Check Your English Vocabulary for IELTS - Key Terms

Essential vocabulary flashcards covering general academic concepts, functional language, and topic-specific terminology from Check Your English Vocabulary for IELTS.

Prerequisite

Something that is required as a prior condition for something else to happen or exist.

Thermostat

A heat-controlling device containing a bimetallic strip that bends to turn off an electrical circuit when heated and reconnects when cooled.

Aerosol

A device in which liquid and gas are compressed in a metal container and released through a valve as an expanding spray.

Discrepancy

A noticeable difference or lack of agreement between two or more facts, figures, or claims.

Alloy

A metallic substance made by combining two or more metals, such as brass which combines copper and zinc.

Compound

A chemical substance composed of two or more separate elements combined in fixed proportions, such as water.

Minutiae

The small, precise, and often trivial or unimportant details of something.

Technicality

A small and specific detail or rule that is necessary in order to make a procedure or plan function.

Gist

The central idea or general substance of a spoken or written text.

Exempt

Free from an obligation, duty, or payment (such as income tax) that applies to others.

Mandatory

Compulsory, legally binding, and required by law or authority to be obeyed without exception.

Misfire

To fail to produce the intended result, or to turn out completely contrary to what was planned.

Fold

To close down or collapse commercially as a business, usually due to debts.

Mortgage

A long-term loan provided by a bank or building society specifically to purchase real estate or a house.

Dividend

A share of a corporation's profits distributed to its shareholders.

Excise duty

A tax levied on specific goods manufactured or sold within a country, such as alcohol or tobacco.

Direct debit

An arrangement allowing a third party to withdraw funds automatically from a customer's bank account on agreed dates.

Building society

A financial institution owned by its members that offers banking services, particularly savings accounts and home mortgages.

Technocrat

A technical expert or specialist appointed to manage a government agency or economic sector.

Referendum

A direct public vote in which an entire electorate is invited to vote on a single political issue or policy.

Green Belt

An area of protected open land, woods, or farmland surrounding a city where urban development and building are restricted.

Biodegradable

Capable of being decomposed naturally by biological organisms, water, or sunlight without causing harm.

Ecosystem

A biological community of interacting organisms and their physical environment functioning together.

Holistic medicine

A system of healthcare that treats the whole person, taking into account mental and social factors rather than just physical symptoms.

Sedentary lifestyle

A way of living characterized by excessive sitting and a lack of physical movement or exercise.

Welfare state

A system in which the government protects the health and well-being of its citizens through subsidized or free social security, housing, and healthcare.

Persona non grata

A foreign individual, usually a diplomat or official, whose presence in a country is officially prohibited or unwelcome.

Economic migrant

A person who travels abroad in search of employment and higher living standards rather than to escape persecution.

Internally displaced person

An individual who has been forced to flee their home due to conflict or disaster but remains within the borders of their home nation.

Parole

The conditional early release of a convicted criminal from prison before the full term of their custodial sentence is completed.

Deterrent

A penalty or punishment designed to discourage or prevent individuals from committing illegal acts.

Corporal punishment

The infliction of physical pain or physical harm, such as caning, as an official punishment for an offense.

Capital punishment

The legally authorized execution of a person as a penalty for a major crime; the death sentence.

Ethnic cleansing

The systematic elimination or forced expulsion of an ethnic or religious minority from a geographic area.

Dissident

A person who opposes the political authority or official policies of a governing regime.

Cybernetics

The scientific comparative study of control and communication processes in electronic devices and mechanical systems versus living brains and nervous systems.

Genetic engineering

Techniques used to modify the genetic structure of an organism to introduce or alter inheritable traits.

Technophobe

An individual who fears, dislikes, or actively resists modern technology and computerized devices.

Technophile

A person who is highly enthusiastic about and deeply interested in new technological innovations.

Fibre (Roughage)

Indigestible plant-based matter in food that travels through the digestive tract and aids digestive health.

Cholesterol

A lipid compound found in fats and biological cells that can build up on artery walls and cause cardiovascular problems.

Nuclear family

A basic family unit consisting of two parents and their dependent offspring.

Extended family

A family unit extending beyond the parents and children to include grandparents, aunts, uncles, and other relatives.

Juvenile delinquency

Criminal or anti-social conduct committed by minors under the legal age of adult criminal responsibility.

Traffic-calming measures

Physical road engineering structures, like road humps and chicanes, installed to slow motor traffic and improve road safety.

Park and Ride

A public transport scheme where commuters leave their cars at perimeter parking lots and use public transport to travel into the city centre.

Accident black spot

A specific section of road or intersection where road collisions happen with notable frequency.

Cosmopolitan

Characterized by the presence, influence, and integration of people from many diverse cultural and national backgrounds.

Urban sprawl

The uncontrolled and unplanned outward expansion of a city's buildings and suburbs into rural land.

Amenities

Public or communal facilities—such as hospitals, recreational parks, shops, and transport networks—that provide convenience and utility to residents.

Derelict

Left completely abandoned, neglected, and allowed to fall into ruin.

Preservation order

A legal decree preventing the alteration, demolition, or redevelopment of historic or architectural structures.

Egalitarian

Adhering to or advocating the principle that all people are equal and entitled to the same fundamental rights and opportunities.

Conurbation

An extended, contiguous urban agglomeration formed by the merging of several previously separate towns and cities.

Gross National Product (GNP)

The total financial value of all finished goods and services produced by a nation's citizens and businesses over a year, including earnings from abroad.

Monopoly

Exclusive possession or total control of the supply or trade in a specific commodity or service by a single commercial entity or state authority.

Deficit

The amount by which spending, debts, or fiscal expenditure surpasses income, receipts, or available revenues over a specific period.