IELTS Comprehensive Vocabulary List

A set of vocabulary flashcards for IELTS students covering key themes: health, education, society, environment, technology, globalization, and economics, along with academic verbs and connectors.

Sedentary lifestyle

A way of life that involves little or no physical activity.

Chronic disease

A long-lasting condition that can be controlled but not cured.

Life expectancy

The average period that a person may expect to live.

Cardiovascular disease

A general term for conditions affecting the heart or blood vessels.

Body mass index (BMI)

A weight-to-height ratio used to indicate if a person is underweight, overweight, or obese.

Holistic approach

A method of treatment that considers the whole person, including physical, mental, and social factors.

Vocational training

Education and skills training that prepares people for a specific trade or craft.

Critical thinking

The objective analysis and evaluation of an issue in order to form a judgement.

Literacy rate

The percentage of people who are able to read and write.

Standardised testing

Examinations administered and scored in a consistent, or standard, manner.

Inclusive education

A system where students with and without disabilities learn together in the same classes.

Pedagogy

The method and practice of teaching, especially as an academic subject or theoretical concept.

Cognitive development

The construction of thought processes, including remembering, problem-solving, and decision-making.

Social inequality

The existence of unequal opportunities and rewards for different social positions or statuses within a group or society.

Social welfare

Statutory social services and financial assistance provided by the state to support people in need.

Standard of living

The level of wealth, comfort, material goods, and necessities available to a certain socioeconomic class or geographic area.

Political polarisation

The divergence of political attitudes to ideological extremes.

Sustainability

The ability to be maintained at a certain rate or level; specifically, avoiding the depletion of natural resources.

Ecological footprint

The impact of a person or community on the environment, expressed as the amount of land required to sustain their use of natural resources.

Net zero

A state in which the greenhouse gases going into the atmosphere are balanced by removal out of the atmosphere.

Kyoto Protocol

An international treaty aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

Digital divide

The gulf between those who have ready access to computers and the internet, and those who do not.

Internet of Things (IoT)

The interconnection via the internet of computing devices embedded in everyday objects.

Deepfake

A video or recording that has been convincingly altered and manipulated to misrepresent someone as doing or saying something.

Brain drain

The emigration of highly trained or intelligent people from a particular country.

Lingua franca

A language that is adopted as a common language between speakers whose native languages are different.

Soft power

A persuasive approach to international relations, typically involving the use of cultural or economic influence.

Supply and demand

The amount of a commodity, product, or service available and the desire of buyers for it, considered as factors regulating its price.

Gross domestic product (GDP)

The total value of goods produced and services provided in a country during one year.

Gig economy

A labour market characterized by the prevalence of short-term contracts or freelance work as opposed to permanent jobs.

Substantiate

To provide evidence to support or prove the truth of something.

Undermine

To lessen the effectiveness, power, or ability of something, especially gradually or insidiously.

Furthermore

Used to introduce a fresh consideration in an argument; in addition, moreover.

Nevertheless

In spite of that; notwithstanding; all the same.

Consequently

As a result of something.