Have you ever worried that overusing the word “good” in your IELTS writing makes your essay sound repetitive or basic?
In the IELTS Writing Band Descriptors, Lexical Resource—your range and accuracy of vocabulary—is a crucial factor. Repetitive or overly simple vocabulary can lower your score. At iWorld Learning, a leading English training provider in Singapore, we emphasize the importance of precision, sophistication, and variety in word choice.
Today, we’ve handpicked 15 high-level alternatives to “good” that cover a wide range of contexts to help you upgrade your writing and stand out in the IELTS exam.
🎯 Why Replace “Good”?
“Good” is a basic adjective commonly used to describe people, things, and ideas. However, in formal or academic writing, it often sounds vague and generic. By using more accurate and context-appropriate vocabulary, you can significantly enhance your writing’s impact and leave a stronger impression on examiners.
🧠 15 High-Level Alternatives to “Good” (with Example Sentences)
- Excellent – Extremely good or outstanding
This solution provides excellent results in terms of efficiency.
- Outstanding – Remarkably good or impressive
Her outstanding performance impressed the entire committee.
- Exceptional – Unusually good (commonly used in academic or ability-related contexts)
The student demonstrated exceptional critical thinking skills.
- Remarkable – Worthy of attention, noticeable
The city has shown remarkable improvement in public safety.
- Beneficial – Helpful, advantageous
Regular exercise is beneficial to both physical and mental health.
- Impressive – Evoking admiration or respect
The report is well-organized and highly impressive.
- Positive – Favorable or beneficial (commonly used for results or feedback)
The policy has brought about many positive changes.
- Favorable – Advantageous, supportive (especially for conditions or environments)
The country enjoys favorable trade relations with its neighbors.
- Valuable – Useful, important, or worth a lot
Your input was extremely valuable to the project’s success.
- Advantageous – Providing an advantage (highly suitable for academic writing)
It would be advantageous for governments to invest in green technology.
- Suitable – Appropriate or fitting
This method is particularly suitable for large-scale data analysis.
- Effective – Successful in producing a desired result
The campaign proved to be an effective strategy for raising awareness.
- Reliable – Dependable or trustworthy (for systems, data, or people)
We need a reliable source of information to support this claim.
- High-quality – Of superior standard (for products, services, content)
Consumers are demanding more high-quality, eco-friendly products.
- Well-developed – Thorough and thoughtfully planned (for arguments, cities, systems)
The essay presents a well-developed argument supported by evidence.
✍️ Word Choice Is About Mindset, Not Just Synonyms
Many students simply replace “good” with “excellent” without considering the context. But in IELTS writing, choosing the right word based on the meaning and purpose of the sentence is what really matters. For example:
- Giving advice → Use beneficial or advantageous
- Evaluating a policy or method → Use effective or impactful
- Describing someone’s performance → Use outstanding or exceptional
- Discussing results → Use positive or significant
In iWorld Learning’s IELTS writing courses, our teachers help students identify their vocabulary patterns and guide them through systematic vocabulary upgrades, so they can avoid penalties for repetition and confidently aim for Band 7 and above.
🎓 Writing Excellence: It’s Not Just About Quantity, But Quality
At iWorld, we believe high-scoring writing isn’t just about using “more” vocabulary—it’s about using the right vocabulary with precision.
Our writing programs are designed by experienced IELTS examiners and Cambridge-certified educators. We provide comprehensive instruction, covering idea development, sentence structure, lexical accuracy, and test strategies to help you succeed in every aspect of writing.
📍 Visit us at one of our Singapore campuses:
- CBD Campus: 10 Anson Road, #24-15, International Plaza, Singapore 079903 (Green Line – Tanjong Pagar MRT)
- Orchard Campus: 111 Somerset Road, #10-19, Singapore 238164 (Red Line – Somerset MRT)
📞 Contact us today: +65 8798 0083
