Vocabulary for IELTS REading: Sublist 10

Congratulations, IELTS candidates! You’ve successfully mastered Sublists 1 to 9 of the Academic Word List (AWL), a critical step toward excelling in the IELTS Writing and Reading sections. Developed by Averil Coxhead, the AWL includes 570 word families frequently found in academic texts, making it an essential resource for understanding complex ideas, arguments, and processes in topics like science, culture, and global challenges. By conquering Sublist 10, the final and least frequent but still vital sublist, you’re equipping yourself with advanced vocabulary to craft sophisticated responses and boost your IELTS Writing score.

Sublist 10 contains 30 high-level academic words that often appear in scholarly texts and IELTS passages. These words are particularly valuable for IELTS Writing Task 2, where precise and varied vocabulary can enhance your arguments and demonstrate lexical resource. Below, we provide the complete Sublist 10 word list, followed by detailed meanings and synonyms tailored for IELTS Writing contexts. Practice using these words in essays to improve coherence, precision, and paraphrasing skills.

Sublist 10 Vocabulary List

adjacent, albeit, assemble, collapse, colleague, compile, conceive, convince, depress, encounter, enormous, equate, erode, exceed, exhibit, expenditure, expand, expose, extract, forthcoming, frequent, fundamental, generate, incorporate, induce, infer, integrate, legislate, ongoing, oversee

Sublist 10 Vocabulary with Meanings and Synonyms

Below is a detailed breakdown of the 30 words from AWL Sublist 10, organized alphabetically. Each entry includes the word, its part of speech, a concise definition tailored for IELTS Writing, and synonyms to help you paraphrase effectively and impress examiners.

1. adjacent (adj)
   Meaning: Located next to or near something.
   Synonyms: nearby, neighboring, close, adjoining, bordering.
   
2. albeit (conj)
   Meaning: Although; even though (used to introduce a concession).
   Synonyms: although, even though, though, notwithstanding, despite.
   
3. assemble (v)
   Meaning: To gather or put together parts or people.
   Synonyms: gather, collect, convene, construct, build.
   
4. collapse (n/v)
   Meaning: (n) A sudden failure or breakdown; (v) to fail or fall apart.
   Synonyms: (n) failure, breakdown, crash; (v) fail, crumble, disintegrate.
   
5. colleague (n)
   Meaning: A person one works with, especially in a professional setting.
   Synonyms: coworker, associate, partner, teammate, peer.
   
6. compile (v)
   Meaning: To collect and organize information or data.
   Synonyms: gather, collect, assemble, accumulate, organize.
   
7. conceive (v)
   Meaning: To form an idea or plan; to imagine or create.
   Synonyms: imagine, envision, devise, formulate, create.
   
8. convince (v)
   Meaning: To persuade someone to believe or do something.
   Synonyms: persuade, sway, influence, assure, win over.
   
9. depress (v)
   Meaning: To cause sadness or a reduction in activity or value.
   Synonyms: sadden, discourage, lower, reduce, weaken.
   
10. encounter (n/v)
    Meaning: (n) An unexpected meeting or experience; (v) to meet or experience.
    Synonyms: (n) meeting, experience, confrontation; (v) meet, face, experience.
    
11. enormous (adj)
    Meaning: Extremely large in size or amount.
    Synonyms: huge, vast, immense, massive, tremendous.
    
12. equate (v)
    Meaning: To consider or treat as equal or similar.
    Synonyms: compare, liken, associate, link, equate with.
    
13. erode (v)
    Meaning: To gradually wear away or diminish.
    Synonyms: wear away, diminish, undermine, weaken, deteriorate.
    
14. exceed (v)
    Meaning: To go beyond a limit or expectation.
    Synonyms: surpass, outstrip, go beyond, excel, transcend.
    
15. exhibit (n/v)
    Meaning: (n) A display or example; (v) to show or display.
    Synonyms: (n) display, demonstration; (v) show, display, present.
    
16. expenditure (n)
    Meaning: The act of spending money or resources.
    Synonyms: spending, outlay, cost, expense, investment.
    
17. expand (v)
    Meaning: To increase in size, scope, or extent.
    Synonyms: grow, increase, enlarge, broaden, extend.
    
18. expose (v)
    Meaning: To reveal or make something visible or known.
    Synonyms: reveal, uncover, disclose, show, unveil.
    
19. extract (n/v)
    Meaning: (n) A substance or piece taken out; (v) to remove or take out.
    Synonyms: (n) excerpt, portion; (v) remove, draw out, obtain.
    
20. forthcoming (adj)
    Meaning: About to happen or appear; open or communicative.
    Synonyms: upcoming, approaching, imminent, open, forthcoming.
    
21. frequent (adj/v)
    Meaning: (adj) Happening often; (v) to visit or use often.
    Synonyms: (adj) regular, common, repeated; (v) visit, attend, patronize.
    
22. fundamental (adj)
    Meaning: Basic or essential to something’s core.
    Synonyms: basic, essential, core, primary, foundational.
    
23. generate (v)
    Meaning: To produce or create something.
    Synonyms: produce, create, cause, bring about, initiate.
    
24. incorporate (v)
    Meaning: To include or combine into a larger whole.
    Synonyms: include, integrate, merge, blend, combine.
    
25. induce (v)
    Meaning: To bring about or cause something to happen.
    Synonyms: cause, prompt, trigger, provoke, stimulate.
    
26. infer (v)
    Meaning: To conclude or deduce based on evidence.
    Synonyms: deduce, conclude, assume, derive, gather.
    
27. integrate (v)
    Meaning: To combine or bring together into a unified whole.
    Synonyms: combine, merge, unify, blend, incorporate.
    
28. legislate (v)
    Meaning: To make or enact laws.
    Synonyms: enact, pass, establish, institute, formulate.
    
29. ongoing (adj)
    Meaning: Continuing or in progress.
    Synonyms: continuing, current, ongoing, active, in progress.
    
30. oversee (v)
    Meaning: To supervise or manage a process or group.
    Synonyms: supervise, manage, direct, monitor, control.

Congratulations Again! You’ve now mastered all 30 advanced academic words from Sublist 10, completing your journey through the AWL. These words will empower you to write compelling, precise, and varied IELTS essays, particularly in Task 2. To solidify your skills, practice using these words in sample essays and review their use in academic texts.

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