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.

public transport
Buses, trains and other services available to everyone for a fare.
Investment in public transport reduces both congestion and emissions.
British English; American English often says 'public transportation'.
traffic congestion
Too many vehicles on the roads, causing slow movement.
Traffic congestion costs city economies billions in lost working hours.
commuter
A person who travels regularly between home and work.
The average commuter in a large city spends more than an hour a day travelling.
a congestion charge
A fee for driving into a busy city centre.
London's congestion charge has reduced the number of private cars entering the centre.
car ownership
The number or share of people who own a car.
Car ownership has risen rapidly in developing economies as incomes grow.
road infrastructure
The roads, bridges and junctions a transport system relies on.
Expanding road infrastructure often attracts more traffic rather than reducing it.
vehicle emissions
Gases released by cars, lorries and other vehicles.
Vehicle emissions are a major source of air pollution in cities.
a reliable service
Transport that runs on time and as promised.
Unless buses provide a reliable service, drivers will not leave their cars at home.
rush hour
The busiest times of day, when people travel to and from work.
Trains into the capital are often overcrowded during rush hour.
cycle lanes
Parts of a road reserved for bicycles.
Separated cycle lanes make cycling safer and more appealing to beginners.
subsidise fares
To use public money to lower ticket prices.
Governments that subsidise fares make public transport affordable for low-income workers.
high-speed rail
Trains that run much faster than normal, on dedicated lines.
High-speed rail offers a lower-carbon alternative to short domestic flights.

Use transport and commuting 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.

stuck in traffic
Unable to move because of heavy traffic.
This morning I was stuck in traffic for almost an hour.
catch the bus
To get on a bus to travel somewhere.
I usually catch the bus at half past seven.
miss the train
To arrive too late to get on a train.
If I miss the train, the next one isn't for half an hour.
a long commute
A long journey to work or school.
I have quite a long commute, about fifty minutes each way.
packed
Very crowded.
The metro is always packed in the mornings.
give me a lift
To take someone somewhere in your car.
My colleague lives nearby, so she'll often give me a lift.
British English; Americans say 'give me a ride'.
on foot
Walking.
My school was so close that I always went on foot.
get around
To travel from place to place within an area.
The easiest way to get around my city is by motorbike.
run late
To be behind schedule.
Trains often run late when it snows.
a season ticket
A ticket for unlimited journeys over a set period.
I buy a monthly season ticket because it works out much cheaper.

Speaking Part 3

Use it in an answer

How could cities persuade more people to use public transport?

I think reliability matters more than price. If people are stuck in traffic on a bus that's always running late, they'll go straight back to their cars. So cities need dedicated bus lanes and trains that run every few minutes at rush hour. After that, cost comes in: if governments subsidise fares or offer cheap season tickets, a long commute by train becomes cheaper than driving and parking, and that's when people really change their habits.

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: ‘public transport’ in an essay, ‘stuck in traffic’ when you speak. Accuracy comes first; a misused advanced word costs more than a plain one used well.

Practise in context

Transport and commuting questions to practise

Frequently asked questions

Should I write 'transport' or 'transportation'?+

Both are correct. British English prefers 'transport' ('public transport', 'transport links'); 'transportation' is more American. Pick one and use it consistently in an essay.

How do I describe my commute in Part 1?+

Give the method, the time and one feeling or detail: 'I catch the bus at half seven; it's packed, so I listen to podcasts to make the forty minutes go faster.' That shows range without forcing rare words.

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

Not the informal ones. Phrasal verbs and idioms 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 transport and commuting