Free Year 9 Academic Word List Practice 1 Worksheet
Students work with fifteen high-frequency academic words drawn from the Academic Word List, the words that appear across textbooks, exam questions and essays in every subject: analyse, significant, consistent, evident, interpret, context, establish, factor, require, vary, indicate, assess, derive, principle and specific. They match words to meanings, use them in context, build word families and rewrite everyday sentences in academic register. Confident use of these words lifts writing in English, Science and Humanities alike.
Instant download · No sign-up · Free for personal, classroom and homeschool use
- Year
- Year 9
- Subject
- English
- Topic
- Vocabulary
- Difficulty
- Level 2 · Standard
- Estimated time
- 20 minutes
- Curriculum
- Australian Curriculum
- Questions
- 15
- Answers
- Included, with working
- Format
- PDF (A4) + print
Students will practise
- defining high-frequency academic words
- using academic vocabulary in context
- building word families (noun, verb, adjective forms)
- rewriting everyday language in academic register
Curriculum: Australian Curriculum. We show specific outcome codes only where they have been verified against the official curriculum document.
What's next?
Completed: Academic Word List Practice 1
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 9 students (typically ages 14–15) 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 15 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?
Try Analysing Persuasive Techniques in Advertising.
Preview
Year 9 · English · Vocabulary
Academic Word List Practice 1
Student name:
Date:
Score: /
Academic words are the words of explanation and argument. Keep a list of the ones you meet in other subjects this week.
Part A — Meanings
Circle the best meaning for each bolded word.
- Adescribe it briefly
- Bbreak it into parts to understand how it works
- Cagree with it
- Dmemorise it
- Asmall and easily ignored
- Bimportant or meaningful
- Csurprising but irrelevant
- Ddifficult to read
- Achange unpredictably
- Bfollow the same pattern each time
- Ccome from one source only
- Dare always correct
- Ahidden
- Bclear and easily seen or understood
- Cdoubtful
- Dcomplicated
- Adraw it
- Bexplain what it means
- Ccopy it
- Dcolour it in
Part B — Words in context
Complete each sentence with the best word from the box: context, establish, factor, require, vary, indicate. Use each word once.
Part C — Word families
Academic words usually come in families. Knowing the noun, verb and adjective forms lets you use the word in any sentence.
- analyse
- define
- assess
- vary
- respond
- derive
- assessment
- response
- variation
- analysis
- derivation
- definition
Preview — the PDF contains the full resource and answer sheet.
Vocabulary in other year levels
- Academic Vocabulary
Worksheet · Year 8 · Vocabulary · Level 2 · Standard
- Precise Verbs and Nominalisation
Worksheet · Year 10 · Vocabulary · Level 3 · Challenge
- Word Origins and Connotation
Worksheet · Year 7 · Vocabulary · Level 2 · Standard
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.