Example
individuals (noun)
People considered one by one, often in contrast with society or government.
Individuals can reduce waste, but real change requires government action.
Written by Fizza Butool Zaidi and Ali Zaidi
12 alternatives
People considered one by one, often in contrast with society or government.
Individuals can reduce waste, but real change requires government action.
Ordinary people in general, as opposed to officials or experts.
The public should be consulted before new roads are built.
People living together as a system, with shared rules.
Society benefits when more young people go to university.
All the people living in a place.
A quarter of the population now lives in the capital.
People with legal rights in a country.
All citizens should have the right to free healthcare.
Don't swap blindly: Legally specific. Visitors and many residents are not citizens.
People who live in a particular place.
Local residents oppose the plan for a new airport.
People or animals living in a place; formal.
The island's inhabitants depend on fishing and tourism.
People from the area; informal.
The locals in my town are very friendly to visitors.
People as a species, often in contrast with animals or nature.
Climate change is one of the greatest threats facing humanity.
Don't swap blindly: Mankind is understood but dated; humanity or people is more inclusive.
A typical person; useful for everyday examples.
The average person checks their phone dozens of times a day.
Name the role the people play in your argument.
Commuters would save time if trains ran more often.
Don't swap blindly: Use the role that fits: shoppers are consumers, workers are employees, travellers to work are commuters.
People in later life. 'Older people' is now the more respectful choice.
Older people often find online services difficult to use.
Don't swap blindly: 'The old' sounds blunt; 'the elderly' is accepted but 'older people' is preferred in current British usage.
Paraphrasing
Band tip: the public IELTS Writing band descriptors for Lexical Resource describe Band 7 as using “less common lexical items” with “some awareness of style and collocation”. A synonym that changes your meaning or breaks a collocation works against you, so choose the word that fits the sentence, not the rarest one you know.
In context
A ban would benefit most residents of the city centre, who suffer from noise and dirty air. Commuters, however, would face longer journeys unless public transport improved first. The question is therefore whether the needs of individuals who drive should outweigh the health of the wider population.
Individuals, the public, society and the population are general. Better still, name the group: residents, employees, commuters, parents, older people.
It is understood, but many readers find it dated because it is not gender-neutral. Use humanity, humans or people instead.
Citizens have legal nationality in a country. Residents live in a place, whatever their nationality. In most Task 2 topics about a city, residents is the correct word.
Only in Speaking, and even then it sounds more American. In Writing, use people or a specific group.
Practise
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