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Cambridge IGCSEStyle and accuracy

Vocabulary upgrade

Precise vocabulary is one of the quickest ways to move up a band. The goal is not longer words - it is more exact words. Each upgrade below has a short definition so you pick the one that fits your sentence, not just the biggest one.

The rule of precision

A shorter, precise word beats a longer, vague one. Trudged is better than walked. Muttered is better than vociferated - not because it\u2019s longer or fancier, but because it tells the reader exactly how the character spoke. Precision is what examiners reward; thesaurus-mining is what they flag.

Speech verbs

instead of said

Said is invisible and usually correct. Upgrade only when the tone changes.

murmured

low, confidential, half-heard

muttered

resentful, reluctant

whispered

deliberate, secret

bellowed

loud, uncontrolled

snapped

sharp, angry, brief

stammered

nervous, broken speech

hissed

quiet but furious

conceded

reluctantly agreed

Size adjectives

instead of big

colossal

very large, often overwhelming

immense

huge in scale

substantial

considerable, noticeable

vast

open, wide, boundless

towering

impressively tall

sprawling

spread over a wide area

cavernous

huge and echoing (interior)

instead of small

slight

delicate, minor

cramped

uncomfortably small

compact

efficient, tidy smallness

diminutive

very small, often cute

fragile

small and easily damaged

minute

extremely tiny

Quality adjectives

instead of good

accomplished

skilled, experienced

commendable

worthy of praise

admirable

inspiring respect

remarkable

noticeable, out of the ordinary

competent

capable, reliable

instead of bad

dismal

gloomy and disappointing

abysmal

extremely bad

wretched

miserable, unpleasant

appalling

shockingly bad

deficient

lacking, inadequate

instead of nice

pleasant

agreeable, mild

charming

delightful, attractive

gracious

kind in manner

considerate

thoughtful of others

agreeable

easy to like

Movement verbs

instead of walked

strolled

relaxed, unhurried

trudged

slow, tired, reluctant

strode

long, confident steps

ambled

casual, no destination

shuffled

feet barely lifted

hurried

fast, anxious

limped

uneven, injured

instead of ran

sprinted

short burst of full speed

dashed

sudden, urgent

bolted

sudden, panicked

hurtled

reckless, out of control

darted

quick, small, changing direction

scampered

light, playful, usually small animal or child

Perception verbs

instead of looked

glanced

brief, casual look

stared

long, focused, often intense

peered

careful, straining to see

glared

angry look

gazed

long, soft, dreamy

scanned

quick, systematic

studied

careful, thoughtful

instead of saw

noticed

became aware of

spotted

picked out from a background

glimpsed

briefly, incompletely

witnessed

saw an event of significance

observed

watched carefully

Emotion (show, don’t tell)

instead of happy

Where possible, show the feeling through body language instead of upgrading the adjective.

elated

very happy, light-headed

jubilant

openly celebrating

content

quiet satisfaction

giddy

excited, slightly silly

relieved

happy because worry has ended

instead of sad

despondent

low, hopeless

heartbroken

acute emotional pain

melancholy

quiet, lingering sadness

crestfallen

visibly disappointed

forlorn

lonely and pitiful

instead of angry

furious

very angry, barely controlled

seething

controlled but intense anger

livid

extreme anger, visible on the face

indignant

angry at unfairness

irritated

mildly annoyed

instead of scared

terrified

very afraid, frozen

apprehensive

worried about something coming

uneasy

vague sense of wrongness

alarmed

startled into fear

horrified

shocked and disgusted

A warning about thesaurus writing

Swapping every word for a longer synonym is one of the clearest markers of Band 3 writing. If a reader has to reach for a dictionary twice in one paragraph, something has gone wrong. The aim of this page is not to sound clever - it is to sound exact. Replace only the words that are doing vague work.