IELTS Writing Task 2 Vocabulary: 80 Words That Boost Your Band Score

Your IELTS Writing examiner isn't looking for the most impressive word. They're looking for the right word.

The official Band 7 descriptor for Lexical Resource reads: "uses a sufficient range of vocabulary to allow some flexibility and precision." Notice what it does not say; it does not say "uses the most sophisticated vocabulary." Precision and flexibility are the targets. A student who writes "important" four times in a single essay cannot score Band 7 on Lexical Resource, regardless of how accurate the grammar is.

The uncomfortable reality: most IELTS students prepare by learning 500 individual words in isolation. But examiners assess vocabulary in context. They score how you combine words, the collocations, the register, the appropriateness to the specific argument you're making. Knowing that "exacerbate" means "worsen" is not enough. Knowing that you write "exacerbate poverty" and not "exacerbate a problem's importance" is what moves your score.

This post gives you 80 high-value words organized by the seven functions they serve inside a Task 2 essay. Every word comes with its most important collocations and a model sentence written at IELTS Band 7–8 register. Read the list. Study the collocations. Then practice using each word in a full sentence before your exam.

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Why Lexical Resource Makes or Breaks Your Task 2 Score

Task 2 is marked on four equally weighted criteria, each worth 25% of your final score:

1. Task Achievement — Did you fully address the task? Is your position clear?
2. Coherence and Cohesion — Is the essay logically organized with clear paragraph flow?
3. Lexical Resource — Do you use a sufficient range of vocabulary with precision?
4. Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Do you use varied, accurate grammatical structures?

Many students focus all their preparation on grammar. That is a mistake. Lexical Resource is equally weighted, and it is the criterion where Band 6.5 candidates most commonly lose the points that would take them to Band 7.

The Band 6 vs Band 7 Distinction

A Band 6 Lexical Resource score means: "uses an adequate range of vocabulary for the task; attempts to use less common vocabulary but with some inaccuracy."

A Band 7 score means: "uses a sufficient range of vocabulary to allow some flexibility and precision; uses less common lexical items with some awareness of style and collocation."

The gap between those two descriptors comes down to two things: range and collocation awareness. A Band 6 essay can include advanced words. The penalty comes when those words are misused, combined with the wrong noun or verb, or repeated so often that range disappears.

The Band 6.5 Trap

The most common trap is this: a student learns 50 "advanced" words, sprinkles them throughout the essay, but uses them with incorrect collocations. An examiner reads "the problem was deeply exacerbated importantly by governmental negligence" and notes the collocation error ("exacerbated importantly" is wrong; you exacerbate a situation, a crisis, inequality). The error signals that the student does not truly control the word.

The key rule: only use a word in your essay if you are 90% confident about its collocations. A simpler word used precisely beats a complex word used awkwardly every time.

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The 80 Words — Organized by Essay Function

Category 1: Expressing Opinion and Stance (15 Words)

These words signal your argument clearly to the examiner. They replace weak phrases like "I think" or "I believe" with verbs that carry academic weight and register-appropriateness for Task 2.

Word	Key Collocations	Model Sentence
contend	contend that; it is contended that	I would contend that stricter environmental regulation is the most effective mechanism for reducing industrial pollution.
advocate	advocate for; advocate a position; strongly advocate	Many economists advocate for a universal basic income as a means of addressing structural unemployment.
maintain	maintain that; firmly maintain; maintain a position	Proponents of this view maintain that access to higher education is a fundamental right, not a privilege.
assert	assert that; boldly assert; assert one's right	Critics assert that the current policy framework fails to account for the disproportionate impact on low-income communities.
postulate	postulate that; postulate a theory	Some urban planners postulate that compact city design can reduce per-capita carbon emissions by up to 40 percent.
concede	concede that; concede a point; readily concede	I concede that unrestricted immigration poses logistical challenges; however, the economic and cultural benefits are undeniable.
acknowledge	acknowledge that; acknowledge the complexity of; widely acknowledge	It must be acknowledged that technology alone cannot resolve deep-rooted social inequalities.
dispute	dispute the claim; hotly disputed; difficult to dispute	Many researchers dispute the assertion that social media is the primary driver of adolescent mental health decline.
refute	refute a claim; refute evidence; effectively refute	The longitudinal data effectively refutes the notion that standardized testing is a reliable predictor of academic success.
endorse	endorse a policy; widely endorsed; endorse the view	This essay endorses the view that governments bear primary responsibility for ensuring universal healthcare access.
posit	posit that; posit a relationship between	Behavioral economists posit that small environmental nudges can produce significant shifts in consumer decision-making.
surmise	surmise that; one might surmise	From the available evidence, one might surmise that the sharp decline in manufacturing employment is largely irreversible.
stipulate	stipulate that; stipulate conditions; as stipulated	International trade agreements typically stipulate that signatory nations must meet minimum labor protection standards.
qualify	qualify a statement; qualify one's position	It is important to qualify this argument by acknowledging that outcomes vary considerably across different economic contexts.
emphasize	emphasize the importance of; emphasize that; strongly emphasize	This essay emphasizes that language policy decisions must prioritize inclusion over administrative convenience.

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Category 2: Cause and Effect (15 Words)

Cause-and-effect language is essential in Task 2 because almost every essay type (opinion, discussion, problem-solution) requires you to explain why something happens and what results from it.

Word / Phrase	Key Collocations	Model Sentence
attribute to	attribute X to Y; widely attributed to	The dramatic rise in obesity rates is largely attributed to the proliferation of ultra-processed food marketing.
stem from	stem from a lack of; stem from historical	Many contemporary social inequalities stem from historical patterns of discrimination that remain embedded in institutional structures.
give rise to	give rise to concerns; give rise to a phenomenon	Rapid urbanization has given rise to severe housing shortages in cities across the developing world.
culminate in	culminate in a crisis; ultimately culminate in	Years of inadequate infrastructure investment can culminate in catastrophic failures that cost far more to repair than prevent.
precipitate	precipitate a crisis; precipitate change; rapidly precipitate	The 2008 financial collapse was precipitated by decades of deregulation and unchecked speculative lending.
catalyze	catalyze change; catalyze innovation; catalyze a shift	Government subsidies for renewable energy have catalyzed significant private-sector investment in solar technology.
exacerbate	exacerbate poverty; exacerbate inequality; exacerbate a crisis	Remote work policies, while beneficial for some, have exacerbated the digital divide for households without reliable internet access.
mitigate	mitigate the impact of; mitigate risk; mitigate harm	Robust public health infrastructure can significantly mitigate the economic damage caused by infectious disease outbreaks.
alleviate	alleviate poverty; alleviate pressure; alleviate suffering	Targeted cash transfer programs have demonstrated measurable effectiveness in alleviating extreme poverty in sub-Saharan Africa.
foster	foster innovation; foster cooperation; foster a culture of	An open academic environment fosters the intellectual curiosity necessary for breakthrough scientific discovery.
engender	engender trust; engender resentment; engender change	Heavy-handed government surveillance policies can engender widespread public distrust that persists for decades.
impede	impede progress; impede development; impede access to	Bureaucratic inefficiency continues to impede the delivery of essential services to rural populations.
facilitate	facilitate access to; facilitate communication; facilitate growth	Digital payment infrastructure has facilitated economic participation for millions of previously unbanked citizens.
undermine	undermine confidence; undermine stability; undermine the rule of law	Persistent corruption in the judiciary fundamentally undermines the rule of law and investor confidence.
reinforce	reinforce stereotypes; reinforce inequality; reinforce a pattern	Media representations that consistently reinforce gender stereotypes contribute to occupational segregation in high-paying sectors.

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Category 3: Concession and Contrast (10 Words)

These words allow you to present a counterargument and then rebut it, a structure examiners expect in Band 7+ essays. Mastering concession language signals sophisticated thinking.

Word / Phrase	Key Collocations	Model Sentence
notwithstanding	notwithstanding these concerns; notwithstanding the evidence	Notwithstanding the environmental benefits of nuclear energy, public opposition to new plant construction remains substantial.
albeit	albeit slowly; albeit with limitations; albeit imperfect	The policy has produced measurable improvements, albeit at a pace that falls short of the government's original projections.
nevertheless	nevertheless, it must be acknowledged; nevertheless, the evidence suggests	The costs of implementation are considerable; nevertheless, the long-term economic returns are projected to exceed the initial outlay.
conversely	conversely, one might argue; conversely, in developing nations	Stricter immigration controls may reduce unskilled labor supply; conversely, they can drive wages upward for domestic workers.
in spite of	in spite of the evidence; in spite of widespread opposition	In spite of extensive public education campaigns, smoking rates among adolescents have remained persistently high in several regions.
granted that	granted that this is the case; granted that challenges exist	Granted that renewable energy technology remains expensive, the trajectory of cost reduction makes long-term investment clearly viable.
while acknowledging	while acknowledging the limitations; while acknowledging that	While acknowledging the short-term economic disruption that automation causes, its productivity gains are difficult to overstate.
on balance	on balance, the evidence suggests; on balance, this approach	On balance, the benefits of globalized trade outweigh the documented risks of domestic industry displacement.
by the same token	by the same token, one cannot	By the same token, a society that restricts individual freedoms in the name of security risks eroding the values it seeks to protect.
irrespective of	irrespective of income; irrespective of political affiliation	Quality healthcare should be accessible to all citizens, irrespective of their socioeconomic background or geographic location.

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Category 4: Comparison and Similarity (10 Words)

Comparison language is most useful in discussion essays and essays that involve evaluating multiple options. It signals analytical thinking rather than simple assertion.

Word / Phrase	Key Collocations	Model Sentence
analogous to	analogous to the situation in; directly analogous to	The current debate over artificial intelligence regulation is analogous to the early discussions surrounding internet governance in the 1990s.
akin to	akin to; in many ways akin to	Treating education purely as an economic investment is, in many ways, akin to reducing human beings to units of productive output.
parallel to	run parallel to; in a development parallel to	The decline of manufacturing employment in Europe runs parallel to the structural economic shifts observed in the United States during the same period.
corresponds to	corresponds to a pattern; corresponds to the findings of	The observed decline in civic participation corresponds to rising levels of political disillusionment documented in longitudinal surveys.
resembles	closely resembles; resembles the approach taken in	The proposed regulatory framework closely resembles the model adopted by Nordic nations, where outcomes have been demonstrably positive.
comparable to	broadly comparable to; not comparable to	The scale of the current refugee crisis is broadly comparable to post-World War II displacement, demanding an equally coordinated international response.
mirrors	mirrors the trend in; mirrors the pattern	The rise of nationalist sentiment in Western Europe mirrors trends observed in several emerging economies navigating rapid social change.
echoes	echoes earlier debates; echoes the findings	This argument echoes the concerns raised by development economists throughout the 1990s regarding the conditions attached to IMF lending.
in line with	in line with the evidence; in line with international standards	The proposed carbon pricing mechanism is broadly in line with the approaches already implemented in Canada and several EU member states.
consistent with	consistent with the data; consistent with prior research	These findings are consistent with a substantial body of research indicating that early childhood nutrition has lifelong cognitive consequences.

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Category 5: Data and Evidence (10 Words)

When you cite research, statistics, or examples in Task 2, these verbs allow you to introduce evidence with precision. They replace the flat phrase "this shows that" with language that signals how evidence functions in your argument.

Word	Key Collocations	Model Sentence
substantiate	substantiate the claim that; substantiate this view	A growing body of epidemiological research substantiates the claim that air pollution is a significant contributor to cardiovascular disease.
corroborate	corroborate the findings; corroborate this argument	Data from multiple independent studies corroborate the view that class size reductions produce meaningful gains in primary school literacy.
contradict	contradict the assumption that; contradict prior research	The longitudinal evidence sharply contradicts the assumption that economic growth inevitably reduces social inequality.
refute	refute the notion; refute the claim	A comprehensive meta-analysis effectively refutes the widely held notion that multitasking improves productivity.
exemplify	exemplify the trend; exemplify this problem	Finland's education system exemplifies the principle that teacher autonomy and professional trust produce superior learning outcomes.
illustrate	illustrate the point; illustrate the complexity of	The case of Singapore illustrates how a small nation can achieve remarkable economic development through strategic investment in human capital.
demonstrate	demonstrate that; clearly demonstrate; demonstrate the effectiveness of	Decades of public health research demonstrate that tobacco taxation is among the most cost-effective tools for reducing smoking prevalence.
underscore	underscore the need for; underscore the importance of	These statistics underscore the urgent need for coordinated international action on ocean plastic pollution.
highlight	highlight the disparity between; highlight a critical weakness	The gender pay gap data highlight a persistent structural disparity that cannot be adequately explained by differences in qualifications or experience.
point to	point to evidence of; point to a pattern	Recent migration data point to a fundamental mismatch between where jobs are being created and where the available workforce is located.

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Category 6: Problem and Solution (10 Words)

Problem-solution essays are one of the most common Task 2 formats. Having precise verbs for both identifying the problem and introducing solutions is essential.

Word	Key Collocations	Model Sentence
address	address the root cause of; directly address; fail to address	Any effective policy must address the root causes of homelessness rather than simply managing its visible symptoms.
tackle	tackle the problem of; tackle inequality; tackle corruption	The most effective way to tackle childhood obesity is through a combination of school nutrition standards and reduced food marketing to minors.
redress	redress the imbalance; redress historical injustice; redress inequality	Affirmative action policies were introduced specifically to redress decades of systemic discrimination in higher education and employment.
remedy	remedy the situation; remedy a deficiency; provide a remedy for	Increased investment in rural healthcare infrastructure is the most direct way to remedy the stark urban-rural disparity in medical outcomes.
alleviate	alleviate the burden; alleviate pressure on; alleviate suffering	Flexible working arrangements can significantly alleviate the burden on working parents struggling to balance professional and domestic responsibilities.
counter	counter this trend; counter the effects of; effectively counter	An evidence-based media literacy curriculum can help students counter the proliferation of misinformation on social media platforms.
offset	offset the negative effects of; offset carbon emissions; partially offset	The economic disruption caused by automation can be partially offset through retraining programs and targeted social protection measures.
curb	curb emissions; curb spending; curb the rise of	A combination of congestion charges and investment in public transport is the most effective strategy to curb urban vehicle pollution.
combat	combat climate change; combat poverty; combat discrimination	International cooperation is essential to combat the trafficking of persons, which exploits vulnerabilities across borders and jurisdictions.
resolve	resolve the conflict; resolve the tension between; definitively resolve	The tension between economic development and environmental protection cannot be resolved through market forces alone; regulatory intervention is necessary.

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Category 7: Frequency and Extent (10 Words)

These adverbs add precision to your claims. Instead of writing "this happens a lot" or "this is very common," use these words to signal the exact degree or frequency of the phenomenon you are describing.

Word	Usage Note	Model Sentence
predominantly	Use to indicate that something is mostly, but not exclusively, one way. Collocation: predominantly urban, predominantly male.	Youth unemployment in the region is predominantly concentrated in rural communities with limited access to secondary education.
invariably	Means "always without exception." Use only when the relationship truly holds across all cases.	Countries that invest heavily in early childhood education invariably outperform their peers on long-term economic productivity metrics.
pervasively	Describes something that spreads throughout a system or culture. Collocation: pervasively embedded, pervasively present.	Unconscious bias is pervasively embedded in recruitment processes, even in organizations with formal diversity commitments.
disproportionately	Essential for arguments about inequality; indicates impact is not proportional to the group's size.	Environmental pollution disproportionately affects low-income communities that lack the political influence to resist industrial development nearby.
marginally	Means "by a small amount." Use for nuanced claims where impact is real but modest.	Raising the minimum wage by a small percentage improves worker retention marginally but has a negligible effect on overall employment levels.
intermittently	Means "at irregular intervals; not continuously." Collocation: intermittently available, intermittently enforced.	Environmental regulations are intermittently enforced in regions where local governments lack the technical capacity for consistent monitoring.
substantially	Means "considerably; by a large amount." Stronger than "significantly" in many academic contexts.	Government subsidies have substantially reduced the cost of solar panel installation, making renewable energy viable for middle-income households.
considerably	Similar to substantially; use interchangeably in most contexts to avoid repetition.	Urban air quality has improved considerably in cities that introduced low-emission zones combined with expanded public transport networks.
markedly	Means "in a way that is clearly noticeable." Good for contrasting two periods or two groups.	Life expectancy in developing nations has improved markedly over the past three decades, largely due to advances in vaccine distribution.
negligibly	Means "to a trivially small degree." Use to argue that a counterargument's effect is too small to matter.	The proposed carbon tax would increase household energy costs by a negligible amount while generating substantial revenue for clean energy investment.

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How to Actually Learn These Words (Not Just Memorize Them)

Reading a word list is not vocabulary acquisition. It is the first step in vocabulary acquisition. The distinction matters enormously for IELTS preparation because the examiner does not test whether you have seen a word; they test whether you can deploy it correctly under time pressure.

The Collocation Problem

The single most important concept in IELTS Lexical Resource preparation is collocation, the words that naturally appear together in English.

Consider: "exacerbate" and "worsen" are near-synonyms. But they behave differently in sentences. You say "worsen the problem," "worsen relations," "worsen conditions," and all of those work. Now with "exacerbate": "exacerbate the problem" works, "exacerbate relations" sounds unnatural to a native speaker (you would say "strain relations"), "exacerbate conditions" works. Knowing the meaning is not enough. Knowing which nouns it takes, and which it doesn't, is what separates Band 6.5 from Band 7.

This is why learning words from isolated flashcards is insufficient. Every word must be learned inside a sentence, alongside its most common noun and verb partners.

For a deeper treatment of how collocation knowledge builds from foundational vocabulary, see The Complete IELTS Band 7 Vocabulary Guide.

A Three-Step Practice Method

Step 1: Read the word in a model sentence. Every word in this post includes one. Read the sentence twice. Do not just look at the target word; notice what comes before and after it.

Step 2: Identify and memorize the core collocation. For "precipitate": write down "precipitate a crisis," "precipitate change," "precipitate a collapse." These are the patterns that matter.

Step 3: Write your own sentence using the word in an IELTS context. Invent a topic (climate change, education, technology, urbanization) and write one sentence using the target word with a collocation you've identified. This is the step most students skip. It is also the only step that moves the word from passive recognition into active production.

The Essay Constraint Technique

One of the most effective IELTS writing practice techniques for vocabulary is the essay constraint. Write a full Task 2 essay and impose a rule: every linking phrase, every stance verb, and every cause-effect verb must come from this list. You cannot write "I think." You cannot write "because of." Force yourself to write "I would contend" and "is largely attributed to." The friction of the constraint forces deeper processing, which accelerates retention.

Rhythm Word Integration

All 80 words in this post can be studied in Rhythm Word with personalized sentences written specifically in IELTS academic register. The app's FSRS spaced repetition system schedules each word for review at the moment you are most likely to forget it, not a day earlier, not a week later. Learning 6 words per day at this pace puts all 80 words into long-term memory within two weeks.

Load all 80 IELTS Writing Task 2 words into Rhythm Word today. personalized example sentences in IELTS register. FSRS spaced repetition built in. Target words appear bold (remembered); tap to mark orange (fuzzy) or red (forgotten) for honest self-assessment. Download on the App Store (free to download)

For the science behind why spaced repetition outperforms traditional review, read Active Recall and Vocabulary: What the Research Says.

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Band 6 vs Band 7 — A Before and After Rewrite

The most direct way to see the impact of precise vocabulary is to compare two versions of the same argument. The topic: Should governments fund public transportation?

Band 6 Version

"I think public transportation is important and governments should put money into it because it helps the environment and reduces traffic jams. Also, many people who don't have cars need to get to work, so it is very useful for them. Nowadays, a lot of cities have problems with too many cars, so this is a big problem that governments need to think about."

Lexical issues in this version:

• "important": appears once; but the underlying vocabulary range is very limited
• "put money into": informal register; not appropriate for academic writing
• "helps": vague; no specificity
• "traffic jams": correct but overused in IELTS scripts
• "Nowadays": examiner warning flag (signals limited range)
• "a lot of": informal and imprecise
• "big problem": elementary-level vocabulary
• "think about": vague phrasal verb

Band 7 Rewrite

"I would contend that governments bear a fundamental responsibility to invest in public transportation infrastructure. By mitigating traffic congestion and catalyzing a shift toward sustainable commuting patterns, such investments would not only address pressing environmental concerns but also engender long-term economic benefits for urban populations who currently rely disproportionately on private vehicle use. Notwithstanding the considerable upfront costs, the evidence from cities such as Singapore and Amsterdam demonstrates that well-funded transit networks substantially reduce per-capita carbon emissions while fostering greater social equity in urban mobility."

Vocabulary improvements, word by word:

Original	Replacement	Category
I think	I would contend	Stance (Category 1)
helps the environment / reduces	mitigating, address	Cause-effect, Problem-solution (Cat. 2, 6)
leads to change	catalyzing	Cause-effect (Category 2)
creates benefits	engender	Cause-effect (Category 2)
especially	disproportionately	Frequency/Extent (Category 7)
even though it costs a lot	notwithstanding the considerable upfront costs	Concession (Category 3)
shows	demonstrates	Evidence (Category 5)
a lot less	substantially	Frequency/Extent (Category 7)
helps equality	fostering greater social equity	Cause-effect (Category 2)

The Band 7 version does not simply use harder words. It uses words that are more precise, that carry the right academic register, and that are combined correctly with their collocates.

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What to Avoid: Band Penalty Words

These five words are not banned from IELTS essays. Examiners do not deduct marks for using them once. The problem arises when they appear repeatedly; they signal to the examiner that your lexical range is limited and that you are defaulting to elementary vocabulary when more precise alternatives exist.

1. "Important" (and "importance")

Why it flags: "Important" is one of the ten most common English adjectives. It carries no precise meaning and can be replaced by at least six more specific alternatives depending on context.

Alternatives:

• significant (measurable impact)
• paramount (highest priority, nothing above it)
• consequential (produces notable downstream effects)
• pivotal (a turning point)
• critical (essential; failure without it)
• indispensable (cannot be removed without the system failing)

2. "Good" (and "bad")

Why it flags: These are evaluation words that carry no analytical information. Every claim in an IELTS essay should explain why something is positive or negative.

Alternatives for "good":

• beneficial (produces measurable benefits)
• advantageous (creates strategic or practical advantage)
• commendable (deserves recognition or approval)
• constructive (builds toward a positive outcome)
• favorable (conditions are positive)

Alternatives for "bad":

• detrimental (causes measurable harm)
• counterproductive (works against the intended goal)
• deleterious (causes serious damage, often used in academic and medical contexts)

3. "A lot of"

Why it flags: "A lot of" is informal register. In academic writing it signals that you are writing the way you speak, not the way formal essays are composed.

Alternatives:

• a substantial number of (countable nouns)
• a considerable proportion of (uncountable or proportional)
• a significant volume of (quantities)
• an overwhelming majority of (when most is implied)
• a growing body of (research, evidence)

4. "Nowadays"

Why it flags: "Nowadays" appears at the beginning of thousands of IELTS essays every year. Examiners report it as the single most reliable signal of a formulaic, low-range opening. It is informal and temporally vague.

Alternatives:

• in contemporary society
• in the current era
• in recent decades
• in the present day
• at present
• in the twenty-first century

5. "In conclusion"

Why it flags: "In conclusion" has become so formulaic in IELTS scripts that it adds no value; it is white noise to an examiner who reads it dozens of times per session. It is not wrong. It is simply a wasted opportunity to signal range.

Alternatives:

• To conclude,
• In summary,
• Upon reflection,
• To summarize the key arguments,
• Drawing these threads together,

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5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Vocabulary Questions Answered

1. What vocabulary range is required for Band 7 IELTS Lexical Resource?

The Band 7 descriptor specifies "flexible and precise" vocabulary use. In practice, examiners look for a student who can vary their word choices across an essay, using different verbs for each cause-effect relationship, different stance verbs for each paragraph, rather than repeating the same functional words throughout. There is no official word-family count for a single essay, but research into high-scoring scripts indicates that Band 7 candidates typically deploy 4–6 different stance verbs, 3–5 different linking adverbials, and avoid repeating any single content word more than twice in a 280-word essay.

2. How do I improve lexical resource fast?

Focus on collocations, not individual words. Learning that "exacerbate" means "worsen" takes 30 seconds. Learning that you say "exacerbate inequality," "exacerbate the situation," "exacerbate tensions," and that you do not say "exacerbate an opinion," takes genuine practice with context sentences. For rapid improvement before an exam, identify the ten most common essay topics in your test region and build a collocation map for each one: five cause-effect verbs specific to that topic, three stance expressions, two concession patterns.

3. Is it appropriate to use idioms in IELTS Writing Task 2?

Use idioms sparingly and only if you are certain they carry formal register. Task 2 is an academic essay. Expressions like "hit the nail on the head" or "at the end of the day" are too informal and will lower your Lexical Resource score. Some longer, more formal idiomatic expressions (such as "serve as a double-edged sword" or "represent the tip of the iceberg") are acceptable but have become so common in IELTS scripts that they no longer demonstrate range. If you are not certain an idiom is formal enough, replace it with a precise academic phrase.

4. How many new words should I learn before the IELTS exam?

Two hundred high-value academic collocations (words learned with their core noun and verb partners) are more useful than 500 words learned in isolation. The IELTS writing lexicon is not unlimited: Task 2 essays concentrate heavily on approximately fifteen topic areas (environment, technology, education, health, crime, urbanization, and so on). Building a bank of 15–20 precise, collocation-complete words per topic area covers the vast majority of what you will need. Depth beats breadth.

5. Can I learn and retain all 80 words in this post within two weeks?

Yes, if you use spaced repetition. At six new words per day with two review sessions of previously learned words, you can move all 80 words into stable long-term memory in approximately two weeks. The critical requirement is that each study session includes active production, not passive reading: write a sentence using each new word in an IELTS context. Apps that combine spaced repetition scheduling with context sentences (like Rhythm Word) automate the scheduling so you spend your time learning, not calculating review intervals.

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Next Steps

The gap between Band 6.5 and Band 7 in Lexical Resource is not a gap in knowledge of hard words. It is a gap in the precise, confident deployment of the right words in the right collocations. Every word in this list can close that gap, but only if you practice using each one in full sentences before your exam day.

Three actions you can take today:

1. Pick one category from this list. Write five sentences using five different words from that category, all on the same IELTS topic (for example, climate policy).

2. Review the IELTS Band 7 Vocabulary Guide for the complete collocation framework, organized by the fifteen most common Task 2 topics.

3. Load these 80 words into Rhythm Word and let the app schedule your reviews. Download on the App Store (free to download).