What to do if you encounter unknown words in IELTS

An essential and often overlooked academic reading skill is to guess the meanings of words from the context. When you are doing the IELTS reading test, you will encounter words you don’t understand. Since it is a test, you are not allowed to use a dictionary to look up those words. In this scenario, you do not want to let these words stop you from understanding the rest of the passages, which is where being able to guess the meaning of a word based on the context it is used in comes into play.

So what does guessing the meaning of a word from the context mean?

First of all, the context is the surrounding information around the word you don’t understand. Next, based on the context and how the word is used in it, it is possible to guess the meaning.

Let’s look at an example.

Throughout the majority of human existence, our primary means of obtaining sustenance involved gathering food through activities like hunting, fishing, and gathering wild plants. In this lifestyle, small groups of nomads were able to meet the basic requirements for their families without much difficulty. There was no need for excess, as it held little practical value. The structure of these societies was relatively uncomplicated, centered around divisions based on age and gender. Such societies likely were largely egalitarian, characterized by a considerable degree of equality, where individuals, regardless of their age or gender, enjoyed comparable rights, social standing, and access to resources.

So what does the word “egalitarian” mean? I’m sure a lot of people don’t know what it means, probably even native English speakers, but a native English speaker can probably make an accurate guess based on the overall context of the passage.

Let’s look at the context around this word.

Such societies likely were largely egalitarian, characterized by a considerable degree of equality, where individuals, regardless of their age or gender, enjoyed comparable rights, social standing, and access to resources.

What do you see? Let me highlight the sentence that describes what an egalitarian society is.

Such societies likely were largely egalitarian, beyond distinctions based on age and gender, characterized by a  considerable degree of equality, regardless of their age or gender, enjoyed comparable rights, social standing, and access to resources.

So from that sentence, you can guess egalitarian means that all people are equal and deserve equal rights and opportunities.

Let’s look at another example.

Chronobiology may appear to have a futuristic quality, resembling a concept from a science fiction novel. However, it is actually a field of study that focuses on one of the oldest processes observed in life on Earth: the cyclical patterns of time and how they impact plants and animals. These patterns can manifest in various ways. For instance, marine life is influenced by the ebb and flow of tides. Animals' activity levels often correlate with the position of the sun or moon, with many species, including humans, are largely duimal – that is, they like to come out during the hours of sunlight. Conversely, nocturnal creatures like bats and possums prefer to forage during the night. Another group of animals, known as crepuscular, thrive in the dim light of dawn and dusk while remaining inactive at other times of the day.

Again, I’ve highlighted the sentence that can help us guess what diurnal means.

Chronobiology may appear to have a futuristic quality, resembling a concept from a science fiction novel. However, it is actually a field of study that focuses on one of the oldest processes observed in life on Earth: the cyclical patterns of time and how they impact plants and animals. These patterns can manifest in various ways. For instance, marine life is influenced by the ebb and flow of tides. Animals' activity levels often correlate with the position of the sun or moon, with many species, including humans, are largely duimal – that is, they like to come out during the hours of sunlight. Conversely, nocturnal creatures like bats and possums prefer to forage during the night. Another group of animals, known as crepuscular, thrive in the dim light of dawn and dusk while remaining inactive at other times of the day.

From this sentence, you can get a good idea of the meaning. The word diurnal means that animals usually come out in the daytime. We didn’t need a dictionary to guess that one.

To sum up, if you are going to take an IELTS test, you will probably come across some unknown words in the reading section. Very often you can just skip it and keep reading because more than likely, you’ll find the context reveals enough about the word to understand the meaning.

Quick Tip: Try practicing this skill when reading articles, magazines, or newspapers.