Practice: Article Quest: Academic Collocations for IELTS
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Quest overview
Build a precise academic argument
Study guide
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Skim the public-safe article quest context and notice the lexical jobs.
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This pack trains high-value academic collocations for IELTS Task 2, speaking explanations, and reading recognition. The focus is not memorising single words, but noticing how useful academic phrases behave inside arguments.
pose a significant challenge
Collocationto create or present a difficult problem that must be handled
Rapid urban growth can pose a significant challenge for public transport planning.
- Most items are verb or noun phrases that carry an argument function: problem, cause, evidence, solution, result, or balance.
- The strongest phrases include a slot after the collocation, such as "address the root cause of" or "widen the gap between".
- Check the meaning first, then read the example sentence and ask what role the phrase plays in the sentence.
- Separate the fixed part of the collocation from the topic-specific words you can replace.
- Use flashcards for recognition, cloze for form, choose-collocation for contrast, recall for meaning, and production for IELTS-style output.
- Say or write one new sentence before revealing the reference.
- Rate each item as Again, Hard, Good, or Easy after practice.
- Prioritise Again and Hard items in your next review session.
View vocabulary reference
pose a challenge
pose a significant challenge
verb phraseCollocationto create or present a difficult problem that must be handled
Rapid urban growth can pose a significant challenge for public transport planning.
#problem#urbanisation#task-2allocate resources
allocate limited resources
verb phraseCollocationto decide how money, time, people, or materials should be distributed
Governments must allocate limited resources to the services that produce the greatest public benefit.
#policy#government#task-2play a crucial role
play a crucial role in
verb phrasePhraseto be very important in causing or supporting an outcome
Parental involvement can play a crucial role in children's academic development.
#cause-effect#education#speakingaddress the root cause
address the root cause of
verb phrasePhraseto deal with the main underlying reason for a problem
Long-term policy should address the root cause of inequality rather than only treating its symptoms.
#solution#policy#task-2a growing body of evidence
a growing body of evidence suggests
noun phraseSentence framean increasing amount of research or proof supporting an idea
A growing body of evidence suggests that sleep quality affects learning outcomes.
#evidence#research#writingwiden the gap
widen the gap between
verb phraseCollocationto increase the difference between two groups or outcomes
Unequal access to digital tools may widen the gap between urban and rural students.
#inequality#technology#task-2place greater emphasis on
place greater emphasis on practical skills
verb phrasePhraseto give more importance or attention to something
Schools should place greater emphasis on practical skills alongside academic knowledge.
#education#reform#writingmitigate the impact
mitigate the impact of
verb phraseWordto reduce the harmful effect of something
Green infrastructure can help mitigate the impact of extreme heat in dense cities.
#environment#solution#task-2lead to better outcomes
lead to better long-term outcomes
verb phraseSentence frameto produce improved results
Early intervention can lead to better long-term outcomes for children with learning difficulties.
#result#education#healthstrike a balance
strike a balance between
verb phrasePhraseto find a reasonable compromise between competing needs
Policy makers need to strike a balance between economic growth and environmental protection.
#balance#argument#speaking