IELTS topic vocabulary
Vocabulary decides your band in two places: the Lexical Resource criterion in Writing, and how precisely you can answer in Speaking. These are the eight most common exam topics, with words a band 6-8 candidate can actually use.
8 topics · 64 words
Education
8 wordsThe single most common Task 2 and Part 3 topic: school, university, online learning, exams.
curriculum · tuition fees · vocational trainingEnvironment
8 wordsClimate, pollution, recycling — a permanent Task 2 topic and very common in Reading passages.
carbon footprint · renewable energy · deforestationTechnology
8 wordsThe internet, artificial intelligence, social media: a frequent Part 3 and Task 2 subject.
automation · digital divide · privacyHealth
8 wordsSport, diet, healthcare systems, mental health — across Task 2 and all three Speaking parts.
sedentary lifestyle · balanced diet · obesityWork and career
8 wordsWorkplaces, remote work, work-life balance: the second most common Task 2 topic.
work-life balance · remote work · job securityCities and transport
8 wordsUrbanisation, congestion, public transport — Task 2, Speaking Part 3 and Listening Part 2.
congestion · public transport · infrastructureMedia and information
8 wordsNews, advertising, social media, trust — for Task 2 and Part 3.
misinformation · coverage · biasCulture and travel
8 wordsTourism, traditions, languages, going abroad — very frequent across all three Speaking parts.
cultural heritage · hospitality · authenticHow to use this list
- A word is learned when it is used, not when it is memorised: write your own sentence with it and then use it in an essay or a Speaking answer.
- Take one topic per week — eight words, each one actually used in a sentence. That beats skimming a hundred.
- Never use a word in the exam if you are unsure of its meaning: a complex word used wrongly costs more Lexical Resource than a simple one.
- The translations are for recognition only. In the exam the word should come back through its English meaning and the example.
Turn the words into practice
Karvon's lessons bring new words back on a spaced-repetition schedule, and your essays and Speaking answers are graded on vocabulary separately.