Collocation and precise word choice

Why natural word partnerships raise Lexical Resource more than rare vocabulary, and how to avoid thesaurus errors.

Marking criterion: Lexical Resource
Where it pays off: Writing Task 1 · Writing Task 2 · Speaking all parts

The Lexical Resource descriptors refer explicitly to collocation and to natural, appropriate word choice. That means a common word used in its natural partnership scores better than a rare word used oddly. Swapping ordinary words for thesaurus synonyms is the most reliable way to lower this score, not raise it.

Learn words in partnerships, not alone

Record vocabulary as a chunk with its usual partners, because that is how it is marked.

Verb + noun: conduct research, raise awareness, meet a deadline, pose a threat, address an issue, implement a policy.
Adjective + noun: a significant impact, widespread concern, a substantial increase, considerable pressure, a viable alternative.
Adverb + adjective: heavily reliant, widely accepted, deeply concerned, strictly regulated, closely linked.
Verb + preposition: benefit from, contribute to, result in, depend on, cope with, account for.

Make and do, and other fixed pairs

A short closed list that appears in almost every essay.

make: a decision, progress, an effort, a contribution, a mistake, a profit.
do: research, homework, business, damage, a job, an experiment.
take: action, responsibility, measures, into account, advantage of.
have: an effect, an impact, an opportunity, access to.

Precision beats decoration

In data description and argument alike, the accurate verb carries more meaning than an impressive one.

For data: soared, climbed, edged up, levelled off, plateaued, dipped, plummeted, fluctuated. Each has a specific shape.
For argument: argue, claim, concede, demonstrate, suggest, imply, undermine, reinforce. These carry stance.
Avoid vague fillers: things, stuff, a lot of, very big, nowadays, in today's modern world.
Hedge where a claim is not certain: tends to, is likely to, in many cases, arguably.
Percentages have their own register: 'the proportion of', 'the percentage of', 'the share of'. Rounded figures can become 'roughly a quarter', 'just over half', 'nearly two thirds'.
Use 'number' with countable nouns and 'amount' with uncountable ones: the number of visitors, the amount of waste.

The thesaurus trap

Synonyms are rarely interchangeable. Register, collocation and connotation all differ.

'Big problem' does not become 'gargantuan problem'. It becomes 'a serious problem' or 'a pressing problem'.
'People' does not need replacing with 'individuals' in every sentence. Repeating a common word accurately is safer than varying it wrongly.
Never use an idiom you are not sure of. Misused idiom is marked down under Lexical Resource.
Test any new word by writing a full sentence with it before test day. If you cannot, do not use it in the exam.

Corrected examples

Incorrect: The government should do an effort to make research on renewable energy.

Correct: The government should make an effort to conduct research on renewable energy.

Make an effort, do or conduct research. These pairings are fixed.

Incorrect: This problem is very gigantic in today's modern world.

Correct: This problem is particularly pressing in developed economies.

An accurate collocation with a specific scope replaces an inflated adjective and a filler phrase.

Incorrect: Young people are heavily depended on smartphones.

Correct: Young people are heavily reliant on smartphones.

'Heavily reliant on' is the natural adverb-adjective-preposition chain.

Quick checklist

Record vocabulary as chunks with their usual partners.
Choose the precise word over the impressive one.
Never use a word or idiom you cannot put in a full sentence confidently.
Repeating a correct common word is safer than a wrong synonym.

Apply it to a real response and check the length and structure.

Open the writing checklist