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9 alternative words that will help you get to IELTS band 9

Alternatives for “good”:

1. rewarding / 2. satisfying

(S) “I have a rewarding job.”

(S) “My career has been satisfying for several reasons.”

(S) “My time in Sydney has been rewarding.”

(WT2) Do you prefer to work for a large or small company?

“It is for this reason that I feel working for a large company is more satisfying than working for a small company.”

3. merit

(WT2) Some people believe that diet and exercise in a population are largely the responsibility of the government. Others feel people should…

“Thus, the argument that governments should be responsible for the diets and exercise levels of citizens holds merit.”

4. optimal

(S) At what time of the day are you most productive?

“My optimal work time is in the morning. It is when my mind is clearest and I can…”

(WT1) Pie charts comparing the diets of older men in varying states of health.

“The second pie chart illustrates optimal weightings of fat, carbohydrates and protein for men aged 50 and older.”

Alternatives for “faster/slower”:

5. accelerate

(S) “The clubs I joined at university accelerated my studies.”

(S) “Careers in high tech are typically accelerated in my hometown as many young people engage internships at the nearby tech park.”

(WT1) “Growth of laptop sales accelerated between 2002 and 2004.”

(WT2) Young people learn more and at an accelerated speed through the use of technology.

6. retard

“For example, libraries that do not electronically index their resources retard the rate at which a student can access information.”

Alternatives for important/unimportant:

7. key

(S) “The wedding planner we hired was a key individual for three reasons. Firstly, he was able to…”

(S) How do you define a “hero”?

“I think integrity, kindness and honesty are key. To me, a hero is someone that does the right thing even when no one is looking.”

(WT1) “A key feature of the diagram is the pause that occurs between the first and second halves of the paper making process.”

8. chiefly

(S) (In response to a Part 2 monologue about an important person in your country.) What do you think ___ will be most remembered for?

(S) “I think ___ will be chiefly remembered for his contributions to science…”

(WT2) “For example, it has long been established that carbon dioxide emissions are chiefly responsible for global warming.”

9. trivial

(S) How central was the Internet to your studies at university?

(S) “To be honest, the role it played was quite trivial. I found the vast amount of my studying was done using the traditional resources found at the university library.”

(WT1) (A pie chart comparing the impact various human activities have on the death rates of forest fauna.

(S) “Although pesticides account for 43% of all fauna death rates, mortalities due to human activities at campsites reveal the comparatively trivial figure of 0.01%.”

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