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.

consumerism
A culture in which buying goods is seen as important or desirable.
Critics of consumerism argue that it encourages people to measure success by possessions.
consumer spending
The total money households spend on goods and services.
Consumer spending accounts for a large share of economic growth in most developed countries.
disposable income
Money left after tax and essential costs.
As disposable income rises, households spend more on leisure and luxury goods.
impulse buying
Buying things suddenly, without planning.
Online stores encourage impulse buying with one-click payment.
e-commerce
Buying and selling goods online.
The growth of e-commerce has forced many traditional shops to close.
the high street
The main shopping street of a town.
Empty shops on the high street are a visible sign of changing shopping habits.
British English; 'main street' in American English.
a throwaway culture
A habit of replacing goods instead of repairing or reusing them.
A throwaway culture, in which goods are replaced rather than repaired, creates huge amounts of waste.
materialistic
Caring too much about money and possessions.
Constant advertising may make young people more materialistic.
consumer rights
The legal rights of people who buy goods and services.
Strong consumer rights allow buyers to return faulty goods for a refund.
planned obsolescence
Designing products so that they become outdated or stop working quickly.
Planned obsolescence means many electronic devices are replaced after only two or three years.
brand loyalty
A customer's habit of buying the same brand repeatedly.
Supermarkets use reward cards to build brand loyalty.
ethical consumption
Choosing products partly for their effect on people and the environment.
Ethical consumption, such as buying fair-trade coffee, is growing but remains a minority habit.

Use shopping and consumerism 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.

shop around
To compare prices in different places before buying.
I always shop around before buying anything expensive.
window-shopping
Looking at goods in shops without planning to buy.
I enjoy window-shopping, but I rarely buy anything.
a bargain
Something bought for much less than its usual price.
I got this jacket for half price, so it was a real bargain.
splash out on
To spend a lot of money on something you enjoy.
Now and then I splash out on a nice pair of trainers.
Informal; use 'spend heavily on' in Writing.
browse
To look at things in a relaxed way without a definite aim.
I like to browse in bookshops for hours.
in the sales
At reduced prices during a shop's discount period.
I bought my laptop in the sales last January.
British English.
a rip-off
Something that costs far more than it is worth.
Airport cafés are a total rip-off.
Informal: Speaking only.
online shopping
Buying things over the internet.
Online shopping is convenient, but I still prefer to try clothes on first.
on a budget
Having a limited amount of money to spend.
As a student I'm on a budget, so I buy a lot of things second-hand.
treat myself
To buy yourself something special as a reward.
After exams I like to treat myself to something small.

Writing Task 2

Use it in an answer

How does consumerism affect the environment, and what can individuals do about it?

Consumerism damages the environment mainly through waste. In a throwaway culture, clothes and electronics are replaced long before they wear out, and planned obsolescence shortens the life of many devices further. E-commerce adds packaging and delivery emissions to every purchase. Individuals cannot solve this alone, but they can resist impulse buying, repair items where possible and choose second-hand goods. If enough consumers practise ethical consumption, manufacturers have a commercial reason to make products that last.

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: ‘consumerism’ in an essay, ‘shop around’ when you speak. Accuracy comes first; a misused advanced word costs more than a plain one used well.

Practise in context

Shopping and consumerism questions to practise

Frequently asked questions

Is 'consumerism' a positive or a negative word?+

In IELTS essays it is usually critical: it suggests buying more than people need. Economists sometimes use it neutrally for consumer protection, so make your meaning clear from the sentence around it.

How do I talk about shopping if I don't enjoy it?+

Say so and explain why: 'I'm not a big shopper; I usually buy online because I find crowded shops stressful.' Examiners score how you say it, not whether you like the topic.

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

Not the informal ones. Phrasal verbs and idioms such as 'splash out on' 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 shopping and consumerism