IELTS Useful Vocabularies and Connectives Table of Contents

 IELTS Useful Vocabularies and Connectives 

Table of Contents

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1. Linking Words & Connectors

These connect ideas within and between sentences.

Word/Phrase	Use	Example (Task 1 context)
and	Adds similar information	Sales of cars and motorcycles both increased.
as well as	Adds information (less formal)	Oil prices rose, as well as gas prices.
not only... but also	Emphasizes two points	The rate not only increased but also reached a record high.
in addition	Adds a new point	In addition, unemployment fell sharply.
furthermore	Adds a stronger point (formal)	The trend was upward; furthermore, it accelerated after 2015.
moreover	Adds a point of equal importance	The figures rose steadily; moreover, this pattern was consistent across all regions.
additionally	Adds another supporting fact	Additionally, the proportion of young adults grew.

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2. Contrast & Concession

Shows differences, unexpected results, or opposing trends.

Word/Phrase	Use	Example (Task 1 context)
but	Simple contrast (less formal)	Country A increased, but Country B decreased.
however	Strong contrast (start new sentence)	Sales rose sharply. However, profits declined.
nevertheless	Contrast despite expectation	The economy was weak; nevertheless, hiring increased.
nonetheless	Same as nevertheless	There was a recession; nonetheless, the market grew.
whereas	Direct comparison (contrast)	Whereas Country A surged, Country B plummeted.
while	Contrast within same sentence	While oil prices rose, gas prices remained stable.
although / though	Concession	Although demand increased, supply could not keep up.
even though	Stronger concession	Even though the population grew, housing prices fell.
in contrast	Highlights difference	Country A saw growth. In contrast, Country B declined.
by contrast	Same as in contrast	The north experienced a boom. By contrast, the south struggled.
on the other hand	Opposite view	On one hand, exports rose. On the other hand, imports fell.
conversely	Opposite relationship	Higher prices reduced demand; conversely, lower prices boosted sales.
unlike	Shows difference	Unlike its neighbors, Nepal experienced a decline.

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3. Cause, Effect & Result

Cause

Word/Phrase	Example (Task 1 context)
because	The number of tourists fell because of the pandemic.
because of	There was a decline because of travel restrictions.
due to	The increase was due to higher consumer spending.
owing to	Owing to technological advances, production soared.
as a result of	As a result of policies, unemployment dropped.
on account of	Sales rose on account of a new campaign.
thanks to	Thanks to investment, the economy grew.
caused by	The decline was caused by falling demand.

Effect / Result

Word/Phrase	Example (Task 1 context)
so	Demand increased, so prices rose.
therefore	Investment fell; therefore, production decreased.
thus	The company expanded, thus creating jobs.
hence	Costs doubled; hence, prices increased.
consequently	There was a drought; consequently, crop yields fell.
as a result	Oil supplies dropped. As a result, prices surged.
accordingly	Demand grew; accordingly, production increased.
leading to	The merger succeeded, leading to higher profits.
resulting in	Prices fell, resulting in affordability.

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4. Comparison (Similarities)

Word/Phrase	Example (Task 1 context)
similarly	Car sales rose; similarly, motorcycle sales increased.
likewise	The UK grew. Likewise, France increased.
in the same way	Online shopping grew. In the same way, payments increased.
equally	Both countries performed equally well.
correspondingly	Prices rose and demand fell correspondingly.
just as	Just as exports increased, so did imports.
compared to	Compared to 2010, the number doubled.
similar to	The trend was similar to 2010.
the same as	The figure was the same as the average.
both	Both countries experienced decline.

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5. Sequencing & Time Reference

Word/Phrase	Use	Example (Task 1 context)
first / firstly	First step	Firstly, raw materials are collected.
second / secondly	Second step	Secondly, the mixture is heated.
next	Next step	Next, the product is cooled.
then	Order of actions	Data is collected; then it is analyzed.
after that	Following step	Goods are packaged. After that, they are shipped.
subsequently	Formal “after that”	It is heated and subsequently molded.
following this	After this step	Following this, it is tested.
previously	Before	The rate was higher previously.
prior to	Before	Prior to 2010, the figure was stable.
finally	Last step	Finally, the product is delivered.

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6. Adding Information

Word/Phrase	Example
also	The rate increased. It also peaked in 2015.
as well	The north grew. The south did as well.
in addition	In addition, unemployment fell.
additionally	Additionally, women’s share rose.
furthermore	The trend increased; furthermore, it accelerated.
moreover	Results improved; moreover, they were consistent.
besides	Cost was low. Besides, quality was high.

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7. Giving Examples

Word/Phrase	Example
for example	Nepal increased by 50%, for example.
for instance	For instance, solar power tripled.
such as	Sectors grew such as technology.
including	The index rose 20%, including Q3 gains.
specifically	Specifically, employment rose 10%.
namely	Two countries, namely China and India.
to illustrate	To illustrate, it rose from 20% to 45%.

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8. Qualifying & Softening

Word/Phrase	Example
approximately	Approximately 50%.
roughly	Roughly 75% of budget.
about	About 10% increase.
nearly	Nearly 90% reached.
almost	Almost doubled.
just over	Just over 60%.
just under	Just under 80%.
slightly	Increased slightly.
somewhat	Somewhat surprising results.
relatively	Relatively modest rise.
respectively	30% and 40% respectively.

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9. Concluding & Summarizing

Word/Phrase	Example
overall	Overall, the trend increased.
in general	In general, growth was steady.
to summarize	To summarize, figures rose.
in summary	In summary, changes were significant.
to conclude	To conclude, data show a pattern.
in conclusion	In conclusion, the rate peaked.
as a whole	The economy as a whole improved.
on the whole	On the whole, trends were positive.
in brief	In brief, demand increased.

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10. Synonyms for Common Linking Words

Overused Word	Synonyms
but	however, whereas, nevertheless
so	therefore, thus, consequently
and	in addition, moreover, furthermore
because	due to, owing to, as a result of
for example	for instance, such as, including
also	additionally, moreover, as well
first	firstly, to begin with
finally	in conclusion, ultimately
like	similar to, resembling
unlike	in contrast to, differing from