Task 2
IELTS Task 2 vocabulary and collocations
Task 2 asks for at least 250 words of argument on a familiar topic. The vocabulary that lifts your band is not rare or difficult words, but precise topic language, natural collocations, and clean paraphrasing. This guide shows what examiners reward and the common traps that hold Lexical Resource down.
In short
- Build topic vocabulary and natural collocations, not a list of rare words to insert.
- Memorised big words used in the wrong context are penalised, not rewarded.
- Paraphrase the prompt by changing form and synonyms, keeping terms that have no natural alternative.
Topic vocabulary by theme
A handful of themes recur in Task 2: education, the environment, technology, health, crime, work and society. Prepare a small bank of accurate, common words for each so you can write about the topic precisely instead of repeating general words like good, bad, thing or problem. Precision is what Lexical Resource measures.
- Education: curriculum, vocational training, academic performance, critical thinking, tuition fees. Example: A practical curriculum can improve students' academic performance.
- Environment: carbon emissions, renewable energy, conservation, ecological footprint, single-use plastics. Example: Cutting carbon emissions requires a shift to renewable energy.
- Technology: automation, digital literacy, screen time, data privacy, social media. Example: Automation may displace workers who lack digital literacy.
- Health and society: sedentary lifestyle, public healthcare, mental wellbeing, ageing population, social cohesion. Example: A sedentary lifestyle contributes to rising obesity rates.
Academic collocations and paraphrasing
Collocations are words that naturally pair together. Examiners reward them under Lexical Resource because they show you use English the way fluent users do. The opposite, an unnatural pairing such as do a mistake or strong rain, immediately flags a gap, even when every individual word is spelled correctly.
High-value essay collocations: raise awareness, address an issue, pose a threat, play a role, have an impact on, draw a conclusion, take measures, meet a need, place emphasis on, tackle a problem. Build sentences around these rather than around single rare words.
Paraphrasing the prompt: change the grammatical form and use accurate synonyms, but keep any key term that has no natural alternative. If the question is about children, do not force juveniles. Reword the idea, not every word. Forced thesaurus swaps are the most common way candidates lower their own band.
Natural vs unnatural word choice
| Unnatural or wrong (penalised) | Natural collocation (rewarded) |
|---|---|
| do a mistake | make a mistake |
| give attention to the problem | address the problem |
| a big amount of pollution | a high level of pollution |
| technology gives many advantages | technology offers significant benefits |
| the government must do laws | the government must introduce legislation |
| this is a very serious and grave issue | this is a serious issue |
Precision beats showing off
Lexical Resource is one of the four equally weighted criteria, alongside Task Response, Coherence & Cohesion and Grammatical Range & Accuracy. The descriptors reward a range of accurate vocabulary used naturally and appropriately, not a parade of difficult words. The single most damaging habit is memorising advanced vocabulary and forcing it into an essay where it does not fit.
Two precision rules keep your band safe. First, only use a word you can spell, place grammatically and define; a near-miss such as plummet for a small change is a precision error. Second, match register: Task 2 is formal academic writing, so avoid contractions and casual phrases like a lot of, and prefer many, numerous or a considerable number of instead.
When you submit an essay to our IELTS writing correction service, a qualified human teacher marks your real word choices against all four criteria and shows you exactly which collocations were unnatural and which paraphrases misfired, with the accurate replacements to use next time.
Topic vocabulary guides
Each guide covers 60–70 words and phrases specific to that theme, with natural collocations and IELTS-style example sentences. A free printable PDF is available on every page.
Environment & Climate
Causes, consequences, solutions, argument language
Technology
Digital innovation, social impact, benefits & concerns
Education
Systems, teaching, problems, argument language
Health & Medicine
Conditions, healthcare systems, lifestyle, wellbeing
Crime & Punishment
Crime types, causes, justice system, argument language
Work & Employment
Modern workplace, labour market, problems, trends
Society & Social Issues
Social structure, inequality, government, policy
Transport & Infrastructure
Systems, congestion, environmental impact, policy
IELTS Task 2 vocabulary FAQs
What vocabulary do I need for IELTS Task 2?+
You need topic vocabulary for common themes (education, environment, technology, health), academic collocations such as raise awareness or address an issue, and paraphrasing language to reword the prompt. Precise, natural word choice across these areas lifts Lexical Resource more than rare individual words.
Does using big words raise my IELTS band?+
No. Examiners reward accuracy and natural collocation, not difficulty. A rare word used wrongly is penalised more than a common word used correctly. Memorised advanced vocabulary inserted in the wrong context signals a weakness, so use only words you fully control.
What are collocations and why do they matter?+
Collocations are words that naturally go together, like make a decision or pose a threat. Lexical Resource directly rewards them. Saying do a decision or strong rain marks you as a non-native user, while accurate collocations make your essay read fluently and naturally.
How do I paraphrase the Task 2 question?+
Reword the prompt using synonyms and a changed grammatical form, not a thesaurus swap of every word. Keep key terms that have no natural synonym. Aim to restate the idea accurately in your introduction; forced or wrong synonyms lower your score rather than raising it.
Which criterion does Task 2 vocabulary affect?+
It mainly affects Lexical Resource, one of the four equally weighted criteria alongside Task Response, Coherence & Cohesion and Grammatical Range & Accuracy. Examiners reward a range of accurate, naturally collocated vocabulary used appropriately for the topic and register.