SKILLS / Writing / Grammar / Vocabulary
Academic Vocabulary
Academic Word List (AWL)
Academic Word List (AWL) list contains 570 word families which were selected because they appear with great frequency in a broad range of academic texts.
Sublist 1
sector • available • financial • process • individual • specific • principle • estimate • variables • method • data • research • contract • environment • export • source • assessment • policy •identified • create • derived • factors • procedure • definition • assume • theory • benefit • evidence • established • authority • major • issues • labour • occur • economic • involved • percent• interpretation • consistent • income • structure • legal • concept • formula • section • required • constitutional • analysis • distribution • function • area • approach • role • legislation •indicate • response • period • context • significant • similar •
Sublist 2
community • resident • range • construction • strategies • elements • previous • conclusion • security • aspects • acquisition • features • text • commission • regulations • computer • items• consumer • achieve • final • positive • evaluation • assistance • normal • relevant • distinction • region • traditional • impact • consequences • chapter • equation • appropriate • resources •participation • survey • potential • cultural • transfer • select •credit • affect • categories • perceived • sought • focus • purchase • injury • site • journal • primary • complex • institute •investment • administration • maintenance • design • obtained • restricted • conduct
Sublist 3
comments • convention • published • framework • implies • negative • dominant • illustrated • outcomes • constant • shift • deduction • ensure • specified • justification • funds • reliance •physical • partnership • location • link • coordination • alternative • initial • validity • task • techniques • excluded • consent • proportion • demonstrate • reaction • criteria • minorities •technology • philosophy • removed • sex • compensation • sequence • corresponding • maximum • circumstances • instance • considerable • sufficient • corporate • interaction •contribution • immigration • component • constraints • technical • emphasis • scheme • layer • volume • document • registered • core •
Sublist 4
overall • emerged • regime • implementation • project • hence • occupational • internal • goals • retained • sum • integration • mechanism • parallel • imposed • despite • job • parameters •approximate • label • concentration • principal • series • predicted • summary • attitudes • undertaken • cycle • communication • ethnic • hypothesis • professional • status • conference •attributed • annual • obvious • error • implications • apparent • commitment • subsequent • debate • dimensions • promote • statistics • option • domestic • output • access • code •investigation • phase • prior • granted • stress • civil • contrast • resolution • adequate •
Sublist 5
alter • stability • energy • aware • licence • enforcement • draft • styles • precise • medical • pursue • symbolic • marginal • capacity • generation • exposure • decline • academic • modified• external • psychology • fundamental • adjustment • ratio • whereas • enable • version • perspective • contact • network • facilitate • welfare • transition • amendment • logic • rejected •expansion • clause • prime • target • objective • sustainable • equivalent • liberal • notion • substitution • generated • trend • revenue • compounds • evolution • conflict • image • discretion •entities • orientation • consultation • mental • monitoring • challenge •
Sublist 6
intelligence • transformation • presumption • acknowledged • utility • furthermore • accurate • diversity • attached • recovery • assigned • tapes • motivation • bond • edition • nevertheless •transport • cited • fees • scope • enhanced • incorporated • instructions • subsidiary • input • abstract • ministry • capable • expert • preceding • display • incentive • inhibition • trace •ignored • incidence • estate • cooperative • revealed • index • lecture • discrimination • overseas • explicit • aggregate • gender • underlying • brief • domain • rational • minimum • interval •neutral • migration • flexibility • federal • author • initiatives • allocation • exceed •
Sublist 7
intervention • confirmed • definite • classical • chemical • voluntary • release • visible • finite • publication • channel • file • thesis • equipment • disposal • solely • deny • identical • submitted • grade • phenomenon • paradigm • ultimately • extract • survive • converted • transmission • global • inferred • guarantee • advocate • dynamic • simulation • topic • insert •reverse • decades • comprise • hierarchical • unique • comprehensive • couple • mode • differentiation • eliminate • priority • empirical • ideology • somewhat • aid • foundation • adults •adaptation • quotation • contrary • media • successive • innovation • prohibited • isolated •
Sublist 8
highlighted • eventually • inspection • termination • displacement • arbitrary • reinforced • denote • offset • exploitation • detected • abandon • random • revision • virtually • uniform •predominantly • thereby • implicit • tension • ambiguous • vehicle • clarity • conformity • contemporary • automatically • accumulation • appendix • widespread • infrastructure • deviation •fluctuations • restore • guidelines • commodity • minimises •practitioners • radical • plus • visual • chart • appreciation • prospect • dramatic • contradiction • currency • inevitably •complement • accompany • paragraph • induced • schedule • intensity • crucial • via • exhibit • bias • manipulation • theme • nuclear •
Sublist 9
bulk • behalf • unified • commenced • erosion • anticipated • minimal • ceases • vision • mutual • norms • intermediate • manual • supplementary • incompatible • concurrent • ethical •preliminary • integral • conversely • relaxed • confined • accommodation • temporary • distorted • passive • subordinate • analogous • military • scenario • revolution • diminished •coherence • suspended • mature • assurance • rigid • controversy • sphere • mediation • format • trigger • qualitative • portion • medium • coincide • violation • device • insights • refine •devoted • team • overlap • attained • restraints • inherent • route • protocol • founded • duration •
Sublist 10
whereby • inclination • encountered • convinced • assembly • albeit • enormous • reluctant • posed • persistent • undergo • notwithstanding • straightforward • panel • odd • intrinsic •compiled • adjacent • integrity • forthcoming • conceived • ongoing • so-called • likewise • nonetheless • levy • invoked • colleagues • depression • collapse •
A.W.L. – Academic Word List Download
This is a download of the Academic Word List in PDF format. It contains 540 non-subject specific words, divided into 10 sublists based on frequency (sublist 1 = most frequent). Overall, including all word forms = 3,000 words. Level: ***** [B1/B2/C1]
An introduction to the AWL (using synonyms)
Introduction to the AWL using synonyms: Sublist 1- 4 (new for 2020)
This is a great lesson to introduce the Academic Word List (AWL). It begins with a small explanation about the AWL. This is then followed with a focus activity on Sublist 1 by identifying possible synonyms – this helps students to become acquainted with the AWL. The final activity is a sentence gap fill sheet to consolidate understanding (two worksheets: difficult or easier).The PDF book includes 4 lessons for Sublist 1-4 and an animated PowerPoint. Time: 30-60 mins per lesson / Example / PPT link in download Level ***** [B1/B2/C1] / TEACHER MEMBERSHIP
Academic Word Formation: Sublist 1- 4

Academic Word Formation: Sublist 1- 4 (updated 2020*)
This lesson is a word formation activity. Each table contains approximately 20 verbs and students need to add the corresponding nouns and adjectives. This then follows with a contextualised sentence gap fill using these words and a kinaesthetic activity. Good motivating activity encouraging students to use online dictionaries and help develop academic vocabulary. Time: 30mins Example Level ***** [B1/B2/C1] / TEACHER MEMBERSHIP
*Updated with a new kinaesthetic activity.
Academic Word List: Kinaesthetic Lesson (cut up words)
Academic Word List Lesson: Sublist 1-10
This lesson includes the 10 sublists of the Academic Word List put into tables to be cut up and used as a teaching tool. Give out one set of words to a group of 3/4 students and they take it in turns to explain their word using synonyms, explanation and definition. There are lots of other activities included too. Level ***** [B1/B2]
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Academic Word List Exercise x3
Three more Academic Word List gap fill exercises. Great way to improve awareness of academic words and word formation Level ***** [B1/B2/C1] Example / TEACHER MEMBERSHIP.
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Academic Word List Games (four-in-a-row)
Academic Word game: verbs to nouns
100 high frequency words taken from the Academic Word List and put into grid. In groups of four, students guess the noun for each verb. The objective is to get as many four-in-in row as possible. This is a fun lesson to improve awareness of academic words and formality [webpage]. Medium Level ***** [B1/B2/C1] Example / TEACHER MEMBERSHIP
Academic Word game: nouns to adjectives
100 high frequency words taken from the Academic Word List and put into grid. In groups of four, students guess the adjective for each noun. The objective is to get as many four-in-in row as possible. This is a fun lesson to improve awareness of academic words and formality [webpage]. Difficult Level ***** [B2/C1] Example / TEACHER MEMBERSHIP
Academic Word game: word + preposition
100 high frequency words taken from the Academic Word List and put into grid. In groups of four, students guess the corresponding preposition for each word. The objective is to get as many four-in-in row as possible. This is a fun lesson to improve awareness of academic words and formality [webpage]. medium Level ***** [B1/B2/C1] Example / TEACHER MEMBERSHIP
Academic Word game: word forms [n/v/adj]
100 high frequency words taken from the Academic Word List and put into grid. In groups of four, students guess the correct form (each word in the grid has an acronym of the word to be guessed). The objective is to get as many four-in-in row as possible. This is a fun lesson to improve awareness of academic words and formality [webpage]. Medium Level ***** [B1/B2/C1] Example / TEACHER MEMBERSHIP
Academic Vocabulary Lessons
Collocation (verbs / adjectives)
Collocation is words that go naturally together. This sheet refers students to use a collocation website (www.ozdic.com) to ensure fluency through the correct use of adjectives and verbs with key nouns [webpage]. Level ***** [B1/B2/C1]
Countable & uncountable nouns (General English)
A great lesson to improve students’ knowledge on countable and uncountable nouns. It begins with a matching activity with a variety of countable & uncountable nouns. It then includes a worksheet os sentences with common noun mistakes. This sheet reinforces quantifiers (some, any, a lot of, much, many, and phrases ‘a piece of..’ etc…). It finishes with a productive speaking activity [webpage] worksheet example Time:30 mins Level ***** [B1/B2/C1] TEACHER MEMBERSHIP
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Academic countable and uncountable nouns [new 2021]
This lesson helps improve students’ awareness of countable & uncountable nouns. It includes a language review section, lots of guided practice and freer paragraph writing practice. (see worksheet example Time: 60mins. Level ***** [B1/B2/C1] TEACHER MEMBERSHIP
Cohesion & Coherence
This worksheet helps to consolidate what ‘cohesion’ is with a focus on pronouns, word forms and summary nouns. It also includes a coherence sheet on key connections and two practice activities [webpage]. Example Level: ***** [B2/C1] TEACHER MEMBERSHIP
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Parallelism Worksheet: 8 exercises
This worksheet provides an explanation of the key concepts of ‘parallelism’ and provides an error correction exercise to practise the key concepts. An awareness of this writing element really helps establish unity and readability in sentence structure. Example worksheet. Level: ***** [B1/B2/C1] TEACHER MEMBERSHIP
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Academic Style: 20 key features to writing
This lesson brainstorms academic style / formality in writing. Teacher conducts feedback using visual highlighting and explaining the concepts. It follows with 10x practice exercises. Time: 60mins Example Level ***** [B1/B2/C1] / Webpage link. / TEACHER MEMBERSHIP
Academic Style 2: Paragraph analysis, comparison and discussion [new 2020]
This lesson compares two paragraphs on CSR (informal and formal), discusses the conventions of academic style and finishes with a sentence re-writing activity.. (Example) Time: 60mins. Level ***** [B1/B2/C1] / Webpage link. / TEACHER MEMBERSHIP
Academic Style 3: Vocabulary (AWL & Nominalisation) [new 2021]
This lesson focuses on two key areas of academic writing: AWL and nominalisation. There are three worksheets comprising of a number of different activities to practice categorisation and reformulation at sentence and paragraph level. (Example) Time: 60mins. Level ***** [B1/B2/C1] / Webpage link. / TEACHER MEMBERSHIP
Nominalisation (verbs to nouns)
An introduction to nominalisation. This worksheet shows the basics of nominalising, practices changing verbs to nouns and includes three exercises from guided through to freer practice. This is a good writing practice activity with a fair amount of challenge for all levels.. Level ***** [B1/B2/C1] Example / TEACHER MEMBERSHIP
Noun Phrases Worksheet
This lesson is a worksheet to highlight what noun phrases are and provides valuable practice. It focuses on the key concepts of quantifiers, adjectives and nouns, noun + noun, noun + preposition and noun phrase combinations (see example). Level ***** [B2/C1] / TEACHER MEMBERSHIP
Error Correction Practice & Answers
Teachers or students: This is a much harder worksheet of 12 sentences with 3 or 4 mistakes in each sentence. It includes answers. Good introduction to the correction code [webpage]. TEACHER MEMBERSHIP
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