IELTS Speaking Vocabulary - 36 Band 7+ Words & Phrases by Function
The Lexical Resource criterion accounts for a quarter of your IELTS Speaking band, and what examiners reward is not rare words but natural, flexible phrasing: hedged opinions, precise adjectives, and the small connecting phrases fluent speakers use without thinking. The 36 words and phrases below are organised by what they do in an answer - giving opinions, hedging, describing feelings and places, talking about habits, comparing, and telling stories in Part 2. Each comes with a definition, a natural IELTS-style example, and the simpler word it upgrades. They are deliberately not exotic: every one of these can be used in any answer without sounding rehearsed, which is exactly what the band descriptors mean by 'flexibility'.
IELTS prompts where this vocabulary fits
- Speaking Part 1: How often do you cook at home? ("More often than not, I end up cooking dinner myself.")
- Speaking Part 2: Describe a place you visited that you particularly liked. ("We stayed in a picturesque fishing village…")
- Speaking Part 3: Do you think cities will keep growing? ("Broadly speaking, yes - although it depends on housing costs.")
Speaking vocabulary table
Each row gives the word, part of speech, plain-English definition, an IELTS-style example sentence, common collocations, and an optional band-7+ synonym you can swap in for variety.
| Word | POS | Definition | IELTS-style example | Collocations | Band-7+ synonym |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| from my perspective | phrase | A natural way to introduce a personal opinion. | “From my perspective, remote working has improved life for most office workers.” | opinion answers (Part 1 & 3) | in my opinion |
| I'm inclined to think | phrase | Introduces an opinion you hold with some caution. | “I'm inclined to think that social media does more harm than good for teenagers.” | hedged opinions (Part 3) | I think |
| as far as I'm concerned | phrase | Signals a strictly personal view. | “As far as I'm concerned, public transport in my city is excellent value.” | personal stance (Part 1 & 3) | for me |
| it strikes me that | phrase | Introduces an observation that has occurred to you. | “It strikes me that people read far fewer books than they did a decade ago.” | observations (Part 3) | I notice that |
| broadly speaking | phrase | Signals a generalisation before detail or exceptions. | “Broadly speaking, younger people in my country prefer renting to buying.” | generalising (Part 3) | in general |
| to some extent | phrase | Partially agrees with or limits a claim. | “To some extent, advertising does influence what I buy, though I like to think I resist it.” | partial agreement (Part 3) | partly |
| it depends on | phrase | Frames an answer around conditions. | “Whether eating out is worth it really depends on the occasion and the company.” | conditional answers (Part 1 & 3) | it varies |
| by and large | phrase | On the whole; mostly. | “By and large, my generation is more comfortable with technology than our parents are.” | generalising (Part 3) | mostly |
| arguably | adv. | Signals a claim that could be defended but is open to debate. | “Cricket is arguably the most popular sport in my country.” | claims and rankings (Part 3) | possibly |
| more often than not | phrase | In most cases. | “More often than not, I end up cooking dinner at home rather than ordering in.” | habits and frequency (Part 1) | usually |
| thrilled | adj. | Extremely pleased and excited. | “I was thrilled when my sister told me she was moving back to our hometown.” | thrilled to bits, absolutely thrilled | very happy |
| apprehensive | adj. | Slightly worried about something that is going to happen. | “I was quite apprehensive about my first job interview, but it went smoothly.” | apprehensive about | nervous |
| memorable | adj. | Worth remembering; special. | “The most memorable meal I have ever had was at a tiny seafood place by the harbour.” | memorable experience / occasion | unforgettable |
| rewarding | adj. | Giving satisfaction or a sense of achievement. | “Volunteering at the animal shelter was one of the most rewarding things I have done.” | rewarding experience / career | satisfying |
| exhausting | adj. | Extremely tiring. | “The overnight train journey was exhausting, but the scenery made up for it.” | physically / emotionally exhausting | very tiring |
| fascinating | adj. | Extremely interesting. | “I find documentaries about deep-sea life absolutely fascinating.” | absolutely fascinating, fascinating subject | very interesting |
| tend to | verb phrase | Describes a usual pattern or habit. | “I tend to do most of my studying late at night when the house is quiet.” | habits (Part 1) | usually |
| make a point of | phrase | Deliberately do something because you think it matters. | “I make a point of calling my grandparents every weekend.” | make a point of doing something | always try to |
| every now and then | phrase | Occasionally. | “Every now and then I treat myself to a proper restaurant meal.” | frequency answers (Part 1) | sometimes |
| as a rule | phrase | Describing what normally happens. | “As a rule, I avoid checking work emails after eight in the evening.” | habits and routines (Part 1) | normally |
| whereas | conj. | Contrasts two facts in one sentence. | “My brother loves big cities, whereas I would much rather live by the coast.” | contrasts (Part 3) | while |
| compared to | phrase | Introduces a comparison with another time or thing. | “Compared to ten years ago, online shopping in my country is unrecognisably better.” | comparisons (Part 3) | than before |
| nowhere near as | phrase | Far less than; emphasises a large gap. | “Cinemas are nowhere near as popular as they were before streaming took off.” | comparisons (Part 3) | much less |
| a world of difference | phrase | A very large difference. | “There is a world of difference between visiting a place and actually living there.” | comparisons (Part 2 & 3) | a big difference |
| picturesque | adj. | Attractive in a charming, old-fashioned way (of places). | “We stayed in a picturesque fishing village about an hour from the city.” | picturesque village / scenery | pretty |
| bustling | adj. | Full of busy activity. | “The night market is bustling from sunset until well after midnight.” | bustling city / market / street | busy |
| run-down | adj. | In poor condition through neglect. | “The stadium had become quite run-down before the council renovated it.” | run-down building / neighbourhood | shabby |
| state-of-the-art | adj. | Using the most modern technology or methods. | “The new library has state-of-the-art facilities, including a recording studio.” | state-of-the-art facilities / equipment | very modern |
| looking back | phrase | Reflecting on the past from the present. | “Looking back, that exchange year shaped my career more than any course I took.” | reflection (Part 2 endings) | in hindsight |
| at the time | phrase | Describes how things seemed in a past moment. | “At the time I was disappointed, but it turned out to be a blessing.” | narrative (Part 2) | back then |
| eventually | adv. | After a long time or process. | “We got lost twice, but eventually we found the guesthouse just before dark.” | narrative sequencing (Part 2) | in the end |
| initially | adv. | At first. | “Initially I found the job overwhelming, but within a month I felt at home.” | narrative sequencing (Part 2) | at first |
| vividly | adv. | Very clearly (of a memory). | “I vividly remember the first time I saw snow.” | vividly remember / recall | clearly |
| particularly | adv. | Especially; more than usual. | “I particularly enjoy travelling in the off-season, when prices drop.” | particularly enjoy / important / useful | especially |
| genuinely | adv. | Truly, sincerely. | “I genuinely believe my hometown has the best street food in the country.” | genuinely believe / enjoy / care | really |
| underrated | adj. | Better than people generally give it credit for. | “Walking is a seriously underrated way to explore a new city.” | seriously / hugely underrated | not appreciated enough |
Band-8 sample answer
Sample band-8 Speaking Part 3 answer to: ‘Do you think people will keep moving to big cities?’
Broadly speaking, yes - although I'm inclined to think the pace will slow. From my perspective, the pull of the city is still jobs, and compared to even five years ago, salaries in my country's big cities are nowhere near as far ahead of smaller towns as they used to be. Remote work has made a world of difference: every now and then I meet someone who has kept a city job but moved somewhere quieter and more affordable. To some extent the trend depends on housing costs - if rents keep climbing, that drift out of the biggest cities will only accelerate.
Words used: broadly speaking, I'm inclined to think, from my perspective, compared to, nowhere near as, a world of difference, every now and then, to some extent
Using these in IELTS Speaking
IELTS Speaking rewards natural production over recall. Aim to slip a higher-register word like from my perspective or memorable into your answer at the moment the question invites it, rather than forcing a memorised phrase into the opening sentence. Examiners notice when vocabulary feels rehearsed.
If you are not sure of a collocation, use a slightly safer word you control. A single confident use of picturesque in Part 3 - where the question explicitly invites discussion - gives examiners more evidence of range than a stilted opening sentence with three advanced terms.
Common traps to avoid
The most common speaking trap at band 6.5 is collocation mismatch - using a word in a combination native speakers would not produce. The collocations column on the table above is the most important field for avoiding this; learn from my perspective not as a single word but as part of the collocations listed beside it.
The second trap is register mismatch: using an informal word in a Writing Task 2 essay, or an overly formal word in a personal Speaking answer. The example sentences on this page are calibrated to the register IELTS expects for each section listed in the header.
Common questions
How many of these speaking words do I actually need to know?
Will I lose marks if I use an unfamiliar word incorrectly?
Where in the IELTS exam does speaking vocabulary appear?
How should I memorise this vocabulary effectively for IELTS?
Will overusing connectors hurt my Writing band?
Practise these words in a real IELTS test
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