Language and communication vocabulary: the words that lift a frequent topic.
Language, learning and language loss run through Task 2 and Part 3, from a global lingua franca to endangered languages. The ideas are familiar; 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 read the plain version a thousand times. The lift is not rarer words; it is accurate collocation used naturally. A common phrase used correctly beats a showy word used wrongly, every time.
Four clusters that cover most Language questions.
You do not need a glossary. You need a handful of accurate collocations in each of these areas, ready to deploy.
Language & identity
a mother tongue · a native speaker · linguistic diversity · language and identity
Language as who we are, the base lexis.
A mother tongue is tied to cultural identity.
Learning languages
acquire a language · fluency · bilingual · a lingua franca
How languages are learnt and used, a common line.
English serves as a global lingua franca.
Language change & loss
endangered languages · language death · preserve a language · dominant languages
How languages fade, where Task 2 lands.
Many endangered languages have few speakers left.
Communication
effective communication · non-verbal communication · digital communication · miscommunication
How we get meaning across, where Part 3 reaches.
Body language is part of non-verbal communication.
Name the linguistic term
The weak answer says “some languages are dying”. The lift is precise: endangered languages, language death, a lingua franca, linguistic diversity. One accurate term signals control.
The same point, from Band 6 to Band 8.
At Band 5
Language is discussed with very general words (languages, speak, learn, lost), with vague verbs (languages die). Precise terms (endangered, fluency) are missing.
At Band 6
“When young people stop speaking a language, it can disappear, so we should try to keep these languages alive.” The idea is fine, but general.
At Band 7
“As dominant languages spread, many endangered languages face language death within a generation.” Topic collocations (dominant languages, endangered languages, language death) carry real information.
At Band 8+
“While a shared lingua franca eases global communication, it can accelerate the decline of smaller languages and the linguistic diversity they represent.” Precise lexis, abstraction, 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 |
|---|---|---|
| first language | mother tongue / native language | Her mother tongue is Welsh. |
| speaks it from birth | a native speaker | The course is taught by native speakers. |
| languages dying out | endangered languages | Endangered languages need urgent recording. |
| a language dying | language death | Language death erases cultural knowledge. |
| a common shared language | a lingua franca | English is the lingua franca of science. |
| speaking two languages | bilingual | Bilingual children switch between languages. |
| learning a language | acquire a language | Children acquire language rapidly. |
| keeping a language alive | preserve a language | Communities work to preserve their language. |
Two cautions. Distinguish a language from a dialect, and acquire (natural) from learn (studied). Keep it impersonal in Task 2. For the general method, see vocabulary & cohesion →
Twenty 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 discounted trial lesson. This page is drawn from the vocabulary work in the forthcoming PEG Guide to IELTS Speaking.