Reading vocabulary help when you want it

Turn contextual vocabulary help on when you are studying a passage, or hide it for a cleaner, more test-like read. Your choice also carries into Reading review on the same browser.

Reading practice does not always have the same goal. Sometimes you want help understanding every sentence; at other times you want to test yourself without prompts. The new vocabulary control lets you switch between those two approaches.

Choose the amount of help you want

Keep vocabulary help on when you are studying a passage and want to explore unfamiliar words in context. Turn it off when you want a quieter page that feels closer to an exam and encourages you to infer meaning on your own. The passage and questions do not change—only the interactive vocabulary assistance is shown or hidden.

The same control is available while answering Reading questions and while reviewing a completed attempt, so you can first work without help and then turn it back on when analysing a difficult section.

Your preference is remembered

IELTSly remembers the setting in your current browser. Change it once and the next supported Reading passage or review opens with the same choice. If browser storage is unavailable, the setting still applies for the current page.

A useful study pattern is to complete a passage with vocabulary help hidden, then enable it during review to investigate words that affected your answers.