Formal vs Informal Vocabulary in IELTS

Another challenge for IELTS candidates is knowing when to use formal or informal vocabulary. The IELTS test requires different levels of formality in different sections. For example, Speaking is less formal, while Writing Task 2 must always be academic and formal (ProWritingAid, n.d.).

Formal vocabulary is precise, professional, and free from slang. It includes words such as increase, eliminate, apologize, and acceptable. Informal vocabulary, on the other hand, is casual and often used in conversations with friends, such as go up, get rid of, say sorry, and okay. Using informal words in IELTS essays makes writing appear weak and lowers lexical resource scores.

Consider the difference:

• Informal: “Lots of kids go to school in Mogadishu.”

• Formal: “Many children attend school in Mogadishu.”

The second sentence is more academic because it uses many, children, and attend.

Similarly, in Writing Task 2, instead of writing: “The government should get rid of corruption,” a stronger version would be: “The government should eliminate corruption.” Words like eliminate and corruption show higher lexical sophistication.

ProWritingAid (n.d.) emphasizes that writers must avoid contractions (don’t, can’t) and colloquial expressions (a lot of, kind of) in academic writing. Instead, students should aim for full forms (do not, cannot) and precise vocabulary (numerous, somewhat).

Connectors also change between formal and informal styles. Informal transitions like so, plus, or anyways should be replaced by therefore, moreover, or nevertheless. These small differences make essays much more academic in tone.

In IELTS Speaking, some informal vocabulary is acceptable because it reflects natural conversation. For example, it is fine to say kids or a lot of in Part 1 when talking about hobbies or family. However, in Writing, students should always shift to the formal register. The ability to adjust language style based on context is part of what examiners call lexical resource.

To practice, students can take sentences from everyday speech and rewrite them in a formal way. For example:

• Informal: “The weather in Somalia is really bad sometimes.”

• Formal: “The climate in Somalia can be extremely severe at times.”

By practicing such transformations, learners will become more confident in switching between registers.

In short, formal vocabulary is a requirement for IELTS Writing, while informal vocabulary is limited to Speaking. Students who master this balance will demonstrate flexibility in language use and achieve higher band scores.

References

EAP Foundation. (n.d.). Academic Word List (AWL). https://www.eapfoundation.com/vocab/academic/awllists/

EngVid. (n.d.). Formal & informal English. https://www.engvid.com/english-resource/formal-informal-english/

ProWritingAid. (n.d.). Formal and informal words (in the English language). https://prowritingaid.com/formal-and-informal-words-english-language