Essential expressions for civil servants preparing for the new trend

PART 01 Essential Vocabulary

DAY 01
DAY 02
DAY 03
DAY 04
DAY 05
DAY 06
DAY 07
DAY 08 Idiom Day
DAY 09
DAY 10
DAY 11
DAY 12
DAY 13
DAY 14
DAY 15
DAY 16 Idiom Day
DAY 17
DAY 18
DAY 19
DAY 20
DAY 21
DAY 22
DAY 23
DAY 24 Idiom Day
DAY 25
DAY 26
DAY 27
DAY 28
DAY 29
DAY 30
DAY 31
DAY 32 Idiom Day
DAY 33
DAY 34
DAY 35
DAY 36
DAY 37
DAY 38
DAY 39
DAY 40 Idiom Day

PART 02 Job and Practical Vocabulary

DAY 41 Civil Complaints and Administration
DAY 42 Civil Complaints and Administration
DAY 43 Government and Politics
DAY 44 LAW
DAY 45 LAW
DAY 46 Economy and Jobs
DAY 47 Economy and Jobs
DAY 48 Economy and Jobs
DAY 49 Culture and Tourism
DAY 50 Culture and Tourism
DAY 51 EDUCATION
DAY 52 Science and Technology
DAY 53 Science and Technology
DAY 54 Social Welfare
DAY 55 HEALTH CARE
DAY 56 PUBLIC HEALTH
DAY 57 Foreign Affairs and Defense
DAY 58 Foreign Affairs and Defense
DAY 59 ENVIRONMENT
DAY 60 ENVIRONMENT

PART 03 Practical English

Key expressions by topic
Key expressions by situation

Appendix

Basic vocabulary
Academic vocabulary
Grammar Vocabulary

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Specifically, looking at the features, first, by reflecting the characteristics of vocabulary and the test trends, the vocabulary for each part was structured differently to distinguish between the strengths and weaknesses of vocabulary learning and the learning method. PART 1 essential vocabulary (1,600 words in total, including idioms) is divided into 'most frequent → important → basic vocabulary / polysemy' according to frequency and difficulty, and 'IDIOM Day' (200 words in total) is structured over five times every eighth day, so that core vocabulary and key expressions can be learned in one book.
In particular, by selecting polysemous words and idioms with high practical utility and composing example sentences accordingly, you can expand your vocabulary and effectively prepare for practical English proficiency assessments. PART 2, Job and Practical Vocabulary (800 words total), categorizes civil servant duties by topic (12 areas including civil complaints and administration, government and politics, law, and economics and jobs), and includes a carefully selected selection of useful vocabulary and example sentences for each field.
It is also effective for reading comprehension learning because it contains a large number of expressions that can be used as materials in the workplace.
In addition, PART 3 divides everyday English into topics and situations and includes key expressions, enabling highly efficient learning of civil servant English.
Lastly, we have included various auxiliary vocabulary (civil service-related vocabulary, basic vocabulary, academic vocabulary, and grammar vocabulary) as an appendix to ensure thorough preparation for the English exam.


Second, since the exam is primarily designed to assess communication skills and practical English proficiency required for actual work performance, the exam has been completely reorganized with examples and key expressions that reflect this.
Therefore, you can improve your practical skills by learning vocabulary and examples.

Third, tests are arranged every day so that students can check their skills and identify vocabulary they are weak in while studying.
By taking the test, you can simultaneously achieve a perfect review effect by configuring the questions to exclude the luck of guessing.
Additionally, by presenting 40 vocabulary words to be learned each day in advance, you can efficiently self-test and organize them. You can also check your own skills by checking words you don't know before and after memorizing them, and you can also check them after reading them three times.
For each title, we have expanded vocabulary by including derivatives, synonyms, antonyms, references, and tips, and have added various devices useful for learning words, such as QR codes.

Fourth, the civil servant English VOCA APP is available for free, and is designed to be portable, handbook-sized, maximizing convenience for studying while on the go.
In addition to including a cover sheet to help with memorizing vocabulary, we also operate a website called “Lee Dong-gi Best VOCA (www.bestvoca.com)” to help test takers learn civil service vocabulary, providing various services such as online vocabulary tests, MP3s, and study schedules.

preface

The beginning of all language learning is vocabulary.
The same goes for preparing for English exams.
Only by knowing the essential vocabulary can you learn grammar, which is a way to connect vocabulary, and reading, which is a way to read text.

So how should we choose and study which vocabulary?
How can I learn vocabulary effectively?

These are probably two questions that everyone can relate to.


The conclusions reached through lectures and textbook development are as follows:

Selected vocabulary

The Ministry of Personnel Management, the department in charge of the civil service examination, announced a revision to the English section of the exam starting in 2025, resulting in significant changes.
The two key words in the exam format are “to verify practical English skills required for actual work” and “to exclude memorization-type questions.”
Based on this, from now on, vocabulary learning must be revised to focus on practical vocabulary, excluding overly academic vocabulary that was mainly included in rote memorization questions.


This textbook contains only thoroughly selected vocabulary that is in line with this new exam trend.


In preparing for the English exam, we analyzed all the questions that have appeared in the civil service English exam, focusing on the most basic vocabulary for elementary school students selected by the Ministry of Education, and the basic vocabulary for middle and high school English curriculum and college entrance exam preparation. We selected and included only the most frequently used vocabulary in the exam.
Additionally, we have newly selected practical vocabulary necessary for performing actual civil servant duties and included it categorized by field of work.

We understand the unfamiliarity of a new exam and the uncertainty surrounding which vocabulary to learn, so we believe this textbook will serve as your expert guide, helping you predict the exam more accurately than ever before and prepare thoroughly.


The best result is memorization through repetition.

The most common advice I've received from you while giving lectures is about the frustration you feel when memorizing vocabulary and the secrets to memorizing vocabulary.
I've met many learners who are good at memorizing vocabulary, and while they all use different learning methods, they all have one thing in common: they never stop learning vocabulary with just one memorization.
In other words, we can say that repetitive learning is the only secret to memorizing vocabulary.

For those expecting a clear-cut answer, this may be a bit disappointing.
However, our brain does not have enough capacity to remember and store all the information we have seen once, so most of the information is soon deleted, and only the information that has been repeatedly exposed is recognized as information worth storing and stored, that is, remembered.
One example is that you may remember complex passwords you use frequently, but quickly forget even simple words.

I recommend that you carefully read the 'Study Schedule Recommendation' included in this book and follow it accordingly.
In the beginning stages of learning, even if you haven't memorized as many words as you'd like, don't look back and just keep moving forward quickly.
After a certain amount of repetition, you will begin to see a seed of hope that you are gradually memorizing the material, which will be sufficient motivation for further study.
Now, if you continue to memorize repeatedly until the exam you are aiming for with this motivation, you will definitely achieve the results you want.

I spent more time planning this textbook and selecting the essential vocabulary than any other textbook.
We are confident that 『Shin Kyung-hyang's Mobile Civil Servant VOCA』, the result of all that sweat and effort, will be the catalyst for your high English scores and passing the exam.

We would like to thank the researchers at the Donggi English Education Research Institute for their hard work in publishing this textbook.
I would also like to once again express my gratitude to CEO Kim Ji-yeon and all of the publishers who always strive to publish high-quality textbooks.

April 2025
At the Noryangjin Research Lab
Written by Lee Dong-gi