📚 Vocabulary System

Vocabulary is the hidden engine behind every section — Complete the Words, Listening comprehension, and precise Writing/Speaking. Here's a system that actually sticks: spaced repetition + word families.

1. The daily routine (10 minutes)

Review first: run yesterday's cards before adding new ones.
Add 10 new academic words from the Academic Word List.
Learn the family, not the word (see below) — that's what Complete the Words tests.

🎯 30-day target: ~300 high-frequency academic words, reviewed on a schedule.

2. Use spaced repetition (this is the key)

Cramming fades; spaced repetition makes words permanent by resurfacing them right before you'd forget. Pick one tool and stick with it:

🔗 Quizlet — easiest to start; make a "TOEFL AWL" set, use Learn mode. Great on mobile.
🔗 Anki — the most powerful free SRS; steeper setup but unbeatable long-term. Search shared "Academic Word List" decks to start instantly.

📱 Put the app on your phone's home screen and do reviews in dead time — queues, commutes, breaks.

3. The word-family method

For each new word, record its whole family and one real sentence. Example for analyse:

Noun	Verb	Adjective	Adverb
analysis / analyst	analyse	analytical	analytically

Sentence: "The researcher analysed the data and presented a clear analysis."

Common suffixes to drill: -tion, -ment, -ity, -ance/-ence, -ical, -ize, -ous, -ly, -ful, -ness.

4. Your sources

📄 Academic Word List (570 words) — your core list.
🔗 Vocabulary.com — definitions in context + adaptive practice.
🔗 LingoTool — organized word practice.
🔗 Cambridge Dictionary — check every word's forms and pronunciation.

🔁 Keep this habit running every single day of the marathon, including mock and rest days. Ten minutes daily beats an hour once a week.