buildings from wood may
seem like rather medieval idea, but climate change is driving architects to turn to
treated timber as a possible resource. Recent years have seen the emergence of
tall buildings constructed almost entirely from timber. Vancouver, Vienna and
Brumunddal in Norway are all home to constructed tall, wooden buildings.
2. A reference to various locations where high-rise wooden buildings can be
found.
 PARAGRAPH E
Using wood to construct buildings, however, is not straightforward. Wood expands as it
absorbs moisture from the air and is susceptible to pests, not to mention fire. But treating
wood and combining it with other materials can improve its properties. Cross-laminated
timber is engineered wood. An adhesive is used to stick layers of solid-sawn timber
together, crosswise, to form building blocks. This material is light but has the strength of
concrete and steel. Construction experts say that wooden buildings can be constructed at
a greater speed than ones of concrete and steel and the process, it seems, is quieter.

Making buildings with wood

Using wood, however, has its challenges. For example, as 6…………in the atmosphere enters
wood, it increases in size.
6. moisture
 PARAGRAPH E
Using wood to construct buildings, however, is not straightforward. Wood expands
as it absorbs moisture from the air and is susceptible to pests, not to mention fire.
But treating wood and combining it with other materials can improve its properties.
Cross-laminated timber is engineered wood. An adhesive is used to stick layers of
solid-sawn timber together, crosswise, to form building blocks. This material is light
but has the strength of concrete and steel. Construction experts say that wooden
buildings can be constructed at a greater speed than ones of concrete and steel
and the process, it seems, is quieter.
Making buildings with wood
In one process, 7………….of solid wood are glued together to create building
blocks.
7. layers
 PARAGRAPH E
Using wood to construct buildings, however, is not straightforward. Wood expands
as it absorbs moisture from the air and is susceptible to pests, not to mention fire.
But treating wood and combining it with other materials can improve its properties.
Cross-laminated timber is engineered wood. An adhesive is used to stick layers of
solid-sawn timber together, crosswise, to form building blocks. This material is light
but has the strength of concrete and steel. Construction experts say that wooden
buildings can be constructed at a greater speed than ones of concrete and steel
and the process, it seems, is quieter.
Making buildings with wood
Experts say that wooden buildings are an improvement on those made of concrete
and steel in terms of the 8………….. with which they can be constructed and how
much noise is generated by the process.
8. speed
 PARAGRAPH A
Concrete is the second most used substance in the global economy, after water-
and one of the world's biggest single sources of greenhouse gas emissions. The
chemical process by which cement, the key ingredient of concrete, is created
results in large quantities of carbon dioxide. The UN estimates that there will be
9.8 billion people living on the planet by mid-century. They will need somewhere
to live. If concrete is the only answer to the construction of new cities, then
carbon emissions will soar, aggravating global warming. And so scientists have
started innovating with other materials, in a scramble for alternatives to a
universal commodity that has underpinned our modern life for many years.
aggravate something /ˈæɡrəveɪt/: to make an illness or a bad or unpleasant
situation worse
scramble (for something) a situation in which people push, fight or compete
with each other in order to get or do something
 PARAGRAPH B
The problem with replacing concrete is that it is so very good at what it
does. Chris Cheeseman, an engineering professor at Imperial College
London, says the key thing to consider is the extent to which concrete is
used around the world, and is likely to continue to be used. 'Concrete is
not a high-carbon product. Cement is high carbon, but concrete is not.
But it is the scale on which it is used that makes it high carbon. The
sheer scale of manufacture is so huge, that is the issue.’
13. the environmental damage caused by concrete is due to it being
produced in large quantities
sheer (adj) used to emphasize how very great, important, or powerful a
quality or feeling is; ...
 PARAGRAPH C 50

• Not only are the ingredients of concrete relatively cheap and found
in abundance in most places around the globe, the stuff itself has
marvellous properties: Portland cement, the vital component of
concrete, is mouldable and pourable, but quickly sets hard.
Cheeseman also notes another advantage: concrete and steel have
similar thermal expansion properties, so steel can be used to
reinforce concrete, making it far stronger and more flexible as a
building material than it could be on its own. According to
Cheeseman, all these factors together make concrete hard to beat.
'Concrete is amazing stuff. Making anything with similar properties
is going to be very difficult.'
 PARAGRAPH D
A possible alternative to concrete is wood. Making buildings from
wood may seem like a rather medieval idea, but climate change is
driving architects to turn to treated timber as a possible resource.
Recent years have seen the emergence of tall buildings constructed
almost entirely from timber. Vancouver, Vienna and Brumunddal in
Norway are all home to constructed tall, wooden buildings.
 PARAGRAPH E
Using wood to construct buildings, however, is not straightforward. Wood expands
as it absorbs moisture from the air and is susceptible to pests, not to mention fire.
But treating wood and combining it with other materials can improve its properties.
Cross-laminated timber is engineered wood. An adhesive is used to stick layers of
solid-sawn timber together, crosswise, to form building blocks. This material is light
but has the strength of concrete and steel. Construction experts say that wooden
buildings can be constructed at a greater speed than ones of concrete and steel
and the process, it seems, is quieter.
 PARAGRAPH F
Stora Enso is Europe's biggest supplier of cross-laminated timber, and
its vice-president Markus Mannström reports that the company is
seeing increasing demand globally for building in wood, with climate
change concerns the key driver. Finland, with its large forests, where
Stora Enso is based, has been leading the way, but the company is
seeing a rise in demand for its timber products across the world,
including in Asia. Of course, using timber in a building also locks
away the carbon that it absorbed as it grew. But even treated wood
has its limitations and only when a wider range of construction
projects has been proven in practice will it be possible to see wood as
a real alternative to concrete in constructing tall buildings.
 PARAGRAPH G
Fly ash and slag from iron ore are possible alternatives to cement in a concrete mix. Fly
ash, a byproduct of coal-burning power plants, can be incorporated into concrete mixes to
make up as much as 15 to 30% of the cement, without harming the strength or durability
of the resulting mix. Iron-ore slag, a byproduct of the iron-ore smelting process, can be
used in a similar way. Their incorporation into concrete mixes has the potential to reduce
greenhouse gas emissions. But Anna Surgenor, of the UK's Green Building Council, notes
that although these waste products can save carbon in the concrete mix, their use is not
always straightforward. 'It's possible to replace the cement content in concrete with waste
products to lower the overall carbon impact. But there are several calculations that need to
be considered across the entire life cycle of the building - these include factoring in where
these materials are being shipped from. If they are transported over long distances, using
fossil fuels, the use of alternative materials might not make sense from an overall carbon
reduction perspective.
 PARAGRAPH H
While these technologies are all promising ideas, they are either
unproven or based on materials that are not abundant. In their
overview of innovation in the concrete industry. Felix Preston
and Johanna Lehne of the UK's Royal Institute of International
Affairs reached the conclusion that, 'Some novel cements have
been discussed for more than a decade within the research
community, without breaking through. At present, these
alternatives are rarely as cost-effective as conventional cement,
and they face raw-material shortages and resistance from
customers.
 UNIT 2
MENTAL AND
PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT
1.1 How old were you when you first
learned to
A crawl
D ride a bike
B walk
E read
C talk
F tie a shoelace?
I was able to
tie/untie a
shoelace
when I was 4.
Describe a child you know.
You should say:
who this child is and how often you see him or her
how old this child is
what he or she is like
and explain what you feel about this child.
 RECORDING 2A PAGE 12
In the first years of a child's life many important milestones are
reached. By the end of the first year a baby will have already
acquired some social skills. He will enjoy imitating people and will
also test parental responses to his behaviour. For example, what do
my parents do if I refuse food? In terms of movement, an infant
will be able to reach a sitting position unassisted and pull himself
up to stand. He may be able to walk momentarily without support.
As far as communication is concerned, he will be able to use
simple gestures such as shaking his head for 'no', say 'mama' and
'dada' and he will try to imitate words. When it comes to cognitive
development, he will be able to find hidden objects easily and use
objects correctly such as drinking from a cup.
 RECORDING 2A PAGE 12
By the age of two or three, the infant has reached the toddler stage. In
terms of social skills, this means, he is becoming more independent,
which may result in the occasional tantrum, However, he has learned to
take turns in games and spontaneously expresses affection. His
physical development will also have increased significantly as he can
now move around a lot faster and even run. He can also climb up stairs
or onto relatively low obstacles, and even ride a small tricycle.
However, he will still be rather unsteady on his feet at times. When it
comes to language and communication he can now understand most
sentences and uses four- and five-word sentences. In terms of cognitive
development, he's learned to play make-believe games and uses his
imagination more. He has also mastered the skill of sorting objects
according to their shape and colour.
 RECORDING 2A PAGE 12
Between the ages of six and twelve, a child reaches what is termed 'middle
childhood' and they will stay in this phase until they reach adolescence. In
middle childhood, children's development is more affected by the outside world
and the child's world expands to include friends, teachers, sports trainers and so
on. Children develop at various rates and while some children in middle
childhood seem very mature in terms of their emotional and social skills, others
seem very immature. As far as physical milestones are concerned, during this
stage growth is steady but less rapid than during the pre-school years. There are
some major changes occurring at this stage as baby teeth will come out and
permanent adult teeth will grow. As the mouth is not yet fully developed this
may cause overcrowding. Eyes will reach maturity in both size and function. In
terms of their cognitive ability. children at this stage master the skills of
sequencing and ordering. which are essential for maths. By the end of this
period children should have acquired effective reading and writing skills
 RECORDING 2B PAGE 14

gestures
behavior

Toddler independent

climb imagination/
make-believe

outside
world rapid

eyes
teeth
immature
 2.1. Reading, page 13
The final stage before adulthood is adolescence. This is a period of transition for teenagers
and there are many crucial milestones. Socially and emotionally, teens worry that they may
not be developing at the same rate as their peers. They become extremely self-conscious and
may be overly sensitive about their appearance. Teens may rebel against their parents but are
also more able to accept the consequences of their actions. This is also a period of enormous
physical change and adolescents experience changes in their physical development at a rate
unparalleled since infancy. These changes include significant gains in height and weight.
Within a year, boys and girls can gain an average of 4.1 inches and 3.5 inches in height
respectively. This growth spurt typically occurs two years earlier for girls than for boys and
can tend to make both sexes go through a clumsy phase. In terms of their cognitive
development, adolescents have greater reasoning skills and have developed the ability to
think logically and hypothetically. They are also able to discuss more abstract concepts.
They should also have developed strategies to help them study.
Spurt (n) a sudden increase
 RECORDING 2B PAGE 14

Teacher: What do you remember about your early childhood?

Student: Oh, I remember being very happy! I have a lot of great
memories of my childhood. In fact, my sisters and I often reminisce
about it. Perhaps when you look back everything seems better, but
our summer holidays seemed to go on forever and the sun always
seemed to be shining. Nowadays, if we ever have a hot summer
day, it always reminds me of my childhood holidays.
reminisce /ˌremɪˈnɪs/ (about something/somebody) to think,
talk or write about a happy time in your past
 RECORDING 2B PAGE 14

Teacher: Do you think you have a good memory or a poor

memory?
Student: Well, when I was younger I think I used to have a very
good memory. I used to be able to memorise long lists of dates
without any trouble. But I find it harder and harder to remember
things these days, so now I'd say my memory is quite poor.
When I'm studying I find I have to think up strategies to help
me like visualising something associated with a particular word.
I ever forget important things sometimes, so I have to write
myself little notes as a reminder.
Describe a time you forgot something
important
UNIT 3: KEEPING FIT
Diet, health and exercise
 variety
nutrients
servings
maintain
factors
overweight

overeating

ingredients
Presentation title 71
LOSE WEIGHT
GAIN WEIGHT (PUT ON WEIGHT)
Presentation title 73
 recommend
vital prevent
variety of overweight obesity alternate