Useful Phrases for IELTS Topic Work and Lifestyle

Subtopic Work

“Work” is one of the common topics in the IELTS exam. Let’s explore some phrases related to this topic with azVocab now!

PHRASE	MEANING	EXAMPLE
A low level of literacy	reading and writing skills that are below a functional level that is needed to successfully navigate daily life.	Moreover, people with *a low level of literacy* have limited ability to make important informed decisions in everyday life as they struggle with tasks.
A nine-to-five job	work that begins at nine o’clock in the morning and ends at five o’clock, which are the hours that people work in many offices from Monday to Friday	She’s tired of *a nine-to-five job*.
A dead-end job	a job which does not offer any opportunity for improving your situation	I am a guy of 28 yet still live with my parents and work in a dead-end job* just around the corner.*
Heavy workload	when the amount of responsibilities one has pushes the boundaries of what can realistically be done in a given role	Many workers are complaining about the heavy workload, and they ask for a higher salary.
To allocate human resources	to assign work to employees	Results indicate there is an allocation trade-off when it comes to *allocating human resources* to relief operations and capacity building.
Current trends in the job market	the current growing industries that hold the best opportunities for potential employees	The *current trends in the job market* will have an impact on the future of work.
To be detrimental to the future workforce	causing harm or damage to the future workforce	This is very *detrimental to the future workforce* and emerging society.
High-paying job	work for which people earn a lot of money	If having a *high-paying job* is important to you, these careers may pique your interest.
High-powered job	a very important and responsible job which requires a lot of ability	It took me a year to find something and then I landed a high-powered job* in sales.*
Job satisfaction	a feeling of fulfillment or enjoyment that a person derives from their job	Many people are more interested in *job satisfaction* than in earning large amounts of money.
Holiday entitlement	the number of days of paid holiday in a year that a worker is entitled to take	Holiday entitlement is a generous 31 days for everyone and there are two duvet days a year.
Labor productivity	real economic output per labor hour	Wage rates depend on levels of labor productivity.
Low productivity	when an organization, team or individual creates little value in a unit of time such as an hour, week, month or year	*Low productivity* indicates that resources are not utilizing their skills.
Manual work	physical work done by humans, in contrast to labour by machines and working animals	Some other thespians found themselves directed to heavy *manual work*.
Work ethic	the belief that work is morally good	Riley is a perfect example of dedication. We really admire his work ethic.
Work schedule	the specific days and hours designated to an employee for paid work	They created a calendar to organise public events and work schedules.
Occupational hazard	a danger that is connected with doing a particular job	Every company should have goals to eliminate occupational hazards* in the workplace.*
Organizational commitment	a psychological state that characterizes the employee’s relationship with the organization, and has implications for the decision to continue or discontinue membership in the organization	*Organizational commitment* refers to the level of engagement and dedication employees have toward their individual jobs and the organization.
Poor work performance	the inability of an employee to meet the required standard or output for the position in which she or he is employed	*Poor work performance* falls under the broad heading of incapacity.
Professional work environment	one that results in a workplace full of highly competent, respectful, mature, and accountable employees working towards a common goal	So what can a manager do to create and maintain a *professional work environment*?
Working conditions	the physical and psychological conditions that workers are exposed to while working	Employers should spend more money on improving working conditions.
Job prospects	a person’s potential ability to apply for a get a particular job	People with qualifications and experience usually have the best job prospects.
Promotion opportunities	when an employer moves an employee up in the hierarchical levels within an organization	Perhaps the most important factor when choosing a job is the promotion opportunities.
To reach the retirement age	to reach the age at which people usually stop working, usually when they are eligible for Social Security or a pension	In The Netherlands 14 out of every 100 people do not *reach the retirement age* of 65.
Sick leave	a period of time that a worker is allowed to be away from work because they are ill	Mark is not in the office today. He broke his leg yesterday, so he’s on/he’s taken *sick leave*.
Maternity leave	a period in which a woman is legally allowed to be absent from work in the weeks before and after she gives birth	My boss is off on maternity leave* soon, which is kicking off a dreadful bunfight to do her job while she’s away.*
To suffer from financial burden	to have to deal with the sum of the different financial expenses and the amortization of the capital, referred to the loans formalized and pending repayment	Stressed men get suppressed by tax payments and suffer from financial burdens.
To affect one’s health	to have an influence on someone’s health	They do their best to not let their job *affect our health* and our studies in any way.
To boost efficiency and productivity	to create more products (finish more work) in the same amount of time and use fewer resources (or less total input) to complete the same amount of work	On an individual level, it’s easy to say how and where you can make improvements to *boost efficiency and productivity.*
To build higher credibility	to have a higher foundation of trust and credibility in order to obtain true success	In addition, you’ll *build higher credibility* which will give you more control over your career.
To earn a high salary	to receive a lot of money for the work you do	He blossomed again, found work, and became a very good officer worker earning a high salary.
To get a well-paid job	to have a job with a good salary	For women with higher education, they have brought *well-paid work* and the capacity to pay for care.
To limit working hours	to limit any of the hours of a day during which work is done	Modern stipulations that *limit working hours* are responding to these deeply-rooted historic concerns.
To recruit and retain talent	to convince individuals to join your team, and try to keep them with you	Leaders must address this concern head-on, and also more widely consider how they intend *to recruit and retain talent* now and during 2022.
To reduce the unemployment rate	to decrease the percentage of people in the labour force who are unemployed	*To reduce the unemployment rate*, therefore, the economy must grow at a pace above its potential.
To work long hours	to work for a period of time that is longer than the usual, regular, or routine for a given activity	Ms. Zhang was forced *to work long hours* every day.
To be called for an interview	to be invited to attend an interview	Although he has been called for an interview, he hasn’t got a job yet.
To be stuck behind a desk	to spend a lot of time sitting at a desk, usually in an office environment, and feel like having no other choice	Working full-time in an office can lead to being stuck behind a desk.
To meet a deadline	to finish work on time	Last week she was really stressed because she had to work too hard to meet the deadlines.
To land a new job	to get a job; to be hired for a job	After graduating, I did the usual things of putting together my CV & applying for jobs. Luckily, I landed a fantastic new job* at a tourism company.*
To pursue a successful career	try to work in a certain industry and become successful	While many people wish to pursue a successful career, for others it is more important to find work which is interesting and enjoyable.
To take a career break	to have a period of time when you choose not to have a job, for example because you want to travel or take care of your children	Some companies offer female employees the opportunity to take a career break* for a few years if they have young children to care for.*
To work under enormous stress	to work with great worry caused by a difficult situation, or something that causes this condition	Jasmine is very resilient and effective at working under enormous stress.
To work around the clock	to work all day and all night without stopping	The construction workers worked around the clock* to build a new school for the children.*
To be tied up at work	to become really busy with something at work that you aren’t able to stop doing	Mrs Moran is tied up at work* at the moment. She is having a meeting, but I’ll ask her to call you.*
To be/get stuck in a rut	to be too fixed in one particular type of job and needing to change but cannot change	I‘m stuck in a rut* at this job and need to find something more interesting and challenging.*
To do a job-share	to divide the duties and the pay of one job between two people who work at different times during the day or week	I decided to go part-time and do a job-share* with my friend after returning from maternity leave.*
To lay off staff	to tell employees to leave their jobs, usually because there is no more work for them to do	My start-up went through a difficult period and had to lay off staff.
Work productivity	how much work is accomplished in a particular work environment, over a particular period of time	Sometimes *work productivity* of VPS does not reach the levels you desire.
Young professionals	young people between 20 and 49 who are employed in a profession or white-collar occupation	We are a *young professionals* networking group, based in Iowa for people working in agriculture.

Subtopic Lifestyle

The “Lifestyle” topic is quite familiar in conversations and even in the IELTS exams. Let’s enhance your vocabulary with azVocab on this topic to tackle the exam!

PHRASE	MEANING	EXAMPLE
Daily routine	the regular activities that a person engages in on a daily basis	Our *daily routine* involved getting up with the light at about 6.30 am.
A large metropolis	a big city	An increasing number of people are moving to large metropolises* in the hope of a better future.*
Intensive urban growth	the high rate at which the population, land area, or significant land use increases	Intensive urban growth can lead to greater poverty, with local governments unable to provide services for all people.
To migrate from rural areas to cities	to move from a less populated area to more densely populated areas which often present more work opportunities, better pay, or a better quality of life	It is among the main reasons for the record numbers of people compelled to migrate from rural areas to cities* around the world.*
To have a poor quality of life	to decrease living standard in the absence of basic needs as well as social, cultural, emotional and spiritual needs	We have seen a worsening of the quality of life in our cities. The city dwellers are now having a poor quality of life.
Fast pace of life	the speed at which changes and events occur fast	She liked the fast pace of life* in the city.*
High living costs	the large amount of money that people need to spend in order to buy basic goods or services such as food, clothes, and a place to live	They also say the salaries are justified by New York’s high living costs.
To put nose to the grindstone	to work very hard for a long time	We need to decide whether we take a job working for someone or whether we put our nose to the grindstone* and start our own business*
Hustle and bustle	noise and activity	I love travelling to the countryside to escape from the hustle and bustle* of the city where I live*.
Urban life	the everyday activity that goes on in a city, both within and between buildings	I am already used to all the available facilities of urban life, so the lack of those convenient things would drive me crazy.
Standards of living	the degree of wealth and material comfort available to a person or community	The standards of living in Vietnam are being enhanced, not only urban citizens but rural ones are leading a better life in terms of the accessibility to state-of-the-art facilities as well as communication services.
To live on the edge	to have an adventurous or perilous lifestyle	I liked to live on the edge* while I was in college, but now that I’m a bit older, I tend to be a bit more conservative in the things I do for fun.*
To live life to the full	To try to gain a lot from life by being always busy and trying new activities	He lived life to the full* and was always happy.*
To have a positive outlook on life	to be optimistic about situations, interactions, and yourself in your life	Those having a positive outlook on life* had adapted more successfully to their changing world and had continued to make plans for the future.*
To lead a happy life	to live happily	Rohit and Nisha lead a happy life* together from then on.*
To have a very conservative lifestyle	to prefer few changes in daily life	She has a very conservative lifestyle* now compared with when she was in college.*
To lead a glamorous lifestyle	to live a exciting and happy life	Talented, beautiful, wealthy, and popular, she is admired and envied by her classmates because she leads a glamorous lifestyle.
To adopt a healthy lifestyle	to have a way of living that lowers the risk of being seriously ill or dying early	Among those is adopting a healthy lifestyle* that is designed to lower your stress levels.*
Life has its ups and downs	if someone or something experiences ups and downs, a mixture of good and bad things happens to him, her, or it	His life has its ups and downs, and so did his career. But finally, he became the richest person in the town.
A way of life	the manner in which a person lives	She loved to travel, meet people from other cultures, and find out about their way of life.

We hope that after today’s lesson, azVocab can help you complete the Work and Lifestyle topic based on these phrases. Study diligently and reap good results in your upcoming exam!

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