What 'community' covers: Community is part of the theme Social organization. This section gives you the words for it.
You need vocabulary to…
- talk about your neighbourhood, neighbours and shared spaces
- talk about local projects and helping one another
- give your opinion about them
How to use this list: The words below are common English B vocabulary. Treat the list as a glossary: learn each term with its meaning and a synonym, then reuse them in the reading and writing sections.
- community
- a group of people who live in the same area or share something in common
- neighbourhood
- the area around where you live, and the people in it
- neighbour
- a person who lives near you
- residents' association
- an organised group of local people who work to improve the area
- public space
- an open area anyone can use — a park, a square, a community centre
- community garden
- a shared plot where local people grow plants together
- volunteering
- giving your time to help others without being paid
- to collaborate / to pull together
- to work together towards a shared goal
- to get along (with)
- to have a friendly relationship with someone
- meeting place / hub
- a spot where people gather and come together
- to lend a hand
- to help someone, often informally
- the common good
- what benefits the whole community, not just one person
- to belong / to fit in
- to feel that you are an accepted part of a group
| Useful expression | What it means |
|---|---|
| I get along really well with my neighbours. | I have a friendly relationship with the people near me. |
| My neighbourhood lacks spaces for young people. | There aren't enough places for teenagers to go. |
| I volunteer on a local project. | I give my time to help a project in my area. |
| If we all pull together, we improve the community. | Working together makes the area better for everyone. |
| I always try to lend a hand to those who need it. | I help people who need it whenever I can. |
Why this matters: This vocabulary turns up in every skill — a reading text about a local project, a listening interview with a neighbour, a Paper 1 blog or letter to the residents' association, or your oral. Reusing precise topic words is how you score Criterion A (Language).
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Have something to say: Examiners reward developed ideas, not just vocabulary. Take a position and back it up.
Common debates around community
- The lack of public spaces for young people.
- Do neighbours still help one another today?
- How local projects (gardens, volunteering) bring people together.
Opinion phrases (use these to introduce a view)
- In my opinion… / From my point of view… — to introduce what you think
- It seems to me that… / I believe that… — a slightly softer way to give a view
- The most important thing is… — to highlight your main point
- On the one hand… on the other hand… — to weigh up two sides
- I (completely) agree that… / I'm not convinced that… — to react to an idea
Problems in a neighbourhood
- There is a lack of public spaces where young people can meet.
- Sometimes neighbours don't know each other and nobody collaborates.
- Some shared spaces are abandoned or neglected.
A strong community
- Volunteering helps us feel part of something bigger.
- A shared project turns a neighbourhood into a meeting place.
- When neighbours pull together, everyone lives better.
Saving local places
- Small shops against online shopping
- A library that may close
- Restoring a historic landmark
New shared spaces
- A community garden on unused land
- A library of things: borrow, do not buy
- Groups where neighbours give things away
Looking after each other
- Lonely older neighbours
- Volunteers who repair, teach, cook
- Living together: cohousing
- the high street
- the main shopping street of a town
- to raise funds
- to collect money for a project
- a local council
- the group of people elected to run a town or city
- to volunteer
- to work without being paid, to help others
- isolated
- alone and without much contact with other people
- to restore
- to repair something old so it looks or works as it used to
Link your ideas: Connectors lift your answer from a list into an argument: moreover (to add), however (to contrast), therefore (to conclude), although (to concede). Use at least two or three in any written answer.
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Read like Paper 2: Here is a short blog post — the kind of text Paper 2 (Reading) gives you. Read it once just for the general idea; don't worry about every word. Then we'll work through one exam question together.
The day our street became a neighbourhood (part 1): For years I lived on a street where nobody said hello. We all hurried past one another, and I didn't even know the names of the people next door.
The day our street became a neighbourhood (part 2)
Last June, two neighbours asked the council to close our street to traffic for one Sunday afternoon. Every family brought a dish from home, the children drew with chalk on the road, and the quiet old man from number twelve turned out to be a brilliant jazz pianist.
The day our street became a neighbourhood (part 3)
Since that day we have had a group chat: people lend each other tools, water each other's plants during the holidays and look out for the older residents. I have learned that a community doesn't need a big project to begin — sometimes it only needs one afternoon together.
- to hurry past (someone)
- to walk quickly by someone without stopping
- to close a street to traffic
- to stop cars from using a street for a time
- to turn out to be
- to be discovered to be something you did not expect
- to lend
- to give something to someone for a short time
- to look out for (someone)
- to keep an eye on someone and help them if needed
IB-style task — one Paper 2 question
One question, step by step
- The question — "According to the text, what did the two neighbours ask the council to do?"
- Find it in the text. Look for the word "council": "two neighbours asked the council to close our street to traffic for one Sunday afternoon."
- The answer — To close the street to traffic for one Sunday afternoon. The words are right there in the text, so no outside knowledge is needed.
Reading technique: For an "according to the text" question, find the exact line that proves your answer — don't rely on memory or general knowledge.
The task: Your neighbourhood's residents' association is asking young people for ideas to improve the community. Write a proposal to the association: present a local project and explain why it would help.
Write 250–400 words.
Proposal structure — 3 steps
1
Heading and purpose
To, From, and what you propose, in one line. "Proposal: a sharing shelf. To: … From: … Purpose: …"
2
The plan
How it would work: who, what, when. "We would put up a shelf in the corner shop…"
3
Justification
Why it is worth doing, then ask for approval. "It costs almost nothing… I therefore ask the association to approve…"
Purpose → Plan → Justification
Model: the 3 steps in ~100 words
The proposal, step by step
- Proposal: a sharing shelf in the corner shop. To: the Residents' Association. From: Marta Lopez, youth representative. Purpose: to help neighbours get to know each other and waste less.
- The plan. We would put up a shelf in the corner shop where people leave books, tools and toys they no longer need, and take what they can use. Two young volunteers would check it every week.
- Why it would work. It costs almost nothing, it reduces waste and it gives young people a role in the community. We will ask users to look after the shared spaces as if they were their own home. I therefore ask the association to approve the project at its next meeting.
Why it works: A strong proposal does this for each of the three Paper 1 criteria:
A — Language /12
- Range of forms: conditional "we would put up", future "we will ask", "as if they were"
- Connectors: "and", "therefore"
- Topic vocabulary: neighbours, volunteers, reduce waste
B — Message /12
- Task fully done: presents the project AND explains why it would help
- A concrete plan: what, who, when
C — Conceptual /6
- Proposal conventions: To / From / Purpose heading
- Plan and justification under bold headings
- A formal request for approval
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How listening is tested: Paper 2 also tests listening: you hear short clips, each played twice, and you never see the words.
How to answer — 3 steps
1
Read the questions first
Do this before the clip plays.
2
Listen for the key idea
Focus on the part each question points to.
3
Then answer
Use what the speaker actually says.
Questions → Key idea → Answer
Practise on the page: Here we'll use a transcript so you can practise the technique on the page. Read the questions, then find the answer in the speaker's words.
Transcript — Hugo's speech (part 1): Good afternoon, neighbours. My name is Hugo and I'm a student from this neighbourhood. As you can see, many older residents don't really know how to use their phones for everyday tasks. So here's my idea: every Saturday, several of us students will give free technology classes at the community centre.
Transcript — Hugo's speech (part 2)
That way the older residents will learn to make video calls, and we'll feel useful. If we all pull together, this neighbourhood will become a real meeting place. Thank you very much.
IB-style task — two listening questions
Two questions, step by step
- Q1 — What will the students do every Saturday? Listen just after "here's my idea": "several of us students will give free technology classes at the community centre." That is your answer.
- Q2 — What will the older residents learn? He says it next: "the older residents will learn to make video calls." Answer: how to make video calls.
Listening technique: Read the questions before the clip plays. Each question usually points to one short part of the recording — listen for the words around it, not the whole thing.