Free Year 8 Academic Vocabulary Worksheet
Students build the vocabulary that assessment questions and essays rely on: analyse, evaluate, justify, infer, significant, hypothesis and more. They define key terms, choose the right academic word in context, upgrade everyday phrases to formal equivalents, and write a short analytical paragraph. Knowing exactly what a task word demands is one of the biggest factors in exam performance across every subject.
Instant download · No sign-up · Free for personal, classroom and homeschool use
- Year
- Year 8
- Subject
- English
- Topic
- Vocabulary
- Difficulty
- Level 2 · Standard
- Estimated time
- 20 minutes
- Curriculum
- Australian Curriculum
- Questions
- 20
- Answers
- Included, with working
- Format
- PDF (A4) + print
Students will practise
- defining common academic task words
- choosing academic vocabulary in context
- replacing everyday phrases with formal equivalents
- using academic vocabulary in analytical writing
Curriculum: Australian Curriculum. We show specific outcome codes only where they have been verified against the official curriculum document.
What's next?
Completed: Academic Vocabulary
Ready for more? Move on to Year 9 English.
How to use this worksheet
- Print the PDF or complete it on screen. Write the student's name and date at the top.
- Read the instructions for each part together before starting. Encourage working to be shown.
- Mark with the answer sheet. Use the model answers and success criteria as a guide rather than a single right answer.
- Record the score, celebrate what went well, then follow the "What's next" suggestion.
Common questions
Who is this worksheet for?
Year 8 students (typically ages 13–14) working on vocabulary. It is pitched at level 2 · standard.
Are the answers included?
Yes. The PDF includes a full answer sheet with model answers and success criteria where there is more than one good answer. You can also view the answers online.
How long does it take?
About 20 minutes for 20 questions. Short, regular sessions work best: two or three a week beats one long one.
Do I need to sign up to download?
No. Click Download Free PDF and it opens immediately. It is free for personal, classroom and homeschool use.
What should we do next?
Explore more Year 8 english resources.
Preview
Year 8 · English · Vocabulary
Academic Vocabulary
Student name:
Date:
Score: /
Academic words are precise. Learn exactly what each task word asks you to do.
Part A — Task words
These words appear in exam questions and essay tasks. Circle the correct meaning.
- Aexamine in detail to understand how the parts work
- Bcopy exactly
- Cignore
- Dsummarise briefly
- Adescribe
- Bjudge the value or quality of
- Clist
- Drepeat
- Atiny
- Bimportant or meaningful
- Cconfusing
- Dquick
- Aa proven fact
- Ba testable explanation or prediction
- Ca final conclusion
- Da measurement
- Ashow the differences between
- Bshow the similarities between
- Csummarise
- Dprove
- Agive reasons or evidence to support
- Bdisagree with
- Cshorten
- Drewrite
- Aexplain in great detail
- Bgive the main points briefly
- Cargue against
- Dcompare
- Astate directly
- Bwork out from clues and evidence
- Cmeasure
- Ddefine
Part B — Choose the academic word
Write the word that fits the sentence.
Part C — Upgrade the phrase
Replace the bold everyday words with more formal, academic alternatives.
Preview — the PDF contains the full resource and answer sheet.
Vocabulary in other year levels
- Word Origins and Connotation
Worksheet · Year 7 · Vocabulary · Level 2 · Standard
- Academic Word List Practice 1
Worksheet · Year 9 · Vocabulary · Level 2 · Standard
- Similes and Metaphors
Worksheet · Year 6 · Vocabulary · Level 2 · Standard
- Precise Verbs and Nominalisation
Worksheet · Year 10 · Vocabulary · Level 3 · Challenge
About this resource
- Created by
- Success Tutoring
- Last reviewed
- 1 October 2026
- How it was made
- Written by our team
Free to print and share for personal, classroom and homeschool use. Please don't resell. Spotted an error? Let us know.