• VIP Course
  • Facebook
    Instagram
    Youtube
    • Skip to primary navigation
    • Skip to main content
    • Skip to primary sidebar
    • Skip to footer
    IELTS Advantage

    IELTS Advantage

    IELTS Preparation Courses

    • Success Stories
    • Resources
      • IELTS Writing Task 1
      • IELTS Writing Task 2
      • IELTS Speaking
      • IELTS Reading
      • IELTS Listening
      • IELTS Vocabulary
    • Contact Us
    • VIP Course

    The Most Common Vocabulary Used in High-Scoring Task 2 Essays

    Home » IELTS Blog » The Most Common Vocabulary Used in High-Scoring Task 2 Essays

    Hey there, it’s Chris from IELTS Advantage, and I’m excited to share with you some valuable insights that can help you achieve a high score on your IELTS writing test. This article will discuss the most common words used in Band 7, 8, and 9 essays.

    At IELTS Advantage, we’ve helped many students achieve their desired scores on the IELTS writing test. We asked our team to provide us with 100 essays that we had corrected and given feedback on, and these essays had helped students achieve a Band 7, 8, or 9. We analyzed all the words in these essays to determine the most common ones.

    The Most Common Words in IELTS Essays

    We found that the top 9 words in these essays were:

    • The
    • To
    • Of
    • And
    • In
    • That
    • Are
    • This
    • They


    Surprisingly, just these 9 words accounted for more than 1/3 of the total words in these essays. The most popular word was “the,” followed by “to.” This data teaches us that most words used in essays are simple, everyday words. Therefore, it’s essential to focus on using simple words accurately rather than trying to improve your vocabulary range.

    Focus on Accuracy

    At IELTS Advantage, we teach our students to use their existing vocabulary to improve their scores. We don’t focus on teaching students a range of complex words. Instead, we emphasize accuracy and help students be as accurate as possible with their words. We also focus on topic-specific words rather than complex words.

    The Top 10 Topic-Specific Words

    We analyzed the top 10 keywords in the 100 essays:

    • People
    • Children
    • Time
    • Companies
    • Parents
    • Life 
    • School
    • Health
    • Employee
    • Diet


    These words are straightforward and topic-specific regarding people, education, and health. So, it’s better to use accurate synonyms to vary your vocabulary rather than complex words that are not topic-specific.

    Linking Words

    We also analyzed the most common linking words used in these essays, which included words such as:

    • In conclusion
    • However
    • Although
    • For instance
    • As a result
    • Therefore

    The examiners don’t award extra marks for using complex, fancy linking words. Instead, they give marks for using them appropriately and accurately. Learning a few simple linking words and using them accurately is much better than learning many complex ones.

    The Role of High-Level Vocabulary

    Finally, we analyzed the percentage of high-level words in these essays using software from Cambridge English. We found that most words were simple, everyday words that students have within their existing vocabulary. The Band 7, 8, and 9 students use their existing vocabulary to communicate their answers to the examiners. They only used complex vocabulary when they couldn’t use one of the simpler words.

    In conclusion, to achieve a high IELTS writing test score, you should use simple, everyday words to accurately and clearly communicate your answers to the examiners. Remember, learning a range of complex words or fancy linking words is unnecessary. Instead, focus on using your existing vocabulary accurately and efficiently. I hope this article helps you improve your IELTS writing score. You can also try our Essay Builder Course for free.

    4.2 5 votes
    Article Rating
    Subscribe
    Notify of

    4 Comments
    Newest
    Oldest Most Voted
    Inline Feedbacks
    View all comments

    Primary Sidebar

    Navigation

    • IELTS Preparation Guide
    • IELTS Writing Task 1: Everything You Need to Know
    • IELTS Writing Task 2: ✍️ Everything You Need to Know
    • Master IELTS Reading: Band 9 Strategies & Real Practice Tests
    • IELTS Speaking – ✍️ How to Get Band 9.0
    • IELTS Vocabulary Mastery: Essential Words, Tips & Techniques
    • Master IELTS Listening: Expert Tips, Strategies & Practice Tests (UPDATED 2025)
    • IELTS Tips
    • IELTS Practice: Ultimate Free Guide
    • IELTS For Teachers
    • IELTS Writing Correction Service

    Footer

    Contact us

    Email: chris@ieltsadvantage.com
    Over 4,000,000 collective followers!
    Image: icons8-facebook-48
    Image: icons8-instagram-50
    Image: icons8-youtube-48
    Image: icons8-linkedin-48
    Image: icons8-tiktok-50
    Image: icons8-twitter-48
    • Blog
    • Success Stories
    • Our Team
    • Our Principles
    • FAQ & Contact
    • Privacy Policy
    • Disclaimer
    • Terms and Conditions
    • About Author
    • Subscribe
    • IELTS VIP Ambassador Program
    • Cookies Policy
    © 2021 IELTS Advantage All rights reserved. Registered Company Number NI637423. Advantage Exam Preparation Limited. 4 Castleglen Park, Dundrum, County Down, BT33 0WL United Kingdom. The information on this site is for information purposes only. IELTS is a registered trademark of University of Cambridge, the British Council, and IDP Education Australia. This site and its owners are not affiliated, approved or endorsed by the University of Cambridge ESOL, the British Council, and IDP Education Australia. For full information please refer to our terms and conditions and disclaimer.
    wpDiscuz