Word collocation for ielts

What you will learn: 

• What are collocations?
• 30 useful collocations for IELTS Speaking
• How to use collocations in your exam
• Collocations: exercises

What are collocations?

Collocations are combinations of two or more words that frequently occur together. Some words collocate with many other words, for example: broad could be used to form the collocations a broad smile, a broad range or a broad accent. However, some words only occur in one or two collocations, for example: mindless violence. 

Words that collocate with many other words are called weak collocations. Those that only form collocations with one or two other words are known as strong collocations. Using expressions like these can help you to improve your vocabulary range and increase accuracy. Learning common collocations in English can help you to sound more “native” on your IELTS Speaking test.
 

30 useful collocations for IELTS speaking

You may be familiar with adjective + noun collocations, such as a big mistake or heavy rain. However, collocations are formed from many different word combinations, for example: a verb with a noun (make a speech) or an adverb with an adjective (extremely successful).

The collocations listed here are all commonly used in everyday speech. The table divides the collocations list into four different types: verb + noun, adjective + noun, noun + noun and adverb + adjective.

Each collocation is given with a definition and an example sentence. In section three, you will see how you can use collocations in a real IELTS Speaking exam.

Verb/noun collocation	Adjective/noun collocation
Find a solution Go on a diet Make a living Overcome a hurdle Throw a party Spend a fortune Watch what you eat Keep in shape	A complete disaster Formal education A heavy workload Mature student A quick learner A surprise party A special occasion A bubbly personality
Noun/noun collocation	Adverb/adjective collocation
Carbon footprint Childhood friend Full marks Food miles Personality trait Value for money Fashion victim	Absolutely delighted Extremely successful Newly qualified Cautiously optimistic Slightly different Stunningly attractive Absolutely vital

30 collocations with definitions and examples

1. A quick learner – someone who learns new things easily
   Anne speaks Italian fluently and has only been in Rome a year! Yes, she is a quick learner. 

1. Absolutely delighted – to be very happy about something
   Toni was absolutely delighted with her wedding gift! 

1. Absolutely vital – extremely important
   It’s absolutely vital that you read the instructions carefully before you start your exam!

1. Bubbly personality – someone with a bubbly personality is positive, lively and talkative
   I prefer people with bubbly personalities – they are so easy to talk to.

1. Carbon footprint – a measure of your impact on the environment
   I’m trying to reduce my carbon footprint by using my bike instead of the car.

1. Cautiously optimistic – to have a realistically positive view of the future
   I am cautiously optimistic about getting a new job.

1. Childhood friend – a friend you have known since you were young
   I have known Debbie for 30 years – she is a childhood friend.

1. Complete disaster – describes a situation that has gone very wrong
   The shopping trip was a complete disaster! It rained all day.

1. Extremely successful – to have the desired aim or result
   Jane was extremely successful in her engineering career.

To help you remember them, try learning collocations by topic. Make a list of common IELTS Speaking topics and learn a couple of collocations that relate to each one.

1. Fashion victim – a person who wears fashionable clothes even if they look silly
   Have you seen what Steve is wearing? What a fashion victim!

1. Find a solution – to find a way of solving a problem
   Tom hasn’t found a solution to our budgeting issue yet – he is organising a board meeting to discuss it later this week.

1. Food miles – the distance food has to travel from where it is produced to where it is eaten
   If you grow some of your own vegetables, you can decrease your food miles dramatically. 

1. Formal education – the time in your life when you are educated at school or university
   My grandfather left school when he was 14, so his formal education was quite short.

1. Full marks – to score 100% in a test
   Sarah looks very happy today. Yes, she got full marks in her maths test!

1. Go on a diet – to eat in a way that will cause you to lose weight
   After Christmas I am going on a diet – I have put on so much weight during lockdown!

1. Heavy workload – to have a job where you have a lot of work to do
   His new job is great, but he has a really heavy workload at the moment.

1. Keep in shape – to take good care of your body and not get fat
   He looks fit. Yes, he keeps himself in shape by going to the gym every day.

1. Make a living – earn enough money to live on
   In the 90s, my father made a living working in the hospitality industry.

1. Mature student – a student who is older than the average age of others
   It was fine being a mature student, but most friends I made at uni were younger than me.

1. Newly qualified – having recently completed your training for a job
   Jim doesn’t have much experience yet. He is a newly qualified lawyer. 

1. Overcome a hurdle – to manage to resolve a problem
   I had to overcome many hurdles on my way to becoming a qualified teacher. 

1. Personality trait – particular aspects of someone’s personality
   Ryan has some very positive personality traits. He is intelligent, caring and loyal. 

1. Slightly different – not exactly the same
   That hat is a slightly different colour to your dress.

1. Special occasion – a time when a particular event is celebrated
   I think I will save this party dress for a special occasion. 

1. Spend a fortune – to spend a lot of money
   Maggie spent a fortune on her new car! 

1. Stunningly attractive – very good looking
   If you look at these old photos, my grandmother was a stunningly attractive woman.

1. Surprise party – a party held for a person who does not know about it
   Jeff’s colleagues organised a surprise party for his 31^st birthday.

1. Throw a party – to organise a party
   When I was a kid, we used to throw a party every Halloween.

1. Value for money – something is worth the money you spend on it
   That coat was really good value for money.

1. Watch what you eat – to follow a diet in order to lose weight
   I’m watching what I eat at the moment – I need to lose a few pounds.

How to use collocations in IELTS Speaking

Part 1: Short Questions

In part one of the IELTS speaking test, the examiner will ask you questions on one or two familiar topics. The following examples show the types of questions you may be asked and give some suggestions on how to use collocations in your answers.

Shopping

Q. Do you enjoy buying new clothes?
A. Yes, I really like shopping for clothes, but I don’t spend a fortune on them. I like looking for attractive clothes that are also good value for money.

Q. Is it important to buy fashionable clothes?
A. I do like fashionable clothes, but I’m not a fashion victim! I buy things that are in fashion, but they have to look good on me too!

Work

Q. What job would you like to do in the future?
A. I would like to make a living as a lawyer. I think it would be an interesting job, although a lot of lawyers have a heavy workload, so it could be quite stressful and I expect the working hours would be rather long.

Q. Do you like your current job?
A. Yes, I am a newly-qualified teacher. I only started teaching last year. It’s a challenging job, but I really enjoy it.

Friends

Q. Tell me about one of your friends.
A. My mate Josie is a childhood friend. She is really chatty and cheerful. She has a bubbly personality, so she is always good fun to be with.

Q. What makes a good friend?
A. Well, a friend doesn’t have to be stunningly attractive! It is much more important that you get on with them and that they have some positive personality traits. In my opinion, it’s important that a good friend is honest, loyal and kind.

Part 2: Presentation

In part two of the IELTS Speaking examination, you will give a short talk based on a topic card. You will talk for one or two minutes. The topics are usually on everyday themes, giving you a chance to use some collocations that are relevant to the topic. The examples below show how you can use collocations in your presentation. 

Q. Describe a time during your education that you really enjoyed.
A. To be honest, I didn’t enjoy school when I was very young. I think it took me some time to get used to formal education. I think I would have preferred to have stayed at home! I thought it was a bit boring and I wasn’t a good student.

I started to enjoy school when I was a teenager. I think I’m quite a quick learner, so I really liked it when lessons got more difficult at secondary school. I started to listen more in class and got some good grades. I remember I was absolutely delighted when I scored full marks in a science test when I was 14. That encouraged me to choose science subjects at A level. Now I’m a mature student, studying to be a doctor, but I think my love of science started back then!

Q. Describe a time when you helped to organise something.
A. Last year me and my friends decided to throw a party. Our mate Matthew was 18 last summer and we thought that he would enjoy a big celebration! We decided it would be fun to make it a surprise party, so we talked to his parents and they agreed to hold the party at their house.

We invited lots of Matthew’s friends, bought some food and drink and got everything ready at his house. We were careful to keep it a surprise, so we all hid in the kitchen, waiting for Matthew to arrive for the special occasion!

Matthew had a part-time job, so the plan was for another friend to pick him up from work and drive to the house. Unfortunately, on their way to the party the car broke down! It was a complete disaster! Finally, Matthew got home in a taxi. We all jumped out and shouted ‘surprise!’ He looked a bit shocked, but I think he really enjoyed the party.

Part 3: Discussion

In part three of IELTS Speaking, you will be asked questions relating to the topic from part two of the exam. You should give your opinion on each question and your reasons for it, as well as some examples from you own experience. You can include collocations that relate to the question topic.

Diet & health

Q. Does eating healthy food improve your health?
A. Yes, I think it is important that we all watch what we eat because eating too much junk food can make us overweight and that causes other health problems. I don’t think people necessarily need to go on a diet to be healthier. They just need to eat fresh, healthy food, such as fruit and vegetables.

Q. Is it important to have an exercise routine?
A. I think the most important thing is to do some exercise regularly so that you keep in shape. It doesn’t really matter whether it is running, swimming or dancing, but it is really important that you enjoy the exercise that you choose. A regular exercise routine can be extremely successful at keeping you motivated. Even if you only exercise now and then, it is still good for your health.

Environment

Q. What can you do as an individual to help the environment?
A. There are lots of things we can do in our homes to help the environment. For example, we can recycle our waste and try to reduce the amount of plastic we use. One important thing to consider is how to reduce your carbon footprint. That means you try to reduce the amount of carbon dioxide that you produce by using public transport, eating less meat and buying second-hand clothes. You can also reduce your food miles by buying food that is produced locally.

Q. Some people think it is too late to stop global warming. Do you agree?
A. I am actually cautiously optimistic about the environment. I do think we can work together to slow down the impact of global warming. However, it is absolutely vital that we all work together now to make big changes in how we live, including switching to clean energy and developing green technologies.

Technology

Q. How can technology be helpful in everyday life?
A. Sometimes technology can be really useful for finding a solution to a problem. For example, with modern technology you can find an app to help you in almost any situation. You can buy food online, navigate to a destination in your car and even find a new partner online!

Q. How do younger people and older people use technology differently?
A. I think young people use technology in almost every part of their lives. For example, they watch videos on their laptop, take photos on their phone and use social media all the time. For older people, I think it is slightly different. Some see new technology as overly complicated, but, with help, they can overcome this hurdle. I think older people often use technology in a limited way because they don’t fully understand it.
 

Judith P.
— ESL Tutor.

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Appropriate usage of collocations is of utmost significance when it comes to bolstering your IELTS score. While marking your IELTS tests, the examiners seek and appreciate correctly used collocations.

Collocations are the core of the IELTS exam. Hence, using relevant collocations will give you an edge in IELTS exams. So in the following discussion, you will find what is collocation in IELTS? And what are the important 20 collocation words for IELTS?

What is Collocation in IELTS?

Collocations are a combination of two or more words which organically fit with each other. For example, a light sleeper, make noise, etc.

To a native speaker, collocations sound perfect when the combination of words is natural. Any collocation with an improper combination of words may sound unsuitable. Hence, the use of accurate collocations might leave a significant impact on the examiners.

If your collocations for IELTS sound exactly like native speakers, then it is likely that you are clearing this exam with flying colours. Let’s take a look at some important collocation words which can aid your IELTS score.

Also Read : IELTS, OET, & PTE Misconceptions: Myths and Facts Unveiled

20 Collocation Words for IELTS

1. To have a crucial role or play an important part.

• Teachers play an important part in shaping a child’s future.

2. To resolve a difficulty.

• Her words were relaxing even if she couldn’t resolve a difficulty of mine.

3. To be a vital factor in controlling something.

• Reforestation is a vital factor in controlling global warming.

4. To do valuable or make a significant contribution.

• Scientists have made a significant contribution to humanity by inventing new technologies.

5. To contribute to someone or something.

• Every year, tobacco contributes to seven million deaths around the globe.

6. To be the main reason for something.

• The main reason for his success is his tremendous dedication.

7. To gain an advantage from something.

• During a sale, they gained the advantage of discounts by buying clothes at a cheap price.

8. To reap the most from something

• He studied every evening and reaped most of it during his exams.

9. To be designated for doing something.

•  All the workers were designated to carve the stone.

10. To take considerable advantage from something.

• Due to free vaccination drives, many of the unprivileged citizens could take considerable advantage.

Rest of the 20 Collocation Words for IELTS

11. To achieve great success or huge achievement by doing something.

• Universities look forward to achieving great success by providing the best education.

12. To activate a comprehensive investigation on something.

• The CBI activated a comprehensive investigation to catch the murderer.

13. To meet the necessity of.

• The NGO was started to meet the necessity of the orphans.

14. To fulfil some function or ambition.

• A vacation to Hawaii has fulfilled the boy’s ambition.

15. To fulfil one’s promise or pledge.

• We’d like to see our daughter fulfil her pledge of becoming a pilot.

16. To satisfy a requirement or a condition.

• The state government failed to satisfy the requirement of hunger.

17. To influence someone to carry out something.

• He influenced her to dance and achieve her dreams.

18. To fulfil someone’s desire or needs.

• The curriculum was designed to fulfil the needs of the learners.

19.  To gain knowledge of something.

• She tried to gain knowledge of the planets as they amused her.

20. To have a common reason or grounds.

• A rule, based on common grounds, should be made for the smooth functioning of the factory.

These are some important and good collocations for IELTS preparation to practise. Practising collocation words like the above will surely help you increase your marks in IELTS exams.

Collocations Book for IELTS

You must keep reading and practising to master appropriate use of collocations and improve IELTS vocabulary. IELTS experts suggest the candidates that they should refer to IELTS Vocabulary books.

There are many IELTS vocabulary books online as well as offline, which can enhance your academic collocations list. You can also write meaning, synonyms or antonyms besides each word in the vocabulary book so that you can form an accurate collocation in your exam.

IELTS Ninja is another popular online platform that can help you with your IELTS preparation. They have one-on-one lectures with customised plans to cater to student’s personal needs.

To find more helpful content related to IELTS, stay tuned with our regular articles and newsletters.

Also Read : IELTS Writing Task 2 Samples: Exam Questions & Answers to Target Minimum Band 8

Accurate use of collocations will help you get a high score.

Updated: April 19th 2022

Some of the most important vocabulary needed for IELTS writing are collocations. These are needed for a higher score. Collocations are 2 or 3 words that commonly go together and sound just right to a native speaker. For some tips on building your vocabulary take a look at this blog post here. If you do not know how to use collocations, they will sound or look ‘wrong’ to a native speaker.

For example, ‘use money‘ sounds strange if you go shopping. The correct word is to ‘spend money‘, or if someone speaks in a loud way I can’t say he has a ‘big voice‘ I need to say he has a ‘loud voice’. Or maybe he has a ‘big mouth‘ to describe him as arrogant, not a ‘large mouth‘. When I want to relax in the evening I wouldn’t ‘look at a movie‘ I would ‘watch a movie‘…. and so on…

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Why are collocations so important?

In the marking criteria in IELTS you are marked on Lexical Resource (vocabulary). You will be marked on the way you use collocations in the writing section. Here is what it says in the Public Band Descriptors in lexical resource Band 7.

uses a sufficient range of vocabulary to allow some flexibility and precision

uses less common lexical items with some awareness of style and collocation

may produce occasional errors in word choice, spelling and/or word formation

Collocations in IELTS are important for writing, but they are also useful in the speaking test. They give your speech a smooth natural flow, which can help you get a Band 7 or more in the speaking test if used well. You have to know how to use them correctly though.

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How do I learn collocations?

When you learn new words you must learn the surrounding words and the context. Don’t just memorise words on their own. Collocations are like chunks of language and there are various patterns to these.

The best way to learn collocations is through reading, listening and making your sentences. I advise making a vocabulary book where you write out example sentences. I do not advise using word lists because you must know how collocations work in the surrounding sentence. These also have to be reviewed regularly and put into practice, so word lists are of no real use.

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Recommended book

If you want a much deeper understanding of collocations with many practice exercises, you can get the book ‘English Collocations In Use’ from Cambridge See this link here. This book is available on amazon.

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Collocation patterns

There are quite a few patterns such as:

• Verb + Noun
• Verb + Adverb
• Adjective + Noun
• Adverb + Adjective
• Noun + Noun
• Collocations with ‘have’ or ‘take’
  

Let’s take a look at some example sentences.

These are for example purposes only. I always advise against just memorising vocabulary because the IELTS examiners are trained to spot that. Try using them in your sentences and get feedback from a teacher if possible.

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Verb noun collocations

a) It was his 21st birthday so he decided to throw a party.
b) The student raised a question about the topic in class.
c) The teacher paid him a compliment about his well written IELTS essays.
d) She was late for work so she made an excuse about the train being delayed.
e) The government is giving priority to the issue of air quality in cities.
f) I made an appointment to see the dentist.
g) The student made an effort to improve his essay writing.

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Verb adverb collocations

a) The customer complained bitterly about the terrible service.
b) The guests were welcomed warmly when they arrived at the party.
c) She spoke loudly over the phone because the signal wasn’t very good.
d) He smiled proudly when he got his IELTS exam results.
e) He apologised profusely after bumping into the man and spilling his drink.
f) She is a very gentle person who speaks softly.

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Adjective noun collocations

a) The boy shows a keen interest in going to University and becoming a Doctor.
b) We had a brief chat about our travel plans for next week.
c) There was heavy snow overnight, and the roads were all blocked.
d) I was given invaluable advice from the teacher about doing the reading test.
e) He suggested going to the beach. It was a fantastic idea so we all decided to go.
f) There is a strong possibility that the climate will get warmer over the next two decades.

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Adverb adjective collocations

a) I was utterly shocked by his bad behaviour.
b) She is totally satisfied with her Band 8 score in IELTS
c) It is incredibly stupid to drink and drive.
d) The weather is rather cold for this time of year.
e) The new laws about internet privacy are pretty worrying.
f) I’m extremely interested in getting a Band 9 in IELTS.

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a) There was a ceasefire agreement by the rebel groups.
b) I bought a loaf of bread and a can of coke.
c) He bought a round of drinks for his friends
d) He got a round of applause after his performance
e) They work in the service industry.
f) You need a building permit to build a house.

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Collocations with ‘have’ and ‘take’

In British English, the word ‘have’ is quite popular, for example, have a bath, have a look,  have a break. In American English, the word ‘take’ is often used such as, take a bath, take a vacation, take a look.

• Have a bath – Take a bath
• Have a drink
• Have a look – Take a look
• Have lunch
• Have fun
• Have a rest – Take a rest
• Have a holiday – Take a vacation
• Have a seat – Take a seat
• Have a haircut
• Have a wash
• Have a shave
• Have a nice day
• Have something to eat
• Have a laugh
• Have a tough time

So you need to now take action (take action – verb-noun collocation !)  and start your IELTS collocations notebook, remember to make sentences and use them in speaking.

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Collocations exercise

What collocations fit into the sentences below?. Try it first then check your answers.

1. Mr Smith was __________ welcomed when he arrived at the conference.
2. There was _______ rain all night, so the streets were flooded.
3.  Many people ________ questions about the government’s new immigration policy.
4. Most developed countries are ________ priority to the implementation of renewable energy.
5. We _______ a reservation for a hotel room.
6. She _________ profusely for arriving late for the meeting.
7. I needed to _______ a haircut so I went to the barbers.
8. Hello Mr Smith, please ______ a seat.
9. I was given ___________ advice about preparing for IELTS writing task 2.
10. Driving while using a smartphone is an __________   silly thing to do.

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Any questions? Leave a comment below.

Collocations are crucial for enhancing a candidate’s skills that are associated with English. Having appropriate skills associated with collocations will help with improving the IELTS score. Collocations help a candidate to write and speak like a native speaker. Moreover, these are one of the aspects on which speaking candidates’ scores are assessed. In terms of improving our IELTS vocabulary, studying new words as part of collocation is significantly more effective than learning single words on their own.

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A collocation is a phrase that consists of two or more words that are commonly used together. These combinations appear «proper» to native English speakers who use them frequently. Other «way» pairings, on the other hand, may seem strange and «wrong.» Using the «Way» collocations list improves your English skills, especially your speaking abilities, and broadens your vocabulary.

Exercise:
Verb + list of
Use the correct form of these verbs:
make           find           leave
cross          publish      memorise

1. We were burgled last night. The police have asked us to __________ a list of everything that’s missing.

Answer: make
Explanation: the above-mentioned sentence is trying to convey or highlight a burglary. Thus, the police asked the victims to produce a list of the things that disappeared.

Read More IELTS Collocation Related Articles

1. At the back of your handout, you will __________ a list of the books that I have referred to during the lecture.

Answer: find
Explanation: The sentence portrayed above is trying to convey that some set of or a list of books has been mentioned in the handout that was being provided to the people.

1. The English teacher made us__________ the whole list of irregular verbs. It took ages!

Answer: memorize
Explanation: The above-mentioned sentence is trying to address that a bunch of students was forced to remember the irregular verbs that seemed difficult to them.

1. Every year The Times __________ a list of the 30 richest people in the UK.

Answer: publishes
Explanation: The above sentence is trying to address that a magazine, every year publishes the names of the 30 richest people based in the UK.

1. My wife went off on holiday and__________ an endless list of things for me to do around the house.

Answer: left
Explanation: The above sentence is trying to convey loads of work that is to be borne by an individual. Thus, left is the appropriate verb to complete the sentence.

1. After his dreadful behavior at dinner the other night, I have __________ Tim off my list of friends.

Answer: crossed
Explanation: The above sentence is trying to highlight a situation where some dreadful events took place. Thus crossed is the appropriate word to complete the sentence.

Exercise:
List of + noun
Complete the sentences with these nouns:
priorities         candidates          complaints

1. We didn’t enjoy our holiday one bit. We have a list of__________ as long as your arm!

Answer: complaints
Explanation: The above sentence is trying to portray that there have been issues that lead to spoint these people’s holiday. Thus, those people have complaints regarding that.

1. I’ve drawn up a list of__________ that I’d like to interview. I’ve narrowed it down to five people.

Answer: candidates
Explanation: A list of participants was prepared that were lined up for the interview and out of it five individuals were selected. Thus, candidates is the appropriate word to complete the sentence.

1. Decorating the bathroom comes a long way down my list of ____________ .There’s a lot more important things to do.

Answer: priorities
Explanation: The above sentence is trying to convey that there are other things to be treated as urgent apart from the mentioned activity, Thus, priority is the appropriate word.

guests       ingredients        names

1. The list of ____________ included 400g of sugar and 300g of butter.

Answer: ingredients
Explanation: The above-mentioned sentence states that there is a list of items that are mostly groceries had sugar and butter mentioned in them. Thus, ingredients is the appropriate answer.

1. I think we’d better draw up a list of possible __________ for the wedding breakfast – just so that we have an idea of the problem!

Answer: guests
Explanation: The above sentence is trying to convey the necessity of preparing a list of guests that are to be invited to an event.

1. The police need a list of____________ of all those who witnessed the accident.

Answer: names
Explanation: The above sentence is trying to convey a happening that has had a negative impact. Thus, there is a necessity o provide a witness list