Flash cards have long been used as a learning tool to help students acquire, review and memorise vocabulary. They utilise a process called active recall, whereby we attempt to retrieve information from memory, rather than by passively working with the new term, such as by reading about it or hearing it in the news. Including methods of active recall in your learning strategy can be greatly beneficial when trying to improve your English for the IELTS.
Flash cards can be physical or digital. Many websites and apps can be used to create and study digital flash cards. However, many people find that the experience of interacting with the physical cards is more beneficial to their learning process. Create yours according to your learning style and preference. You can try different approaches until you find what works best for you.
Whenever you come across new vocabulary – for example, in a movie, a book, etc – you can create a flash card for it. The process of creating the cards is part of the learning process, as you reflect on the vocabulary, its meaning, and possible representations.
Look for example sentences to include in your flash cards. Write down what type of word it is (is it a verb, adjective, noun?), its collocations, and its different forms (plural, past participle, etc). Add images or drawings for visual representation. Consider the context in which the term is used and separate the cards into groups or by themes. You can even use colour coding. Including a variety of information about the vocabulary will help you create more associations with it, in turn making it easier to access it in the future. Repetition is key, though. The more you use the flash cards, the easier it will be to recall and use the new vocabulary.
In our IELTS preparation course Witte Way to IELTS Foundation, you will have access to lots of flash card sets created by us using Quizlet. They contain plenty of useful vocabulary to help you get a higher band in the IELTS test. For more information about the course, visit our website: witteway.uk.
You’re invited to watch a free vocabulary lesson on our YouTube chanel. In the video’s description you will find a link to a flash card set we created for the vocabulary in that lesson. We hope you’ll enjoy it!
Take your English to the next level with our English + IELTS Prep course!
Have you ever tried using flash cards as a learning tool? How did you find it?
Let us know in the comments below! 🙂
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