The Ten Essential IELTS Vocabulary Topics
With Definitions
Topic 1: Work and careers
About Topic
The Work and careers topic includes issues of opportunities and problems at work, ways of motivating and rewarding workers, the work/life balance, changes in patterns of jobs and work (for example, the growth in working from home), career choices and training, and occasionally the
relationship between government and businesses or industries.
 |
| IELTS BAND 9 Essential Vocabulary |
You are not expected to know any vocabulary connected to specialised areas of finance, marketing and so on.
Topic 1 Example Task
Some employers offer their employees subsidised membership of gyms and sports clubs,
believing that this will make their staff healthier and thus more effective at work. Other employers see no benefit in doing so.
Consider the arguments from both aspects of this possible debate, and reach a conclusion.
Explanation of the Task
This is an Opinion>Discussion type Task. You should introduce the topic, present two or three ideas on each side of the discussion, and then give your opinion in the conclusion.
If you are not already familiar with the different types of IELTS Academic Task 2 essay,
please see the ‘Overview’ at the end of this book. It is essential to be familiar with these different essay types before you take the exam.
The following model essay shows you key words and phrases which you can use to increase your band score when discussing this topic, in both writing and speaking. The key words are
highlighted in bold.
Band 9 model essay
Employers are always seeking ways to enhance their employees’ productivity, and
subsidising healthy pursuits may be one way of achieving this. There are arguments on both sides, however, which we will discuss here.
On the one hand, it might be said that if workers are fitter and less stressed, their working time will be more efficient, leading to higher levels of output and service. Furthermore, the work/life balance of the staff will hopefully be improved, because their leisure time will be more fulfilling. This may even be more motivating than pay increments, perks, orfinancial rewards such as
bonuses or incentives which may be hard to attain. Finally, feeling healthier may lead to better job satisfaction which is in itself a motivating factor.
Conversely, the problem with such leisure-based subsidies is that their efficacy is virtually
impossible to quantify. For example, with target-related payments, employers can at least see
whether the objectives are reached or not. It might also be said that, if this budget was spent on (for instance) on the job training or day release programmes, the employees would achieve better
career progression and have better job prospects. These matters are all easier to measure,
especially in performance reviews andappraisals, and may even help to reduce the risk of
redundancy if the company restructures, downsizes oroutsources its workforce.
Overall, it seems that, while health-related subsidies are superficially attractive, the lack of measurability is a substantial drawback. Spending funds on ongoing trainingwould appear to be a better use of company or Human Resourcesbudgets.
(259 words)
Explanation of the topic vocabulary and examples in Speaking
These words and phrases are listed in the order that they appear in the essay
productivity = the ability of people to produce useful results at work.
Example of using this vocabulary item in the IELTS Speaking Test:
‘My country is not as advanced as some other countries in our industrial sector. Productivity and quality are still quite low.’
Important: Please remember that these extra example sentences are designed to show you
ways of using this vocabulary in IELTS Speaking, and so the examples may include contractions
(‘don’t’ etc) and personal stories about the speaker and their family or friends. This is fine in the
Speaking test, but not in Task 2 writing, which should never have contractions or personal stories.
These Speaking examples also sometimes include less formal words such as ‘really’ or
‘good.’ Again, these words are acceptable in Speaking, but try to use more formal words in Writing, such as ‘substantially’ or ‘positive.’
to subsidise = to pay part of the cost of something, usually in order to help people. Example of using this vocabulary item in the IELTS Speaking Test:
‘The government could encourage children to be healthier by subsidising swimming lessons and sports coaching at weekends.’
output = the amount of work or goods produced.
In Europe, industrial output has decreased, maybe because of competition from producers in other continents.
work/life balance = the ability to work hard but also enjoy a good quality family and social
life
People are working long hours these days, and so their work/life balance is affected, leading to stress.
to motivate people = to give them positive reasons for working hard
If employees are given regular feedback, they will probably be well motivated and committed.
pay increments = pay rises/increases
In my country, pay increments have been very low because of the financial crisis.
perks = reward from an employer which are not financial (eg free lunches, a car etc)
Personally, I’d like to work for a company that gives lots of perks, because I would find this very enjoyable.
financial rewards = any form of money payment (salary, commission, pension etc)
Being a primary teacher may be satisfying, but the financial rewards are not high
bonuses = money given in addition to salary, usually in return for achieving targets Apparently some investment bankers can earn millions of dollars in bonuses.
incentives = any reward that makes people work harder
Some employers offer vacations or parties as incentives if the team hits its sales targets. job satisfaction = enjoyment of a job for non-financial reasons
I get a lot of job satisfaction from my work at the wildlife centre, although the financial rewards are quite low.
target-related = dependent on hitting a target
My boss once offered me a target-related bonus, but it was almost impossible to achieve!
on the job training = training while working, not by leaving work to go to college etc
My sister has found that the on the job training she gets at her bank is very useful, and she has progressed well because of this.
ongoing training = training throughout your time in a job, not just at the start
I enjoyed my work at the airline at first, but I soon found that there was no ongoing training and my skills weren’t really developed.
day release programmes = programmes of training or education when employees can spend entire days out of work
I feel that employers should be much more flexible regarding training, for example by subsidising day release programmes or job exchanges with other companies.
career progression = the ability to advance your career
The problem with being a freelance photographer is that there’s no real career progression, unless you become very famous.
job prospects = the possibility of promotion or higher level work in future
I remember an interview when the employer told me there were excellent job prospects in their firm for young people. In reality, this was not really true.
to measure = to assess the dimensions of something
Job satisfaction may be important, but can we really measure it? superficial = not addressing deep or important issues
I’m not a big fan of traditional music. I find the lyrics rather old-fashioned and superficial for modern listeners.
performance reviews/appraisals = meeting at which an employer gives feedback to a worker on their work over a fixed period.
I remember being worried about my job at first, but at my six month appraisal my manager told me she was pleased with my efforts.
redundancy = a situation where a worker loses their job because of changes in the company (not because of personal mistakes) (verb = to make someone redundant)
In my home town, the textile factories have closed and many people have been made redundant.
to restructure = to change the organisation of a company, usually in order to make it more
We used to have a large training department in my office, but in our recent restructure it was eliminated and the staff were made redundant.
to downsize = to make an organisation smaller and employ fewer people
My father’s college used to employ almost one thousand people, but then it downsized and now has less than five hundred.
to outsource = to stop doing work inside the company and send it to other companies or other countries, usually to save money
Many American companies have outsourced their IT operations to Asian countries, where productivity is similar and salaries are lower.
the workforce = the total number of people working in an organisation, company or country
The workforce in Northern Europe is skilled, but it’s also inflexible and much older than in other parts of the world.
Human Resources (or HR) = the department in a company which manages recruitment, employment and training
When I graduate, I plan to work in the Human Resources area of the oil industry, possibly in the Middle East.
Summary of Topic 1
This completes our Module for Topic 1.
Remember, please don’t try to learn or memorise all of these words immediately. Go through the whole book from Module 1 to 10, and try to practise using a small group of words from all of the Modules, then go back and expand on each group.
***
Topic 2: Education and schooling
About Topic 2
The Education and schooling topic includes teaching methods and resources, approaches to exams and testing, school management, pupil motivation, behaviour and discipline, school sport, extra-curricular activities, higher/further education and course funding.
Topic 2 example Task
‘The Internet will never replace traditional course books in schools.’ How far do you agree with this prediction?
Explanation of the Task
This is an Opinion>Personal viewpoint type essay (it asks how far you agree with an idea.)
You should introduce the topic and give your opinion in the introduction, then explain why you have
this view. You should briefly consider the opposing view, then restate your opinion in the conclusion.
Notice how this essay type is different from the Opinion>Discussion type which we saw in Topic 1, which asks you to discuss both sides of a debate.
Band 9 model essay
There is a huge range of resources available to the modern teacher, and the right selection is crucial in delivering effective lessons. I agree that there will always be a place for course books in the school curriculum, despite the many benefits of the Internet.
Firstly, course books (whether conventional or digital) have been developed by pedagogical
experts and designed to be incorporated into a subject syllabus, leading to testing procedures such as
formal examinations or continuous assessment. This means that they are proven to improve
students’ academic achievement, enhancing their potential for progression to further or higher
education. Furthermore, the use of modern course books allows pupils to coordinate their studies as
part of group work, hopefully making their lessons less teacher-led and more about autonomous
learning. This in itself teaches study skills such as independent research and synthesising sources,
rather than old-fashioned rote-learning. This is where the Internet, in fact, can play a useful part: to
supplement and add to knowledge which the students are assimilating via their course books.
However, it is the role of teachers and school management generally to ensure that use of the Internet
remains a guided learning process, and not an exercise in data-gathering from Internet sources
which may be unreliable or even misleading.
It is true that the Internet can be invaluable for adults (for example in distance learning or
self-study modules) who are able to discriminate between sources and sift information to marshal
their facts. However, this is a mature skill and we should not assume that school age pupils are ready
to do this.
Overall, it appears that course books, with their quality and depth of material, are set to remain an integral part of the syllabus. The internet can be judged a useful supplement to this, if used carefully and under supervision.
(304 words)
Explanation of the topic vocabulary and examples in Speaking
curriculum = the full range of subjects offered by a school or group of schools
The curriculum in private schools is sometimes wider than in state schools, because they have more resources.
pedagogical (experts) = (experts in) education and teaching
I admire pedagogical pioneers such as the Victorian English thinkers who began free schools for all children.
syllabus = the content of elements taught in a specific subject
The syllabus for geography at my school included volcanoes, earthquakes and tidal waves, which we found fascinating.
formal examinations = exams where students answer set written or spoken questions without assistance
continuous assessment = giving students marks for course work or projects, rather than formal exams
At my school, our grades were based 50/50 on formal examinations and continuous assessment, which we thought was very fair to all the children.
academic achievement = the measurable performance of a student in marks, exam results etc In my country, children enjoy school, but academic achievement is frankly quite low.
further education = education after leaving school at the minimum age
Some governments encourage further education by allowing teenagers to claim benefits while they study.
higher education = education after age 18 at college or University, usually for a Degree
When I pass IELTS, I plan to go on to higher education in Canada and do a degree in
group work = study where pupils discuss and agree a project together
Personally, I think that group work enables lazy children to do less work than the eager ones.
teacher-led lessons = traditional lessons where the teacher delivers a long talk and the students take notes
In my country, lessons are still very teacher-led and interaction is rather limited.
autonomous learning = when a student learns through independent study and research
At University, you are expected to be an autonomous learner far more than at High School, which is quite exciting for me.
study skills = the skills of organising, using and checking study work
My study skills were rather weak until I read an excellent book by a Japanese pedagogical
expert.
to synthesise sources = to use a variety of sources and combine them in one project
I use the Internet to synthesise my sources, and I always cite the origin of the information. (to cite sources = to acknowledge publicly)
rote-learning = learning by repetition and memorising items
I used to think that rote-learning was a negative approach, but my recent experiences teaching in a South African school have changed my view.
to supplement = to add extra content or material
My supervisor said that I should supplement my essay with more examples of experiments. to assimilate knowledge = to absorb and understand it
I always use a dictionary when I study in English, to help me assimilate new phrases. guided learning = learning under the supervision of a teacher
Lessons in Primary Schools should always contain guided learning, otherwise the children will lose focus.
data-gathering = collecting information, usually in numerical form
Mobile phone companies employ many people in data-gathering Tasks, to see how users are using the phones and Internet.
distance learning = learning by the Internet or email, rather than face-to-face
My mother took an entire degree by distance learning over a period of five years. self-study = studying using a course without a teacher’s involvement
There are many self-study guides to improving your English, and some of them are actually quite good.
to discriminate between sources = to decide whether one source is better or more reliable than another source
Children should not study using unsupervised Internet access, because they can’t discriminate between the sources of information they find.
to sift information = to remove unwanted or less useful information
I had to sift hundreds of pages of data to arrive at my conclusions when I did my thesis. to marshal facts = to organise facts in support of an idea
In IELTS essays, you should marshal a few facts to support each idea in the argument. an integral part of the syllabus = essential, central or indispensable
Nutrition is an integral part of food sciences these days
to work/study under supervision = under the direction of a responsible person
At college, I discovered I did not have to work under supervision all the time, and I was free to do independent research.
KEYWORDS
ielts exam
ielts meaning
ielts login
ielts score
ielts practice tests
ielts exam fee
![[Download] Whatsapp DP Images ✅ Whatsapp Profile Pictures](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA91BRwYG5DedFYpMdoyylxsS7zbFCp-nDvQYbuzuYq2c7v8fMoiLnw3VXyV-YRCvIGY1X8nIX3nAxfSIrwHCYDZ0C83ldFP3GkIz5MvoeNzH3OXRlfIaDUPEihdaox8BsF71CNfcOp6fn/w680/whatsapp+dp+%25281%2529.jpg)