IELTS essay writing vocabulary
IELTS essay writing/ Writing task 2 requires a candidate to use a wide range of vocabulary. Connective words and phrases are very important to finish the writing task 2 in a logical and coherent way. You must use the transitional or connective words in your writing task 2 as it is considered one of the important factors for a high band score. The essay writing for IELTS requires you to present convincing arguments, reasoning, examples, and point of view. To make your essay impressive and to show pieces of evidence or examples in a coherent and logical way, you have to use these connective words. However, do not overuse the linking phrases or connective phrases just to show that you know so many of them. Use those connective phrases/words or linking phrases/words properly.
The general format of IELTS task 2 as follows
- Introduction + your opinion/ your thinking/ your point of view/ whether you agree or disagree/ main advantages or disadvantages +
- 2nd paragraph with an example, explanation, evidence and extra details +
- 3rd paragraph with an example, explanation, evidence and extra details +
- 4th paragraph with an example, explanation, evidence and extra details +
- —– —— —— ——- ——- ——- —– —–
- Conclusion + restating the main point of your discussion/ your position on the issue.
Vocabulary for introduction part
In the introduction part of your IELTS essay, you should write sentences relevant to the topic given and generally accepted ideas about it. Use your best English here as it will attract or bore your reader about the whole writing. You will make or break your impression in this paragraph. Be very cautious about the introduction part. Never just copy the sentence of the question. If you really need to, use synonyms and different sentence structure.
Examples:
- Mobile phones and the Internet are two great innovations of science for communication and have been facilitating people for a long time. These two technologies are widely used in almost all the countries of the world and had become a part of our daily lives. We can’t deny the usefulness of these technologies as they had made our life easier than it was ever before. In my opinion, the advantages of these two devices far outweigh the demerits they have.
- Every human being with an ambition of getting higher knowledge requires attending colleges or universities. The main reason for attending universities or colleges may differ man to man. Someone may aspire to achieve greater knowledge, someone may just want to earn a certificate or someone might attribute it as a step towards career development.
- Compared with people in the past, we concern far less on the preparation of food today, thanks to the development of agriculture and scientific technology. A fair amount of beneficial influence is occurring to us consequently.
Opening vocabulary/ Starting vocabulary
- Many/some people claim/opine/believe that…
- There is no denying that…
- It is often said that…
- These days…/ Nowadays…/ In this day and age…
- It goes without saying that…
- It is universally accepted that…
- We live in an age when many of us are…
- People are divided in their opinion regarding…
- …. is one of the most important issues…
- Whether …. or …. is a controversial issue…
Ending vocabulary for Introduction part
- Let us examine both views before reaching a concrete decision.
- The following paragraphs discuss whether …… or …… and reach a reasonable conclusion.
- The following essay takes a look at both sides of the argument.
- My two cents go for…
- However, I strongly believe that…
- I oppose the view and my reasons will be explained in the following paragraphs.
- I will support this view with arguments in the following paragraphs.
- I personally believe that…
- Thus the advantages far outweigh the disadvantages…
- I wholeheartedly believe that this trend should be changed.
Vocabulary for the opinion part
According to the essay types (Learn what are the IELTS essay types) use one of the following connective words/ linking phrases to write down your opinion However remember that if the question does not ask you to give your opinion but to compare advantages and disadvantages, then you should not strongly express your opinion. Opinion should only be written for opinion essays.
- In my opinion…
- I strongly opine that…
- I strongly agree with the idea that…
- I strongly disagree with the given topic…
- I think…
- My opinion is that…
- Personally speaking…
- In my view…
- I believe…
- Apparently…
- Personally speaking…
- According to me…
- From my point of view… (Not ‘In my point of view’)
- As far as I am concerned…
- From my perspective…
- I realize…
- To my way of thinking…
- It seems to me that…
- To me…
- To my mind…
- My own view on the matter is…
- It appears that…
- I feel that…
- I understand…
- I suppose…
Examples:
- But in my opinion, giving access to a mobile phone & the internet to each and every unemployed person is a matter of great dispute. I believe, this idea can help the countries who have sufficient funds for the whole fiscal year and already adopted technologies like the internet for a very long period. But this might turn out a complete loss for an undeveloped country.
- I believe parents are always teaching us in many ways intentionally and unintentionally; however, the contributions teachers have in our learning process cannot be ignored.
- I strongly agree with the idea that the gender issue is only a determinant in the battle of the sexes, not the battles among nations and peoples. It is therefore impertinent, if not irrational, to conclude that world conflicts result from the rule of a particular gender and the finer sex would do a better job at prevailing peace if selectively put at the helm of human nations.
Vocabulary for the 2nd paragraph part
- It is true that…
- First…
- First of all…
- Firstly…
- First and foremost…
- Initially…
- To begin with…
- To start with…
- Let us take a look at…
- It is worth considering…
- In the first place…
- Though it is true that…
- Some people believe that…
- Many people think that…
- According to many…
- Some people believe that…
- Many support the view that…
- On the one hand…
Examples:
- It is true that an unemployed educated person with a mobile phone and the internet connection can get more access to the local and foreign job sectors and can use these technologies to get a job or become self-employed.
- First of all, the maximum number of cars are owned by the rich people and fuel price would not restrain them from using the cars. The price of fuel, in fact, increased significantly over the past 12 years and that has done nothing to reduce car usage.
- To begin, houses that are being constructed by those in the lower income groups do look at the most cost-effective option. In this process, they invariably explore cheaper options that include a compromise on material and construction quality.
Vocabulary for the 3rd, 4th …… paragraph part
- Second(ly)… (Not ‘Second of all’)
- Third(ly)…
- Then…
- Next…
- After that…
- And…
- Again…
- Also…
- Besides…
- Likewise…
- In addition…
- Consequently…
- What’s more…
- Furthermore…
- Moreover…
- Other people think that…
- Other people believe that…
- On the other hand…
- Apart from that…
- Finally…
- Last but not (the) least…
Examples:
- Besides, unemployed persons living in urban areas; can easily get the information related to the job-offering companies with these technologies……………. Furthermore, the use of these technologies give them advantages than others…….
- Besides, people would learn more about outer space as the experiment and scientific research in outer space is going on more steadily than ever.
- Apart from that, computers would become more powerful and they will have superior artificial intelligence. We will have robots to do hazardous works like mining and outer space research. Surprisingly, e-commerce would be in more convenient form and most of the people will purchase online rather than going to shops in person.
Vocabulary to show the comparison
- In the same way…
- Likewise…
- Similarly…
- Like the previous point…
- Similar to…
- Also…
- At the same time…
- Just as…
Examples:
- Similarly, all the companies and offices are becoming automated and using computers, the internet and other technologies vastly than any other time in history…….
- At the same time software could be used for many purposes such as learning through computers, accounting in computers, drawing, storage of information, sending information from one person to other persons etc.
- Also reading books is like peeking into the minds of the greatest people – A book is like a conversation with the writer and reading many books gives us an insight into the thinking process of different writers.
Related IELTS Resources
Take a practice test to find out what is your current weakness in terms of IELTS scale and allow more time to improve your weak spots. The following IELTS resources will help you to develop your skills faster: