IELTS Energy 1568: Crime on IELTS Part 1: Band 9 Vocabulary | IELTS Energy English 7+

This is an IELTS Energy Podcast, Episode 1568, Crime on IELTS, Part 1, Band 9 Vocabulary.

Welcome to the IELTS Energy Podcast from All Ears English downloaded more than 35 million times with examiner-trained IELTS whiz Aubrey Carter and Lindsay McMahon, the English adventurer.

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One of the most strategic topics to prepare for on IELTS is crime.

You may be asked about this on multiple parts of the test.

So today, find out how to handle these questions with an amazing list of vocabulary terms.

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Hello there, Aubrey.

Good to see you on the microphone.

How's it going today?

Excellent.

How are you, Lindsay?

Pretty good.

Aubrey, I know you are a big true crime fan.

Yes, I am.

So then I have a question.

You ready?

Yes.

So do you talk about crime in your daily conversations?

Like does your podcast content kind of come out or series or movies or things?

No, interestingly, no.

I like really never talk about crime.

I don't really talk about the true crime podcast.

I think because it's dark and most people I know aren't as interested in true crime.

So I don't have very many conversations about crime.

It's very rare, which I think this is interesting because you are very likely to be asked about crime on IELTS.

So if you're like me, it might be not something that you don't talk about a ton.

What about you, Lindsay?

Do you feel like you talk about crime much?

I really don't.

I'm not a true crime podcast listener, but I understand there are a lot of you out there.

But even if you are, right, it just doesn't come up in conversations.

I think we try to keep conversations positive.

And so that's part of it.

I'm not going to be like, did you hear about this multiple homicide?

No.

Right.

Yeah.

It's a little bit of a party foul bringing that up.

I mean I'll talk about like other kinds of crimes, like in the news, like white collar crime or something.

Right.

Because that's like interesting news stories.

Right.

Yes.

And it's interesting.

The vocabulary we're going to teach you covers both.

Right.

OK.

Blue collar and white collar crime.

You know, more serious offenses.

We are going to teach you all the vocabulary you need, because this could come up anywhere on the exam.

Writing, speaking, reading, like this is a very common IELTS topic.

So this is one of those smart topics that we're able to show you guys.

Focus on this because it's more likely than other topics to come up somewhere, right?

Yes.

So it's a good use of your time.

And we cover more of these good uses of your time in our Three Keys IELTS course.

But for now, guys, go ahead and hit the follow button right here on the podcast.

Make sure you make your voice heard.

Make sure IELTS energy drops into your listening queue.

If IELTS is on your bingo card, I guess we say right.

For the year 2026.

All right.

Absolutely.

OK, so first we want to share, kind of open your mind to all of the places that this could come up on IELTS.

Right.

So first of all, speaking part one, you might be asked, like, do you feel safe where you live?

Why or why not?

Is there a lot of crime in your area?

There are a lot of part one questions about crime or speaking part two.

What might you be asked, Lindsay?

Yeah.

Speaking of where to you might be asked to describe a crime that you heard about in the news.

This is why it becomes so important to be consuming news because you need an answer, or you could make something up there too.

Don't forget.

Right.

Yes.

Describe a time when you felt unsafe.

Yeah, so there are a lot of part two questions that could use today's vocabulary.

Also speaking part three, you might be asked.

You know, is punishment or rehabilitation more effective in reducing crime?

Or how has technology changed the way crimes are committed?

There are a lot of part three questions that have been asked on IELTS tests about crime.

And if anyone here is new to IELTS, you'll see that the type of question you're getting between speaking part one, two and three is Very different kinds of questions.

And there is a correct way to answer each part.

So we talk more about this right here on the podcast, right?

So you want to tune in on a regular basis here.

Yes.

And be sure you're following, because we're doing a follow up, a part two to this episode, where we will share sample answers for part two and part three using today's vocabulary.

Nice.

All right, Aubrey, where do we go from here?

All right.

We also want to show you know crime is also a common topic on the IELTS writing exam, and not just task two.

Academic task one.

You might be given graphs and charts showing crime rates, and you still need synonyms and interesting vocabulary to describe that.

Okay, so for example, an academic, yeah, a task one question, again, graphs and charts, right?

Crime rates in different cities, maybe.

And also general task one, right?

You could get a letter, you need to write a letter explaining a crime you witnessed or experienced.

So again, you would need this topic specific vocabulary.

And then it often comes up on task two.

So an example of this would be an opinion essay.

And in task two, there's different types of essays we need to write.

So here would be an opinion essay.

Some people believe that longer prison sentences are the best way to reduce crime, while others think there are more effective solutions.

To what extent do you agree or disagree?

And there are a lot of different opinion questions that have come up on IELTS tests.

You could also get an argument essay about crime where you have to discuss both sides of the issue.

For example, you know, some people think that increasing the number of police officers is the most effective way to reduce crime, while others believe that social programs are more important.

Discuss both views and give your own opinion.

So that would be an argument essay also needing today's vocabulary.

And there's still another type of essay, and that is the problem solution essay.

It goes on and on, right?

So crime rates among young people are increasing in many countries.

What are the causes of this problem and what measures can be taken to address it?

Right.

So then, in this type of essay you're going to share, about the problem in one paragraph and then in the solution in the next paragraph.

Again, could definitely have to do with crime.

And then again, we have two more types of essays, advantages and disadvantages.

You might be asked, for example, something like some countries use surveillance cameras in public places to reduce crime.

What are the advantages and disadvantages of this approach?

And that would be another type of essay where in the first body paragraph you share the advantages to that.

And in the second body paragraph, the disadvantages.

And finally, the last essay type, right, is mixed essay.

So this is a two-part question.

Crime is often linked to poverty and unemployment.

Why is this the case?

And what can governments do to reduce crime?

Yes.

And there are a lot of different mixed essay questions about crime.

This is just one example.

But so for these, right, you just answer each of those questions in its own body paragraph.

But, as you can see, every single type two essay that you could have, task two essay could have to do with crime.

And you would need today's vocabulary for these different essays.

Yes.

And we have a lot of vocabulary here, Aubrey.

We may need to shave a few of these off and save them for the next episode potentially, because we got a lot here for sure.

But let's go into it, shall we?

Yeah, we're starting with, we're gonna have a few buckets.

The first one is crime and criminals.

I think we can go through these pretty quickly.

So first is offense.

That's a noun that means a crime or an illegal act.

So for example, committing a serious offense can result in a long prison sentence.

Okay.

Or perpetrator.

And you hear on crime shows, you may hear perp, right?

The perp.

Yes.

The person who commits the crime or is supposedly committed the crime, right?

Exactly.

Speaking, you could say the perp, but I would still just say the perpetrator.

So the examiner knows that you are aware of what this vocabulary word is.

And then for writing, for IELTS writing, you would want to write out the perpetrator.

Good.

Yes.

We have to know which parts of the test can be a little more casual, which need to be more formal.

So an example sentence there, the perpetrator was identified using security footage.

Yes.

And then we have the noun repeat offender.

This is someone who commits crimes more than once.

So an example, repeat offenders often require rehabilitation rather than short prison terms.

And white collar crime.

So we've mentioned on the show the Bernie Madoff stuff a few times recently.

That's a good example of white collar crime.

Or tax evasion could be another one.

Nonviolent financial or corporate crime, right?

So white collar crime can cause as much harm as violent offenses, right?

Or more in some cases, sure.

Different harm, but exactly, right?

Okay, so our next bucket is punishment and justice.

So first, the noun deterrent.

This is a band nine word.

That means something that discourages crime.

So an example would be severe penalties are intended to act as a deterrent to serious crime.

Okay, good.

And then proportionate punishment.

This is one, I guess it makes sense.

I haven't heard it as a term as much, but it makes sense.

Probably it's used in the justice system.

Punishment that fits the crime, right?

Does the punishment fit the crime?

Justice systems aim to deliver proportionate punishment.

So it's an interesting chunk.

Yeah.

You want to make sure, like if you commit capital murder right, that you're serving probably a life sentence, right?

Exactly.

And often you'll be asked about because it's very controversial that sometimes minor offenses, very minor drug possession, could lead to a very serious long prison sentence.

And so you could be asked about that if you feel like.

You know, punishments are proportionate in your culture.

Right, right.

And that's a real thinking question there.

So Again, the thinking needs to happen before we enter the exam room on test day.

Exactly.

Yeah.

And then we have lenient sentence.

So lenient is a band nine word.

This means a mild punishment.

For example, some people argue that lenient sentences fail to discourage criminals.

Or harsh sentence, right?

This is a severe punishment.

The opposite.

Yeah, the opposite.

Violent crimes usually lead to harsh sentences.

Right.

Maybe 25 years in jail or a life sentence.

Exactly.

And then just judicial system.

This is the court and legal system.

So a fair judicial system is essential for maintaining public trust.

All right.

Okay.

Then we look Aubrey at causes of crime.

So we talk about socioeconomic inequality.

So what kinds of?

So again, going back to the types of questions that might ask this, is this a question part two or a part three?

It could be anywhere on the exam.

It could be writing.

It could be speaking, right?

It's probably less likely for part one because those are more personal questions about you as an individual.

But part three, part two, absolutely any writing task two.

So yeah, this means differences in income and opportunities.

So an example sentence you might use on speaking part three or in your writing, task two socioeconomic inequality is often linked to higher crime rates.

Yes, good.

And then also another thing you might cite is a lack of opportunities, right?

If you're trying to answer the questions around reasons for crime, people having limited access to jobs or education or mentorship right.

A lack of opportunities can push young people towards crime.

Exactly.

And if you are asked about this, right, what do you think is the cause of increased crime rates?

If you've never thought about that before, it's going to be difficult to have this high scoring vocabulary.

You could probably come up with an answer, but now you'll be able to use a lot of this vocabulary to boost those vocabulary scores.

Okay.

And then substance abuse is another one.

So you could say drug use, but substance abuse feels a little less common, higher scoring.

Yes.

Yeah.

Or blanket term or general, right?

Yeah, exactly.

So this is the harmful use of drugs or alcohol.

So you could say substance abuse is a major factor in violent crime.

Sure.

Absolutely.

And then peer pressure.

This is influence from friends or social groups.

You might say teenagers may commit crimes due to peer pressure.

Yeah, peer pressure for sure.

Okay, then you may have questions around crime prevention.

And I feel like probably speaking part three or writing task two, you might be asked for solutions.

Exactly.

Especially if you have that problem solution essay, you are definitely going to need this vocabulary.

Yes.

So rehabilitation is in first term.

So we're helping criminals to reintegrate into society.

Rehabilitation reduces the likelihood of reoffending, right?

Yeah.

That's another term that means committing the crime again.

Repeat crime.

Exactly.

Yes.

And then early intervention.

This is addressing problems before they worsen, before they become worse.

So for example, early intervention can prevent at-risk youth from committing crimes.

So the solution you provide in a problem solution essay, you have quite a few options, right?

You could talk about rehabilitation, or you could talk about early intervention, preventing crime in the first place.

Yes, exactly.

And then law enforcement is a fancier way of saying the police are, And other authorities like the FBI investigators, whatever it is, government authorities right.

Strong law enforcement is necessary to maintain public safety.

Exactly.

And then community-based programs.

So this is local initiatives in a community that aim to prevent crime.

So, for example, community-based programs help create safer neighborhoods.

So there's a lot of vocabulary.

But it's interesting because when you look at all of the different things you could be asked on IELTS Speaking or all of the different topics in IELTS Writing, It's never just like do you think crime is a problem?

It's going to be more specific.

It's going to be about preventing crime or punishments.

Right.

And you will need this specific vocabulary to boost those scores.

Yeah.

So we need a lot of options.

Right.

And so today, we spent the episode explaining where, on the test, you might find these questions and giving you all the tools that you might need.

So before the next episode.

Right.

We want you to remember these words so you can use them in our next section, right?

Our next part of this series, right, Aubrey?

Yes, right.

Hit follow for part two.

We are going to provide Band 9 speaking part two and part three answers.

And you will want to be practicing, right?

All of the different questions that you might be asked.

Practice using this vocabulary so you're ready if you're asked about crime.

All right.

So guys, you have your assignment for next time, right?

Make sure you hit that follow button and come back for the next episode.

And we'll show you how these can get placed throughout the exam strategically for a higher score on, especially on vocabulary, but on all parts of the exam.

Absolutely.

Awesome.

I will see you there, Lindsay.

All right.

Looking forward to it, Aubrey.

See you there.

Bye.

Thanks for listening to IELTS Energy.

Hit subscribe now, and don't forget to find your estimated band score at allearsenglishcom.

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[Mastering Band 9 Vocabulary for IELTS Crime Topics]-[IELTS Energy 1568: Crime on IELTS Part 1: Band 9 Vocabulary]

📋 Summary

Navigating Crime-Related Topics in the IELTS Exam

Where Crime Appears on the IELTS Exam

Essential Band 9 Vocabulary Categorization

1. Crime and Criminals

2. Punishment and Justice

3. Causes of Crime

4. Crime Prevention

Conclusion

🎯Key Sentences

📝Key Phrases

📖 Transcript

[Mastering Band 9 Vocabulary for IELTS Crime Topics]-[IELTS Energy 1568: Crime on IELTS Part 1: Band 9 Vocabulary]

📋 Summary

Navigating Crime-Related Topics in the IELTS Exam

Where Crime Appears on the IELTS Exam

Essential Band 9 Vocabulary Categorization

1. Crime and Criminals

2. Punishment and Justice

3. Causes of Crime

4. Crime Prevention

Conclusion

Deep Learning with ListenLeap

🎯Key Sentences

📝Key Phrases

📖 Transcript

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