From ‘I like pizza’ to ‘I can discuss food systems, health policy, and cultural traditions.’
Most IELTS students talk about food as a personal preference. Band 7–8 responses explore food as a cultural force, a public health issue, and a globalised commodity. This page gives you the language to speak and write about food with academic depth and insight.
Topic Introduction
Food is more than taste — it’s about culture, health, economy, and sustainability. In IELTS, questions about food may ask you to discuss processed food, traditional diets, the impact of globalisation, or government food policies. To succeed, you need more than vocabulary — you need perspective.
High-Impact Vocabulary List
Word 1: Processed food (Band 7)
• Definition: Food that has been altered through mechanical or chemical operations to improve shelf life or taste. • Academic Sentence: Increased consumption of processed food has been linked to rising rates of obesity and chronic disease. • Perception Frame: Processed food isn’t just about convenience — it’s a modern diet revolution. But that convenience often comes at a health cost. While some see it as progress, others view it as the root of public health problems.
Word 2: Malnutrition (Band 7.5)
• Definition: Poor nutrition caused by not having enough to eat or not eating enough of the right things. • Academic Sentence: Malnutrition remains a global concern, affecting both undernourished and overweight populations. • Perception Frame: Malnutrition isn’t just a developing world issue. It also describes poor-quality diets full of calories but lacking nutrition. In both rich and poor countries, food quality is a growing concern.
Word 3: Food security (Band 8)
• Definition: The state of having reliable access to a sufficient quantity of affordable, nutritious food. • Academic Sentence: Climate change and economic instability threaten global food security. • Perception Frame: Food security sounds technical — but it’s about whether people can eat tomorrow. It’s the invisible backbone of peace, health, and social stability. Without it, societies can collapse.
Word 4: Culinary tradition (Band 7)
• Definition: The historical and cultural food practices of a particular region or people. • Academic Sentence: Preserving culinary traditions helps maintain cultural identity in a globalised world. • Perception Frame: Culinary traditions aren’t just recipes — they’re cultural memory. Each dish tells a story, carries a value, and connects generations.
IELTS Writing Task Prompt
Prompt: Some people believe fast food is destroying traditional food culture. Others think it is convenient and suits modern life. Discuss both views and give your opinion.
Band 6 Style: Fast food is popular. Some people don’t like it. Some do. Band 7+ Style: While fast food offers convenience for busy lifestyles, it also contributes to the erosion of culinary traditions and health standards.
Writing Frame: “Although ______ is convenient, it may also undermine ______.”
IELTS Speaking Challenge
Question: What kind of food do people in your country eat?
Band 6 Style: We eat rice and meat. It is tasty and we like it. Band 7+ Style: In my country, traditional diets are rice-based, but globalisation has introduced fast food, leading to a blend of cultural influences and nutritional habits.
Try This Frame: “In my country, people traditionally eat ______, but recently ______ has become more common.”
Grammar Focus: Comparative structures with cause and effect
Examples:
- “The more processed food people eat, the higher the risk of chronic illness.”
- “As culinary traditions fade, cultural identity may weaken.”
Practice:
- Rewrite: “People eat more fast food. They get more health problems.” → “The more fast food people consume, the more health problems they tend to develop.”
- Create your own using: the more, the less, as X increases, Y decreases
Vocabulary Recap
- Processed food
- Malnutrition
- Food security
- Culinary tradition
These words help you express ideas about health, culture, and global food issues with clarity and power.
Most students describe what they eat.
Band 7+ students explain how food reflects culture, health, inequality, and policy.
That’s what IELTS Vocabulary Transformation trains you to do.
Inside the course, you’ll:
- Learn high-band vocabulary like processed food, food security, and culinary tradition
- Practise writing and speaking frames that show real insight
- Train fluency across real IELTS topics — from health to globalisation to public policy
👉 Join IELTS Vocabulary Transformation — and speak about food like someone who belongs at Band 7+.