IELTS Writing - Key Words & Expressions

By learning to use common phrases and set expressions, you can add variety and interest to your writing. You will also be able to write more quickly and effectively during exams, when time is limited.

Of course, you won't need to use all of the expressions on the IELTS. Ideally, you should be comfortable using at least three or four expressions from each group below, so they come to mind easily during the IELTS. It is also helpful to have someone call them out so you can test your spelling. Unfortunately, students sometimes make spelling errors even in these commonly occurring expressions. Practice sufficiently so you don't lose points unnecessarily on something that's within your control.

KEY WORDS for IELTS WRITING

Stating Your Opinion

In my opinion,	According to me,
In my view,	To me,
From my point of view,	I think
It seems to me that	I believe
From my perspective	To my way of thinking
It appears that	I suppose
I realize	I understand
I imagine	I feel

Giving Examples

For example,	For instance,
such as	In other words,
as	like
that is	namely
To illustrate	To paraphrase

Comparing

Similar to	As...as
in common	also
Either...or	In the same way,
Neither...nor	At the same time
Just as	resemble

Contrasting

However,	But
On the contrary,	On the other hand,
Differ from	Nevertheless
Although	Though
Otherwise	Instead
Alternatively,	Even though

Generalizing

Generally,	Generally speaking,
Overall,	On the whole,
In general,	By and large,
It seems to me that	I believe
All in all,	Basically,
Essentially,	As a rule,
All things considered	For the most part

Expressing Certainty

Certainly,	Undoubtedly,
Doubtless,	No doubt,
Definitely,	Of course,

Expressing Partial Agreement

More or less,	To some extent,
Up to a point,	Almost,
In a way,	So to speak,

Showing effect

Therefore,	As a result,
Consequently,	For this reason,
Thus,	So,
thereby	Eventually,
Hence,	The reason why

Marking time

First,	Last
Second,	Lastly,
Third,	Then,
Firstly,	First of all,
Secondly,	Before
Thirdly,	After
During	While
To begin with	At the same time
Simultaneously	After this / that
Since	Meanwhile
Afterwards	Following this
When	As soon as

Adding Information

Furthermore	In addition
Also	And
Moreover	Similarly
Likewise	As well as
Besides	Too
Even	What’s more

Expressing condition

If	Whether
In case	Unless
Provided that	So that

Concluding

To summarize	In conclusion
Lastly,	Finally,
To conclude with,	In short,