Academic English vocabulary: 12 words for essays and exams
B2–C112 words
Academic writing rewards precision. These twelve words let you signal cause, evidence and contrast — the moves an examiner is looking for in an essay or an IELTS Task 2 answer.
Where you will use it: Essays, IELTS and university reading.
Academic English — The word list
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| significant | Important or large enough to matter.“There was a significant increase in errors.” |
| evidence | Facts that support a claim.“There is little evidence for that claim.” |
| furthermore | In addition to what was said.“Furthermore, the cost is lower.” |
| consequently | As a result.“Demand fell; consequently, prices dropped.” |
| hypothesis | An idea to be tested.“The data supported our hypothesis.” |
| criteria | The standards used to judge something.“The study used three criteria.” |
| framework | A structure of ideas used for analysis.“We applied a well-known framework.” |
| outcome | The result of a process.“The outcome was better than expected.” |
| nevertheless | Despite that.“The sample was small; nevertheless, the trend was clear.” |
| assumption | Something accepted as true without proof.“The model rests on one key assumption.” |
| correlation | A relationship between two variables.“There is a strong correlation between the two.” |
| in contrast | Used to show a difference.“In contrast, the second group improved.” |
How to study this list
Add five or six of these words a day rather than all twelve at once, keep the example sentence on the card, and review them when they come due. WordNest schedules each word across seven growing intervals — same day, then 1, 3, 7, 14, 30 and 60 days — so the list is still with you months later. Read how spaced repetition works if you want the reasoning behind those numbers.
Studying academic english pairs well with our Academic Word List (AWL) vocabulary, linking words and connectors and IELTS vocabulary list, or browse all free English word lists.
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