IELTS Writing Task 2 Vocabulary: 200+ Words & Phrases by Topic (With Example Sentences)

Here’s something almost every IELTS student tells me at some point: “I know what I want to say, I just don’t know how to say it properly.” That sentence, right there, is the whole story behind most Band 6 scores. It’s rarely a lack of ideas. It’s a lack of the right words for the topic in front of you.

So this isn’t another generic “50 words to boost your band score” list full of moreover and in a nutshell. Those phrases don’t actually help you talk about anything, they just glue sentences together. What actually moves the needle on your Lexical Resource score is having real, topic-specific vocabulary ready to go the moment you see a prompt about education, technology, health, or crime. That’s what this guide gives you: 200+ words and phrases, sorted by the topics that show up again and again in the real test, each one used in a sentence so you can see how it actually sounds, not just what it technically means.

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Why bother learning vocabulary by topic?

Quick reality check on how examiners actually score you. The band descriptors talk about using “a sufficient range of vocabulary” with “some awareness of style and collocation.” Translated out of exam-speak: they want to see that you can genuinely discuss a subject, not that you own a thesaurus.

I’ve read essays where a student clearly had a strong opinion about, say, youth crime, but wrote around it using only basic words “bad behavior,” “punish them,” “help them be better” because they simply didn’t have terms like juvenile delinquency or rehabilitation on hand. The ideas were fine. The language couldn’t carry them.

One honest piece of advice before you dive in: don’t try to swallow this whole list in one sitting. Pick two or three topics you think are most likely to come up, learn those properly including how the words pair together (collocations matter more than people realize) and actually write a few sentences with each one. Vocabulary you’ve only ever seen on a flashcard tends to disappear the second you’re under time pressure in the real exam.

How to use this list

Under each topic, you’ll get:

A short note on how that topic usually shows up in real prompts
A table of useful words and phrases
Example sentences showing how they’re actually used in an essay, not a dictionary

Let’s get into it.

1. Education

Education comes up constantly curricula, teaching styles, access to university, the eternal “academic vs. practical skills” debate.

Word/Phrase	Meaning
academic curriculum	the subjects and content taught in a course of study
rote learning	memorizing through repetition rather than understanding
vocational training	training focused on practical job skills
higher education	university-level education
a well-rounded education	education covering academic, social, and practical development
tuition fees	money paid for instruction
extracurricular activities	activities outside the standard curriculum
academic pressure	stress caused by study or exam demands
lifelong learning	continuing to learn skills throughout one’s life
standardized testing	uniform tests used to measure student performance

In a sentence:

Many educators argue that an overreliance on rote learning discourages students from thinking critically.
Governments should invest more in vocational training, so students who aren’t academically inclined can still find stable work.
Critics of standardized testing say it rewards memorization over creativity or emotional intelligence.

2. Technology

Screen time, AI, automation, social media technology topics move fast, so your vocabulary needs to sound current, not textbook-y.

Word/Phrase	Meaning
digital dependency	over-reliance on digital devices
technological advancement	progress in technology
artificial intelligence (AI)	computer systems performing tasks requiring human intelligence
automation	using machines to do work previously done by people
the digital divide	the gap between those with and without access to technology
screen time	time spent using a device
data privacy	protection of personal information online
cybercrime	criminal activity carried out via computers or the internet
e-commerce	buying and selling goods online
social isolation	a decline in real-world social contact

In a sentence:

Technological advancement has reshaped how people work, communicate, and even form relationships.
Automation boosts efficiency, but it also raises real concerns about job losses in entire industries.
Too much screen time in childhood has been linked to shorter attention spans and poor sleep.

3. Environment

Environmental prompts almost always want causes, effects, and solutions so you’ll need words for the problem and the fix.

Word/Phrase	Meaning
carbon footprint	the amount of greenhouse gas produced by an activity
renewable energy	energy from sources that don’t run out (solar, wind, etc.)
deforestation	the clearing of forests
greenhouse gas emissions	gases that trap heat and contribute to global warming
sustainable development	growth that meets present needs without harming the future
natural habitat	the environment where a species naturally lives
environmental degradation	the deterioration of the environment
single-use plastics	plastic items designed to be used once and discarded
biodiversity	the variety of life in a given ecosystem
a global effort	coordinated action across countries

In a sentence:

Switching to renewable energy is one of the clearest ways a country can shrink its carbon footprint.
Deforestation doesn’t just speed up climate change, it wipes out the natural habitat of countless species.
Reversing environmental degradation will take a global effort, not scattered action from a few willing countries.

4. Health

Diet, exercise, mental health, healthcare access, this is a topic where sloppy vocabulary can actually change the meaning of what you’re saying, so precision matters.

Word/Phrase	Meaning
sedentary lifestyle	a lifestyle involving little physical activity
public health	the health of the population as a whole
preventive healthcare	measures taken to prevent illness before it occurs
mental well-being	a state of good psychological health
obesity rates	the proportion of a population classified as obese
a balanced diet	a diet with the right proportion of nutrients
life expectancy	the average length of a person’s life
healthcare accessibility	ease of access to medical services
chronic illness	a long-lasting medical condition
stress management	techniques used to control stress

In a sentence:

A sedentary lifestyle, paired with poor eating habits, has driven up obesity rates across many developed countries.
Spending more on preventive healthcare ends up easing the long-term strain on the wider health system.
Schools should be teaching stress management just as seriously as they teach math or science, given its impact on mental well-being.

5. Crime & Society

This one’s about causes of crime, and the age-old punishment-vs-rehabilitation debate.

Word/Phrase	Meaning
juvenile delinquency	criminal behavior by young people
rehabilitation	helping offenders return to a law-abiding life
a deterrent	something that discourages an action through fear of consequence
recidivism	the tendency to reoffend
socioeconomic factors	financial and social conditions affecting behavior
law enforcement	the system of maintaining and enforcing the law
capital punishment	the death penalty
community service	unpaid work done for the public good, often as a sentence
a punitive approach	an approach focused on punishment
social inequality	unequal distribution of resources and opportunities in society

In a sentence:

Many criminologists believe rehabilitation does more to cut recidivism than a purely punitive approach ever could.
Juvenile delinquency is often tied to socioeconomic factors like poverty or a lack of parental supervision.
Tougher sentences alone won’t act as much of a deterrent if the underlying social inequality goes unaddressed.

6. Work & Economy

Jobs, globalization, economic growth this topic shows up a lot in discussion and advantages/disadvantages prompts.

Word/Phrase	Meaning
job security	assurance of continued employment
economic growth	an increase in a country’s production of goods and services
the gig economy	a labor market based on short-term, flexible jobs
income inequality	unequal distribution of income across a population
globalization	the increasing interconnection of world economies
a skilled workforce	workers with specialized abilities
work-life balance	the equilibrium between professional and personal life
outsourcing	contracting work to external or overseas providers
economic downturn	a period of reduced economic activity
entrepreneurship	the activity of starting and running a business

In a sentence:

The gig economy offers more flexibility, but often at the cost of any real job security.
Critics of globalization point out that it’s widened income inequality, both within countries and between them.
Companies that actually respect work-life balance tend to keep their employees a lot longer.

Conclusion

You don’t build real Task 2 vocabulary by cramming a big list the night before your test, you build it by getting used to how people actually talk about these subjects, one topic at a time. Write a few real sentences with each new phrase. Read a little about the topic itself, not just the word list. Come back to this page more than once. That’s the difference between vocabulary you recognize and vocabulary you can actually reach for under pressure.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many words should I actually try to learn?

Fewer than you think. Fifteen to twenty words per topic, learned properly with their collocations beats memorizing all 200+ in a way you’ll forget by exam day.

Does fancier vocabulary automatically mean a higher score?

No, and this trips people up constantly. Examiners care about accuracy and natural use, not difficulty. “Sedentary lifestyle,” used correctly, will score better than “perspicacious,” used wrong.

What's the difference between this and linking words?

Linking words (however, therefore, in addition) hold your essay together structurally. Topic vocabulary is what actually lets you say something. You need both, but this list is the one that moves your Lexical Resource score.

Is it fine to reuse the same words in different essays?

Some overlap is natural: phrases like “socioeconomic factors” or “a balanced approach” work almost anywhere. But if you’re leaning on the same five phrases regardless of topic, it starts to read as rehearsed rather than genuinely flexible.

IELTS Writing Task 2 Vocabulary: 200+ Words & Phrases by Topic with Example Sentences

IELTS Writing Task 2 Vocabulary: 200+ Words & Phrases by Topic (With Example Sentences)

Why bother learning vocabulary by topic?

How to use this list

1. Education

2. Technology

3. Environment

4. Health

5. Crime & Society

6. Work & Economy

Conclusion

Frequently Asked Questions

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IELTS Writing Task 2 Vocabulary: 200+ Words & Phrases by Topic (With Example Sentences)

Why bother learning vocabulary by topic?

How to use this list

1. Education

2. Technology

3. Environment

4. Health

5. Crime & Society

6. Work & Economy

Conclusion

Frequently Asked Questions

Related Posts

Leave a Comment Cancel Reply

Start Your Child's Learning Journey

Thank You! 🎉

Book Your Free Demo