The Writing Hack

There is a huge misconception that to get a Band 7 or 8 in IELTS Writing Task 2, you need to use obscure words that look like they belong in a Shakespearean play.

Let’s bust this myth right now: Using overly complex words incorrectly will drop your score faster than using simple words correctly.

The examiners score your vocabulary based on Lexical Resource. They aren't looking for "fancy" words; they are looking for collocations (words that naturally go together) and precision.

The Danger of the Thesaurus Trap

Look at how a student trying to sound smart can ruin a perfectly fine sentence:

• ❌ Over-complicated: The global populace must cease consuming detrimental fast food to avoid anatomical corpulence.

• ✓ Natural & Precise: Governments should discourage citizens from eating fast food to combat the rising rates of obesity.

The second sentence is clear, academic, and uses terms like "combat the rising rates" and "obesity," which flow naturally in English. The first sentence sounds like a robot wrote it.

Three Rules for High-Scoring Vocabulary

1. Use Academic Collocations: Instead of saying "big problem," use pressing issue or grave concern. Instead of "change," use shift in perspective.

2. Prioritize Topic-Specific Words: If the topic is the environment, use words like biodiversity, renewable alternatives, carbon footprint, or ecological degradation.

3. The 100% Rule: If you are not 100% sure how to spell a word or how it behaves grammatically in a sentence, do not use it. Replacing a risky word with a safer, accurate synonym protects your score.