IELTS Lexical Resource Exercises with Answers

IELTS Lexical Resource exercises should test control, not your ability to insert the longest synonym. The public Speaking and Writing descriptors consider range, precision, appropriacy, collocation, paraphrase, and errors in spelling or word formation. This practice set turns those broad qualities into decisions you can check.

These are original training items, not recalled test questions. More than one sentence can often be well written, but every selected-response item below has one best answer because the context fixes the intended meaning. Use the IELTS vocabulary practice hub to connect the exercises with individual tasks.

Exercise 1: choose the precise claim

Select the option that the supplied evidence supports.

1. A survey of 240 commuters found that 62% preferred more frequent buses. The survey proves / suggests that many respondents value frequency.
2. Household waste fell from 510 to 495 kilograms per person. It plummeted / declined slightly.
3. The policy reduced one source of delay but did not affect staff shortages. It eliminated / mitigated delays.
4. Two of eight interviewees raised the same concern. A minority / the overwhelming majority mentioned it.

Exercise 2: repair the collocation

Replace only the bold phrase.

1. The council made a restriction on overnight parking.
2. Remote work can do an impact on commuting patterns.
3. The campaign aims to grow awareness of food waste.
4. Universities should give attention on students' financial constraints.

Exercise 3: complete the word family

Use the form in parentheses.

1. The two neighborhoods differed ______ in access to green space. (substantial)
2. Better lighting may improve the ______ of pedestrians at night. (safe)
3. The proposal is financially ______ only if maintenance costs remain stable. (viability)
4. The figures should be interpreted with ______ because the sample is small. (cautious)

Exercise 4: match the register

Choose the natural option for the context.

1. Academic essay: The plan is kind of expensive / relatively costly.
2. Speaking about a disappointing film: I was somewhat disappointed / inconsolable because the ending was predictable.
3. Formal letter: I am writing to request a refund / get my cash back.
4. Conversation about a hobby: Gardening helps me unwind / achieve psychological decompression after work.

Exercise 5: paraphrase without changing scope

Choose the closer paraphrase.

1. “Some residents opposed the change.”
   • A. The change faced universal opposition.
   • B. The change met resistance from part of the community.
2. “Prices remained broadly stable.”
   • A. Prices changed very little overall.
   • B. Prices stayed exactly identical.
3. “The measure may improve access.”
   • A. The measure could make access better.
   • B. The measure will guarantee equal access.
4. “Cycling accounted for nearly a quarter of journeys.”
   • A. Cycling represented just under 25% of journeys.
   • B. Most journeys were made by bicycle.

Exercise 6: edit a short response

Original:

Public transport is tremendously good because it completely solves traffic. My city made a new bus route last year, and it did a big effect for students.

Rewrite it so that the strength, collocations, and detail match this context: congestion fell by 8% near one university after the route opened, but other districts were not measured.

One defensible revision is:

Better public transport can reduce congestion in particular areas. After my city introduced a bus route serving one university, measured congestion nearby fell by 8%, although the available data did not cover other districts.

The revision does not claim a complete solution. It uses introduce a route, reduce congestion, and data did not cover as natural combinations, and it identifies the limit of the evidence.

Answers and rationales

1.1 suggests: a survey supports an interpretation but does not prove a universal fact. 1.2 declined slightly: a fall of 15 from 510 is not a plunge. 1.3 mitigated: the policy reduced only one contributor. 1.4 a minority: two of eight is 25%.

2.1 imposed/introduced a restriction. 2.2 have an impact. 2.3 raise awareness. 2.4 give/pay attention to. Each correction restores a conventional word partnership.

3.1 substantially, an adverb modifying differed. 3.2 safety, a noun after the. 3.3 viable, an adjective after is. 3.4 caution, a noun after with.

4.1 relatively costly suits an academic comparison. 4.2 somewhat disappointed fits the minor cause. 4.3 request a refund fits a formal letter. 4.4 unwind is natural spoken English; complexity would not make the idea more precise.

5.1 B preserves some. 5.2 A preserves approximate stability. 5.3 A preserves possibility. 5.4 A preserves the proportion. The rejected answers strengthen or widen the source claim.

Review every error by category: precision, collocation, form, register, or paraphrase. That diagnosis is more useful than counting how many “advanced” words you used.

Take the category you missed back to the IELTS vocabulary practice hub, where Lyra Practice organizes the next practice by exam task rather than by an undifferentiated word list.

Sources

• IELTS Speaking band descriptors
• IELTS Writing band descriptors

Related

• IELTS Lexical Resource: Bands 7, 8, and 9
• IELTS vocabulary mistakes
• IELTS paraphrasing vocabulary
• IELTS collocations for Speaking and Writing

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