Why does the IELTS exam use these ten topics all the time? The IELTS test managers believe that these topics are the most suited to advanced, academic discussion in the world today, and also that people who take IELTS should have a reasonable understanding and interest regarding these areas. I see that one Topic is about ‘Agriculture, ’ for example. I know little about this, even in my native language. Is this a problem? No! Remember that in IELTS Speaking and Academic Writing, you are not expected to know specialised technical words or understand complex issues. The vocabulary expected is what a normal person can meet when reading the media, newspapers, popular websites and magazines on these subjects. Don’t worry if you think some of these topics seem too advanced – the vocabulary that we show you will enable you to answer questions in these areas quite easily, with some practice. Do I need to remember all of the words in this book? You should try to remember a group of words on e...