analyseverb
n analysisn analystadj analyticaladv analytically
Researchers analysed data from over 2,000 participants across five countries.
IELTSB2→C1Academic
IELTS Academic Word List
The Coxhead Academic Word List — 570 word families organised across 10 sublists by frequency. These words cover 10% of academic reading and are essential for IELTS Band 6.5+.
570 word families10 sublistsCovers 10% of academic textsTarget: Band 6.5+
What is the Academic Word List?
The AWL was compiled by Averil Coxhead (2000) after analysing a corpus of 3.5 million words from 414 academic texts across 28 subject areas. The 570 word families selected are not the most frequent words in general English, but the most frequent words specific to academic writing.
Each “word family” groups together related forms. For example, the family analyse includes: analyse, analysis, analyst, analytical, analytically.
Browse word list570
Word families totalSublist 1 has 60 families (most frequent); Sublists 2–10 have 30–60 each.
10%
Of academic reading coveredAWL words appear roughly once every 10 words in university-level texts.
4–6
Forms per word familyLearning one root word unlocks its noun, verb, adjective, and adverb forms.
6.5+
IELTS band targetActive use of AWL vocabulary in Writing Task 2 is a key Band 6–7 differentiator.
Word list by sublist
570 AWL Word Families
Select a sublist to see its word families, forms, and example sentences. Sublist 1 contains the most frequent academic words — start here.
Sublist 1 — Core Academic Verbs. The most frequent academic word families. These appear in virtually every university-level text. Learn these first.
approachnoun / verb
n approachv approachadj approachable
This paper proposes a new approach to measuring academic performance.
conceptnoun
n conceptadj conceptualadv conceptually
The concept of sustainable development has been central to policy debates since the 1980s.
constituteverb
n constitutionadj constitutionaln constituent
Women constitute approximately 48% of the global workforce.
contextnoun
n contextadj contextualv contextualise
These findings should be understood within the context of rapid urban expansion.
deriveverb
n derivationadj derivativeadj derived
The algorithm derives its predictions from historical climate data.
establishverb
n establishmentadj established
The study aims to establish a causal link between diet and cognitive decline.
indicateverb
n indicationn indicatoradj indicative
The results indicate a significant correlation between poverty and literacy rates.
significantadjective
n significanceadv significantlyv signify
There was a significant increase in carbon emissions during the industrial period.
processnoun / verb
n processv processn processing
The peer-review process ensures the quality of published research.
requireverb
n requirementadj required
The methodology requires a minimum sample size of 200 participants.
structurenoun / verb
n structurev structureadj structuraladv structurally
The essay should be structured around three main arguments.
Sublist 2 — Essential Academic Nouns. High-frequency academic words used across arts, science, and social science texts. Focus: achievement, community, evaluation.
achieveverb
n achievementadj achievablen achiever
The programme achieved its target of reducing unemployment by 12%.
communitynoun
n communityadj communaladv communally
Social capital is built through strong community networks and shared institutions.
evaluateverb
n evaluationadj evaluativen evaluator
The committee was asked to evaluate the long-term impact of the policy.
impactnoun / verb
n impactv impact
Climate change has a significant impact on agricultural productivity in arid regions.
resourcesnoun
n resourceadj resourcefulv resource
Limited financial resources constrain the scope of the research programme.
strategynoun
adj strategicadv strategicallyn strategist
The government adopted a long-term strategy to address housing inequality.
Sublist 3 — Analysis & Research Terms. Analysis, identification, and research terminology. Key for writing literature reviews and academic arguments.
identifyverb
n identificationn identityadj identifiable
The study identified three key barriers to educational attainment.
commissionnoun / verb
n commissionv commissionn commissioner
An independent inquiry was commissioned to review the evidence.
justifyverb
n justificationadj justifiedadj justifiable
The authors justify their methodology with reference to established protocols.
categorynoun
v categoriseadj categoricaladv categorically
Participants were divided into three categories based on prior academic experience.
Sublist 4 — Social & Economic Words. Social, economic, and organisational terms. Includes: access, adequate, annual, apparent, approximate, attitude, attribute.
adequateadjective
n adequacyadv adequatelyadj inadequate
The current infrastructure is not adequate to support the projected population growth.
attributeverb / noun
n attributionadj attributable
The decline in biodiversity is largely attributed to habitat destruction.
apparentadjective
adv apparently
It is apparent from the data that literacy rates have improved significantly.
accessnoun / verb
adj accessiblen accessibility
Equal access to healthcare is a fundamental goal of public health policy.
Sublist 5 — Process & Evaluation Words. Process and evaluation vocabulary. Includes: academic, capacity, challenge, clause, compound, conflict, consult, decline, discrete.
declineverb / noun
n declineadj declining
Birth rates have been in steady decline across most developed economies since the 1970s.
challengenoun / verb
adj challengingn challenger
Climate change poses a serious challenge to traditional agricultural practices.
Sublist 6 — Precision & Citation. Includes: abstract, accurate, acknowledge, aggregate, allocate, assign, attach, author, bond, brief, capable, cite, cooperate, discriminate.
acknowledgeverb
n acknowledgement
The report acknowledges the limitations of the current data set.
accurateadjective
n accuracyadv accuratelyadj inaccurate
The model provides an accurate representation of population distribution.
Sublist 7 — Adaptation & Scope. Includes: adapt, adult, advocate, aid, channel, chemical, classic, comprehensive, comprise, confirm, contrary, convert, couple, decade, definite.
adaptverb
n adaptationadj adaptablen adaptability
Species must adapt to changing environmental conditions to survive.
compriseverb
v comprise
The committee comprises representatives from twelve member states.
Sublist 8 — Nuance & Bias. Less frequent but still high-value academic vocabulary. Includes: abandon, accompany, accumulate, ambiguous, appendix, appreciate, arbitrary, automate, bias.
ambiguousadjective
n ambiguityadv ambiguouslyadj unambiguous
The legislation was criticised for its ambiguous definition of intellectual property.
biasnoun / verb
adj biasedadj unbiased
Self-reported data is prone to bias and should be triangulated with objective measures.
Sublist 9 — Specialist Academic Terms. Specialist academic terms. Includes: accommodate, analogy, anticipate, assure, attain, behalf, bulk, cease, coherent, coincide, commence.
coherentadjective
n coherenceadv coherentlyadj incoherent
A well-structured essay requires a coherent progression of ideas from paragraph to paragraph.
commenceverb
n commencement
Data collection will commence once ethical approval has been granted.
Sublist 10 — Advanced Academic Register. The least frequent AWL words — rarer but used in advanced academic writing. Includes: adjacent, albeit, assemble, collapse, compile, convince, currency, denote, detect.
albeitconjunction
adv albeit
The results showed a positive trend, albeit a modest one, over the five-year period.
denoteverb
n denotationadj denotative
The symbol (*) denotes statistical significance at the p < 0.05 level.
Related vocabulary and grammar topics
Frequently asked questions
IELTS Academic Vocabulary Questions
The Academic Word List (AWL) is a list of 570 word families compiled by Averil Coxhead that appear frequently in academic texts but not in general everyday English. These words are crucial for IELTS Academic reading and writing tasks.
The AWL is organised into 10 sublists ordered by frequency. Sublist 1 contains the 60 most frequent academic word families; Sublist 10 contains the least frequent. Sublist 1 should always be learned first.
Active use of AWL vocabulary in IELTS Writing Task 2 is a key differentiator between Band 6 and Band 7. Learners who accurately use academic vocabulary in their writing typically score higher on the Lexical Resource criterion.
Prioritise Sublists 1–3 first — these 180 families cover the majority of academic vocabulary you will encounter. Sublists 4–6 add significant value before an exam. Sublists 7–10 are useful for C1 learners aiming for Band 7.5+.
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