Academic/General Training Module by Adam Smith First Published in 2015

 
 
Note:
 
Try finding the keywords in the table above if you have a copy of the book 
Cambridge IELTS 6, page 18, to see whether they help you to get the right answer 
more easily. 
 
 

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 IELTS
 JOURNAL 
 
33 
Collecting Vocabulary 
Whenever you read something in English, it's a good idea to write useful vocabulary in 
a notebook. But don't just write individual words, write the related words 
(collocations) too. For example, do you know which verb is usually used with the noun 
"commitment"? 
As an example, read the following short text:
A New Year’s resolution is a commitment that an individual makes to a personal 
goal, project, or the reforming of a habit in the coming year. Some examples 
include resolutions to lose weight, learn something new, or give up a habit such 
as smoking. 
Recent research shows that while 52% of participants in a resolution study were 
confident of success with their goals, only 12% actually achieved their goals. A 
separate study in 2007 at the University of Bristol showed that 78% of those 
who set New Year’s resolutions fail. 
Men achieved their goal 22% more often when they engaged in goal setting, a 
system where small measurable goals are set, while women succeeded 10% 
more when they made their goals public and got support from their friends. 
Here is some key vocabulary from the text:
make a commitment to something
give up a habit
be confident of something
set measurable goals
make something public
get support from
Tip:
Remember that understanding the meaning of a word is not the same as being 
able to use it correctly.