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TỪ VỰNG IELTS THEO CHỦ ĐỀ

GOVERNMENT
1. Forms of government
central government: this is the national government of a country
local government: this is the regional form of government that typically takes care of more
local issues
the authorities: this is a general term for all forms of government – note that we use it in the
plural.
regulatory bodies: these are bodies which are sometimes set up by the government and
sometimes
self-regulatory and typically they control one specific area such as advertising. Legislation
is not always the answer.
enforcement agencies: these are bodies that have direct control of how laws are being
obeyed. This is something central government does not always do itself. An example of an
enforcement agency is the body that monitors pollution in rivers.
international organisations: don’t forget these either. many problems need global solutions
and demand international cooperation from bodies like the UN.
2. What central governments do
pass/introduce legislation: The time has come when the government needs to introduce new
legislation to protect the privacy of citizens.
bring in/enact laws: One possible solution is for the government to bring in laws that
prohibit the sale of tobacco to anyone under 21.
adopt policies: One possibility is for the government to adopt policies that encourage
mothers to return to work.
take measures/action: The situation is now so severe that the government must take
measures to police the internet.
raise (and lower) taxes: One way to limit air pollution from aircraft would be for the

5. Thinking long-term and short short-term
temporary: One idea is that the government could introduce a temporary restriction on
immigration to determine what effect it would have on employment rates.
long-term The government needs to consider the long-term effect of a poorly trained
workforce.
immediate Governments of wealthier countries should provide financial assistance to people
in disaster zones to help with their immediate needs.
a stopgap measure While this may only be a stopgap measure, it would help if governments
sent financial aid to disaster areas.
6. How people can influence governments
lobby politicians: Individuals could help here by lobbying their elected representatives and
MPs to try and force them to introduce legislation.
engage in peaceful protests/demonstrations It is possible that the government might be
swayed by peaceful demonstrations asking for more action on the environment.
IMMIGRATION
The key words for describing immigration are
immigrant – the person
immigrate – the verb
immigration – the idea
Note that immigrants (people who enter a country) are also emigrants (people who leave a
country) and also migrants.
1. Some common word combinations
illegal immigrants: – people who enter a country illegally
economic migrants: – people who move country to earn more money
migrant workers: – note that migrant can also work as an adjective
immigrant community/population: – this can be used for people who have settled in country
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integrate with the local community and culture and this leads to social tension and even
unrest.
local services and jobs: One common difficulty is that they increase the pressure on local
services and create competition for local jobs and this creates ill-will.
claim benefits/social housing: One reason why people want less immigration is that
immigrants do not pay tax and still claim benefits and require social housing that is paid for
by taxpayers.
schools: Another serious issue is that in some areas schools do not have sufficient places for
the children and so class sizes become unmanageable.
language: Related to this is the problem that many immigrants only have a basic command
of the language and this can lead to difficulties in the classroom and elsewhere.
loss of trained workers: The impact on poorer countries who lose much of their trained
workforce through emigration should also not be forgotten.
overcrowding/population: Many countries need to limit immigration because they are
already suffering from over-population.
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4. Measures and solutions
taxes and law: One possible measure is to ensure that migrants pay taxes and are subject to
the criminal justice system.
language requirements: Another measure that could be put in place is to insist on a
minimum language requirement so that all immigrants are able to integrate
into the community.
deportation: Some people believe that all illegal immigrants should be deported

live by the coast will become homeless.
conflicts/wars: If no action is taken on climate change, then it is likely that there will be
more conflicts between nations, especially over water supplies.
cost: It has been shown that any delay in making emission cuts will increase the cost of
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reducing carbon dioxide by almost 50%.
3. Causes
human activity: It is no longer possible to say that human activity does not affect weather
conditions.
greenhouse gas emissions: If we are to halt climate change, we need to make substantial
reductions in greenhouse gas emissions.
power stations: One of the leading causes of climate change is the number of dirty power
stations using fossil fuels.
carbon emissions: Carbon emissions are still rising year by year and are at record levels.
illegal logging and deforestation: It should not be forgotten that illegal logging in the
Amazon Basin is still a major factor in climate change.
burning fossil fuels: Individuals can make a small contribution by not burning wood and
other fossil fuels.
CO2: The root cause of much global warming is the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere.
4. Possible solutions
wind and solar power: An obvious solution is to deploy much more wind and solar power.
renewable energy: Wind farms and other sources of renewable energy will help to reduce
Co2 emissions to an acceptable level.

representatives then they would have to bring in legislation.
participate in peaceful protests: Another possibility is to take part in marches and other
peaceful protests to apply pressure on governments and raise
awareness of the issue.
community projects: In some areas there are small-scale community projects to encourage
local residents to install solar panels and, in some places, help pay for them.
share transport: We also have the responsibility to consider how we contribute to global
warming by making unnecessary car journeys. We can always cycle to work, have a joint
school run with other parents and even share a car on the daily commute to work.
diet and our carbon footprint: Reducing food wastage is perhaps the way individuals can
minimise their carbon footprint and so help global warming.
energy-efficient lightbulbs: Another small way in which we can use less energy is to switch
to energy efficient lightbulbs.
solar panels: There are an increasing number of solar panels on the market and these can
not only reduce energy bills but also mean that less carbon fuel is consumed.
heat insulation: Likewise, it is important that people insulate their houses well so that less
gas and electricity is consumed.
EMPLOYMENT
1. Employ - word formation
Employ
Some companies prefer to employ people with experience than better qualified graduates.
Employment
We can see from the chart that the rate of employment fell by 25% in their third quarter of
the year.
Employee
Some companies do not reward their employees as well as others do.
Employer
In this situation, it is the duty of the employer to make sure the female workers are not
discriminated against.
Unemployment

the right candidates.
Qualifications: It is not always the case that a university degree is the best qualification in
the world of finance.
Experience: Some graduates have difficulty finding a job because they do not have the
relevant work experience.
Training: Employers need to provide training to ensure that their staff are able to adapt to
these new technologies.
Retire/retirement: In many countries the age of retirement is now 68 or even 70.
Resign/resignation: There is a danger that employees will hand in their resignation and look
for another job.
Promotion: There is an argument for promoting employees who show the most potential.
Redundant: One side-effect of adopting these new technologies is that it has led to mass
redundancies in manufacturing industries.
5. Adjectives to describe jobs
Rewarding: One of the most rewarding aspects of the work is the chance to work with
children.
Challenging: While this can be challenging, there is no doubt that it can be equally
rewarding.
Repetitive: A great deal of office work is in fact quite repetitive and not especially
challenging.
Ambitious: It is the type of opportunity that would suit an ambitious university graduate.
Stressful: One of most stressful aspects of the modern workplace is the constant threat of
redundancy.
Glamorous: Although business trips and the chance to travel abroad may seem glamorous,
they are frequently the source of stress.
ADVERTISING
1. Advert, advertisement or ad?
All these forms of the words are correct but ad is mostly used in spoken English
only. You should also be aware of a common pronunciation problem:
advert

Witty/ humorous: The idea is that if you can make someone laugh with a witty advert, then
they will be more likely to buy the product.
Memorable: Almost all the best adverts are memorable in some way.
Persuasive: Some ads are extremely persuasive and we find we buy products we do not
really need.
Misleading: Although there are regulations against this, many adverts are still misleading.
word-of-mouth: It is frequently said that the most effective form of advertising is word-ofmouth advertising.
4. Other related words
Regulation: Most people would accept that the advertising industry needs some form of
regulation.
Advertising agency: Advertising agencies frequently do extensive market research to
discover what attracts consumers.
Target: The difficulty comes when adverts target young children who are too easily
influenced by them.
Consumers: It can also be argued that consumers are able to decide for themselves what to
buy.
Brand awareness: Advertising is essential for companies that need to build their brand
awareness.
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TECHNOLOGY
1. Progress words
When you write and speak about computers and technology, very often you will be asked to
say how technology has changed or progressed.

Information technology/IT: While computers have many possible applications, their
greatest use is to allow us to exchange information- hence the name information
technology.
Digital native: Young people have an advantage by being digital natives and having grown
up with laptops and mobile phones.
Computer literate: It is now almost impossible to work in an office, if you are not
computer literate.
The computer age: In fact, we could now be said to live in the computer age.
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4. Adjective and Technology
Cutting- edge: One such cutting-edge innovation is the concept of the cloud.
State-of-the-art: It is not always, however, necessary to have the latest state-of the-art
technology.
Labour-saving: Perhaps the most influential inventions are relatively simple labour-saving
devices such as the vacuum cleaner.
Advanced: More advanced technology is not always the best.
High: An example of this is how some high tech solutions are less reliable than the
technology they replaced.
Outdated: The pace of change in the computer industry means that hardware can become
outdated or even obsolete.
“obsolete” is similar in meaning to “outdated”, but is a stronger word to show that the
technology is so old that it cannot be used any longer. It is normal to write “high tech”
rather than “high technology”.

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we’re almost the same age.
In-laws: Strangely enough, I think I have a closer relationship with my mother-in-law than
my biological mother.
In British English, your first cousin is the son/daughter of your uncle/ aunt.
Relatives is a useful word to describe your extended family.
A half-brother/sister is when you share a parent, while a step-brother/sister is when neither
parent is in common, for instance when your parent marries someone else who already had
children.
Your mother/father-in-law is the mother/father of your husband/wife.
2. Family resemblances
These words are useful for describing things that you may have in common with other
members of your family.
(Resemble is mostly used to describe physical similarities (look like), while take after can
also be used to describe other personal characteristics (you both like reading). If you quarrel
or squabble with someone, it is normally a fairly minor disagreement. Sibling rivalry is when
brothers and sisters compete with each other.)
Run in the family: A love of the outdoors runs in the family.
Take after/resemble: People always say I take after my father, though I think I’ much more
like my mum really.
Family trait: One of our family traits is that we all talk all the time. Our family gatherings
tend to be noisy affairs!
Have things in common: I think one reason why we have grown apart is that we just don’t
have that much in common.
Quarrel/squabble with: I used to quarrel with my sister all the time when we were kids, but

Less developed countries: Many less developed countries suffer from a poor transport
infrastructure.
The industrialized world: It is the responsibility of the industrialized world to provide
financial support.
Richer nations: Richer nations exploited the natural resources found in Africa and Asia in
colonial times.
Superpower: While the USA was the great ecomomic superpower of the twentieth century,
it seems likely that the world economy will be dominated by China and India in the twenty
first century.
You should note some very useful world phrases: all around the world, all over
the world, in all four corners of the world, worldwide, the other side of the world.
2. How to say “global”
Globalization is a good word, but you do need some alternatives. These options allow you to
use the word “global” in different ways and thinks about different aspects of globalization.
The global village: It is often said that we live a global village, not least because it is so easy
to communicate with people all over the world.
The global economy: One feature of the global economy is that countries are affected by
economic problems in other parts of the world.
Global trade: The WTO has helped reduce tariffs on global trade and this has changed the
marketplace.
International (co-operation): This problem requires International cooperation just because
it reaches beyond the borders of any one country.
The world: Modern telecommunication system and the internet have made the world a much
smaller place.
Local/national/domestic: If we are to find a solution to world poverty, it is necessary to
look for domestic solutions and not just international aid.
Ubiquitous: For example, Coca Cola is now almost ubiquitous. (Ubiquitous is a nice word
that means “everywhere”)
Universal: A negative aspect of globalization is that some cultures are losing some of their
identity, as more and more people adopt a new universal culture.

cultures frequently use their own terminology. For instance, in American English it is quite
possible to describe university as “college” or “school”. These words mean something quite
different in British English
2. Graduate
Graduate (verb): Graduate from university.
A graduate (noun): A graduate of Oxford university/ a graduate in economics.
A postgraduate (noun): He’s a postgraduate student.
An undergraduate (noun): Undergraduates receive a grant.
A fresher (noun): Life can be difficult for freshers.
(it can replace the word “student” note the different prepositions “of a university” and
“from university” and “in a subject” graduate is quite formal so in speaking you could use
“I left university” instead a fresher is a first year student, Americans use “freshman”)
3. Level of degrees
A first degree: The degree undergraduate do
A bachelor’s degree: A synonym for a first degree.
A master’s (degree): He is doing a master’s in politics.
A PhD or a doctorate: Only a few students go on to do a PhD.
4. Types of education
Higher education: University education
Further education: Normally for more vocational courses and may start from the age of 16.
Adult education: This is normally for non-degree programmes and often is parttime.
notes
if you receive a degree from a university, you are in higher education
if you receive a diploma or certificate, you are in further education
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Serious crime: When the sum involved is large or the consequences more serious
Violent crime: Includes assault, mugging and armed robbery
White-collar crime: Crimes committed by “office works”, for example fraud.
Organised crime: Large scale crime by crime organisations such as the Mafia, for example
smuggling
Crime against property
2. Key words for Crime
Another key word here is “offence” which is a close synonym for crime. It is a slightly
broader word as it includes behaviour that is not necessarily criminal.
You can also use the phrase “criminal behaviour“.
3. Punishments
Prison : Note the vers “to imprison” and the phrase “to send to prison”
Serve a prison sentence/ custodial sentence: “Serious offender should be forced to serve at
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least a 3-year prison sentence”
Community service (order): The offender has to do work that helps the community rather
than go to prison
A fine: People who commit some petty crimes or road traffic offences should pay
a fine
(receive) a caution: If the offence is less serious then the offender may be let off
with a caution
(be puts) on probation: Sometimes first-time offenders are not imprisoned but are placed
under supervision for a set period of time to ensure their good behavior

is to “tackle crime”
A crime wave: When there is a rise in crime, particularly of one type
To turn to crime: Another way of saying to become a professional criminal
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Antisocial beharvior: Behaviour that may not be against the law but disrupts the
community, being drunk in public
The incidence of crime: How much crime happens
Motive for crime: The reason why people commit crimes
Juvenile delinquency: Antisocial behavior committed by people under18
A repeat offender: Someone who has been convicted more than once
ENVIRONMENT
1. Environmental problems
Green (issues): A very common synonym for “environmental”
Global warming : An example of man’s effect on the environment
The greenhouse effect: Connected to global warming
The natural world
Deforestation: Cutting down forests
Rainforests : A useful example when discussing environmental problem
2. The Environment
An ecosystem: The system where plants and animals support one another
(Endangered) species: Examples include the Giant Panda
Biodiversity: Variety of plant and animal file in a region
A habitat: The natural habitat of an animal is where it lives

contaminated by all sorts of industrial waste, by chemicals and fertilisers. And what we
need to do is to recycle our waste and take care of the planet and try use renewable
resources where we possibly can.
4. Our effect on the natural world
When we’re the discussing the environment, it’s important not to forget that our actions have
an impact not only on us but on the natural world and other species. So, for example,
certain species are now endangered because of our actions. it’s not just because of hunting,
but because we have destroyed their natural habitats: they do not enough food or anywhere
to live. If we carry on in this way, the biodiversity of the planet is under threat.
5. Global warming
What’s the greatest threat to the Earth today? I’d have to say it’s probably a combination of
global warming and the greenhouse effect. I don’t understand all the science behind it, but
I understand it’s to do with the build up of gases such as carbon dioxide in the
atmosphere, which means that the planet is slowly but steadily getting warmer. and one of
the results of this is that the polar icecap is melting and the levels of the oceans are rising.
And it’s caused I understand by deforestation, particularly of rainforests and particularly in
the Amazonian Basin. And what this means is that we may be doing irreparable harm to the
planet and the future of the planet for our children and our children’s children looks really
rather bleak.

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