Vocabulary for IELTS Writing Task 2 Band 8+

In the IELTS academic or general writing task 2, you will need to write an essay of at least 250 words on a topic that requires you to present an argument in a format that the instructions lay down. This Task takes about 40 minutes.

The topics are primarily abstract, with no correct answer. The point to note here is that this task is worth twice as much as IELTS Academic Writing Task 1. So, developing a relevant vocabulary for presenting your views will be a wise investment.

This article will provide some commonly used vocabulary for IELTS writing task 2. Read the article till the end to learn IELTS writing task 2 vocabulary words that can help you shine brighter.

Vocabulary for IELTS Writing Task 2

The general format for writing academic writing task 2

Introduction + your opinion/ your viewpoint/ what you think about the statement/ whether you agree or disagree/ main advantages or disadvantages  +

2nd paragraph with an example, and/or explanation, and/or evidence ( and/or extra details)  +

3rd paragraph with an example, and/or explanation, and/or evidence ( and/or extra details)  +

(4th paragraph with an example, and/or explanation, and/or evidence ( and/or extra details)  +

…………….. …………….. …………….. ……………..)

Conclusion + restating the main point of your discussion/ your position on the issue/ proposing a solution.

Vocabulary for the Introduction Part

In the introduction part of your IELTS essay, you should write sentences relevant to the topic given and generally accepted ideas about it. Use your best English here, as it will attract or bore your reader with the writing. You will make or break your impression in this paragraph. Be very cautious about the introduction part. Never just copy the sentence of the question. If you need to, use synonyms and different sentence structures.

Examples: 

1) Mobile phones and the Internet are two fantastic innovations of science for communication and have facilitated people for a long time. These two technologies are widely used almost worldwide and have become a part of our daily lives. We can’t deny the usefulness of these technologies as they have made our life more accessible than ever before. In my opinion, these two devices’ advantages far outweigh their demerits.

2) Every human being who aims to acquire higher knowledge requires attending colleges or universities. The main reason for attending universities or colleges may differ from man to man. Someone may aspire to achieve more excellent knowledge; someone may just want to earn a certificate, or someone might attribute it as a step towards career development.

3) Compared with people in the past, we concern far less about food preparation today, thanks to the development of agriculture and scientific technology. A fair amount of beneficial influence is occurring to us consequently.

Useful vocabulary/phrases to open/start the essay:

• Many/some people claim/opine/believe that…
• There is no denying that…
• It is often said that…
• These days…/ Nowadays…/ In this day and age…
• It goes without saying that…
• It is universally accepted that…
• We live in an age when many of us are…
• People are divided in their opinion regarding…
• …. is one of the most important issues…
• Whether …. or …. is a controversial issue…

Useful vocabulary/phrases to end the Introduction part:

• Let us examine both views before reaching a concrete decision.
• The following paragraphs discuss whether …… or …… and reach a reasonable conclusion.
• The following essay takes a look at both sides of the argument.
• My two cents go for…
• However, I strongly believe that…
• I oppose the view and my reasons will be explained in the following paragraphs.
• I will support this view with arguments in the following paragraphs.
• I personally believe that…
• Thus the advantages far outweigh the disadvantages…
• I wholeheartedly believe that this trend should be changed.

Vocabulary for the opinion part: 

According to the essay types (learn what the IELTS essay types are), use one of the following connective words/ linking phrases to write down your opinion. However, remember that if the question does not ask you to give your opinion but to compare advantages and disadvantages, you should not strongly express your opinion. An opinion should only be written for opinion essays.  

• In my opinion…
• I strongly opine that…
• I strongly agree with the idea that…
• I strongly disagree with the given topic…
• I think…
• My opinion is that…
• Personally speaking…
• In my view…
• I believe…
• Apparently…
• Personally speaking…
• According to me…
• From my point of view… (Not ‘In my point of view’)
• As far as I am concerned…
• From my perspective…
• I realise…
• To my way of thinking…
• It seems to me that…
• To me…
• To my mind…
• My own view on the matter is…
• It appears that…
• I feel that…
• I understand…
• I suppose…

Examples: 

1) But in my opinion, giving every unemployed person access to a mobile phone & the internet is a matter of great dispute. I believe this idea can help countries with sufficient funds for the whole fiscal year and have already adopted technologies like the internet for a very long period. But this might be a complete loss for an undeveloped country.

2) I believe parents always teach us in many ways, intentionally and unintentionally; however, teachers’ contributions to our learning process cannot be ignored.

3) I strongly agree that the gender issue is only a determinant in the battle of the sexes, not the battles among nations and peoples. It is, therefore, impertinent, if not irrational, to conclude that world conflicts result from the rule of a particular gender and that the more delicate sex would do a better job at prevailing peace if selectively put at the helm of human nations.

Vocabulary for the 2nd paragraph Part

• It is true that…
• First…
• First of all…
• Firstly…
• First and foremost…
• Initially…
• To begin with…
• To start with…
• Let us take a look at…
• It is worth considering…
• In the first place…
• Though it is true that…
• Some people believe that…
• Many people think that…
• According to many…
• Some people believe that…
• Many support the view that…
• On the one hand…

Examples:

1) It is true that an unemployed educated person with a mobile phone and an internet connection can get more access to the local and foreign job sectors and can use these technologies to get a job or become self-employed.

2) First of all, the maximum number of cars are owned by rich people, and fuel prices would not restrain them from using cars. The fuel price increased significantly over the past 12 years, which has done nothing to reduce car usage.

3) To begin with, houses constructed by those in the lower-income groups look like the most cost-effective option. In this process, they invariably explore cheaper options that include a compromise on material and construction quality.

Vocabulary for the 3rd, 4th …… paragraph Part

• Second(ly)…  (Not ‘Second of all’)
• Third(ly)…
• Then…
• Next…
• After that…
• And…
• Again…
• Also…
• Besides…
• Likewise…
• In addition…
• Consequently…
• What’s more…
• Furthermore…
• Moreover…
• Other people think that…
• Other people believe that…
• On the other hand…
• Apart from that…
• Finally…
• Last but not least…

Examples: 

1) Besides, unemployed persons living in urban areas; can quickly get information related to the job-offering companies with these technologies……………. Furthermore, the use of these technologies gives them advantages over others…….

2) Besides, people would learn more about outer space as the experiment and scientific research in outer space is going on more steadily than ever.

3) Apart from that, computers would become more powerful and have superior artificial intelligence. We will have robots for hazardous work like mining and outer space research. Surprisingly, e-commerce would be more convenient, and most people will purchase online rather than go to shops in person.

Vocabulary to show the comparison:

• In the same way…
• Likewise…
• Similarly…
• Like the previous point…
• Similar to…
• Also…
• At the same time…
• Just as…

Examples: 

1) Similarly, all the companies and offices are becoming automated and using computers, the internet and other technologies vastly than any other time in history……. 

2) At the same time, the software could be used for many purposes, such as learning through computers, accounting in computers, drawing, storing information, sending information from one person to another, etc.

3) Also, reading books is like peeking into the minds of the most incredible people. A book is like a conversation with the writer and reading many books gives us an insight into the thinking process of different writers.

Vocabulary to show contrast:

• On the other hand…
• On the contrary…
• However…
• Nevertheless…/ Nonetheless…
• But…
• Nonetheless/ Nevertheless…
• Oppositely…
• Alternatively…
• Unlike…
• While…
• Whilst…
• Although…
• Though…
• Even though…
• Despite… / In spite of…
• In spite of the fact that…
• Alternatively…
• In contrast to this…
• Then again…
• On the other hand…
• Despite the fact that…
• Even so…
• Yet…
• Meanwhile…

Examples

1) On the contrary, poor countries suffer from the lack of sufficient budgets to ensure some fundamental needs of people like health, education, medicines etc. Then again, those countries don’t have a chance to spend a lot of money to initiate a simple project……..

2) Unlike a TV, a radio cannot display an image or a video, and communication is limited to voice only. Typically, a radio is used for access information such as news and live traffic updates………

3) In contrast, the consumption of fuel to run the car contributes to the rise of global warming and affects the ozone layer. So, using bicycles in cities would be a better alternative………

Vocabulary to show an example:

• As an example…
• As an illustration…
• As an instance…
• As for instance…
• For instance…
• For example…
• As for example…
• By way of illustration…
• By way of example…
• To illustrate…
• To paraphrase…
• To show an example…
• To give an example…
• To cite an example…
• To cite an instance…
• Take one example…
• Take one instance…
• Like…
• As…
• That is…
• Among others…
• Such as…
• Particularly…
• Specifically…
• Regarding…
• In particular…
• Including/ To include…
• Namely…
• With respect to…
• As far …. is concerned…
• As a piece of evidence…
• An example is…
• …could be a good/ideal example here
• A case…
• When it comes to…
• As a model…

Examples:

1) For instance, there is no guarantee that all unemployed people will use technology positively……..

2) As an example, many governments of the first world countries have initiated other projects like:………

3) For example, if a public bus gets busted in the middle of the road, the passenger can quickly leave it a look for another one.

Always use a comma (,) after ‘For example, ‘for instance’ etc.

Vocabulary to present an idea:

• Research shows that…
• Research has found that…
• When it comes to…
• With respect to…
• Not only… but also…
• In terms of…

Examples:

1) Research shows that the employment opportunity and crime ratio in a city has a deep underlying relationship, and that is why…

2) When it comes to deciding who should be responsible for teaching children discipline…

3) With respect to mix-school classrooms, it is quite evident that…

Phrases to introduce more ideas/ examples:

• Furthermore…
• In addition…
• On top of that…
• Besides…
• What is more…
• Another point worth noting is…
• Another factor to consider is…
• Furthermore…
• Not only …. but also…
• Also…

Examples:

1) On top of that, rich countries emit more CO2 than the rest of the world, which is why they have greater responsibilities.

2) Another point worth noting is the number of TV channels we have these days.

3) What is more, leaders are born, not made.

Vocabulary to show consequence, effects or result:

• As a result…
• Consequently…
• As a consequence…
• As an effect…
• Thus…
• So…
• The reason why…
• Therefore…
• On account of…
• Because of…
• Hence…
• Eventually…
• For this/that reason…
• Thereby…
• Due to…
• Owing to…

Examples:

1) Therefore, we should avoid using our budget on an uncertain project……..

2) As a result, people are struggling to lead a healthy and secure life………

3) Consequently, residents will be able to find more job opportunities in this factory and have a better socio-economic status………

Vocabulary to show result & reason:

• As a result…
• As a result of…
• Due to…
• One reason behind this is…
• … has led to/ … has resulted in…
• Consequently…
• Therefore…

Examples:

1) The overuse of natural resources has already resulted in the scarcity of such valuable resources that we can not do without…

2) This has led to moral degradation, and we are much behind at a challenging time looking back.

3) One reason behind this is the negligence of individuals already suffering from minor health-related issues.

Vocabulary to sum up at the end of a paragraph:

• To sum up…
• In short…
• In a word…
• To put it simply…
• That is to say…
• To repeat in short…
• To summarise…

Examples:

1) In a word, I think the idea can be beneficial for developing countries, but for us, it might be sinister…

2) That is to say, we must ensure the safety of our children first………

3) In short, the overall infrastructure of the area will develop.

N.B. The above vocabulary is specifically useful while finishing a paragraph. You can use these words/ phrases to re-state the paragraph’s topic.

Vocabulary to make a point stronger/ Adding emphasis:

• It goes without saying that…
• Obviously…
• Needless to say…
• There is little doubt that…
• Although…
• Thought…
• Nonetheless…
• Nevertheless…
• Still…
• Yet…
• Must… After
• After all…
• Even if…
• Therefore…
• Thus…..

Examples:

1)  Although parents are essential teachers in our lives, and none can deny their invaluable role in making us what we are, they aren’t always the best teachers…….

2) Thus air and water pollution caused by this factory will ruin the local environment and wildlife fundamentally………

3) Although industrialisation is necessary for the growth of a country it must be regulated. The proper measures must be in place to reduce the negative impacts of byproducts on the environment.

Vocabulary for clarifying or rephrasing:

• To put it simply…
• To put it in another way…
• That is to say…
• In other words…

Examples:

1) To put it in another way, nuclear power has great potential to provide the power requirement of industries worldwide.

2) In other words, fathers have a significant role to play when it properly comes to the upbringing of children.

3) To put it simply, co-education can bring advantages far outweigh its demerits.

Vocabulary for generalising a statement: 

Whenever you need to show a generalisation or general idea, you can use these vocabularies to present your point. 

• Generally……
• Generally speaking……
• In general……
• Overall……
• All in all……
• By and large……
• Basically……
• As a rule……
• Essentially……
• On the whole……
• All things considered……

Examples: 

1) All things considered, a certain reserved position for women in high-level jobs is a good idea to empower women towards the overall betterment of the organisation and society.

2) In general, it can be stated that in the upcoming few years humans will be blessed with adequate facilities, which definitely will make their lives quite easier, due to advanced technology.

3) As a rule, in most countries, a zoological garden is monitored strictly and the health, treatment and food are properly ensured for the animals they keep.

Vocabulary for expressing condition: 

Some arguments and statements in your essay would require you to show that it is dependent on some condition. Following is the list of vocabularies you can use to present conditions in your writing.

• If……
• Provided that……
• Because of that……
• For this reason……
• Unless……
• Providing that……
• So that……
• In case……
• Whether…….

Examples: 

1) If the proper measurements and initiatives are not taken, the pollution will keep on increasing and that would someday threaten the existence of our life.

2) Unless we change our diet and get involved in some sort of outdoor activities and sports, the average weight would keep on increasing.

3) For these reasons, we should preserve a certain percentage of high-level jobs for qualified women.

Vocabulary for expressing Agreement

In an agreement/ disagreement type essay, you will often need to express whether you agree/ disagree or partially agree with a given statement or opinion. The following vocabulary would be helpful to express your agreement with something. 

• I quite agree that……
• I strongly agree……
• I completely agree that……
• I totally agree with the given idea that……
• I agree with the opinion that……
• I am quite inclined to the opinion that……
• I could not agree more……
• I concur with the group who believe that……
• I accept that……
• I accept the fact that……
• I approve of the idea……
• I am in agreement……
• I consent that……

Examples: 

1) I quite agree that owning a car has far more advantages than disadvantages.

2) I am in agreement with the group of people who believe that the government should build more sports facilities to promote public health. 

3) I agree with the opinion that more taxes should be imposed on fast food items.

Vocabulary for expressing Disagreement: 

Following are some useful vocabulary to use whenever you want to express your disagreement with an idea, opinion or statement. You will usually use those in agreement/ disagreement type IELTS essays.

• I disagree with the opinion that……
• I strongly disagree…….
• I completely disagree with…….
• I totally disagree with the given idea that…….
• I disagree with the statement…….
• I quite oppose the opinion that…….
• I disapprove that…….
• I totally do not accept the fact that…….
• My own opinion contradicts…….
• I disagree with the group of people…….
• However, my opinion is different…….

Examples: 

1) I quite disagree that building more roads only can solve the ever-increasing traffic problem in most cities.

2) I oppose the opinion that government has no responsibility for supporting the senior citizens. 

3) My opinion contradicts the group of people who believe that space research has no value for us.

Vocabulary for expressing partial agreement: 

In some cases, you will have an opinion or point of view that would not completely agree or disagree with a given opinion or statement. In this case, you should clearly mention that you partially agree with the opinion but to some extent, you also disagree with this. In these cases, using the following vocabulary will be very helpful.

• To some extent……
• In a way……
• I agree with the given statement to some extent……
• Up to a point, I agree……
• More or less……
• So to speak……

Examples: 

1) In a way, I agree that it is the government’s responsibility to keep the environment clean, but without individual effort, it cannot be achieved.

2) To some extent, I agree with the opinion that space research is a waste of money but the invaluable effects these research works can have could not be denied. 

3) So to speak, mothers play the most important role in the upbringing of children. However, the contribution a father can have to the children can’t be ignored.

Vocabulary for expressing certainty: 

To make a point or argument stronger, you often need to show the certainty of your expression. To do so, use the following list of vocabularies:

• Certainly…….
• Definitely…….
• No doubt…….
• Of course…….
• Doubtlessly…….
• Without any doubt…….
• Undoubtedly…….

Examples: 

1) Of course, learning from books in a formal educational institution and learning from books for someone’s own interest are both highly important.

2) Definitely, practical lessons help us to have a deeper understanding, while theory learned from books will be forgotten far easier.

3) Undoubtedly ultimate exhaust of natural resources would create chaos and many wild lives would be endangered as well.

Vocabulary for Adding further information: 

In your essay, you need to present reasons and arguments to make your point of view stronger. For this, you often need to add multiple examples or cases and those examples or cases should be connected using some linking words. Such linking words are given below so that you can use them in your IELTS essay.

• In addition…….
• And…….
• Moreover…….
• Similarly…….
• Furthermore…….
• Also…….
• As well as…….
• Besides…….
• Even…….
• Too…….
• What’s more…….
• Again…….
• In a similar fashion…….
• Likewise…….

Examples: 

1) What’s more, university education should be based on talent and performance, not based on equal gender opportunity.

2) Likewise, if the popular media provides good news such as educational, scientific and so on, this can motivate the young generation to achieve more knowledge.

3) Even, second or third chances to those heinous criminals are often found fruitless, and they commit crimes again.

Vocabulary for presenting time or sequence: 

Expressing the time or sequence is important to show a natural flow in your arguments and paragraphs. Important vocabularies that can be used to show time or sequence are given below.

• First/ Firstly…….
• Second/ Secondly…….
• Third/ Thirdly…….
• Last/ Lastly…….
• Then..…..
• At the same time…….
• Meanwhile…….
• Since…….
• As soon as…….
• After this / that…….
• Before…….
• After…….    
• Afterwards ……
• During…….    
• While…….
• Simultaneously…….    
• Following this…….
• When……

Examples: 

1) At the same time, the technological revolution affects all countries around the world in many ways significantly.

2) Meanwhile, we should try our best to put every effort to make our environment clean.

3) Afterwards, these steps could help mass people to be aware of the danger of their fast food intake.

When you are asked to present an argument, you should always look at it from two sides, giving reasons why you agree and disagree before reaching a conclusion. Other words and expressions which you might find useful include:

• I believe that……
• Despite this/ in spite of this……
• Also……
• Thirdly……
• I think……
• Finally……
• In conclusion……
• Nonetheless……
• Admittedly……
• On the contrary……
• At any rate……
• Notwithstanding……
• For all that……
• Even if……

Other transitional words/connective words

• Then…
• Else…
• Otherwise…
• Besides…
• As soon as…
• As much as…..

Examples:

1) They take care of the children as much as parents do ………………

2) As soon as we realise the problem ……………… 

3) Otherwise, the number of unemployed graduates will keep on increasing ………………

Some correct and incorrect expressions:

Correct                                        Incorrect
In my opinion…                           From my opinion…
From my point of view…              In my point of view…
Second/ Secondly…                    Second of all…
On the other hand…                   On other hand…
Last but not least…                 Last but not the least…
In conclusion/ To conclude…       In a nutshell…

Vocabulary for the conclusion part

• In conclusion…
• In summary…
• To conclude…
• To conclude with…
• To sum up…
• In general…
• To summarise…
• In short…
• All in all…
• Overall…
• On the whole…
• To draw the conclusion…
• In a nutshell…
• To elucidate…(‘To elucidate’ means – ‘make something clear’ or ‘to explain’.)
• All things considered…
• By and large…
• Taking everything into consideration…
• Taking everything into account…
• Weighing up both sides of the argument…

(Useful Tip: Avoid using ‘In a nutshell‘  as it is not formal. Use ‘In conclusion/ to conclude‘ instead.)

Examples:

1) In general, even though studying English in an English-speaking country is preferable, a reasonable level of English can be achieved in one’s own country if a student is gifted and dedicated to studying.

2) To sum up, if the population explosion continues, many more people will die of starvation in poor countries. Life in the cities, even in affluent nations, will become increasingly difficult.

3) To conclude, I recommend that the only sensible way to solve this problem is to educate young people about the dangers of drug use and to take steps to reduce the pressure of competition.

4) In conclusion, nuclear technology has positive uses but is nonetheless dangerous. However, it would have been better if it had never been used to create nuclear weapons. If life on Earth continues, all the world’s nuclear nations should agree to disarm it as soon as possible.
 

N.B. The conclusion part of the IELTS Essay or IELTS Academic writing task 2 usually begins with a memorable concluding phrase that links it to the rest of the essay. Notice that a conditional sentence can be very effective in the conclusion. One reason is that it can refer to what might occur due to your suggestions or recommendations. Of course, you can also use conditional sentences elsewhere in your essay. If you use conditionals, be sure that the construction of your sentences is grammatically correct.

Also, in a short essay of approximately 250 words, the conclusion can be just one or two sentences long. The conclusion should briefly summarise what you have said in your essay and does not usually contribute a new idea unless it is a minor point. However, it is an excellent place to make recommendations or suggestions or give advice and offer solutions if asked to do so.

Tips to Master the Vocabulary for IELTS Writing Task 2

Reading the above way of creating an essay out of the IELTS writing task 2 topics might have given you some good things, but at the same time, we have some bonus tips that you can readily use.

Tip 1

Read the question really well. Don’t make the mistake of assuming what you are expected to do. You could be asked to do any of the above types of questions.

Tip 2

Make sure you sound like an academic when arguing and avoid using overtly passionate language like I hate or I would not like.

Tip 3

Do not write in one big paragraph, make sure you break up each section while keeping in mind the cohesiveness of the essay.

Tip 4

Try not to repeat yourself even when trying to reiterate an idea. Use different terms or angles if you feel the need to reiterate in any way.

Tip 5

Take 5 to 10 minutes to plan the essay before you start writing it. This makes all the difference once you begin. It will help you achieve the task in less time.

Tip 6

Make sure to conclude your essay. Even if you are running out of time, write a few concluding lines to your essay.

Tip 7

Avoid using slangs, overtly complicated language or leaving sentences half-done. Make sure you have time to revise and make corrections since the exam is written in pencil.

A Final Word

When it comes to which words to use in IELTS Writing Task 2, there are a handful of terms you can memorize to set yourself up for success. You must learn vocabulary to make your essay look eloquent with rich English words; one way of doing it is to practice new words. However, more than just learning the most common vocabulary used in IELTS Writing Task 2, practising with that vocabulary will be crucial to your success! So try a few practice sentences each time you learn a new phrase to integrate it before test day better.