Words can be represented as elements which,when put together make up a whole situation (in form of a sentence). Thus it is imperative that candidates who wish to take up any proficiency test in English must have the ability to understand the vocabulary in the sentence,which in turn will provide them with an idea of the subject matter.
But does this mean that they are required to be proficient with regards to all the terms associated with a particular topic? No,they do not have to by heart the set of lexical to fair well in a proficiency test, and IELTS is no different.
An individual who aims to do well in an English proficiency test does not need to memorize all the words in the dictionary or have all the grammar rules on their finger tips. Yes indeed a preliminary acquaintance to the same is suggested,but that does not add any value to the individual’s score if they use it incorrectly. An individual must accept the fact that since the time of preparation is limited, the domain that they work on has totally different terms allocated, they must not try to over load their mind with too much of unwanted vocabulary.For example, if they wish to use high-sounding words,make a note of them in the note-book,but cannot utilize the same due to lack of understanding in its meaning or problems with their spellings,it surely would be a dangerous situation.
Thus,I believe that words, whether high-sounding or not must be used judiciously.A student must at the end of the day use the words in the right context.He or she must be aware of the meaning and the spelling of the word that they want to implement in the writeup or speech. Working smart rather than working hard has now become the norm.
The test takers must first start using basic words with reference to the subject provided.They can do so by reading sample essays on a regular basis,taking down the most common vocabulary from it (20 words atleat). They do not necessarily need to adapt all the words from the list at once and can start by just imbibing 4 or 5 words from it.They must do this regularly, working on a fresh topic each day.They can later go back to the list that they have created at the end of the week. This will help them retain another 3 to 4 words from it.
Eventually, he or she would be more adaptable to use words and would not have to only depend on learnt vocabulary. It is made quite evident through the evaluation process that a person who uses simple language while writing and speaking, but puts the right words,in the right sentence, within the relevent situation always has an edge than a candidate,who might have used high-sounding words,created complex or compound sentences,but has nevertheless made a lot of grammatical errors while doing so.
Finally, words should not be used as mere fillers. Their role in a written text or a spoken context has to provide the reader or listener with their clear purpose.