IELTS Phrasal Verbs | Essential Vocabulary for Band 7-9

 

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IELTS Phrasal Verbs Masterclass

Essential multi-word verbs for natural, fluent English – a hallmark of Band 7-9 candidates.

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Why Phrasal Verbs Matter for IELTS

Native speakers use phrasal verbs constantly. Using them naturally in Speaking (and occasionally in Writing) demonstrates fluency and lexical range. This guide focuses on the most useful ones – avoid rare or overly informal phrasal verbs in Writing Task 2.

Top 30 Essential Phrasal Verbs

🔍 Look / See

• look after
  take care of
  "My grandmother looks after my younger brother."
• look forward to
  anticipate with pleasure
  "I'm looking forward to my holiday."
• look up
  search for information
  "I looked up the word in a dictionary."
• find out
  discover information
  "I need to find out the train schedule."

📚 Study / Work

• keep up with
  stay at same level
  "It's hard to keep up with my classmates."
• catch up
  reach the same level
  "I need to catch up on my reading."
• go over
  review
  "Let's go over the notes before the exam."
• hand in
  submit
  "Please hand in your assignments by Friday."

⏰ Time / Progress

• carry on
  continue
  "Carry on with your work."
• get on with
  continue / have a good relationship
  "I get on well with my colleagues."
• go through
  experience
  "She went through a difficult time."
• put off
  postpone
  "Don't put off your homework until tomorrow."

💪 Effort / Success

• give up
  quit
  "Never give up on your dreams."
• carry out
  perform / execute
  "Scientists carried out an experiment."
• come up with
  produce an idea
  "She came up with a brilliant solution."
• figure out
  understand / solve
  "I can't figure out this maths problem."

🗣️ Communication

• get across
  communicate effectively
  "He struggled to get his point across."
• point out
  mention / highlight
  "The teacher pointed out my mistake."
• talk into
  persuade
  "She talked me into joining the club."
• call off
  cancel
  "The meeting was called off due to weather."

🌱 Growth / Change

• end up
  finally reach a state
  "We ended up staying home."
• turn into
  transform into
  "The caterpillar turned into a butterfly."
• cut down on
  reduce
  "I need to cut down on sugar."
• take up
  start a hobby
  "I took up photography last year."

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Phrasal Verbs by IELTS Topic

🌍 Environment

• cut down on
  "We must cut down on plastic waste."
• throw away
  "Don't throw away recyclable items."
• wipe out
  "Pollution could wipe out certain species."
• phase out
  "Many countries are phasing out coal power."

🎓 Education

• catch up
  "I need to catch up on my homework."
• fall behind
  "Don't fall behind in your studies."
• drop out
  "He dropped out of university."
• go over
  "Let's go over the key concepts."

💼 Work & Business

• take on
  "She took on extra responsibilities."
• carry out
  "We carried out a market survey."
• set up
  "They set up a new company."
• run out of
  "We ran out of office supplies."

🏠 Daily Life

• get up
  "I usually get up at 7 am."
• turn on/off
  "Please turn off the lights."
• clean up
  "Help me clean up the kitchen."
• hang out
  "I like hanging out with my friends."

Separable vs Inseparable Phrasal Verbs

📌 Separable (object can go between)

• turn off → "Turn the light off" / "Turn off the light"
• put on → "Put your coat on" / "Put on your coat"
• take off → "Take your shoes off" / "Take off your shoes"

🔗 Inseparable (object must come after)

• look after → "Look after the baby" (NOT "Look the baby after")
• get over → "Get over the illness" (NOT "Get the illness over")
• run into → "I ran into an old friend"

Phrasal Verbs for Speaking vs Writing

✅ Good for Speaking (informal/natural)

• come up with
• figure out
• get along with
• look forward to
• put off

📖 Better for Writing (formal alternatives)

• come up with → propose / suggest
• figure out → determine / solve
• get along with → have a good relationship with
• put off → postpone

Use phrasal verbs sparingly in Writing Task 2 – they can be too informal. Use them more freely in Speaking.

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Practice Exercise

📝 Fill in the blanks

Complete the sentences with the correct phrasal verb from the list:

Word bank: look after, give up, put off, come up with, figure out, carry out

• 1. Please __________ the dog while I'm away.
• 2. Don't __________ your homework until the last minute.
• 3. She __________ a brilliant solution to the problem.
• 4. I can't __________ why the machine isn't working.
• 5. They __________ a series of experiments.

Answers: 1. look after, 2. put off, 3. came up with, 4. figure out, 5. carried out

Complete Phrasal Verbs PDF

100+ essential phrasal verbs with meanings and examples – free download.

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© 2025 IELTS Smart — Master Phrasal Verbs for Natural English

Use them naturally in Speaking. Use formal alternatives in Writing Task 2.