Last updated: October 20, 2026
Two candidates can know the same words and still get different Lexical Resource bands. The difference is often collocation: whether the words they put together sound natural. Make a decision, heavy traffic, and pose a threat sound right to an examiner; do a decision, strong traffic, and make a threat to the environment do not.
This guide gives you 80 IELTS collocations by topic for Writing Task 2 and Speaking Part 3, the six collocation patterns to know, the mistakes learners make most often, and real essay questions where you can practise each set.
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- What Are Collocations and Why Do They Matter in IELTS?
- The Six Collocation Patterns
- Education Collocations
- Environment Collocations
- Technology Collocations
- Health Collocations
- Work and Business Collocations
- Crime and Law Collocations
- Government and Society Collocations
- Travel and Tourism Collocations
- Media and Advertising Collocations
- Family and Relationships Collocations
- Common Collocation Mistakes
- What Our Learners’ Essays Show
- How to Learn and Use Collocations
- Practise Collocations with BestMyTest
- Frequently Asked Questions About IELTS Collocations
What Are Collocations and Why Do They Matter in IELTS?
A collocation is a pair or group of words that native speakers naturally use together. There is often no grammar rule behind it: we say make a mistake but do homework, and heavy rain but strong wind. Learners who translate word by word from their own language often produce pairs that are grammatically correct but sound unnatural.
In IELTS, collocation is assessed under Lexical Resource, one of the four criteria in both Writing and Speaking, so it affects a quarter of each band. The public band descriptors expect a band 7 candidate to show an awareness of style and collocation, and a band 8 candidate to use less common words and collocations skilfully, with only occasional errors.
Collocations help in three ways:
- They sound natural. The examiner reads or hears your idea, not your word choice.
- They are precise. Reduce emissions says exactly what you mean; make pollution less does not.
- They save time. When you learn words in chunks, you don’t have to build each phrase from scratch in the exam.
The Six Collocation Patterns
Most collocations follow one of six patterns. Knowing them helps you notice collocations when you read:
Pattern | Examples |
|---|---|
Adjective + noun | heavy traffic, a balanced diet, economic growth |
Verb + noun | make a decision, pose a threat, take action |
Adverb + adjective | highly effective, deeply concerned, widely available |
Verb + adverb | strongly agree, rise sharply, vary considerably |
Noun + noun | life expectancy, job satisfaction, crime rate |
Verb + preposition | depend on, contribute to, result in |
Education Collocations
For essays and Part 3 answers about schools, universities, and learning.
acquire knowledge
Gain knowledge through study or experience.
- Students acquire knowledge more effectively when they apply it to real problems.
higher education
Study at university or college level.
- Access to higher education has widened in many countries.
meet the requirements
Have what is needed for a course or job.
- Applicants who do not meet the entry requirements can take a foundation year.
take a course
Study a subject in an organised way.
- Many adults take online courses to update their skills.
make progress
Improve step by step.
- Regular feedback helps pupils make steady progress.
a well-rounded education
An education covering many skills, not just exams.
- Sport and art are essential for a well-rounded education.
drop out of school
Leave school before finishing.
- Financial pressure causes some teenagers to drop out of school.
academic performance
How well a student does in study.
- Sleep has a clear effect on academic performance.
Use these collocations in a real education essay:
Environment Collocations
For topics such as climate change, pollution, and conservation.
reduce emissions
Cut the amount of gases released.
- Governments must reduce carbon emissions from transport.
pose a threat
Be a danger.
- Plastic waste poses a serious threat to marine life.
renewable energy
Energy from sources such as wind and sun.
- Investment in renewable energy creates new jobs.
natural resources
Materials such as water, forests, and minerals.
- Rapid growth puts pressure on natural resources.
take action
Do something to deal with a problem.
- Individuals and companies both need to take urgent action.
endangered species
Animals or plants at risk of disappearing.
- Protected areas give endangered species a chance to recover.
heavy traffic
A large number of vehicles.
- Heavy traffic is a major source of air pollution in cities.
raise awareness
Make people know more about an issue.
- Campaigns can raise awareness of the need to recycle.
Use these collocations in a real environment essay:
Technology Collocations
For the internet, social media, and automation.
rapid advances
Fast progress.
- Rapid advances in artificial intelligence are changing the workplace.
access information
Find and use information.
- Smartphones allow people to access information instantly.
spend time online
Use the internet.
- Teenagers spend several hours a day online.
a digital divide
A gap between people with and without technology.
- Free broadband could narrow the digital divide.
become dependent on
Need something too much.
- Many people have become dependent on their phones.
replace human workers
Do jobs that people used to do.
- Robots may replace human workers in routine jobs.
privacy concerns
Worries about personal data.
- Social media raises serious privacy concerns.
keep in touch
Stay in contact.
- Video calls help families keep in touch across countries.
Use these collocations in a real technology essay:
Health Collocations
For lifestyle, healthcare, and public health.
a balanced diet
Healthy food in the right amounts.
- Schools should teach children the value of a balanced diet.
take regular exercise
Exercise often.
- People who take regular exercise tend to sleep better.
a sedentary lifestyle
A life with little physical activity.
- Office work encourages a sedentary lifestyle.
life expectancy
How long people are expected to live.
- Life expectancy has risen thanks to better healthcare.
mental health
Emotional and psychological well-being.
- Long working hours can damage mental health.
a healthcare system
The organisation of medical care in a country.
- An ageing population puts pressure on the healthcare system.
prevent disease
Stop illness before it starts.
- Vaccination is the cheapest way to prevent disease.
a health risk
Something that may harm health.
- Fast food is a major health risk for children.
Use these collocations in a real health essay:
Work and Business Collocations
For jobs, careers, and the economy.
job satisfaction
How happy people are with their work.
- Job satisfaction matters more to some people than salary.
work long hours
Spend many hours at work.
- Employees who work long hours often feel burnt out.
a work-life balance
Time for both work and personal life.
- Flexible hours help staff keep a healthy work-life balance.
earn a living
Make the money needed to live.
- Many young people earn a living as freelancers.
run a business
Manage a company.
- It takes resilience to run a small business.
career prospects
Chances of success in a job.
- A second language improves career prospects.
the unemployment rate
The share of people without a job.
- The unemployment rate rose sharply during the crisis.
economic growth
An increase in a country’s wealth.
- Tourism is a key driver of economic growth.
Use these collocations in a real work and business essay:
Crime and Law Collocations
For punishment, prisons, and public safety.
commit a crime
Do something illegal.
- Young people who commit a crime need support as well as punishment.
a harsh punishment
A very strict penalty.
- Harsher punishments do not always reduce crime.
a prison sentence
Time a person must spend in prison.
- A long prison sentence can make it harder to find work later.
break the law
Do something illegal.
- Drivers who break the law should lose their licence.
law enforcement
The work of making people obey laws.
- Better law enforcement makes neighbourhoods safer.
a deterrent
Something that stops people from doing something.
- Fines act as an effective deterrent for minor offences.
the crime rate
How much crime happens.
- Street lighting helped lower the crime rate.
reoffend
Commit another crime after punishment.
- Education in prison reduces the chance that prisoners reoffend.
Use these collocations in a real crime and law essay:
Government and Society Collocations
For public policy, cities, and social change.
public services
Services such as health, transport, and schools.
- Taxes pay for essential public services.
allocate funds
Decide how money is spent.
- Governments must allocate funds fairly between regions.
a growing population
More and more people.
- Cities struggle to house a growing population.
affordable housing
Homes that ordinary people can pay for.
- Young families need more affordable housing.
social problems
Problems that affect a whole society.
- Poverty is linked to many social problems.
play a role
Have an effect or a part in something.
- Charities play a vital role in supporting the elderly.
introduce a policy
Start a new rule or plan.
- The city introduced a policy to limit car use.
the quality of life
How good people’s lives are.
- Green spaces improve the quality of life in cities.
Use these collocations in a real government and society essay:
Travel and Tourism Collocations
For holidays, tourism, and cultural exchange.
broaden your horizons
Learn about new things and places.
- Travelling abroad helps young people broaden their horizons.
mass tourism
Very large numbers of tourists.
- Mass tourism can damage historic sites.
a tourist attraction
A place tourists visit.
- The old market is now a popular tourist attraction.
local culture
The customs of a place.
- Visitors should respect local culture.
boost the economy
Help the economy grow.
- International events boost the local economy.
go sightseeing
Visit famous places.
- Most tourists go sightseeing on their first day.
a long-haul flight
A flight over a long distance.
- Long-haul flights have a large carbon footprint.
cultural exchange
Sharing ideas and customs between countries.
- Student trips encourage cultural exchange.
Use these collocations in a real travel and tourism essay:
Media and Advertising Collocations
For news, social media, and advertising.
mass media
Tv, newspapers, and the internet together.
- The mass media shapes public opinion.
target audience
The people an advert is aimed at.
- Children are a key target audience for snack adverts.
spread misinformation
Share false information.
- Social media can spread misinformation quickly.
a reliable source
Information you can trust.
- Students should check facts against a reliable source.
make headlines
Become important news.
- The story made headlines around the world.
consumer behaviour
How people choose what to buy.
- Advertising has a strong effect on consumer behaviour.
a marketing campaign
A planned series of adverts.
- The brand launched a marketing campaign on social media.
raise concerns
Make people worried about something.
- Targeted adverts raise concerns about privacy.
Use these collocations in a real media and advertising essay:
Family and Relationships Collocations
For family life, parenting, and friendship.
bring up children
Raise children.
- Both parents share the job of bringing up children.
an extended family
Relatives beyond parents and children.
- In my country, many people live with their extended family.
a close relationship
A strong bond.
- I have a close relationship with my grandmother.
spend quality time
Spend time doing things together.
- Busy parents struggle to spend quality time with their children.
set a good example
Behave in a way others can copy.
- Parents should set a good example for their children.
a generation gap
Differences between older and younger people.
- Technology has widened the generation gap.
get on well with
Have a friendly relationship.
- I get on well with my younger brother.
make friends
Start friendships.
- Children make friends more easily at school clubs.
Use these collocations in a real family and relationships essay:
Common Collocation Mistakes
These are some of the unnatural pairs examiners see most often. The left column is grammatically possible, but it is not what English speakers say:
Avoid | Use instead |
|---|---|
do a mistake | make a mistake |
make homework | do homework |
say a lie | tell a lie |
big rain / strong traffic | heavy rain / heavy traffic |
do a decision | make a decision |
make a crime | commit a crime |
gain money for a living | earn a living |
increase awareness about | raise awareness of |
make a research | carry out research / do research |
discuss about a problem | discuss a problem |
depend of / interested about | depend on / interested in |
very delicious / very essential | absolutely delicious / absolutely essential |
The word fixes our AI review makes most often in our learners’ essays are “is” to “are”, “are” to “is”, “have” to “has”, “in” to “on”, “has” to “have”, “for” to “to”, “of” to “for”, “i” to “I”, “on” to “in” and “to” to “for”. If you recognise one of your own habits here, fix that one first.
What Our Learners’ Essays Show
In 3,778 IELTS Writing Task 2 essays reviewed by our AI, the average Lexical Resource band was 5.8, and it was the lowest of the four criteria in 45% of essays. Our review counts collocation errors as word choice corrections, together with words that are simply wrong for the context. These are the vocabulary-related corrections it makes most:
Correction type | Share of all corrections | Essays with at least one |
|---|---|---|
Word choice (incl. collocation) | 4.4% | 44% |
Prepositions | 5.8% | 57% |
Word form | 3.0% | 38% |
Word choice is one of the most common corrections in our learners’ essays, so learning the right collocations for each topic is one of the quickest ways to lift your Lexical Resource band.
How to Learn and Use Collocations
- Learn words in chunks. Don’t write threat in your notebook; write pose a threat to. The chunk is what you will use in the exam.
- Notice collocations when you read. In news articles and model essays, underline the words that appear together, especially verbs with nouns.
- Write your own example sentences. Use each collocation in a sentence about a common IELTS topic, so it’s ready for Task 2 and Part 3.
- Check in a collocation dictionary. When you’re unsure whether two words go together, check before you use them. Guessing is how unnatural pairs appear.
- Use them under time pressure. Plan a Task 2 essay or a Part 3 answer and choose three collocations from the topic list to include.
- Don’t force them. A simple, correct phrase is better than a rare collocation used in the wrong context.
For more topic vocabulary, see our IELTS academic vocabulary guide and our IELTS speaking vocabulary pages, and for connecting your ideas, our IELTS linking words.
Practise Collocations with BestMyTest
Write a Task 2 essay in our free IELTS Writing Task 2 practice and use the collocations for its topic. The AI review gives you a Lexical Resource band and marks every word choice correction in your essay, so you can see which pairs still sound unnatural.
To build your word bank, our IELTS vocabulary trainer groups words into academic topic units with flashcards and training exercises.
Frequently Asked Questions About IELTS Collocations
helpWhat are collocations in IELTS?expand_moreexpand_less
Collocations are words that naturally go together, such as make a decision, heavy traffic, or strongly agree. Examiners reward them under Lexical Resource, because they make your English sound natural and precise.
helpDo collocations affect my IELTS band score?expand_moreexpand_less
Yes. Lexical Resource is a quarter of your Writing and Speaking bands, and the band 7 descriptor mentions an awareness of style and collocation. Using collocations correctly shows range, while unnatural pairs count as word choice errors.
helpHow many collocations should I learn for IELTS?expand_moreexpand_less
Quality matters more than quantity. Learn the 8 to 10 most useful collocations for each common topic, practise them in sentences, and use them in your essays and answers until they feel natural.
helpWhat is the best way to learn collocations?expand_moreexpand_less
Learn words in chunks rather than alone, note collocations when you read, write your own example sentences, and check unfamiliar pairs in a collocation dictionary. Then use them in timed Writing and Speaking practice.
helpShould I use idioms or collocations in IELTS Writing?expand_moreexpand_less
Use collocations. Idioms are often too informal for an essay and are easy to misuse, while collocations such as pose a threat or economic growth fit the academic style that Task 2 needs.
The figures on this page come from the BestMyTest IELTS learner performance data, our records of IELTS practice on BestMyTest up to October 2026. That page explains how we measure each figure. Last updated 15 October 2026.