Crime and law vocabulary: the words that lift a frequent topic.
Crime and punishment is one of the most frequent Task 2 themes, and it turns up in Part 3 too. Everyone has a view on it; the marks are in precise, topic-specific language. Swap the everyday word for the right collocation and the same point reads a band higher.
Why this matters. Lexical Resource is a quarter of your mark, and on a familiar topic the examiner has heard “crime is very bad” a thousand times. The lift is not rarer words; it is accurate collocation, commit an offence, reoffending rates, a deterrent, rehabilitation, used naturally. A common legal phrase used correctly beats a showy word used wrongly, every time.
Four clusters that cover most Crime questions.
You do not need a glossary. You need a handful of accurate collocations in each of these areas, ready to deploy.
Crime & offenders
commit an offence · a criminal record · petty / violent crime · an offender
The acts and the people who carry them out, the base lexis every answer needs.
Those who commit petty crime often reoffend within a year.
Policing & justice
law enforcement · arrest and prosecute · a fair trial · the justice system
How society catches and tries wrongdoers, the process angle Part 3 reaches for.
An effective justice system depends on public trust.
Punishment & sentencing
a custodial sentence · a fine · community service · the death penalty
What follows a conviction, the range of penalties a Task 2 answer weighs up.
Long custodial sentences do not always reduce crime.
Prevention & reform
a deterrent · rehabilitation · reoffending rates · tackle the root causes
Stopping crime before and after it happens, where most Task 2 questions land.
Rehabilitation lowers reoffending rates more than harsher punishment.
Precision beats rarity
The trap is vague verbs, “do a crime”, “put in jail”. The lift is the precise legal sequence: you commit an offence, and are arrested, charged, convicted and sentenced. Get that chain right and a single sentence signals real control of the topic.
The same point, from Band 6 to Band 8.
At Band 5
Crime is discussed with very general words (bad people, police, prison, punish), repeated often, with wrong collocations (do a crime, put to jail). Precise topic vocabulary (offender, reoffending) is absent, and meaning becomes vague when a less familiar idea is attempted.
At Band 6
“Criminals should go to prison so they cannot do crime again and people feel safe.” The idea is fine, but the language is general, “go to prison”, “do crime again”, and could be almost anyone’s answer.
At Band 7
“Custodial sentences remove offenders from society, but they do little to reduce reoffending unless paired with rehabilitation.” Topic-specific collocations (custodial sentences, offenders, reoffending, rehabilitation) carry real information.
At Band 8+
“Harsh sentencing may satisfy public demand for retribution, yet tackling the root causes of crime does more to lower reoffending rates.” Precise lexis, abstraction (retribution), and a controlled complex sentence.
The upgrade most worth making.
Each swap takes a vague, everyday phrase and replaces it with the collocation an examiner expects on this topic. Use them where they fit naturally, not all at once.
| Instead of… | Use… | For example |
|---|---|---|
| do a crime | commit a crime / an offence | He committed a serious offence. |
| bad person | an offender / a criminal | Young offenders often need support. |
| put in prison | imprison / give a custodial sentence | The court imposed a custodial sentence. |
| police catch | arrest / apprehend | Police arrested two suspects. |
| go to court | stand trial / be prosecuted | He stood trial for fraud. |
| stop crime | deter / prevent crime | CCTV can deter crime. |
| do crime again | reoffend | Many released prisoners reoffend. |
| make someone good again | rehabilitate | Prisons should rehabilitate offenders. |
Two cautions. Keep it formal and impersonal, do not slip into slang (crook, cop, lock-up). And do not moralise: IELTS wants a reasoned view, not “criminals are evil”. For the general method behind upgrading by band, see vocabulary & cohesion →
Ten to drill.
Choose the more precise, topic-appropriate option for each gap. Press Check answers for your score and the reason behind each one. Nothing is sent anywhere.
You can collect topic words. Using the right one, accurately, under timed pressure is the work.
Memorised “big” words used wrongly cost marks; precise collocations used naturally earn them, and the difference is hard to judge in your own writing.
In a lesson I mark your topic vocabulary the way an examiner does, where a collocation is exactly right, where it is forced, and where a plain word would have been stronger. Lessons are £20 for fifty minutes, one to one, in proper British English; the first step is a free 25-minute introduction. This page is drawn from the vocabulary work in the forthcoming Ultimate Guide to IELTS Speaking.