IELTS Speaking Lexical Resource: Vocabulary Band-by-Band Guide
How IELTS Speaking marks vocabulary: range, precision, collocation, idioms and paraphrase, explained band by band with tips to score higher.
3 min read · Updated 2026-10-31
Lexical Resource is the vocabulary criterion. It counts for a quarter of your Speaking band and looks at how wide, precise and natural your choice of words is across all three parts of the test.
What examiners listen for
- Range: do you have enough words to discuss both familiar and less familiar topics?
- Precision: do you choose the word that says exactly what you mean (commute rather than go to work and come back)?
- Less common and idiomatic language: phrases like it's not my cup of tea or a steep learning curve, used appropriately.
- Collocation: natural word partnerships such as heavy traffic, make a decision, a strong argument.
- Paraphrase: when you don't know a word, can you get around it smoothly?
- Style: is your vocabulary suitable for a spoken conversation, not overly formal or bookish?
Band by band
The table below is a paraphrase in our own words, not the official wording. For the exact descriptors, read the official IELTS Speaking band descriptors (PDF).
| Band | What it looks like |
|---|---|
| 9 | Uses vocabulary with full flexibility and precision on every topic. Idiomatic language comes naturally and accurately. |
| 8 | Draws on a wide vocabulary easily to express precise meaning. Uses less common and idiomatic words skilfully, with only occasional slips. Paraphrases effectively whenever needed. |
| 7 | Uses vocabulary flexibly across a range of topics, including some less common and idiomatic items, and shows awareness of style and collocation, though some choices are not quite right. Paraphrases effectively. |
| 6 | Has a wide enough vocabulary to talk about topics at length and make meaning clear, even when some words are used inappropriately. Generally paraphrases successfully. |
| 5 | Can talk about familiar and unfamiliar topics but with little flexibility. Tries to paraphrase, but not always successfully. |
| 4 | Manages familiar topics but conveys only basic meaning on unfamiliar ones. Word choice errors are frequent and paraphrase is rare. |
| 3 | Uses simple vocabulary, mostly for personal information. Not enough vocabulary for less familiar topics. |
| 2 | Produces only isolated words or memorised phrases. |
| 1 | Only a few isolated words; no communication is possible. |
Band 0 is given when a candidate does not attend or does not complete the test.
Features that hold your score down
- Repeating the same words: good, nice, bad, thing, very in every answer.
- Wrong collocations: do a mistake, strong rain, make a photo.
- Forced idioms that don't fit the context: It's raining cats and dogs when asked about your job.
- Overly formal written vocabulary in conversation: Furthermore, it is my contention that…
- Memorised topic answers, which are not counted as evidence of your real vocabulary.
How to move up a band
- From 5 to 6: build topic word sets for common themes (home, work, study, technology, environment) so you can keep talking on less familiar subjects.
- From 6 to 7: learn collocations and phrases, not single words. Note the verb and adjective that naturally go with each noun.
- From 7 to 8: aim for precision. Replace general words with exact ones (crowded → packed, change → adapt), and practise paraphrasing when a word escapes you.
- At every level: listen to natural speech (podcasts, interviews) and copy whole phrases into a notebook with an example sentence.
Common mistakes
These examples are original and written for Bee English.
Before (around Band 5):
My job is very good. The people are very nice and the work is very interesting. I do many things every day and it is good for me.
After (around Band 7):
I really enjoy my job, mostly because of the people. My colleagues are easy-going and supportive, and there's a lot of variety in the work, so I never get bored. It's also given me a chance to develop skills I'd never have picked up at university.
The second version replaces vague words (good, nice, things) with precise ones (easy-going, supportive, variety) and uses natural collocations (develop skills, pick up).
Related guides
- IELTS Speaking: complete guide
- Fluency and Coherence
- Grammatical Range and Accuracy
- Writing: Lexical Resource
Sources
- IELTS, Speaking band descriptors (PDF)
- IELTS, Scoring in detail
Questions people ask
Do I need to use idioms to get Band 7?
You need some less common and idiomatic language used appropriately, but forcing idioms into answers usually backfires. Natural collocations count just as much.
What is paraphrase in IELTS Speaking?
It means explaining a word or idea in other words when you don't know the exact term, for example 'the machine that makes coffee automatically' instead of the brand name.
Are memorised phrases bad for vocabulary?
Learning phrases is good. Reciting memorised answers is not: examiners discount rehearsed speech because it doesn't show your real range.
Try it in a real-format test.
Practise free