IELTS Academic Word List: 150 High-Score Words by Topic (2026)
150 IELTS academic words organised by the 10 most-tested topics — environment, technology, education, health and more — each with collocations, example sentences, and speaking/writing usage notes.
Forget memorising 570 disconnected words. IELTS recycles the same ~10 topics across Task 2, Speaking Part 3, and Reading passages. Master the core vocabulary of those topics — with collocations, not isolated words — and Lexical Resource takes care of itself.
How to use this list: one topic per study session. For each word, note its partners (shown in brackets), say the example aloud, then reuse the word in one written and one spoken sentence within 48 hours.
Jump to 1. Environment (the #1 topic)1. Environment (the #1 topic)
| Word | Partners | Example |
|---|---|---|
| mitigate | effects, damage, risks | "Cities can mitigate flooding by restoring wetlands." |
| exacerbate | problems, inequality, pollution | "Car dependency exacerbates air quality problems." |
| unprecedented | levels, scale, growth | "Plastic waste has reached unprecedented levels." |
| depletion | resources, ozone, fisheries | "Overfishing has caused severe depletion of stocks." |
| sustainable | development, practices, growth | "Sustainable farming protects soil for future generations." |
| contamination | water, soil, food | "Industrial runoff caused contamination of the river." |
| biodiversity | loss, decline, hotspot | "Habitat loss threatens biodiversity worldwide." |
| carbon footprint | reduce, offset, per capita | "Public transport shrinks each commuter's carbon footprint." |
| renewable | energy, sources, transition | "The renewable transition needs grid investment." |
| conservation | efforts, area, programme | "Conservation efforts have revived several species." |
| emit / emissions | carbon, greenhouse gases | "Factories emit a third of urban emissions." |
| dispose of | waste, safely, responsibly | "E-waste must be disposed of responsibly." |
| deteriorate | conditions, quality, health | "Air quality deteriorates during heatwaves." |
| ecosystem | fragile, marine, disruption | "Microplastics disrupt marine ecosystems." |
Jump to 2. Technology & AI2. Technology & AI
| Word | Partners | Example |
|---|---|---|
| automate / automation | processes, jobs, tasks | "Automation has displaced routine clerical jobs." |
| unprecedented access | to information, to data | "Phones give unprecedented access to knowledge." |
| streamline | operations, services, processes | "Online portals streamline visa applications." |
| surveillance | mass, facial, concerns over | "Facial surveillance raises privacy concerns." |
| algorithm | recommendation, biased | "Recommendation algorithms shape teenagers' views." |
| cyber- | security, bullying, attack | "Schools need stronger cyberbullying policies." |
| addictive / addiction | design, screen, prone to | "Infinite scroll is deliberately addictive." |
| breakthrough | medical, scientific, major | "mRNA vaccines were a major breakthrough." |
| obsolete | skills, technology, render | "AI may render some entry-level skills obsolete." |
| misinformation | spread, combat, rife with | "Feeds are rife with health misinformation." |
| innovation | foster, stifle, rapid | "Grants foster innovation in clean energy." |
| digital divide | bridge, widen, narrow | "Remote schooling widened the digital divide." |
| dependence / dependency | excessive, reduce, on devices | "Excessive device dependence harms sleep." |
| ethical implications | consider, raise | "Cloning raises profound ethical implications." |
| integrate | into, fully, seamlessly | "Hospitals integrated AI triage seamlessly." |
Jump to 3. Education3. Education
| Word | Partners | Example |
|---|---|---|
| curriculum | national, rigid, overhaul | "The national curriculum needs an overhaul." |
| literacy / numeracy | adult, rates, basic | "Adult literacy rates keep climbing." |
| rote learning | rely on, move beyond | "Exams based on rote learning reward memory over thought." |
| vocational | training, courses, skills | "Vocational training suits hands-on learners." |
| disparity | educational, regional, gender | "Rural schools face stark educational disparity." |
| tuition | fees, affordable, soaring | "Soaring tuition fees deter low-income applicants." |
| pedagogy | modern, outdated | "Outdated pedagogy ignores how children learn." |
| assessment | continuous, formative, standardised | "Continuous assessment reduces exam anxiety." |
| dropout rate | high, cut, among | "Mentoring cut dropout rates sharply." |
| fund / funding | inadequate, secure, allocate | "Schools secured funding for new labs." |
| academic pressure | intense, ease, under | "Teenagers buckle under intense academic pressure." |
| extracurricular | activities, participation | "Extracurricular participation builds teamwork." |
| scholarship | award, merit-based, win | "She won a merit-based scholarship." |
| enrol / enrolment | in, rising, decline in | "University enrolment keeps rising." |
| discipline | maintain, lack of, strict | "Strict discipline alone rarely improves results." |
Jump to 4. Health4. Health
| Word | Partners | Example |
|---|---|---|
| sedentary | lifestyle, behaviour, increasingly | "Office work promotes a sedentary lifestyle." |
| obesity epidemic | tackle, fuel, childhood | "Sugary drinks fuel the childhood obesity epidemic." |
| preventive | care, measures, medicine | "Preventive care costs less than treatment." |
| longevity | increase, linked to | "Daily walking is linked to greater longevity." |
| mental well-being | support, prioritise | "Firms now prioritise staff mental well-being." |
| outbreak | contain, of disease | "Vaccination contained the outbreak swiftly." |
| strain (n./v.) | on hospitals, resources | "Winter flu strains hospital capacity." |
| nutritious | meals, diet, affordable | "Subsidies make nutritious meals affordable." |
| addiction (substance/screen) | combat, prone to | "Teens are prone to screen addiction." |
| hygiene | poor, standards, hand | "Poor hygiene spreads ward infections." |
| immunity | build, herd, weaken | "Vaccines build herd immunity." |
| chronic | illness, stress, conditions | "Chronic stress impairs concentration." |
| prescribe | drugs, antibiotics | "Doctors overprescribe antibiotics." |
| diagnosis | early, accurate | "Early diagnosis transforms survival rates." |
| epidemic vs pandemic | declare, contain | "The WHO declared a pandemic in 2020." |
Jump to 5. Crime & Society5. Crime & Society
| Word | Partners | Example |
|---|---|---|
| deter / deterrent | crime, effective | "Long sentences are a weak deterrent." |
| reoffend / recidivism | rates, reduce | "Training schemes reduce recidivism." |
| rehabilitation | focus on, programme | "Prisons should focus on rehabilitation." |
| petty crime | tackle, rise in | "Visible policing tackles petty crime." |
| juvenile delinquency | prevent, tackle | "Sport schemes prevent juvenile delinquency." |
| conviction | prior, rate, secure | "Conviction rates remain stubbornly low." |
| surveillance (CCTV) | expand, oppose | "Cities expanded CCTV surveillance." |
| vigilant | remain, stay | "Travellers should remain vigilant." |
| penalise | heavily, unfairly | "Fines penalise the poor disproportionately." |
| reformed (character) | fully, offender | "Reformed offenders need hiring pathways." |
| lenient / harsh | sentence, too, unduly | "Sentences for fraud are unduly lenient." |
| curb | powers, spending, crime | "Patrols curbed night-time crime." |
| victimless | crime, largely | "Regulators deprioritise victimless crime." |
| white-collar | crime, criminals | "White-collar crime costs billions." |
| incarceration | mass, rate, alternative to | "Norway favours alternatives to incarceration." |
Jump to 6-10. Rapid-Fire Sets ( high frequency, same format)6-10. Rapid-Fire Sets ( high frequency, same format)
Work & Economy: unemployment (youth, tackle), labour market (tight, enter), redundant (made, skills), entrepreneurship (foster, youth), inflation (soaring, curb), recession (plunge into, avoid), minimum wage (raise, live on), job security (lack of, offer), workforce (ageing, skilled), productivity (boost, stagnant), outsourcing (resist, benefits of), gig economy (rise of, regulate), automation (see Topic 2), pension (state, fund), stimulus (fiscal, package).
Urbanisation & Transport: congestion (ease, peak-hour), sprawl (urban, curb), commute (daily, gruelling), pedestrianise (centres, zones), overhaul (transport, system), dilapidated (housing, stock), gentrification (fuel, resist), high-density (housing, living), bypass (build, congested), fare (subsidise, cap), punctuality (improve, rail), gridlock (rush-hour, avoid), liveable (city, rank), outskirts (on the, relocate to), infrastructure (strain on, invest in).
Globalisation & Culture: homogenisation (cultural, resist), heritage (preserve, site), erode (traditions, authority), diversity (embrace, linguistic), influx (of tourists, manage), assimilation (promote, resist), diaspora (large, support), ubiquitous (phones, brand), marginalise (groups, feel), culminate in (festival, talks), commemorate (victims, anniversary), stereotype (reinforce, defy), melting pot (city as, myth of), indigenous (rights, languages), cosmopolitan (city, outlook).
Family & Demographics: ageing population (cope with, burden of), birth rate (plummeting, boost), childcare (affordable, subsidise), dual-income (household, rise of), estranged (from, become), adolescence (during, turbulent), upbringing (strict, stable), inherit (debt, property), dependent (elderly, financially), nurture (talent, nature vs), sibling rivalry (intense, ease), empty-nest (syndrome, phase), work-life balance (strike, elusive), parental leave (extend, paid), generation gap (bridge, widen).
Government & Law: legislation (introduce, tighten), enforce (laws, strictly), subsidise (farming, fares), referendum (hold, binding), turnout (voter, low), bipartisan (support, bill), transparency (demand, fiscal), corruption (rampant, curb), lobby (groups, against), deregulate (markets, push to), censorship (impose, ease), bureaucracy (cut, tangled in), mandate (vaccine, meet the), jurisdiction (under, cross-border), amnesty (grant, tax).
Jump to How to Actually Retain ThemHow to Actually Retain Them
- Collocations, not words. Never learn "mitigate" alone — learn "mitigate damage/risks." Examiners score the partnership.
- One topic per week. 15 words × 10 weeks beats 150 words in a weekend.
- Produce within 48 hours. Each word must appear in one Task 2 paragraph and one spoken answer or it evaporates.
- Paraphrase-pairs. Learn each word with its plain synonym ("mitigate = reduce") so you can flex in paraphrasing and synonym upgrades.
- Ban the fancy-word essay. One topic word per sentence maximum. Density of rare words with errors reads as Band 6; sparse precise words read as Band 8.
Extend topic-by-topic with our writing vocabulary banks and collocation drills in the collocations guide.
Jump to Frequently Asked QuestionsFrequently Asked Questions
Which topics matter most? Environment, technology, education, and health cover the majority of recent Task 2 questions. Learn those four first.
Can I use these words in Speaking Part 1? Selectively — precise words suit Part 3's abstract questions better than Part 1's personal small talk, where they can sound rehearsed.