Lexical Resource band 8 — collocations vs less common

Hiểu lầm phổ biến

Band 7 candidate think: "dùng nhiều từ khó = higher LR". Wrong. Examiners đánh giá:

• Accuracy: từ dùng đúng context
• Range: variety of vocabulary
• Natural collocations: từ đi với từ đúng
• Less common but appropriate: từ không thông dụng nhưng natural, không bị forced

Collocation > Less common word

Compare:

Sentence A (band 7)

"The government should address this important problem carefully."

Fine but generic. "important" overused, "address... carefully" weak.

Sentence B (band 8)

"The government must tackle this pressing issue with caution."

Stronger:

• "tackle this issue" = strong verb-noun collocation
• "pressing issue" = natural adj-noun collocation (≠ "important")
• "with caution" = preposition phrase variation

Sentence C (over-trying, band 6.5)

"The government ought to ameliorate this paramount predicament with circumspection."

Uses fancy words but UNNATURAL. "Ameliorate predicament" = wrong collocation. Looks like dictionary lookup, not natural use.

Bảng collocations IELTS-essential

Verb + noun (action)

• tackle/address/confront/grapple with a problem/issue/challenge
• raise/increase/boost awareness/funding/concerns
• implement/introduce/enforce a policy/regulation/law
• conduct/carry out/undertake research/a study/an investigation
• play/perform/fulfil a role/function/duty