IELTS Writing vocabulary: how to raise your Lexical Resource score

Lexical Resource is not a test of rare words. The band 7 descriptor asks for “some ability to use less common and/or idiomatic items” with “an awareness of style and collocation”. Band 9 asks for “precise use”. The thread running through every band is precision: the right word, used naturally.

Precision beats rarity

Band 6: Social media is bad for teenagers because it has a big effect on them. Band 7+: Social media can harm teenagers' self-esteem, because it invites constant comparison with edited images.

The second sentence uses no rare words. It is better because every word does exact work.

Learn words in pairs: collocations

Collocations are words that naturally go together. They are the fastest route to sounding natural, and the descriptors name them directly.

• pose a threat, tackle a problem, address an issue
• raise awareness, widen access, reduce inequality
• a heavy burden, a growing concern, a significant proportion
• strict regulations, long-term consequences, public funding

Learn the pair, not the single word, and you will use it correctly.

Replace the plain words you repeat

Every writer leans on a few plain words. Find yours and keep better options ready:

• good → beneficial, valuable, worthwhile
• bad → harmful, damaging, serious
• important → essential, vital, central
• big → considerable, major, substantial
• problem → issue, challenge, difficulty
• people → individuals, citizens, the public (or just a pronoun)

Only change a word when the new one fits the meaning exactly. Repeating a topic word such as “students” or “technology” is fine; forcing synonyms for it is not.

Our word counter shows the plain words you repeat most and suggests natural alternatives.

Topic vocabulary

Task 2 topics repeat, so topic vocabulary pays off. Each topic page in the question bank lists useful words:

• Education
• Technology
• Environment
• Health
• Work
• Cities and transport

What lowers your score

• Memorised phrases that could open any essay (“In this modern era”).
• Idioms in a formal essay (“a piece of cake”, “every coin has two sides”). See formal vs informal English for the swaps that raise the level.
• Spelling errors in the words you chose to impress.
• Mixing up similar words, such as economic and economical (commonly confused words).
• Words that look impressive but do not quite fit (“a pivotal catalyst for betterment”).