Vocabularies for Listening IELTS

Schooling

Common verbs: register for/ enroll in/ enlist in/ sign up for, cancel/call off,
postpone/put off, waive a course

Subjects: science, business, creative writing class, history, philosophy, math,

trigonometry, astronomy, economics, biochemistry, anthropology, accounting,
banking, psychology, linguistics, literature, engineering, architecture, algebra,
geology, archaeology, botany, law, sociology, finance, arts/humanities/social
science

Type of courses: introductory course, intermediate course, advanced course,

required/compulsory course, non-credit course, prerequisite course, credit
course, seminar, optional/elective course, full-time course

Languages: Portuguese, Spanish, Cantonese, Russian, Mandarin Chinese, Italian,

Arabic, French

Offices/Departments:

Admissions office, foreign/international/oversea student office, student union,

common hall

Others:

Applicant, course, test, mid-term exam, pop quiz, high mark/perfect grade,
orientation week, application form, arrangement, quiz, full marks, enrolment,
exam, final exam

Library

Borrowing/Returning books: borrow, check out, charge for, renew, overdue,

due, renewal, return

Section in the library: audio & video, information desk, delivery/circulation

desk, reference stacks/desk, cataloguing department, periodical reading room,
rare book collection, multimedia center, reading room, study lounge, open shelf,
stacks.

Library-related lexical items: library card, student card, book, fine, current
issue, copier/photocopier, librarian, date of expiration, bibliography, magazine
binder, admission card, index, reservation, moratorium, back issue, due date,
second-hand book, classification, interlibrary service.
Common expressions: It’s out of stock, It is out of print

Housing

Type of housing: flat/apartment, semi-detached house, bungalow, hotel,

terraced house, detached house, dormitory, student hostel

Room and equipment: bedroom, bathroom, kitchen, balcony, basement, storage

place, hall, lobby, entrance, porch, sink, air conditioner, square, fireplace, central
heating, roof, vacuum cleaner, bookshelf, lock, cupboard, stove, radiator, ceiling,
living room/sitting room, arric, dresser, verietian blind, French windows, filter,
furniture, closet, faucet, cabinet, wallpaper, microwave oven, washing machine,
furnished flat.

Others: utensil, lease, landlady, sheet, blanket, quilt, burglar alarm, curtain,
facility, sublet, tenant/lodger, mattress, carpet, gas meter, leaking, drape, rent,
landlord, bed linen, ring, towel, insect repellent, flickering light.

Places to eat, food and drink

Restaurant, snack bar, fast-food restaurant, spinach, radish, cauliflower,

cucumber, fungus, sweet potato, coconut, cherry, hot drink, instant coffee, soda
water, lemonade, milk shake, whiskey, bowl, teacup, steam, fat, cook, waitress,
fast, host, French fries, pizza, specialty, go on a diet, bottoms up, sold out,
watermelon, canteen.

Cafeteria, coffee bar, lettuce, carrot, eggplant, pumpkin, ginger, orange, peach,
olive, grapefruit, dining hall, bar, cabbage, celery, onion, chili, mushroom, garlic,
lemon, pineapple, strawberry, cold drink, malnutrition, minerals, waiter,
vegetarian, grocery, honey, hot dog, reserve a table, lose weight, out of season, on
the house, make yourself at home, lemon tea, yogurt, Coca-Cola, ice tea, aperitif,
fork, plate, stew, boil, rare/medium/medium-rare/well-done, protein, valet
parking, white coffee, soft drink, apple juice, mineral water, cocktail, chopsticks,
napkin paper, fry, raw, nutrition, vitamin, carbohydrate, chef, cashier, change,
vending machine, marmalade, sandwich, go Dutch, put on weight, in season, run
out of, pay the bill.

Illnesses

Symptoms: symptom, flu, earache, headache, indigestion, itch, feel dizzy,

high/low temperature, high/low blood pressure, have a runny nose, heart attack,
cold, headache, sore throat, dry cough, feel weak, nausea, high/low fever, have a
stuffed nose, cough, toothache, allergy, chill, vomit, diarrhea

Specialists, treatment, medicine: doctor, surgery, physician/internist, make an

appointment, take one’s temperature, prescription, pill, tablet, eye drops,
swearing medicine, dentist, optometrist, pediatrician, feel one’s pulse/blood
pressure, treatment, operation, granule, capsule, cough syrup, febrifuge, surgeon,
diagnose, eye doctor/oculist, injection, penicillin, aspirin, bandage.

Others: Contagious, maintain a healthy lifestyle, vitamin, drink more water, go

on a diet, take days off, emergency room, first aid kit, ambulance, eat more fruit
and vegetable

Banks and banking

Account-related lexical items: open an account, fixed account, time deposit,

bankbook/passbook, cash point, close an account, savings account, current
account, account balance, automatic teller machine (ATM), checkbook, travellers
cheque /check

Currency: pound, cent, quarter, bill/note, penny, nickel, cash, dollar, dime,
foreign currency

Others: balance, credit rating, endorse a check, identification card, notarized

document, safe deposit box/safe withdraw money, instalment, accountant,
telegraphic transfer, cash a check, debt, inflation, loan, penalty, signature, void,
cashier, deposit/withdrawal slip, credit card, deposit, interest rate, mortgage,
recession, valid, service charge, teller.

Post Office

Wrap a parcel, string, weigh, slot, tape, package, brown paper, scissors, first class,
second class, third class, fourth class.

Photography

Blurry, focus, shot, develop, flash, adjust the focus, a roll of film, enlarge

Supermarket

Supermarket, meat and poultry, canned foods, baked foods, diary section,
produce section, banking products, snack foods, cash register, line, paper bag,
bottle return, shopping cart, aisle, shopping basket, pet foods, frozen foods, paper
products, check-stand, checker, bagger
Travel & Hotel

Hotel: lodge, front desk, receptionist/ desk clerk, room clerk, book/reserve a
room, single room, motel, cabin, bellboy, room service, double room, twin
bedroom, youth hostel, tip

Travel: destination, flight number, one-way ticket/single ticket, round-trip

ticket, berth, business class, Pullman, direct/non-stop flight, fasten, stewardess,
emergency exit, stopover, connecting flight, airport, airport tax, return ticket,
first class, economy class, customs, declare, domestic flight, baggage claim check,
check-in counter, flight attendant, travel agent, terminal, platform, aisle.

Others: passport, credit card, long trousers, fishing rod, trader, lighter, visa,
walking boots, flashlight, driving license, mosquito repellent, rope, fortnight,
video, tent

Appearance & personality

Gender, bald, beard, straight hair, thick busby eyebrows, chubby checks, blond,
moustache, hair style, parting, high cheek bones, height, build, slim, healthy and
strong, optimistic, upright, tolerant, dedicated, painstaking, thrifty, selfish, idle,
medium height, lank, contact lenses, humorous, modest, courageous, generous,
pessimistic, cowardly, extravagant

Clothing

Type of clothing: career women’s wear, cardigan, jeans, vest, sportswear,

sweater, cashmere, casual wear, uniform, evening gown, tie, pants/trousers, fur
overcoat, nylon, linen, pullover

Clothing-related lexical items:

Grey, purple, navy blue, tan, dry clean, shrink, crystal necklace, logo, V-neck, cuff,
zipper, sunglasses, tie clip, pink, silver, dark green, laundry, iron, diamond ring,
pearl earring, standing collar, sleeve, button, sunshade, slipper, sandal, sneaker,
go with/match, be out of fashion, boutique, new arrival, out of stock, give 10%
off, on sale, chain store, bargain

Accidents, weather, disasters

Lost child, airplane crash, earthquake, fire, fire truck, blizzard, tornado, tidal
wave, search and rescue team, gust, shower, It’s raining cats and dogs/ It’s
pouring/Today is a perfect day for ducks, sleet, scattered rain, cloudy, sunny, car
accident, explosion, landslide, firefighter, drought, hurricane, volcanic eruption,
flood, breeze, drizzle, heavy rain, thunderstorm, overcast, mild

Geographical names

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

London, Oxford, Southampton, Bristol, Birmingham, Leicester, Manchester,

Liverpool, Edinburgh, Aberdeen, Cardiff, Wales, Salisbury, Stratford-upon-Avon,
Lincoln, Northern Ireland, England, Cambridge, Brighton, Plymouth, Nottingham,
Sheffield, Hull, Newcastle, Glasgow, Dundee, Scotland, Bath, Windsor, Lancaster,
Belfast

Ireland:

Dublin

Australia:

Canberra, Brisbane, Sydney, Adelaide, Melbourne, Perth, Queensland, New South

Wales, South Australia, Victoria, Western Australia

New Zealand:

Wellington

Canada:

Ottawa, Victoria, Alberta, Ontario, Quebec, British Columbia, Vancouver,

Edmonton, Toronto, Montreal

The United States of America:

Washington, Boston, Seattle, Chicago, New York, Atlanta, Los Angeles, San
Francisco

Other cities throughout the World:

Amsterdam (Holland/Netherlands), Athens (Greece), Bangkok (Thailand),

Belgrade (Yugoslavia), Berlin (Germany), Bombay (India), Brussels (Belgium),
Bucharest (Romania), Budapest (Hungary), Buenos Aires (Argentina), Cairo
(Egypt), Cape Town (South Africa), Copenhagen (Denmark), Geneva
(Switzerland), Havana (Cuba), Helsinki (Finland), Lisbon (Portugal), Istanbul
(Turkey), Madrid (Spain), Moscow (Russia), Oslo (Norway), Paris (France),
Prague (Czechoslovakia), Rome (Italy), Singapore (Singapore), Sofia (Bulgaria),
Stockholm (Sweden), Warsaw (Poland)
UK airports: Heathrow Airport, London Gatwick Airport, London

Common names

Matthew, Alice, Angela, Louise, Paul, Lee, May/Mei, Alexandria, Harry, Brooks,
Anderson, Rachel, Brown, Perkins, Jenny, Tonks, Green, Max, Charles, Richard,
Julia