[Voca]bulary + [Colloc]ation = Band 9
IELTS Vocabulary for Band 9
Vocabulary is assessed under Lexical Resource in Writing and Speaking. The goal isn't “big words” — it's effective, natural, accurate vocabulary used in the right context.
The core principles
1 Don't just learn “big words”
A difficult word does not equal a high band.
✗ Governments should ameliorate the deleterious ramifications of vehicular proliferation.
✓ Governments should reduce the negative effects of increasing car ownership.
The second is clearer and more natural. IELTS rewards effective vocabulary, not impressive-sounding vocabulary.
2 Learn vocabulary in groups
Instead of “important = significant”, learn the whole word family:
3 Learn collocations
A collocation is a combination of words that naturally occur together — one of the most important parts of IELTS vocabulary.
Education
✓ higher education · academic performance · access to education · vocational training
✗ high education · education achievement
Environment
✓ environmental damage · carbon emissions · renewable energy · natural resources
Technology
✓ technological advancement · digital literacy · online platforms · access to technology
4 Learn paraphrasing
IELTS often needs the same idea in different words.
Many people choose to work remotely. · An increasing number of employees work from home. · Remote working has become increasingly popular.
But don't change words mechanically — “children → offspring” is technically related but unnatural. Use young people / youngsters / children depending on context.
5 Word formation
| Form | Word |
|---|---|
| Verb | develop |
| Noun | development |
| Adjective | developed / developing |
6 Expressing opinions
Instead of repeating “I think…”, use:
High-value topic vocabulary
Learn these with collocations and example sentences, not as isolated words.
🎓 Education
- higher education
- academic performance
- educational opportunities
- vocational training
- critical thinking
- academic achievement
🌍 Environment
- climate change
- carbon emissions
- renewable energy
- natural resources
- biodiversity
- sustainable development
💻 Technology
- technological advancement
- artificial intelligence
- digital literacy
- online platforms
- data privacy
- automation
🏥 Health
- physical health
- mental well-being
- balanced diet
- sedentary lifestyle
- preventive healthcare
- life expectancy
🚗 Transport
- public transportation
- traffic congestion
- road infrastructure
- fuel consumption
- commuting time
- sustainable transport
💼 Work
- employment opportunities
- job satisfaction
- career prospects
- skilled workforce
- job security
- work-life balance
🏛 Government
- government policy
- public expenditure
- public services
- legislation
- social welfare
- tax revenue
💰 Economy
- economic growth
- standard of living
- household income
- cost of living
- income inequality
- financial stability
📱 Social Media
- online communication
- social isolation
- misinformation
- cyberbullying
- excessive screen time
- social media addiction
👪 Family
- parental guidance
- child development
- family values
- emotional support
- peer pressure
- generation gap
🏙 Urbanisation
- urbanisation
- overcrowding
- housing shortage
- urban infrastructure
- affordable housing
- urban planning
🌐 Globalisation
- global economy
- international trade
- cultural exchange
- multinational companies
- cultural diversity
- cultural identity
Functional vocabulary
7 Advantages & disadvantages
Advantages: major benefit · significant advantage · positive aspect · potential benefit · considerable merit · long-term advantage
Disadvantages: major drawback · significant disadvantage · negative consequence · potential risk · adverse effect · serious limitation
8 Cause & effect
Cause: lead to · result in · contribute to · give rise to · trigger · cause
Effect: impact · consequence · outcome · effect · result
9 Problem & solution
Problems: pose a serious threat · create challenges · place pressure on · exacerbate a problem
Solutions: address the issue · tackle the problem · implement measures · introduce legislation · raise awareness · allocate funding
10 Task 1: describing change
Increase: rise · grow · climb · go up | Decrease: fall · decline · drop
No change: remain stable · stay constant · level off
Large change: sharply · dramatically · considerably · significantly | Small change: slightly · marginally · gradually
11 Speaking vocabulary
Natural, not overly academic. Say “I really enjoy watching films”, not “I am extremely fond of the consumption of cinematic productions.”
⭐ 50 high-value IELTS words
Learn each one as: word → meaning → collocation → example → your own sentence.