IELTS Collocation Mastery – English vocabulary

Learning path · 10 study sets · 536 words · English vocabulary · Created by Openquiz Team

(600 Selected Words) A complete learning path to master English collocations for IELTS speaking and writing across major topics.

Study sets in this learning path

Basic Verb Collocations (49 words)
- make a decision /meɪk ə dɪ'sɪʒən/ — to choose what to do; decide
- take responsibility /teɪk rɪ,spɒnsə'bɪləti/ — be responsible
- play a role /pleɪ ə roʊl/ — have a part or influence in something
- meet expectations /mi:t ,ɛkspɛk'teɪʃənz/ — be as good as people hoped
- catch attention /kætʃ ə'tɛnʃən/ — get attention
- raise awareness /reɪz ə'wɛrnəs/ — make people more aware of an issue
- gain experience /ɡeɪn ɪk'spɪəriəns/ — get more experience
- lose interest /lu:z 'ɪntrəst/ — stop being interested
- set goals /sɛt ɡoʊlz/ — set a goal
- face challenges /feɪs 'ʧælɪnʤɪz/ — face a challenge
Essential Noun Collocations (51 words)
- heavy rain /,hɛvi reɪn/ — a large amount of rain falling at once
- strong argument /strɒŋ 'ɑ:ɡjumənt/ — a convincing, well-supported reason or case
- major problem /'meɪdʒər 'prɒbləm/ — big problem
- global issue /'ɡləʊbəl 'ɪʃu:/ — global problem
- high demand /haɪ dɪ'mɑ:nd/ — a lot of people wanting to buy or have something
- economic growth /,i:kə'nɒmɪk ɡrəʊθ/ — an increase in a country's production and wealth
- positive impact /'pɒzɪtɪv 'ɪmpækt/ — positive effect
- negative effect /'nɛɡətɪv ɪ'fɛkt/ — a harmful or bad result
- public transportation /'pʌblɪk ,trænspɔ:'teɪʃən/ — public transport
- social media /'səʊʃəl 'mi:diə/ — websites and apps for sharing content and connecting online
Adjective Collocations Precision (50 words)
- deeply concerned /'di:pli kən'sɜ:rnd/ — very worried and caring a lot
- fully aware /'fʊli ə'wer/ — knowing something completely and clearly
- highly motivated /'haɪli 'moʊtɪveɪtɪd/ — very motivated
- perfectly reasonable /'pɜ:rfɪktli 'ri:zənəbl/ — completely reasonable
- deeply disappointed /'di:pli ,dɪsə'pɔɪntɪd/ — very disappointed
- highly successful /'haɪli sək'sɛsfl/ — very successful
- bitterly cold /'bɪtərli koʊld/ — extremely cold
- painfully aware /'peɪnfəli ə'wer/ — very aware, in an uncomfortable way
- highly skilled /'haɪli skɪld/ — having a lot of skill or training
- deeply rooted /'di:pli 'ru:tɪd/ — firmly established and hard to change
Collocations on Family Life (50 words)
- close-knit family /,kləʊs 'nɪt 'fæmɪli/ — a close family
- dysfunctional family /dɪs'fʌŋkʃənəl 'fæmɪli/ — an unhappy family
- nuclear family /'nju:kliər 'fæmɪli/ — parents and their children
- extended family /ɪk'stendɪd 'fæmɪli/ — a large family with relatives
- single-parent family /'sɪŋɡl 'peərənt 'fæmɪli/ — a family with one parent
- raise children /reɪz 'ʧɪldrən/ — bring up children
- spend quality time /spend 'kwɒlɪti taɪm/ — spend focused, good time together
- family gathering /'fæmɪli 'ɡæðərɪŋ/ — a family gathering
- generation gap /,ʤenə'reɪʃən ɡæp/ — differences between generations
- family background /'fæmɪli 'bækgraʊnd/ — your family's history and social situation
Collocations on Environment (48 words)
- reduce carbon footprint /rɪ'dju:s 'kɑ:bən 'fʊtprɪnt/ — lower the amount of carbon you cause
- renewable energy sources /rɪ'nju:əbl 'ɛnədʒi 'sɔ:sɪz/ — energy from sources that do not run out
- climate change /'klaɪmət tʃeɪndʒ/ — long-term changes in weather
- global warming /'ɡloʊbəl 'wɔ:rmɪŋ/ — the Earth getting hotter
- greenhouse gases /'ɡri:nhaʊs 'ɡæsɪz/ — gases that trap heat in the air
- fossil fuels /'fɒsəl 'fju:əlz/ — fuels made from old plants and animals
- air pollution /ɛər pə'lu:ʃən/ — dirty or harmful air
- water pollution /'wɔ:tər pə'lu:ʃən/ — dirty or unsafe water
- deforestation rate /di:,fɒrɪ'steɪʃən reɪt/ — how fast forests are cut down
- biodiversity loss /,baɪoʊdaɪ'vɜ:rsɪti lɒs/ — fewer kinds of plants and animals
Collocations on Health & Fitness (53 words)
- maintain a balanced diet /meɪn'teɪn ə 'bælənst daɪət/ — eating the right mix of foods
- do regular exercise /du: 'rɛgjʊlə 'ɛksəsaɪz/ — exercising often
- stay in shape /steɪ ɪn ʃeɪp/ — staying in good shape
- lose weight /lu:z weɪt/ — losing body weight
- gain weight /ɡeɪn weɪt/ — gaining body weight
- join a gym /ʤɔɪn ə ʤɪm/ — joining a gym
- avoid junk food /ə'vɔɪd ʤʌŋk fu:d/ — not eating unhealthy snacks
- eat plenty of vegetables /i:t 'plɛnti ʌv 'vɛʤtəbəlz/ — eating lots of vegetables
- get enough sleep /ɡɛt ɪ'nʌf sli:p/ — getting enough sleep
- drink plenty of water /drɪŋk 'plɛnti ʌv 'wɔ:tə/ — drinking plenty of water
Collocations on Education (52 words)
- gain knowledge /ɡeɪn 'nɒlɪdʒ/ — learn new things
- sit an exam /sɪt ən ɪɡ'zæm/ — take an exam
- pass with flying colors /pɑ:s wɪð 'flaɪɪŋ 'kʌləz/ — do very well
- fail an exam /feɪl ən ɪɡ'zæm/ — not pass a test
- attend lectures /ə'tend 'lektʃəz/ — go to university classes
- obtain a degree /əb'teɪn ə dɪ'ɡri:/ — get a degree
- pursue higher education /pə'sju: 'haɪər ,ɛdju'keɪʃən/ — study at university or higher
- academic performance /,ækə'dɛmɪk pə'fɔ:məns/ — school results
- make progress /meɪk 'proʊɡres/ — improve or move forward
- conduct research /kən'dʌkt rɪ'sɜ:tʃ/ — do research
Collocations on Technology (51 words)
- surf the web /sɜ:f ðə wɛb/ — browse the web
- go offline /ɡoʊ 'ɒf,laɪn/ — not connected to the internet
- cutting-edge technology /'kʌtɪŋ ,ɛdʒ tɛk'nɒlədʒi/ — latest technology
- go viral online /ɡoʊ 'vaɪrəl 'ɒn,laɪn/ — spread fast online
- high-speed internet /haɪ spi:d 'ɪntər,nɛt/ — very fast internet connection
- digital era /'dɪdʒɪtəl 'ɪərə/ — digital age
- social networking site /'soʊʃəl 'nɛtwɜ:kɪŋ saɪt/ — social media site
- artificial intelligence /,ɑ:tɪ'fɪʃəl ɪn'tɛlɪdʒəns/ — computers that can think and learn
- technological innovation /,tɛknə'lɒdʒɪkəl ,ɪnə'veɪʃən/ — new and better technology
- data privacy /'deɪtə 'praɪvəsi/ — keeping personal data private
Collocations on Business & Work (51 words)
- meet deadlines /mi:t 'dedlaɪnz/ — finish on time
- run a company /rʌn ə 'kʌmpəni/ — manage or own a business
- make a profit /meɪk ə 'prɒfɪt/ — earn more money than you spend
- attend a meeting /ə'tend ə 'mi:tɪŋ/ — go to a meeting
- work overtime /wɜ:k 'oʊvərtaɪm/ — work extra hours
- take responsibility /teɪk rɪ,spɒnsə'bɪləti/ — be responsible
- gain experience /ɡeɪn ɪk'spɪəriəns/ — learn skills by doing a job or activity
- hold a position /hoʊld ə pə'zɪʃən/ — keep a job position
- boost productivity /bu:st ,proʊdʌk'tɪvəti/ — increase how much work people get done
- close a deal /kloʊz ə di:l/ — finish a business deal
Idiomatic & Special Collocations (81 words)
- go the extra mile /ɡoʊ ði 'ɛkstrə maɪl/ — try harder than needed
- break the ice /breɪk ði aɪs/ — make things less awkward
- a piece of cake /ə pis əv keɪk/ — very easy
- once in a blue moon /wʌns ɪn ə blu: mu:n/ — not common
- hit the books /hɪt ðə bʊks/ — start studying hard
- under the weather /'ʌndər ðə 'wɛðər/ — feel sick
- cost an arm and a leg /kɒst ən ɑ:rm ænd ə lɛɡ/ — very expensive
- spill the beans /spɪl ðə binz/ — tell a secret
- barking up the wrong tree /'bɑ:rkɪŋ ʌp ðə rɒŋ tri:/ — be wrong about who or what is responsible
- burn the midnight oil /bɜrn ðə 'mɪdnaɪt ɔɪl/ — stay up late to work or study

About the IELTS test

IELTS has four sections: Listening, Reading, Writing and Speaking. The whole test takes 2 hours 45 minutes.
Results are reported on a band scale from 0 to 9, in whole and half bands.
No official vocabulary list is published on ielts.org. This path groups words by topics that come up in the test.

Source: ielts.org

Frequently asked questions

What is in the IELTS Collocation Mastery learning path?: 10 study sets with 536 words in total. Open a set to see its words with their meanings.
Is there an official IELTS vocabulary list?: No vocabulary list is published on ielts.org. The words in the test range over familiar topics, so studying by topic is a sensible approach.

IELTS Collocation Mastery – English vocabulary

Study sets in this learning path

About the IELTS test

Frequently asked questions

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