Less Common Vocabulary in IELTS: How to Use It Without Sounding Unnatural
Karan from Nagpur memorised 300 “Band 8 words”. His essay said “the populace utilise vehicular transportation” — and his vocabulary score didn’t move.
The Band 7 descriptors for Writing and Speaking describe some ability to use less common words, with awareness of style and collocation. Neither mentions word lists, so use a less common word when it is the most precise choice and you know its partners and register.
What the Descriptors Say About Less Common Words
In Writing, the public Band 6 descriptor says a risk-taker will use a wider range of vocabulary but with higher degrees of inaccuracy or inappropriacy. At Band 7, there is some ability to use less common and idiomatic items, and an awareness of style and collocation is evident, though inappropriacies occur.
The Speaking descriptors follow the same pattern at Band 7. At Band 6, they say vocabulary use may be inappropriate but the meaning is clear.
The key assessment criteria for Writing also mention topic-specific items and the precision of word choice. Our plain-English guide to the IELTS Writing band descriptors explains what Band 7 needs.
Forced Phrasing vs Natural Precision
The left column below is what a memorised list can produce. The right column says the same thing in words that fit together.
| Forced | Natural and precise |
|---|---|
| utilise vehicular transportation | commute by car |
| the populace experiences dire predicaments | many people face serious difficulties |
| ameliorate the deleterious repercussions | mitigate the negative effects |
| nourish juvenile minds with erudition | teach children effectively |
| promulgate stringent legislation | introduce strict laws |
| succumb to electronic gadget obsession | spend too much time on phones |
“Mitigate” is a less common word, and it works because it has a natural partner: the Oxford Learner’s Dictionary lists “effect” and “impact” among the nouns it is used with.
Three Questions Before You Use a Less Common Word
Ask yourself these before a new word goes into your writing or speaking:
- Do I know its exact meaning? Check a learner’s dictionary, and if you are still unsure, choose a word you know.
- Do I know its usual partners? Dictionary examples show the verbs, adjectives and prepositions that go with a word; our guide to topic collocations for IELTS essays gives examples.
- Do I know its register? Learner’s dictionaries label words such as “numerous” and “stringent” as formal, and a formal word can sound stiff in everyday speech.
Where Natural Less Common Vocabulary Comes From
Topic words arrive with their partners. For education, for example, “curriculum”, “vocational training” and “tuition fees” are listed in the Oxford Learner’s Dictionary, and learning them in groups helps you meet them in phrases. Our post on IELTS vocabulary for education gives education words with examples.
The Speaking descriptors also mention idiomatic items from Band 7, and our post on idioms in IELTS Speaking covers whether to use them.
Incorrect: “Youngsters are addicted towards gadgets.”
Correct: Many teenagers spend several hours a day on their phones.
The pattern is “addicted to”, and a specific statement says exactly what happens.
Before and After: Over-Ornate vs Natural
Both versions make the same point about public libraries.
Before
In contemporary epochs, municipal authorities ought to disburse substantial pecuniary endowments to rejuvenate dilapidated public libraries, notwithstanding the ubiquitous proliferation of electronic apparatuses that captivate the modern populace and diminish their appetite for erudition throughout the nation.
After (illustrative Band 7)
Although digital devices are now part of everyday life and distract many people from reading and learning, local councils should still spend a considerable amount of money on repairing and modernising run-down public libraries across the country.
What changed:
- “Disburse substantial pecuniary endowments” became “spend a considerable amount of money”, and “rejuvenate dilapidated” became “repairing and modernising run-down”.
- “The ubiquitous proliferation of electronic apparatuses” became “digital devices are now part of everyday life”.
- The new phrases are ordinary partners: “spend money on”, “a considerable amount of” and “distract people from”.
Tip
When a useful word appears in your reading, copy the whole phrase and its dictionary example, not the word alone.
Key Takeaways
- At Band 7, candidates use less common words with awareness of style and collocation.
- The descriptors contain no word lists, so no word belongs to a band.
- Before using a new word, check its meaning, partners and register.
- Topic words learnt as phrases bring their partners with them.
The bottom line: The best word is the one that fits your sentence and your meaning, however common it is.