This list was written by BandLadder's authors, Fizza Butool Zaidi and Ali Zaidi. The meanings and example sentences are our own, not taken from model answers or dictionaries.

12 words

Writing Task 2 vocabulary

Formal and neutral items that suit an essay. They work in Speaking too.

natural resources
Materials from nature that people use, such as water, oil and timber.
Natural resources such as oil and fresh water are unevenly distributed across the world.
water scarcity
A lack of enough clean water to meet people's needs.
Farming uses around 70 per cent of the world's fresh water, so water scarcity hits farmers first.
deplete
To reduce the amount of something until little is left.
Over-pumping has begun to deplete underground water reserves in many regions.
sustainable use
Using a resource without destroying it for the future.
The sustainable use of forests means cutting no more trees than can regrow.
deforestation
Cutting down forests on a large scale.
Deforestation destroys habitats and releases stored carbon.
finite resources
Resources that exist in limited amounts and will run out.
Oil and gas are finite resources that will eventually be exhausted.
conserve water
To use water carefully and avoid waste.
Households can conserve water by fixing leaks and fitting efficient showers.
contaminated water
Water made dirty or poisonous.
Contaminated water spreads diseases such as cholera.
access to clean water
Being able to get safe water to drink.
Millions of people still lack access to clean water at home.
over-exploitation
Using a resource so much that it is damaged.
Over-exploitation of fish stocks has caused some fisheries to collapse.
recycling
Processing used materials so they can be used again.
Recycling aluminium uses far less energy than producing it from raw ore.
raw materials
Basic substances used to make products.
Manufacturers depend on a steady supply of raw materials.

Use water and natural resources vocabulary in a Task 2 essay

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10 phrases

Speaking vocabulary

Natural spoken English for Parts 1 to 3. Items noted as informal or as an idiom belong in Speaking only, never in Task 2.

tap water
Water that comes from a tap.
In my city you can drink the tap water, but many people don't trust it.
bottled water
Drinking water sold in bottles.
I try not to buy bottled water because of all the plastic.
a quick shower
A short wash under running water.
I have a quick shower instead of a bath to save water.
run out of water
To have no water left.
Some villages near my hometown run out of water every summer.
a drop in the ocean
A very small amount compared with what is needed.
Turning off the tap feels like a drop in the ocean, but it adds up.
Idiom: Speaking only.
go to waste
To be wasted or not used.
I hate seeing food or water go to waste.
a reusable bottle
A bottle you refill instead of throwing away.
I always carry a reusable bottle in my bag.
polluted
Made dirty and harmful.
The river near my town used to be badly polluted.
precious
Very valuable and not to be wasted.
Water is so precious in my region that we never water the garden in summer.
take for granted
To fail to value something because you always have it.
People in rainy countries often take water for granted.

Writing Task 2

Use it in an answer

Water scarcity is affecting more and more regions. What are the causes, and what solutions can you suggest?

Water scarcity has two main causes: rising demand and poor management. Growing cities and intensive farming deplete rivers and underground reserves faster than rain can refill them, while leaking pipes waste a large share of the supply. Climate change adds longer droughts. Solutions must target farming first, since it uses most fresh water: efficient irrigation and drought-resistant crops can save large amounts. Cities can repair leaks and charge more for heavy use, and households can conserve water once they stop taking it for granted.

Written by our authors to show the vocabulary in use; not an official IELTS sample.

Lexical Resource

How examiners judge this vocabulary

Vocabulary is scored as Lexical Resource, one quarter of your Writing and Speaking marks. At the higher bands the public IELTS band descriptors for Speaking mention “less common and idiomatic vocabulary”, together with awareness of style and collocation. In practice that means the right item in the right register: ‘natural resources’ in an essay, ‘tap water’ when you speak. Accuracy comes first; a misused advanced word costs more than a plain one used well.

Practise in context

Water and natural resources questions to practise

Frequently asked questions

Is 'water' countable?+

Usually not: 'much water', 'a shortage of water', 'a glass of water'. 'Waters' only appears in fixed uses such as 'coastal waters' or 'international waters'.

Which questions use this vocabulary?+

Task 2 essays on water shortages, consumer goods and environmental damage, and Part 3 questions after cue cards about natural places or someone who protects nature.

Can I use the Speaking phrases in Writing Task 2?+

Not the informal ones. Phrasal verbs and idioms such as 'a drop in the ocean' sound natural in Speaking but are too casual for an essay, and Task 2 should have no contractions. Everything in the Writing list works in both papers.

Will learning these words raise my IELTS band?+

Not on their own, and no word list guarantees a band. Lexical Resource rewards vocabulary used precisely and naturally, so five items you can use correctly are worth more than twenty forced into an answer. Learn each one with its example, then write or say a sentence of your own.

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IELTS vocabulary for water and natural resources