HIGHSCORE

COLLOCATIONS
FOR
IELTS
1. V-adv

Positively/Negatively affect/influence

Smoking negatively affects people’s health.

Closely examine

The factors causing environmental pollution should be closely examined.

Carefully analyze

This essay shall carefully analyze the problems of climate change.

Support financially/emotionally

Governments should support financially artists working in traditional art fields.

Develop mentally/physically

Children attending soft skill courses at early age could develop both mentally and physically.

Strictly control

The government should strictly control the amount of violence on films and other TV
programmes.

Partly/Totally agree/disagree

I partly agree with the idea that zoos should be closed for the sake of animal’s right.

Strictly enforce

The authority should strictly enforce the traffic law in order to reduce the number of road
accidents.

Be commonly believed

It is commonly believed that globalization brings enormous benefits to international

corporations.

Greatly benefit

The development of the tourist industry greatly benefits local people in tourist attractions.

Seriously damage

1
Emissions of toxic chemicals from factories seriously damage the environment in their
surrounding areas.

2. V-noun

Provide support for

Big companies and organizations should provide support for poor and elite students.

Play an important role

Investment in cutting-edge technology plays an important role in the sustainable development

of any country. Commit a crime
There are an increasing number of young people who commit crimes without being aware of
the serious consequences. Invest money in
Non-governmental organizations are encouraged to invest money in vocational training for
people in less developed areas. Receive investment/ support from
Developing countries in Asia have received substantial foreign investment from Western
nations in recent years. Encourage investment in
The government should encourage investment in infrastructure development in remote areas.

Solve a problem

It is not easy to completely solve the problem of urban waste.

Tackle an issue

In order to tackle the issue of online piracy, Internet users should limit sharing personal
information online. Overcome a difficulty
People can easily overcome the difficulty of learning a foreign language when watching films
imported from other countries.

2
Address a problem

Addressing the problem of overpopulation is not the responsibility of only the government.

Improve a situation

The situation of excessive littering would be improved if both governments and individuals
cooperate effectively. Minimize the negative effects
What people could do to minimize the negative effects of global warming is to plant more green
trees around their house. Encounter a problem
First-year students usually encounter a number of problems concerning self-research and
teamwork skills. Face a challenge
Western nations are facing huge national security challenges in the context of global terrorism.

Raise one’s awareness

Media campaigns shall raise social awareness of the importance of protecting the environment.

Achieve success

It is said that hard work is one of the key factors for people to achieve success in life.

Pursue happiness/ career path

Some people prefer to pursue career paths that lead to management positions.

The way to pursuing happiness has always been one of human’s biggest questions.

3. Adj – Noun

Clear/obvious advantages/disadvantages/benefits/drawbacks

There are many clear drawbacks of the over-consumption of fast food among young people in
developed countries.

Gaining more work experience during university time is an obvious benefit of having a part-
time job.

3
Environmental pollution

Environmental pollution has attracted much public concern over the past decades.

Global warming

Global warming has caused severe effects on the changing living environment of inhabitants on
earth.

Climate change

Human activities have greatly contributed to climate change and many natural disasters lately.

Public transport

Encouraging people to use public transport would help to significantly reduce traffic jam in
crowded cities. Private vehicles
Governments should tax those using private vehicles heavily so that the amount of traffic
congestion could be reduced.

Toxic waste/chemicals + Polluted industries

Toxic chemicals from polluted industries bring about many dangerous effects on living
creatures in the surrounding area.

Urban planning

Urban planning is a necessary step toward successful urbanization.

Rush hour

Restriction on the use of private cars during rush hour plays a part in minimizing traffic jam in
urban areas.

High population density

Nuclear power plants should be placed far away from areas with high population density.

Extreme sport

Some people find taking part in extreme sport activities highly enjoyable.

Technological advance

4
Technological advances have resulted in the significant increase in human well-being.

Cultural diversity

Cultural diversity is a typical feature of metropolitan areas.

Social crimes

Social crimes are the possible consequence of poverty and a lack of welfare.

4. Noun- Noun

Air pollution

Air pollution is an inevitable result of industrial activities.

Co2 emissions

Trees play a role in absorbing CO2 emissions and mitigating greenhouse effect.

Culture shock

International students often experience culture shock on their first times abroad.

Life expectancy

Human life expectancy has been massively improved by advances in medical technology.

Urbanization process

The urbanization process is taking place rapidly in developing countries.

Population boom

Population boom is evident in regions without appropriate birth control methods.

Food/IT/etc industry

In the last decade, the food industry saw remarkable changes in terms of production capacity.

Housing/accommodation problems

Besides daily living costs, housing problems are an obstacle for people with low income.

Traffic accidents/ congestion/jam

Traffic accidents account for a large number of fatalities every year.

5
Education development

Education development is a key policy in remote areas.

Culture exchange

Global integration allows nations to promote culture exchange.

Youth crime

A lack of family care can possibly lead to youth crime.

Market share

It is very hard to maintain one’s market share in highly competitive markets, such as mobile
phone, automobile, and so on.

Prison sentence

A long sentence for a prisoner is a burden for the taxpayer.

Advertising campaign

Effective advertising campaigns allow producers to boost their revenues.

Trade barrier

Free trade agreements will lower trade barriers and promote economic development.

5. Adv-adj

Extremely beneficial

Music is extremely beneficial for a child’s emotional development.

Potentially dangerous

Watching TV too much is potentially dangerous for children.

Increasingly popular

Social networks such as FB or Twitter are becoming increasingly popular all over the world.

Highly practical

Machines are highly practical for housework.

6
Fairly reasonable

The idea of building ski resorts around mountains is considered fairly reasonable.

Fully comprehensive

One of the requirements for encyclopedias is that they have to be fully comprehensive.

Widely applicable/accessible

Human life in a region depends on water being widely accessible.

Excessively wasteful

Government spending in some countries for the Olympic Games is excessively wasteful.

Truly impressive

The ancient Egyptian pyramids are truly impressive wonders of mankind.

Remarkably economical

Electric cars are remarkably economical in terms of energy consumption.

Absolutely justifiable

Many see long prison sentences with no parole for extreme felonies as absolutely justifiable.

Absolutely unethical

Caging animals for entertainment is seen as absolutely unethical.

Heavily polluted

The most heavily polluted cities in the world have been centers of industrial activity.

Entirely different

Travelling to countries with an entirely different culture might cause some difficulties for
tourists.

Entirely unconvincing

Some of the government’s reasons for raising taxes are entirely unconvincing.

6. V-adj

7
Keep fit + stay healthy

Exercising regularly will help people keep fit and stay healthy.

Live alone

Pets are important for people who live alone.

Go viral

With the help of social networks, any moment from one’s life can go viral in a short time.

Remain debatable/questionable

Whether same-sex marriage should be legalized remains debatable.

Go bankrupt

Economic recession makes a lot of companies go bankrupt.

Appear important

Soft skills appear important for job seekers in the competitive labor market today.

Seem unfair

It seems unfair when the income of celebrities can far exceed that of researchers or doctors.

Sound reasonable

It sounds reasonable that people with inherited wealth should be taxed heavily.

Become popular

Frequently changing one’s job has become popular worldwide in recent years.

Prove effective

Media campaigns have proven effective in raising brand awareness for companies.