Rohan from Bhopal counted the words in his last essay: “good” appeared nine times and “very” eleven. His ideas were fine; his words were vague.

Overused words like good, bad, big and very aren’t wrong, but repeating them makes your writing vague. Replace them with words that say exactly what you mean, and choose alternatives that fit the context and collocate naturally.

Why Vague Words Limit Your Band Score

The public descriptors contain no list of banned or preferred words. They describe range, precision and accuracy, so the question is how well your words fit.

The key assessment criteria for Writing, published on the IELTS website, say Lexical Resource looks at the range of general words used, and they give synonyms to avoid repetition as an example. They also list the precision of word choice.

At Band 6, the meaning is generally clear despite a rather restricted range or a lack of precision. At Band 7, the vocabulary is sufficient to allow some flexibility and precision.

Ten Overused Words in Writing Essays

In essays, some plain conversational words have more exact replacements. Our guide to academic tone in IELTS Writing covers informal words and habits to avoid.

Overused word Better choices Example
good beneficial, valuable Online courses are beneficial to students in rural areas.
bad harmful, adverse Long working hours have an adverse effect on health.
big major, considerable A considerable amount of money is spent on road repairs.
very highly, extremely The job market is highly competitive.
a lot of a great deal of, a large amount of Renewable energy needs a large amount of investment.
thing factor, issue Cost is the most important factor for many students.
people residents, citizens Authorities should warn residents about flood risks.
nowadays in recent years, currently Online shopping has grown quickly in recent years.
important vital, essential Clean water is vital for public health.
problem challenge, issue Traffic congestion is a growing challenge for large cities.

Ten Overused Words in Writing and Speaking

These words appear in both skills. The Speaking descriptors ask for vocabulary used flexibly at Band 7, and the Oxford Learner’s Dictionary labels several alternatives below, such as “assist”, “obtain” and “employ”, as formal, so in conversation choose the plainer option.

Overused word Better choices Example
get gain, obtain Many graduates gain practical experience through internships.
think believe, argue Many teachers argue that practical tasks work best.
increase rise, grow Rents have risen sharply in several large cities.
help support, assist Subsidies assist low-income families with education costs.
use employ, apply Many farms employ drip irrigation to save water.
show illustrate, demonstrate The survey results demonstrate a clear change in shopping habits.
many numerous, a large number of Numerous schools now offer online classes.
nice pleasant, enjoyable The campus has a pleasant atmosphere for students.
also as well as, in addition to The scheme provides training in addition to equipment.
because as, since As fares were cut, many commuters switched to buses.

Do Not Swap Words Blindly

A thesaurus lists options, not equivalents. Synonyms differ in strength, formality and connotation, as our lesson on shades of meaning explains. The Oxford Learner’s Dictionary, for example, labels “detrimental” as formal and gives “damaging” as a synonym.

Check the pairing too. The same dictionary shows “highly” with adjectives such as “competitive” and “successful”, so it is not a general replacement for “very”. Our guide to less common vocabulary in IELTS shows how to check a word before you use it.

Incorrect: “Pollution is a very big problem.”

Correct: Air pollution is a serious threat to public health.

The first sentence is grammatical but vague; the second says what kind of pollution and what harm it causes.

Before and After: A Task 2 Point

Here is one point about remote working, written twice.

Before

Remote working is a very good thing for people nowadays. It helps workers get a lot of free time and do good work. However, some people think it is bad because of big problems like feeling lonely at home all day.

After (illustrative Band 7)

Remote working has become highly beneficial for many employees in recent years. It gives workers a great deal of free time and lets them concentrate on high-quality work. However, critics argue that it has serious drawbacks, such as the loneliness of spending all day at home.

What changed:

  • “A very good thing” became “highly beneficial”, which names the kind of value instead of using “good” plus “thing”.
  • “People nowadays” became “many employees in recent years”, and “a lot of” became “a great deal of”.
  • “Bad” and “big problems” became “serious drawbacks”, and “do good work” became “concentrate on high-quality work”.

Tip

If one word from the tables appears several times in a practice essay, look for a more exact word for each use.

Key Takeaways

  • Basic words are not wrong, but repeating them can make ideas vague.
  • The Writing criteria mention range of general words and precision of word choice.
  • Check an alternative’s meaning, strength, formality and collocations before you use it.
  • An exact noun, such as “air pollution”, can say more than “very” plus an adjective.

The bottom line: Choose the word that says exactly what you mean, not the one that sounds most impressive.