Globalisation Vocabulary for IELTS — 30 Band-7+ Words with Examples
Globalisation is the conceptual backbone of dozens of recurring IELTS Writing Task 2 prompts — trade, migration, cultural exchange, multinational companies, the loss of traditional industries — and it is one of the few topics where examiners explicitly reward the formal academic register (e.g. 'cultural homogenisation' rather than 'everywhere becoming the same'). The 30 words below give you the policy-grade vocabulary to discuss both the upsides (interdependence, knowledge transfer) and the downsides (outsourcing, cultural erosion) of an interconnected world.
IELTS prompts where this vocabulary fits
- Writing Task 2: Some people argue that globalisation has made cultures around the world too similar. To what extent do you agree?
- Writing Task 2: Multinational companies have brought jobs and investment to developing countries, but critics say they exploit local workers. Discuss both views.
- Speaking Part 3: Has the internet made your country more international or has it kept its traditions?
Globalisation vocabulary table
Each row gives the word, part of speech, plain-English definition, an IELTS-style example sentence, common collocations, and an optional band-7+ synonym you can swap in for variety.
| Word | POS | Definition | IELTS-style example | Collocations | Band-7+ synonym |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| globalisation | n. | The process by which countries become more economically, culturally, and politically interconnected. | “Globalisation has reshaped the labour market in almost every country over the past three decades.” | drive globalisation, era of globalisation | international integration |
| multinational corporation | n. | A company that operates in multiple countries. | “Multinational corporations now account for a substantial share of cross-border trade and investment.” | global multinational corporation, regulate multinational corporations | MNC |
| free trade | n. | International trade left to its natural course without tariffs or restrictions. | “Free trade agreements tend to lower consumer prices but can disrupt domestic industries.” | free trade agreement, promote free trade | open trade |
| protectionism | n. | The theory or practice of shielding a country's domestic industries from foreign competition through tariffs. | “Rising protectionism since 2018 has slowed the growth of global trade.” | rising protectionism, economic protectionism | trade barriers |
| tariff | n. | A tax imposed on imports or exports. | “New tariffs on imported steel raised input costs for car manufacturers within weeks.” | impose a tariff, lift a tariff | import tax |
| outsourcing | n. | The practice of contracting work to external organisations, often abroad. | “Outsourcing customer-service operations to lower-cost countries became standard practice in the early 2000s.” | outsourcing strategy, offshore outsourcing | external contracting |
| offshoring | n. | The relocation of business processes to another country. | “Offshoring of manufacturing jobs has hollowed out several once-prosperous industrial regions.” | manufacturing offshoring, offshoring decision | international relocation |
| supply chain | n. | The network of organisations involved in producing and delivering a product. | “Disruptions to global supply chains during the early 2020s raised consumer prices for years afterwards.” | global supply chain, supply chain disruption | production network |
| interdependence | n. | A condition in which countries or people depend on each other. | “Economic interdependence makes large-scale conflict more costly but does not eliminate political tensions.” | global interdependence, economic interdependence | mutual reliance |
| cultural exchange | n. | The sharing of ideas, traditions, and arts between cultures. | “Student exchange programmes are among the most effective forms of long-term cultural exchange.” | promote cultural exchange, cultural exchange programme | intercultural sharing |
| cultural homogenisation | n. | The process by which cultures become more similar to one another. | “Critics argue that global media has accelerated cultural homogenisation at the expense of local traditions.” | cultural homogenisation, resist cultural homogenisation | cultural standardisation |
| cultural diversity | n. | The variety of cultures present in a place or community. | “Most modern cities pride themselves on the cultural diversity of their populations.” | celebrate cultural diversity, protect cultural diversity | multiculturalism |
| migration | n. | The movement of people from one place to another, often across borders. | “Migration patterns in the twenty-first century have been shaped by both opportunity and climate stress.” | economic migration, mass migration | movement of people |
| diaspora | n. | Communities of people living outside their country of origin. | “Diaspora communities maintain strong cultural and financial links with their countries of origin.” | Indian diaspora, diaspora community | expatriate community |
| foreign direct investment | n. | Investment made by a company or individual in another country. | “Foreign direct investment has driven much of the manufacturing growth in South-East Asia.” | attract foreign direct investment, inflow of foreign direct investment | FDI |
| emerging economy | n. | A country that is rapidly industrialising and growing. | “Emerging economies in Asia and Africa are projected to drive most of the world's growth in the next decade.” | fast-growing emerging economy, invest in emerging economies | developing market |
| developed country | n. | A country with a high level of industrialisation and per-capita income. | “Developed countries are expected to contribute the largest share of climate-mitigation funding.” | advanced developed country, OECD developed country | industrialised country |
| developing country | n. | A country with a less developed industrial base and lower per-capita income. | “Many developing countries face the dual challenge of reducing poverty while limiting emissions.” | low-income developing country, support developing countries | emerging-market country |
| sweatshop | n. | A factory or workshop with very poor working conditions and low wages. | “Brand-name retailers came under public pressure after investigative reports exposed sweatshop conditions in their supply chains.” | garment sweatshop, sweatshop labour | labour-exploitation factory |
| fair trade | n. | A trading partnership that ensures producers in developing countries receive a fair price. | “Fair-trade coffee certification has lifted incomes for thousands of small farmers in East Africa.” | fair trade product, fair trade certification | ethically sourced trade |
| consumer culture | n. | A society in which the acquisition of goods and services is a major social activity. | “Global consumer culture has spread similar shopping habits across most major cities.” | modern consumer culture, global consumer culture | consumerism |
| lingua franca | n. | A language used for communication between speakers whose native languages differ. | “English has become the de facto lingua franca of international business and academia.” | global lingua franca, business lingua franca | common language |
| soft power | n. | The ability of a country to influence others through culture and values rather than force. | “Streaming services have become a powerful vehicle for the soft power of producing countries.” | exercise soft power, project soft power | cultural influence |
| trade deficit | n. | When a country imports more than it exports in value terms. | “A persistent trade deficit can put downward pressure on a country's currency.” | widening trade deficit, narrow a trade deficit | import surplus |
| trade surplus | n. | When a country exports more than it imports in value terms. | “Export-led economies often run sustained trade surpluses with their main trading partners.” | growing trade surplus, record trade surplus | export surplus |
| sanctions regime | n. | A coordinated set of penalties imposed by countries against another country. | “Sanctions regimes work best when the major trading partners of the target country agree on enforcement.” | tighten the sanctions regime, multilateral sanctions regime | penalty framework |
| intellectual property | n. | Rights over creations of the mind, such as inventions and brand names. | “Disputes over intellectual property are now among the most common sources of trade friction.” | intellectual property rights, protect intellectual property | IP |
| brain drain | n. | The emigration of highly skilled people from a country. | “Persistent brain drain undermines the development of healthcare systems in lower-income countries.” | reverse the brain drain, prevent brain drain | skills exodus |
| remittance | n. | Money sent home by migrant workers. | “Remittances are now the largest source of foreign income for several developing countries.” | remittance flow, send a remittance | money transfer home |
| bilateral agreement | n. | A formal agreement between two countries. | “Bilateral agreements on student-visa rules can dramatically affect international enrolment in either direction.” | sign a bilateral agreement, renew a bilateral agreement | two-country pact |
Using these in IELTS Speaking
IELTS Speaking rewards natural production over recall. Aim to slip a higher-register word like globalisation or cultural homogenisation into your answer at the moment the question invites it, rather than forcing a memorised phrase into the opening sentence. Examiners notice when vocabulary feels rehearsed.
If you are not sure of a collocation, use a slightly safer word you control. A single confident use of consumer culture in Part 3 — where the question explicitly invites discussion — gives examiners more evidence of range than a stilted opening sentence with three advanced terms.
Using these in IELTS Writing Task 2
Writing Task 2 rewards precise topic vocabulary in body paragraphs more than in the introduction. The introduction restates the prompt and signals your position; the body paragraphs are where examiners look for evidence of lexical range. Anchor each body paragraph on one main idea and weave in two or three words from this page that genuinely advance the argument.
Avoid the temptation to use every word on this page in a single essay. Two or three accurate uses of less common vocabulary is band-7 territory; five forced uses without natural collocation is a band-6 signal. Pair higher-register vocabulary with simple, grammatically clean sentences rather than the other way around.
Common traps to avoid
The most common globalisation trap at band 6.5 is collocation mismatch — using a word in a combination native speakers would not produce. The collocations column on the table above is the most important field for avoiding this; learn globalisation not as a single word but as part of the collocations listed beside it.
The second trap is register mismatch: using an informal word in a Writing Task 2 essay, or an overly formal word in a personal Speaking answer. The example sentences on this page are calibrated to the register IELTS expects for each section listed in the header.
Common questions
How many of these globalisation words do I actually need to know?
Will I lose marks if I use an unfamiliar word incorrectly?
Where in the IELTS exam does globalisation vocabulary appear?
How should I memorise this vocabulary effectively for IELTS?
Are these words on the Academic Word List?
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