- Some of the most important vocabulary needed for IELTS writing are collocations.
- Not only are collocations in IELTS important for writing, but they are useful in the speaking test also.
I do not advise making word lists because you must know how collocations work in the surrounding sentence.
Basically, collocations are 2 or 3 words that commonly go together and sound just right to a native speaker.
- The best way to learn collocations is through reading, listening and making your own sentences.
- When you learn new words you must learn the surrounding words or the matching words that help it collocate.
- If you do not know how to use collocations then they will sound or look ‘wrong’ to a native speaker .
You will be marked on the way you use collocations in the writing section, mainly essays.
I advise making a vocabulary book where you write out example sentences.
Collocations are like chunks of language and there are various patterns to these.
They give your speech a smooth natural flow, which if used well, can help you get a Band 7 or more in the speaking test.
- In the marking criteria in IELTS, you are marked on Lexical Resource (vocabulary).
For some tips on building your vocabulary take a look at this application.
These are essential when expanding your vocabulary.