Building your vocabulary in practice

In one of the articles we talked about how to build a personalized learning plan. Naturally, that plan should cover the areas that matter most to you. For example, it might include work on syntax — how you build sentences — pronunciation or vocabulary.

Let's talk about it today. I’ll explain how I organize this work, and how you could do it if you work on your own.

Where to start
Before working on vocabulary, decide what your exam response needs to contain and how its structure and ideas will fit together. Then you can identify the words and linking phrases you actually need. You will have a starting point — somewhere to take the first bite out of this seemingly overwhelming elephant.

How to continue
The second, but equally important thing you should do in pursuit of sufficient vocabulary is to study the exam criteria. In other words, you need to know what is expected of you in terms of vocabulary in the exam. For example, the key difference between levels B2 and B1 is that at level B2 the vocabulary is wide enough to express any idea. While at level B1 you often have to use ‘périphrase’, that is, explain one idea in several words, instead of one exact term. At level A2, for comparison, the vocabulary is even more limited and in speech here and there something like “Tu sais, la chose qu’on utilise quand il pleut” slips in instead of “parapluie”.

Self-assessment
Knowing the criteria and structure of the ideal answer, you can move on to the next stage - analyze your situation: open a list of possible exam topics, practice with them in exam format and clearly record which thoughts and topics you don’t have enough words to express, how often you are faced with the need to explain yourself instead of saying something specific. Based on this analysis, you need to compile your own dictionary.

Personal dictionary
Organize it by topic. For TCF, for example, you might collect linking phrases for a fluent monologue and vocabulary for ‘entertainment’, ‘sports’, ‘buying a home’ or ‘animals’, then use those notes in both writing and speaking practice. For TEF, topics might include ‘incidents on the water’, ‘accidents’ or ‘criminal arrests’.

Why should a dictionary be personal?
Because every person has their own unique vocabulary needs. Two different people may approach the same topic from different perspectives, arguing for and against or looking at different aspects of a situation. Your interests in life also play a role in your preparation; someone may be strong in the topic of home buying but lack a strong vocabulary in the field of sports. By filling in the lexical 'gaps' individually, you can focus on what exactly you want to express.

How to show your knowledge
Building vocabulary takes work. In order for your dictionary to be not just a collection of words, but also a functional tool, it is important to regularly practice using it. Immediate changes are not always noticeable, but start saving the words “consciously” today, because the next stage of preparation will be learning how to effectively demonstrate your knowledge. I have already written about obvious ways to show the richness of vocabulary in an exam, which everyone forgets. here 

📌Meanwhile, more than 120 TCF topics with arguments have already been published on boosty. Subscribe and memorize only the words needed for the exam.