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- Informal & Formal Vocabulary for IELTS
Informal & Formal Vocabulary for IELTS
The informal words below are best avoided in Academic IELTS. The neutral words are ‘fine’ for the Speaking module, but you really should learn the formal equivalents if you want to score highly in the Academic Writing module.
| Informal (Avoid) | Neutral (Spoken) | Formal (Written) |
| Stuff | Things | Items, Possessions |
| Folks | Family | Relatives |
| Kids (younger) | Babies, Children | Infants, Offspring |
| Kids (older) | Teenagers | Adolescents, Youths |
| Guy | Man | Male |
| Old people | Elderly people | Senior citizens, Retirees |
| - | Boss, Manager | Supervisor, Superior |
| Cops | Police | Law enforcement |
| Crooks | Criminals | Offenders, Lawbreakers |
| OK, Alright | Fine | Acceptable, Satisfactory |
| Great, Awesome | Good | Preferable, Desirable |
| Rubbish, Useless | Bad, Poor | Unsatisfactory, Unacceptable |
| - | Nice, Polite | Considerate, Agreeable |
| - | Kind, Friendly | Sociable, Neighbourly |
| Nasty, Cheeky (person) | Rude, Impolite | Abusive, Disagreeable |
| Stupid, Crazy, Dumb (idea) | - | Misguided, Questionable |
| Stupid, Crazy, Dumb (person) | - | Misguided, Mistaken |
| - | Happy (person) | Satisfied, Delighted |
| - | Happy (situation) | Satisfying, Delightful |
| - | Sad (person) | Regretful, Distressed |
| - | Sad (situation) | Regrettable, Distressing |
| Sick of, Fed up with | Tired of | Dissatisfied with |
| - | Poor (country) | Developing, Poverty-stricken |
| - | Poor (person) | In poverty, Underprivileged |
| - | Rich (country) | Wealthy, Developed |
| - | Rich (person) | Wealthy, Privileged |
Contractions such as don’t are fine in IELTS Speaking but it is better to use do not in the Academic Writing module. Casual forms such as gonna and dunno should only ever be used in the Speaking test and NEVER in Writing.
Source: ielts-academic.com
