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.

scientific research
Careful study to discover new facts using scientific methods.
Scientific research often needs decades of funding before it produces results.
breakthrough
An important discovery that solves a problem.
A single medical breakthrough can transform the lives of millions.
carry out experiments
To do scientific tests.
Researchers must carry out experiments under carefully controlled conditions.
empirical evidence
Evidence based on observation or experiment rather than theory.
Public policy should rest on empirical evidence rather than assumptions.
peer review
Checking of research by other experts before it is published.
Peer review helps to catch errors before research is published.
STEM subjects
Science, technology, engineering and mathematics.
Many governments offer scholarships to increase the number of students taking STEM subjects.
research and development
Work a company or country does to create new products and knowledge.
Firms that invest in research and development are more likely to stay competitive.
Often written R&D after the first use.
ethical concerns
Worries about whether something is morally right.
Genetic engineering raises serious ethical concerns.
scientific literacy
Enough understanding of science to judge claims and evidence.
Scientific literacy helps citizens judge health claims they read online.
advances in medicine
Progress in medical knowledge and treatment.
Advances in medicine have greatly increased life expectancy.
a hypothesis
An idea that is tested through research.
Scientists test a hypothesis by trying to prove it wrong.
applied research
Research aimed at solving a practical problem.
Applied research has obvious practical uses, whereas basic research may only pay off decades later.

Use science and research 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.

a science geek
Someone very enthusiastic about science.
I was a bit of a science geek at school.
Informal and friendly.
figure out
To understand or solve something.
Scientists are still trying to figure out exactly how memory works.
mind-blowing
Extremely surprising or impressive.
Some of the facts in that documentary were mind-blowing.
a lab
A laboratory, a room for scientific work.
We spent most of our chemistry lessons in the lab.
I'm no expert, but
A polite way to give an opinion on something you don't know well.
I'm no expert, but I think the new vaccines were developed incredibly quickly.
cutting-edge
The newest and most advanced.
My university has some cutting-edge equipment for medical research.
trial and error
Trying different methods until one works.
I learned to cook mostly by trial and error.
out of curiosity
Because you want to know something.
I watch science documentaries mainly out of curiosity.
ground-breaking
Completely new and important.
The documentary was about a ground-breaking discovery in genetics.
make sense of
To understand something difficult.
A good teacher helps you make sense of complicated ideas.

Writing Task 2

Use it in an answer

In many countries, too few students choose to study science. Why is this, and what can be done?

One reason is that science is often taught as facts to memorise rather than questions to investigate, so pupils rarely carry out experiments themselves or see how a hypothesis is tested. Another is perception: STEM subjects are viewed as difficult, and the careers they lead to are less visible than those in business or media. Schools could make lessons more practical, and universities and companies investing in research and development could offer scholarships and work placements that show students where science leads.

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: ‘scientific research’ in an essay, ‘a science geek’ when you speak. Accuracy comes first; a misused advanced word costs more than a plain one used well.

Practise in context

Science and research questions to practise

Frequently asked questions

Is it 'research' or 'researches'?+

As a noun, 'research' is uncountable: 'research shows', 'a lot of research', or 'a study' for one piece. 'Researches' is only the verb ('she researches climate data').

How do I talk about science if I'm not a science student?+

Connect it to daily life: medicine, phones, the weather forecast. Hedging phrases such as 'I'm no expert, but' let you give an opinion naturally without claiming knowledge you don't have.

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

Not the informal ones. Phrasal verbs and idioms such as 'a science geek' 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 science and research