English Test Coach · Vocabulary essentials
Original study notes. Examples illustrate language and are not research findings or exam questions.
Use precise phrases in context, not memorised paragraphs. These activities do not award IELTS bands.

1. acquire skills · Education & work
Meaning: Develop abilities through learning or experience.
Example: A supervised placement can help students acquire skills that lectures alone do not teach.
Usage: Use acquire with skills or knowledge. Do not replace every instance of learn: learn a language is usually the simpler choice.
Recall: During a supervised placement, students can ___ that are useful in their first job.
Answer: acquire skills
Why: Acquire skills is a verb–noun combination. The modal can is followed by the base form acquire.
Your own sentence: ____________________

2. practical experience · Education & work
Meaning: Knowledge gained by actually doing an activity.
Example: The course combines classroom study with practical experience in a workshop.
Usage: Experience is uncountable when it means accumulated knowledge: practical experience, not a practical experience. An experience can mean one event.
Recall: Students need ___ in a workshop as well as theoretical knowledge.
Answer: practical experience
Why: The contrast with theoretical knowledge points to experience gained by doing real tasks.
Your own sentence: ____________________

3. career prospects · Education & work
Meaning: The future opportunities someone may have in their working life.
Example: Reliable training may improve a worker’s career prospects without guaranteeing promotion.
Usage: Prospects describes possibilities, not a certain outcome. Qualify claims instead of promising that one course guarantees a job.
Recall: Additional training may improve employees’ ___, although promotion is not guaranteed.
Answer: career prospects
Why: Career prospects refers to future work opportunities; the plural noun fits the possessive employees’.
Your own sentence: ____________________

4. flexible working · Education & work
Meaning: An arrangement that allows variation in working hours or location.
Example: Flexible working may help parents coordinate their hours with school collections.
Usage: Specify the arrangement. Flexible working does not always mean working from home or working fewer total hours.
Recall: Allowing staff to vary their start and finish times is one form of ___.
Answer: flexible working
Why: The sentence describes flexibility in the schedule, not necessarily a reduction in total hours.
Your own sentence: ____________________

5. vocational training · Education & work
Meaning: Education that prepares learners for a particular trade or occupation.
Example: Vocational training can combine technical classes with supervised practice in a real workplace.
Usage: Use this for occupation-specific preparation, not as a dismissive label for education that is less academic.
Recall: A course in plumbing with supervised workplace practice is a form of ___.
Answer: vocational training
Why: The course prepares learners for a particular occupation, which is the defining purpose of vocational training.
Your own sentence: ____________________

6. transferable skills · Education & work
Meaning: Abilities that can be applied in different jobs, subjects or situations.
Example: Group projects may develop transferable skills such as planning, negotiation and clear communication.
Usage: Name the relevant abilities when possible. The phrase does not mean that every skill transfers equally well to every role.
Recall: Planning and communication are ___ that graduates can use in many different roles.
Answer: transferable skills
Why: The abilities are useful across several roles, so transferable describes how they can be applied beyond one setting.
Your own sentence: ____________________

7. job satisfaction · Education & work
Meaning: The degree to which someone feels content with their work.
Example: Greater control over daily tasks may improve job satisfaction for some employees.
Usage: This describes an attitude to work, not salary alone. Avoid assuming that the same condition satisfies every employee.
Recall: A supportive manager may improve employees’ ___ even when their duties remain unchanged.
Answer: job satisfaction
Why: The sentence concerns how content employees feel about their work, which is the meaning of job satisfaction.
Your own sentence: ____________________

8. lifelong learning · Education & work
Meaning: Continuing to gain knowledge and abilities throughout adult life.
Example: Public libraries can support lifelong learning by providing courses and reliable study materials.
Usage: Use the phrase for learning across a long period, not simply for one short course taken after graduation.
Recall: Adult evening classes can make ___ more accessible after formal education has ended.
Answer: lifelong learning
Why: The classes allow education to continue through adulthood, so lifelong learning is the precise concept.
Your own sentence: ____________________

9. reduce emissions · Environment & cities
Meaning: Lower the amount of gases or other substances released into the environment.
Example: Replacing some car journeys with bus trips could reduce emissions if the buses carry enough passengers.
Usage: State what emissions you mean when the distinction matters. Avoid claiming that any transport policy automatically eliminates pollution.
Recall: The town hopes that cleaner vehicles will ___ from its transport system.
Answer: reduce emissions
Why: Reduce describes lowering an amount; emissions is the plural noun for substances released.
Your own sentence: ____________________

10. public transport · Environment & cities
Meaning: Shared passenger services such as buses and trains that are available to the public.
Example: Frequent public transport gives residents an alternative to driving.
Usage: In this sense transport is uncountable in British English. Public transportation is also accepted here.
Recall: Frequent buses and trains can make ___ a realistic alternative to a private car.
Answer: public transport / public transportation
Why: The reference to buses and trains identifies the shared transport network, not road construction.
Your own sentence: ____________________

11. urban sprawl · Environment & cities
Meaning: The outward spread of low-density development around a town or city.
Example: A planning policy might limit urban sprawl by encouraging homes near existing services.
Usage: This usually carries a critical meaning. Do not use it as a neutral synonym for every kind of urban growth.
Recall: The unchecked spread of low-density housing at the edge of a city is often called ___.
Answer: urban sprawl
Why: Sprawl refers specifically to spread-out development, not simply an increase in population.
Your own sentence: ____________________

12. renewable energy · Environment & cities
Meaning: Energy obtained from sources replenished by natural processes.
Example: The proposal would use renewable energy from wind turbines to supply part of the district’s demand.
Usage: Renewable does not mean impact-free. Explain the relevant benefit instead of treating all environmental outcomes as identical.
Recall: Electricity generated from wind is an example of ___.
Answer: renewable energy
Why: Wind is naturally replenished, which makes renewable the relevant description of the energy source.
Your own sentence: ____________________

13. waste management · Environment & cities
Meaning: The collection, treatment and disposal or reuse of unwanted materials.
Example: An effective waste management plan could separate recyclable material before rubbish reaches landfill.
Usage: This covers several stages, so identify whether you mean collection, recycling, treatment or final disposal.
Recall: Regular collection and safe recycling are both parts of municipal ___.
Answer: waste management
Why: The sentence combines collection and recycling within the wider system used to handle unwanted material.
Your own sentence: ____________________

14. green space · Environment & cities
Meaning: An area of vegetation in a town or city that people can use or experience.
Example: A protected green space can give residents room to walk while preserving mature trees.
Usage: Specify what the area provides. The phrase alone does not prove that a site is accessible, safe or biodiverse.
Recall: The council plans to preserve the park as public ___ rather than permit new buildings.
Answer: green space
Why: A park with vegetation inside an urban area is accurately described as green space.
Your own sentence: ____________________

15. traffic congestion · Environment & cities
Meaning: A condition in which crowded roads cause vehicles to move slowly.
Example: Staggered school opening times might reduce traffic congestion during the morning peak.
Usage: Congestion already concerns crowded movement, so avoid the redundant expression crowded traffic congestion.
Recall: Long queues and slow-moving vehicles indicate severe ___ near the city centre.
Answer: traffic congestion
Why: The clues are crowded roads, queues and slow movement, which together describe traffic congestion.
Your own sentence: ____________________

16. conserve resources · Environment & cities
Meaning: Use materials, energy or supplies carefully so that less is wasted.
Example: Repairing usable equipment can conserve resources by delaying the need for replacement products.
Usage: Name the resource or mechanism when it matters. Conserving resources is not the same as refusing all consumption.
Recall: Repairing equipment instead of replacing it immediately may help ___.
Answer: conserve resources
Why: Extending the life of equipment reduces demand for new materials, so it can conserve resources.
Your own sentence: ____________________

17. balanced diet · Health & society
Meaning: A pattern of eating that provides an appropriate variety of nutrients.
Example: A school lesson can explain the idea of a balanced diet without prescribing the same meals to everyone.
Usage: This is a language example, not dietary advice. Use a balanced diet with the article when referring to one person’s eating pattern.
Recall: The lesson discusses the value of a ___ rather than relying on a single type of food.
Answer: balanced diet
Why: The article a is already provided, so the missing phrase is balanced diet.
Your own sentence: ____________________

18. access to · Health & society
Meaning: The opportunity or ability to obtain or use something.
Example: A mobile library could improve rural residents’ access to books.
Usage: Use the preposition to: access to a service, not access of a service. Access is normally uncountable in this meaning.
Recall: A mobile library could improve residents’ ___ books in remote villages.
Answer: access to
Why: Access takes to before the thing that people can obtain or use.
Your own sentence: ____________________

19. social isolation · Health & society
Meaning: A situation in which someone has little contact with other people.
Example: A neighbourhood club may reduce social isolation by creating regular opportunities to meet.
Usage: Do not assume that living alone means being isolated. Describe the evidence about contact rather than making a medical diagnosis.
Recall: Regular community activities may help people who experience ___ because they rarely meet others.
Answer: social isolation
Why: The clue is limited contact with other people, rather than a judgement about living arrangements.
Your own sentence: ____________________

20. quality of life · Health & society
Meaning: How satisfactory and comfortable someone’s everyday life is.
Example: A quieter street may improve residents’ quality of life even if their incomes do not change.
Usage: Explain which aspect improves. This broad phrase should not replace a specific account of safety, comfort or free time.
Recall: Less noise and safer crossings may improve residents’ ___ without increasing their income.
Answer: quality of life
Why: Quality of life includes everyday comfort and satisfaction; it is not simply a measure of income.
Your own sentence: ____________________

21. preventive care · Health & society
Meaning: Health support intended to reduce the chance or severity of future illness.
Example: Accessible preventive care may help people identify risks before symptoms become severe.
Usage: This is a general language example, not medical advice. Do not claim that prevention removes every health risk.
Recall: Screening and routine vaccinations are commonly discussed as forms of ___.
Answer: preventive care / preventative care
Why: The examples aim to prevent or detect problems early, which is the purpose of preventive care.
Your own sentence: ____________________

22. public awareness · Health & society
Meaning: The extent to which people generally know about an issue.
Example: A clear information campaign could raise public awareness of the new support service.
Usage: Awareness is knowledge, not necessarily action. Explain separately whether behaviour or participation changed.
Recall: The campaign aims to increase ___ of where residents can find support.
Answer: public awareness
Why: The goal is to increase what the wider population knows, so public awareness fits the context.
Your own sentence: ____________________

23. community support · Health & society
Meaning: Practical or social help provided within a local group or area.
Example: Regular visits and shared transport can provide community support for residents who live alone.
Usage: Identify who provides the help and what it involves. The phrase should not hide gaps in professional services.
Recall: Volunteer visits are one form of ___ for older residents who want more local contact.
Answer: community support
Why: The help is organised within the local area for its residents, which makes community support appropriate.
Your own sentence: ____________________

24. sedentary lifestyle · Health & society
Meaning: A way of life involving long periods of sitting and little physical activity.
Example: Long desk hours and motorised travel may contribute to a sedentary lifestyle.
Usage: Use this to describe a pattern of low activity, not to diagnose an individual or judge a single day of rest.
Recall: Spending most days seated with little movement may be described as a ___.
Answer: sedentary lifestyle
Why: The sentence describes a continuing pattern of sitting and limited movement, which defines a sedentary lifestyle.
Your own sentence: ____________________

25. to some extent · Argument & evidence
Meaning: Partly, but not completely.
Example: I agree to some extent, although the policy would not suit every community.
Usage: A qualified position still needs to be clear. Explain which part you accept and which part you reject.
Recall: I agree ___, but there are situations in which the proposal would be unsuitable.
Answer: to some extent
Why: This phrase qualifies the degree of agreement without changing it into complete disagreement.
Your own sentence: ____________________

26. a key factor · Argument & evidence
Meaning: An important element that contributes to a situation or result.
Example: Service frequency is a key factor in whether commuters choose the bus.
Usage: A factor contributes to an outcome; it need not be the only cause. Explain the link rather than simply calling something important.
Recall: Service frequency is ___ in commuters’ decisions, alongside cost and convenience.
Answer: a key factor
Why: The other influences show that frequency is one important factor, not the sole explanation.
Your own sentence: ____________________

27. may contribute to · Argument & evidence
Meaning: Could be one of the causes of something.
Example: Longer opening hours may contribute to higher attendance, but the price change could matter too.
Usage: Do not present a possible link as proven causation. Follow to with a noun phrase or an -ing form, not a bare verb.
Recall: Longer opening hours ___ higher attendance, although other causes are possible.
Answer: may contribute to
Why: May expresses possibility, while contribute to indicates that several causes can operate together.
Your own sentence: ____________________

28. in contrast · Argument & evidence
Meaning: Used to introduce a clear difference between two things.
Example: The first proposal focuses on road capacity. In contrast, the second aims to reduce car use.
Usage: Use this only when the ideas genuinely differ. Adding a contrast linker does not create a logical contrast by itself.
Recall: The first plan expands parking. ___, the second removes parking spaces.
Answer: in contrast
Why: Expanding and removing parking are opposing approaches, so a contrast marker fits the relationship.
Your own sentence: ____________________

29. available evidence · Argument & evidence
Meaning: The information currently accessible for judging a claim or question.
Example: The available evidence supports a cautious trial, but it does not justify a permanent nationwide policy.
Usage: State the limits and source of the evidence. Available does not mean complete, unbiased or conclusive.
Recall: The ___ supports a small trial, although more data is needed before expansion.
Answer: available evidence / the available evidence
Why: The sentence refers to the information currently on hand and explicitly recognises that it is incomplete.
Your own sentence: ____________________

30. a potential drawback · Argument & evidence
Meaning: A possible disadvantage that should be considered before a decision.
Example: A potential drawback of remote services is that some users may lack reliable internet access.
Usage: Potential marks possibility rather than certainty. Explain the mechanism instead of listing an unsupported negative point.
Recall: ___ of the online-only plan is that not every resident has internet access.
Answer: a potential drawback
Why: Unequal access is presented as one possible disadvantage, so a potential drawback gives the right degree of caution.
Your own sentence: ____________________

31. a practical alternative · Argument & evidence
Meaning: A different option that could realistically work in the stated situation.
Example: Improving the existing bus route may be a practical alternative to constructing a new railway.
Usage: Practical depends on the context. Give a reason the option is feasible instead of using the adjective as proof.
Recall: Upgrading the current route may be ___ to building an entirely new line.
Answer: a practical alternative
Why: The existing route offers a different and potentially workable option, making it a practical alternative.
Your own sentence: ____________________

32. this suggests that · Argument & evidence
Meaning: Introduces a cautious interpretation drawn from previously stated information.
Example: Attendance rose after evening classes were introduced. This suggests that scheduling may affect participation.
Usage: A suggestion is not proof of causation. Make sure this refers clearly to evidence in the preceding sentence.
Recall: Attendance rose after the timetable changed. ___ scheduling may influence participation.
Answer: this suggests that
Why: The second sentence draws a cautious inference from the observation rather than claiming definite causation.
Your own sentence: ____________________

33. rose by · Charts & trends
Meaning: Increased by a stated amount; describes the size of the change.
Example: In an imaginary chart, attendance rose by 200, from 600 to 800.
Usage: Distinguish by from to: rose by 200 gives the increase; rose to 800 gives the final value. Only use figures shown in the task.
Recall: In this invented example, attendance increased from 600 to 800: it ___ 200.
Answer: rose by
Why: The change is 200. Rose to 200 would incorrectly describe the final value.
Your own sentence: ____________________

34. accounted for · Charts & trends
Meaning: Made up a stated share or proportion of a total.
Example: In an imaginary survey, train journeys accounted for 30% of all trips.
Usage: Check the denominator: a percentage of trips is not necessarily the same as a percentage of people.
Recall: In this invented survey, rail trips made up 30% of all journeys: they ___ 30%.
Answer: accounted for
Why: Accounted for describes the proportion of a total, not a change over time.
Your own sentence: ____________________

35. remained stable · Charts & trends
Meaning: Stayed at roughly the same level during a period.
Example: In an imaginary series, the figure remained stable at about 50 for three years.
Usage: Small fluctuations may still allow roughly stable, but a large rise or fall does not. Do not invent a trend from missing data.
Recall: In this invented series, the figure stayed near 50 for three years: it ___ at about 50.
Answer: remained stable
Why: Remained stable describes little overall movement; at introduces the approximate level.
Your own sentence: ____________________

36. peaked at · Charts & trends
Meaning: Reached the highest recorded level in the period being described.
Example: In an imaginary series, sales peaked at 90 in June before falling to 70 in July.
Usage: A peak is the highest point within the stated period. Do not call a final value a peak unless the data supports that comparison.
Recall: In this invented series, June was the highest month, with 90 sales: sales ___ 90.
Answer: peaked at
Why: Peaked at introduces the maximum value, while in June would identify when it occurred.
Your own sentence: ____________________

37. fell to · Charts & trends
Meaning: Decreased until it reached a stated final value.
Example: In an imaginary series, the total fell to 45 in March after starting the year at 60.
Usage: Distinguish to from by: fell to 45 gives the final value, whereas fell by 15 gives the size of the decrease.
Recall: In this invented example, the total dropped from 60 and ___ 45 in March.
Answer: fell to
Why: The missing phrase introduces the final value of 45, so fell to is correct rather than fell by.
Your own sentence: ____________________

38. fluctuated between · Charts & trends
Meaning: Moved repeatedly up and down within two stated limits.
Example: In an imaginary series, the rate fluctuated between 12% and 16% over five months.
Usage: Use this only when the data moves in both directions. Give both limits and join them with and.
Recall: In this invented series, the rate moved up and down from 12% to 16%: it ___ 12% and 16%.
Answer: fluctuated between
Why: Repeated rises and falls within two limits are described with fluctuated between, followed by the two values.
Your own sentence: ____________________

39. a gradual increase · Charts & trends
Meaning: A rise that happens slowly over a period rather than suddenly.
Example: An imaginary chart shows a gradual increase in membership from 200 to 240 over four years.
Usage: Use gradual only when several data points support a slow rise. Two distant values alone may not reveal the path.
Recall: The invented chart rises slowly each year, showing ___ in membership.
Answer: a gradual increase
Why: The steady year-by-year rise is slow rather than abrupt, so it represents a gradual increase.
Your own sentence: ____________________

40. twice as high as · Charts & trends
Meaning: Equal to two times the level of another stated value.
Example: In an imaginary chart, the figure for City A was twice as high as the figure for City B: 80 compared with 40.
Usage: Confirm that one value is exactly double the other. Do not use twice higher than for this comparison.
Recall: In this invented comparison, 80 is ___ 40.
Answer: twice as high as
Why: Because 80 is two times 40, twice as high as expresses the numerical comparison accurately.
Your own sentence: ____________________

41. I am writing to request · Letters & register
Meaning: A direct, formal way to introduce what you are asking for.
Example: I am writing to request a replacement for the damaged desk delivered yesterday.
Usage: Follow request with the thing requested. Avoid a long memorised introduction that delays the specific purpose of the letter.
Recall: Complete the formal opening with this unit’s request phrase: ___ a replacement for the damaged desk.
Answer: I am writing to request
Why: The phrase states the purpose directly; a replacement supplies the object of request.
Your own sentence: ____________________

42. I would appreciate · Letters & register
Meaning: A polite way to say that you would value an action or response.
Example: I would appreciate a reply by Friday, as I need to arrange a collection.
Usage: Use appreciate with a noun or an -ing form. Do not write I would appreciate to receive. I would appreciate it if… is another possible pattern.
Recall: Complete with this unit’s polite phrase: ___ a reply by Friday.
Answer: I would appreciate
Why: A reply is the noun object. Would makes the request polite without making it unclear.
Your own sentence: ____________________

43. Could you clarify · Letters & register
Meaning: A polite request for someone to make information clearer.
Example: Could you clarify whether the course fee includes the examination?
Usage: Ask for the specific missing detail. Clarify is not a general substitute for answer, and a direct question normally ends with a question mark.
Recall: Complete with this unit’s clarification phrase: ___ whether the fee includes the examination?
Answer: Could you clarify
Why: Whether introduces the uncertainty the writer wants resolved.
Your own sentence: ____________________

44. I look forward to · Letters & register
Meaning: A polite way to express positive expectation about a future event or reply.
Example: I look forward to hearing from you about the revised delivery date.
Usage: Here to is a preposition: use hearing, not hear. Choose a closing that fits the relationship and purpose rather than adding formality everywhere.
Recall: Complete with this unit’s closing phrase: ___ hearing from you about the revised date.
Answer: I look forward to
Why: The phrase is followed by hearing because to functions as a preposition in look forward to.
Your own sentence: ____________________

45. I am writing regarding · Letters & register
Meaning: A neutral formal opening that identifies the subject of a letter.
Example: I am writing regarding the timetable change announced on Monday.
Usage: Follow regarding with a noun phrase. State the precise subject promptly instead of extending the opening with memorised language.
Recall: Complete with this unit’s subject-opening phrase: ___ the timetable change announced on Monday.
Answer: I am writing regarding
Why: The timetable change is the subject of the message, so regarding introduces it directly and formally.
Your own sentence: ____________________

46. I regret to inform you · Letters & register
Meaning: A formal way to introduce information that the recipient may find disappointing.
Example: I regret to inform you that the Saturday workshop has been cancelled.
Usage: Reserve this for genuinely unwelcome news. Follow it with that and the information rather than using it for a minor request.
Recall: Complete with this unit’s formal bad-news phrase: ___ that the workshop has been cancelled.
Answer: I regret to inform you
Why: The writer is delivering disappointing information, so the phrase signals regret before the that-clause.
Your own sentence: ____________________

47. Would it be possible · Letters & register
Meaning: A polite way to ask whether an arrangement or action can be made.
Example: Would it be possible to move my appointment to Thursday afternoon?
Usage: Follow the phrase with to plus a base verb. Ask for a specific feasible action so the recipient can respond clearly.
Recall: Complete with this unit’s polite possibility phrase: ___ to move the appointment to Thursday?
Answer: Would it be possible
Why: The writer is politely asking whether a specific change can be made, and to move supplies the requested action.
Your own sentence: ____________________

48. Please do not hesitate to · Letters & register
Meaning: A formal invitation for the recipient to make contact or take an offered action.
Example: Please do not hesitate to contact me if you need another copy of the receipt.
Usage: Follow to with a base verb. Use this when contact is genuinely welcome, not as an automatic closing in every letter.
Recall: Complete with this unit’s invitation phrase: ___ contact me if you need another copy.
Answer: Please do not hesitate to
Why: The phrase invites the recipient to contact the writer freely, with contact correctly following infinitive to.
Your own sentence: ____________________