Collocations — words that naturally pair together — are one of the clearest signals examiners use to separate Band 6 from Band 7. Learning vocabulary in pairs and chunks rather than single words is one of the highest-impact habits you can build.
You said 'do a mistake.' Examiner cringed.
Collocations — the words that naturally go together — are one of the biggest vocabulary signals examiners use to separate Band 6 from Band 7. And most candidates never study them.
Wrong collocations sound unnatural instantly
Even if every individual word is correct, putting them in the wrong combination reveals a non-native speaker immediately. "Make a decision" vs "do a decision" — one is fluent, one is not. To a trained examiner, they hear this within seconds of your answer.
Common collocation errors to fix now
- do a mistake → make a mistake
- do progress → make progress
- make a research → do research
- strong rain → heavy rain
- big difference → significant difference
- say a lie → tell a lie
Learn collocations in chunks, not words
Don't learn "heavy" and "rain" separately. Learn "heavy rain," "heavy traffic," "heavy workload" as fixed chunks. Your brain stores and retrieves chunks faster than individual words — making you sound fluent automatically under exam pressure.
High-value IELTS collocations to memorise
- reach a conclusion / draw a conclusion
- raise awareness / raise concerns
- tackle a problem / address an issue
- have a profound impact / bear the consequences
Get your collocation errors flagged instantly
VoiceMentor identifies unnatural word combinations in your answers and suggests natural alternatives in real time — helping you build the right habits from day one.