Category: Useful Language
Informal & Formal Vocabulary for IELTS
The informal words below are best avoided in Academic IELTS. The neutral words are ‘fine’ for the Speaking module, but you really should learn the formal equivalents if you want to score highly in the Academic Writing module.
| Informal (Avoid) | Neutral (Spoken) | Formal (Written) |
| Stuff | Things | Items, Possessions |
| Folks | Family | Relatives |
| Kids (younger) | Babies, Children | Infants, Offspring |
| Kids (older) | Teenagers | Adolescents, Youths |
| Guy | Man | Male |
| Old people | Elderly people | Senior citizens, Retirees |
| - | Boss, Manager | Supervisor, Superior |
| Cops | Police | Law enforcement |
| Crooks | Criminals | Offenders, Lawbreakers |
| OK, Alright | Fine | Acceptable, Satisfactory |
| Great, Awesome | Good | Preferable, Desirable |
| Rubbish, Useless | Bad, Poor | Unsatisfactory, Unacceptable |
| - | Nice, Polite | Considerate, Agreeable |
| - | Kind, Friendly | Sociable, Neighbourly |
| Nasty, Cheeky (person) | Rude, Impolite | Abusive, Disagreeable |
| Stupid, Crazy, Dumb (idea) | - | Misguided, Questionable |
| Stupid, Crazy, Dumb (person) | - | Misguided, Mistaken |
| - | Happy (person) | Satisfied, Delighted |
| - | Happy (situation) | Satisfying, Delightful |
| - | Sad (person) | Regretful, Distressed |
| - | Sad (situation) | Regrettable, Distressing |
| Sick of, Fed up with | Tired of | Dissatisfied with |
| - | Poor (country) | Developing, Poverty-stricken |
| - | Poor (person) | In poverty, Underprivileged |
| - | Rich (country) | Wealthy, Developed |
| - | Rich (person) | Wealthy, Privileged |
Contractions such as don’t are fine in IELTS Speaking but it is better to use do not in the Academic Writing module. Casual forms such as gonna and dunno should only ever be used in the Speaking test and NEVER in Writing.
IELTS Writing Task 1: Useful Language
Some IELTS test-takers memorise a stock of useful phrases for both writing tasks. This is not cheating – learning expressions by heart and reproducing them in an appropriate context is one of the most fundamental ways to improve in a second language. The key is to stick to learning effective signposting phrases; that is, expressions whose only function is to link ideas and which can therefore be used when writing about any topic. See the list below for suggestions for IELTS Writing Task 1. For each function, the language is graded for level, from regular use (Bands 5-6) to higher-level use (Bands 7-9).
Introducing the topic
- The graph shows… / The table reveals…
- The chart displays… / The diagram illustrates…
- Some interesting facts concerning… are revealed in the diagram.
- Several key trends are revealed by the graph showing…
Introducing the first set of data
- Beginning with the…
- To begin with the…
- Let me begin by describing the…
