YES IELTS Glossary of Terms

Appropriacy refers to whether a word is suitable for the context it is being used in.

It is an important aspect of language but an extremely complex one, as decisions about how to say things depend on understanding exactly what is right for the context.

Reference: http://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/knowledgedatabase/appropriacy

The band descriptors are the tools the examiner uses in order to grade your essay. In Writing Task 2, there are four criteria: Task Response (TR), Coherence and Cohesion (CC), Lexical Resource (LR), and Grammatical Range and Accuracy (GRA). In IELTS there are 9 levels, or bands: 0 to 9. Zero is the lowest and nine is the highest.

Coherence and cohesion

One of the band descriptors for IELTS writing.

All aspects of cohesion include: referencing, substitution, conjunctions, transitions (also called linking words and phrases, connectives, linkers, and connecting words), and ellipsis.

Cohesive devices are words which work within a sentence, paragraph, or essay to show cohesion.

They are sometimes referred to as linking words and phrases, connectives, linkers, and connecting words.

Types of cohesive devices include: referencing, substitution, conjunctions, transitions, and ellipsis.

A collocation is a sequence of words that occur together more often that would normally be expected.

For example, strong tea may have the same meaning as powerful tea, but we normally use the former not the latter. Collocations include matching verbs with objects, such as make a decision, make tea, do the shopping, and matching prepositions with nouns or verbs (make tea for, make a decision about, do the shopping with).

A complex compound sentence (or compound complex sentence) consists of multiple independent clauses, at least one of which has at least one dependent clause.

For example: The woman, who was the child’s mother, walked to the park while the child ran ahead.

A complex sentence consists of at least one independent clause and one dependent clause.

A compound sentence consists of multiple independent clauses with no dependent clauses. These clauses are joined together using conjunctions, punctuation, or both.

For example: The woman walked and the child ran.

A type of cohesive device.

For example: The boy and the girl went to the shop where they bought an ice cream each. The boy bought a chocolate flavoured ice cream and the girl bought a caramel one. He asked for his in a cup, and she asked for a cone. Afterwards, they went to the park, but it started to rain so they went home.

and, but, and so are all conjunctions

A type of cohesive device.

In this case, words are omitted when the phrase would otherwise be repeated.

For example: The boy and the girl went to the shop where they bought an ice cream each. The boy bought a chocolate flavoured ice cream and the girl bought a caramel ^ one. He asked for his ^ in a cup, she ^ a cone. Afterwards, they went to the park.

^ The words flavoured, ice cream, and asked for hers in a have been omitted.

Flexibility means that that the student can use different words or phrases to describe the same thing (for example, synonyms).

If the vocabulary is used fluently, it flows naturally, effortlessly, accurately, and eloquently.

The ability to use a wide range of sentence structures with ease.

Grammatical range and accuracy

One of the four band descriptors for IELTS writing.

Inappropriacy is the opposite of appropriacy

Appropriacy refers to whether a word is suitable for the context it is being used in. It is an important aspect of language but an extremely complex one, as decisions about how to say things depend on understanding exactly what is right for the context and the culture.

Reference: http://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/knowledge-database/appropriacy

This is similar to less common vocabulary.

Lexical items include not only words, but also parts of words, phrasal verbs, sayings, collocations, idioms, and expressions.

Less common vocabulary includes using such items as idioms and expressions. You can develop your “less common” vocabulary by reading widely in English.

IELTS-Simon has a short but good post about this here: http://ielts-simon.com/ielts-help-and-english-pr/2011/06/ielts-advice-less-common-vocabulary.html

Lexical features include collocations, writing style, idioms, word form, and spelling.

Lexical Resource

One of the four band descriptors for IELTS writing.

very small, imperceptible

Moodle (acronym for Modular Object-Oriented Dynamic Learning Environment) is a free software e-learning platform, also known as a Learning Management System, or Virtual Learning Environment (VLE).¹

Moodle is a learning platform designed to provide educators, administrators and learners with a single robust, secure and integrated system to create personalised learning environments.²

1. Source: Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moodle)

2. Source: Moodle.org (http://docs.moodle.org/26/en/About_Moodle)

Precision means that the word conveys the precise meaning needed in its context. Connotations are important when conveying precise meaning. For example, spinster and unmarried woman have the same basic meaning, but spinster has a much more negative connotation.

The range is the extent to which you can use your vocabulary. Having an adequate range means that you know more than just basic words in English; that you are able to communicate about popular and well-know topics. It also includes the ability to use synonyms to avoid repetition.

This is a type of cohesive device in which you use pronouns instead of nouns.

For example: The boy and the girl went to the shop where they bought an ice cream each. The boy bought a chocolate flavoured ice cream and the girl bought a caramel one. He asked for his in a cup, she a cone. Afterwards, they went to the park.

he = the boy

she = the girl

they = they girl and the boy

How you construct words together (put words in order) to make a sentence.

A type of cohesive device.

Do not omit the word(s), but use a synonym (or synonyms) to refer to the same thing.

For example: The boy and the girl went to the shop where they bought an ice cream each. The boy bought a chocolate flavoured ice cream and the girl bought a caramel one. He asked for his in a cup, she a cone. Afterwards, they went to the park.

one = ice cream

Task response

One of the band descriptors for IELTS writing.

A cohesive device: transitions connect your ideas together to help the reader understand your logic.

For example: The boy and the girl went to the shop where they bought an ice cream each. The boy bought a chocolate flavoured ice cream and the girl bought a caramel one. He asked for his in a cup, she a cone. Afterwards, they went to the park.

The ability to use simple, compound, complex, and compound complex sentence structures.

Word formation is using the correct form of the word.

For example, The children played together happily. The correct word here is an adverb happily, which modifies (describes) the verb played. If the writer had written the adjective, happy, the word formation would have been incorrect because an adjective is used to modify a noun, not a verb.

Style means choosing the right word(s) for the audience.

If you are required to write in a semi-formal / neutral style, you should avoid using too many phrasal verbs, avoid exclamation marks (!), contractions (don’t, can’t, it’s), smiley faces (J), slang (wanna, gonna), “chat” words (u instead of you, 2 instead of to) and abbreviations (info, advert, e.g.). In IELTS, it is acceptable to use the first person (I). Connotations are also an important element of style ("precise").