Band 9 IELTS Vocabulary for Broken and Busted

Jessica Beck, an ex-examiner, teaches alternative vocabulary for 'broken' in IELTS contexts. She covers informal terms like 'busted', 'totaled', and 'on the Fritz', as well as appearance-related words like 'dinged up' and 'marred'. These alternatives can be used in various IELTS speaking and writing tasks.

In which IELTS speaking part might you describe a time when you bought something that was broken?

• Speaking Part 3

• Speaking Part 2

• Speaking Part 1

• Task One General Letter

What informal adjective can be used to describe a machine that is so broken it cannot work anymore?

• On the Fritz

• Busted

• Dinged up

• Marred

Which term is used to describe a car that will never work again?

• Busted

• Totaled

• Marred

• Dinged up

What phrase would you use if a piece of equipment is temporarily not working but can be fixed?

• Busted

• Totaled

• On the Fritz

• Marred

Which formal word describes an item with a damaged appearance but still functional?

• Dinged up

• Totaled

• Busted

• Marred