How to use this, and how not to
The words below are not a phrase bank to deploy. They are the vocabulary you need in order to have anything specific to say about eight subjects, which is a different thing and a much more useful one.
- Learn the theme, not the list. Six words will not carry an essay. Follow the link at the end of each section into the full topic — every one holds between fifty and sixty words with phonetics, an example sentence and audio.
- Precision beats rarity. A common word used exactly outscores an unusual one used approximately, and a misused sophisticated word costs more than a plain accurate one. This is what the Lexical Resource descriptor actually says.
- Collocation is what examiners notice. Knowing chronic is worth little without knowing it goes with condition, shortage and underfunding. The collocation lists are the other half of this page.
- Do not memorise sentences. Examiners recognise pre-learnt language and discount it. Memorise fields; produce sentences.
Education and study
The single most common Task 2 subject and a recurring Part 3 theme. What is being tested is not whether you know the word university — it is whether you can talk about evidence, method and claims without reaching for thing.
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methodology/ˌmeθ.əˈdɒl.ə.dʒi/
how a study was carried out — the safe abstract noun when you mean "the way they did it"
From Academic & Research: “The study used a clear methodology.”
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empirical/ɪmˈpɪr.ɪ.kəl/
based on observation rather than argument; pairs with evidence constantly
From Academic & Research: “The claim lacks empirical evidence.”
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criterion/kraɪˈtɪə.ri.ən/
one standard by which something is judged. Plural criteria, and getting that wrong is visible
From Academic & Research: “Cost was the main criterion.”
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comprehensive/ˌkɒm.prɪˈhen.sɪv/
covering everything relevant — useful about curricula, reforms and reviews
From Academic & Research: “It is a comprehensive review.”
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rigorous/ˈrɪɡ.ər.əs/
thorough and demanding; the standard adjective for good research or a hard course
From Academic & Research: “The test was rigorous.”
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underlying/ˌʌn.dəˈlaɪ.ɪŋ/
beneath the surface — the underlying cause, the underlying assumption
From Academic & Research: “We must find the underlying cause.”
Six words is a start, not a topic. The full list — Academic & Research, B2 — holds 50 words with pronunciation, an example sentence for each and audio.
Environment and climate
Task 2 and Part 3 both return to it, and it is the theme where imprecision shows most. Pollution covers four different things, and choosing the right one of them is a Lexical Resource decision.
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depletion/dɪˈpliː.ʃən/
the using-up of a finite resource — sharper than loss
From Climate & Environment: “Oil depletion is a real concern.”
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degradation/ˌdeɡ.rəˈdeɪ.ʃən/
gradual worsening of land, air or an ecosystem
From Climate & Environment: “Soil degradation harms farming.”
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biodiversity/ˌbaɪ.əʊ.daɪˈvɜː.sɪ.ti/
the variety of living things in a place; almost unavoidable on this topic
From Climate & Environment: “Rainforests are rich in biodiversity.”
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scarcity/ˈskeə.sɪ.ti/
not enough to go round — the correct noun for water, land or fuel
From Climate & Environment: “Water scarcity affects millions.”
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sustainability/səˌsteɪ.nəˈbɪl.ɪ.ti/
the capacity to continue without exhausting what it depends on
From Climate & Environment: “Sustainability is now a priority.”
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offset/ˈɒf.set/
to balance one effect against another; a verb and a noun, and the noun is contested
From Climate & Environment: “They plant trees to offset emissions.”
Six words is a start, not a topic. The full list — Climate & Environment, B2 — holds 50 words with pronunciation, an example sentence for each and audio.
Technology and the internet
Easy to answer badly, because everyone answers it and most answers are the same. Precision about what the technology is doing beats another sentence about how fast the world is changing.
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algorithm/ˈæl.ɡə.rɪ.ðəm/
the rule a system follows; the word that lets you discuss recommendation and moderation
From Digital & Technology: “The search engine uses a complex algorithm.”
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surveillance/səˈveɪ.ləns/
systematic watching — the right noun for the privacy argument
From Digital & Technology: “The city uses video surveillance.”
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obsolete/ˈɒb.sə.liːt/
no longer useful because something replaced it
From Digital & Technology: “Old phones quickly become obsolete.”
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infrastructure/ˈɪn.frə.strʌk.tʃə/
the underlying physical and organisational systems
From Digital & Technology: “The country improved its digital infrastructure.”
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automate/ˈɔː.tə.meɪt/
to have a machine do what a person did
From Digital & Technology: “They want to automate the process.”
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connectivity/ˌkɒn.ekˈtɪv.ɪ.ti/
the state of being connected; the abstract noun for access questions
From Digital & Technology: “Rural areas have poor connectivity.”
Six words is a start, not a topic. The full list — Digital & Technology, B2 — holds 50 words with pronunciation, an example sentence for each and audio.
Health and medicine
A Task 2 staple, and a theme where the everyday word and the precise word are far apart. Long illness and chronic condition are not the same register.
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chronic/ˈkrɒn.ɪk/
long-lasting and persistent — the opposite of acute, which is the other half of the pair
From Medicine & Health: “She has a chronic illness.”
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sanitation/ˌsæn.ɪˈteɪ.ʃən/
the systems that keep water and waste separate; central to any public-health answer
From Medicine & Health: “Poor sanitation spreads disease.”
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obesity/əʊˈbiː.sə.ti/
the standard term in policy discussion, and the one the prompts use
From Medicine & Health: “Obesity is a growing problem.”
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lifespan/ˈlaɪf.spæn/
how long a life lasts — distinguish from life expectancy, which is an average
From Medicine & Health: “Healthy living extends your lifespan.”
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immunise/ˈɪm.jə.naɪz/
protect a population against a disease; the verb behind most public-health prompts
From Medicine & Health: “Doctors immunise children against measles.”
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diagnostic/ˌdaɪ.əɡˈnɒs.tɪk/
relating to identifying what is wrong
From Medicine & Health: “They ran diagnostic tests.”
Six words is a start, not a topic. The full list — Medicine & Health, B2 — holds 50 words with pronunciation, an example sentence for each and audio.
Work and employment
Part 1, Part 3 and Task 2 all use it, which makes it the best-value theme on this page.
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competence/ˈkɒm.pɪ.təns/
the ability to do something to a required standard
From Work & Ambition: “She showed real competence.”
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proficiency/prəˈfɪʃ.ən.si/
a high level of skill, especially one that was learned
From Work & Ambition: “He has proficiency in three languages.”
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redundancy/rɪˈdʌn.dən.si/
losing a job because the job no longer exists — not the same as being dismissed
From Work & Ambition: “He faced redundancy last year.”
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hierarchy/ˈhaɪə.rɑː.ki/
the ranked structure of an organisation
From Work & Ambition: “The company has a strict hierarchy.”
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delegation/ˌdel.ɪˈɡeɪ.ʃən/
giving responsibility to someone below you
From Work & Ambition: “Good delegation saves time.”
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retention/rɪˈten.ʃən/
keeping staff rather than losing them; the noun every "why do people leave" answer needs
From Work & Ambition: “Staff retention has improved.”
Six words is a start, not a topic. The full list — Work & Ambition, B2 — holds 50 words with pronunciation, an example sentence for each and audio.
Society and inequality
The theme behind a large share of discussion prompts. Vague answers here are almost always a vocabulary problem rather than an idea problem.
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deprivation/ˌdep.rɪˈveɪ.ʃən/
lacking what is needed for a normal standard of living
From Social Issues: “Many children live in deprivation.”
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marginalise/ˈmɑː.dʒɪn.əl.aɪz/
push a group to the edge of a society’s attention or provision
From Social Issues: “Poverty can marginalise people.”
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integration/ˌɪn.tɪˈɡreɪ.ʃən/
becoming part of a wider community — contrast with segregation, its opposite here
From Social Issues: “Integration helps newcomers settle.”
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demographic/ˌdem.əˈɡræf.ɪk/
a section of a population defined by age, income or similar; also an adjective
From Social Issues: “The town has a young demographic.”
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cohesion/kəʊˈhiː.ʒən/
the degree to which a society holds together
From Social Issues: “Sport builds social cohesion.”
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stigma/ˈstɪɡ.mə/
a mark of social disapproval attached to a condition or a group
From Social Issues: “There is still a stigma around mental illness.”
Six words is a start, not a topic. The full list — Social Issues, B2 — holds 50 words with pronunciation, an example sentence for each and audio.
Government and law
Prompts asking whether governments should do something are the largest single family in Task 2. This is the vocabulary for answering them without saying the government should take action.
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legislation/ˌledʒ.ɪˈsleɪ.ʃən/
laws, collectively — the noun that lets you avoid saying rules
From Politics & Power: “The legislation protects workers.”
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governance/ˈɡʌv.ən.əns/
how an organisation or country is run, as distinct from who runs it
From Politics & Power: “Good governance reduces corruption.”
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accountability/əˌkaʊn.təˈbɪl.ɪ.ti/
being answerable for a decision; the word most "who is responsible" answers are missing
From Politics & Power: “Voters demand accountability.”
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mandate/ˈmæn.deɪt/
the authority to act, given by an election or a body
From Politics & Power: “The government has a clear mandate.”
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bureaucracy/bjʊəˈrɒk.rə.si/
the administrative machinery; carries a mild negative colouring, so place it deliberately
From Politics & Power: “Too much bureaucracy slows things down.”
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sanction/ˈsæŋk.ʃən/
a penalty imposed to enforce a rule — and, confusingly, also a verb meaning to permit
From Politics & Power: “The committee imposed a sanction.”
Six words is a start, not a topic. The full list — Politics & Power, B2 — holds 50 words with pronunciation, an example sentence for each and audio.
Arguing, conceding and hedging
Not a subject but a skill, and the one that separates band 6 from band 7 in both Task 2 and Speaking Part 3. Every word here is a way of saying something with a measured amount of confidence.
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caveat/ˈkæv.i.æt/
a qualification attached to a claim — one word that does the work of a clause
From Argument & Persuasion: “I accept it, with one caveat.”
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tenable/ˈten.ə.bəl/
able to be defended. Untenable is on the same list and is the more useful of the two
From Argument & Persuasion: “The position is no longer tenable.”
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concur/kənˈkɜː/
agree, in a formal register
From Argument & Persuasion: “Most experts concur with her.”
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undermine/ˌʌn.dəˈmaɪn/
weaken an argument or a position indirectly
From Argument & Persuasion: “Such leaks undermine his case.”
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contentious/kənˈten.ʃəs/
genuinely disputed — a precise replacement for controversial
From Argument & Persuasion: “It is a contentious topic.”
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salient/ˈseɪ.li.ənt/
the most relevant point among several
From Argument & Persuasion: “He noted the salient facts.”
Six words is a start, not a topic. The full list — Argument & Persuasion, C1 — holds 60 words with pronunciation, an example sentence for each and audio.
One more thing: register is not vocabulary
The commonest vocabulary error at the top of band 6 is not a wrong word. It is a right word in the wrong register — a conversational phrase in a Task 2 essay, or a piece of formal written English delivered aloud in Speaking Part 1.
| Too informal for Task 2 | Right for Task 2 | Too formal for Speaking |
|---|---|---|
| a lot of people reckon | it is widely argued that | it is incumbent upon the populace to |
| the government should sort it out | this requires intervention at national level | the executive is duty-bound to promulgate |
| stuff like that | considerations of that kind | matters pertaining thereto |
| it is a really big problem | the scale of the problem is considerable | the magnitude thereof is not inconsiderable |
The same meaning, three registers. All three are correct English; only one is right in each place.
The right-hand column is not a joke: those are real words, and they are all in our Formal & Academic Register list. They belong in legal and academic writing, and in an IELTS essay they read as someone who has swallowed a thesaurus. Knowing which register a word belongs to is a higher-level skill than knowing the word.
How to actually build this vocabulary
- One theme a week, not eight at once. Take a topic list, learn it properly, then write one Task 2 essay and speak one Part 3 answer using it. A word you have produced twice is yours; a word you have read forty times is not.
- Record the collocation, not the word. Write a chronic shortage of, not chronic. Examiners hear the wrong preposition long before they notice a small vocabulary.
- Test yourself in production, not recognition. The catalogue flashcards and Word Duel both work, but the decisive test is whether the word arrives unbidden in a timed essay.
- Prune. If a word has not appeared in your own writing after three weeks, it is not going to appear in the exam either. Drop it and learn a more useful one.