play a pivotal role
To have a very important and influential part in something.
writing-task-2speakingEducationTechnology
IELTS use
Useful in Task 2 to argue the importance of factors like education, technology, or government policy, and in Speaking Part 3 to discuss influences.
Examples
- Teachers play a pivotal role in shaping students' critical thinking skills.
- Renewable energy technologies will play a pivotal role in achieving carbon neutrality.
Collocations
- play a pivotal role
- Social media plays a pivotal role in modern political campaigns.
Paraphrases
- be crucial for: Simpler synonym useful for avoiding repetition.
Common mistakes
- play a pivot role to play a pivotal role. The adjective 'pivotal' must be used, not the noun 'pivot'.