IELTS Vocabulary: Academic Word List and Collocations 1

Question 1

The researchers sought to ______ a clear link between air quality and respiratory disease in urban populations.

Accepted Answer

establish

Answer

'Establish a link' is the correct academic collocation; 'make', 'do', and 'build' do not collocate naturally with 'link' in formal academic writing.

Question 2

The policy was ______ as ineffective by multiple independent review bodies, leading to a complete overhaul of the framework.

Accepted Answer

assessed

Answer

'Assessed as' is the standard academic collocation for formal evaluation; the others carry stronger, more emotive connotations inappropriate here.

Question 3

Scientists have made ______ progress in understanding the genetic basis of the condition, though a complete cure remains elusive.

Accepted Answer

considerable

Answer

'Considerable progress' is the standard academic collocation; 'remarkable' is possible but less typical with 'progress' in formal writing; 'huge' and 'big' are informal.

Question 4

The term 'sustainability' is used to ______ a range of practices that balance economic development with environmental protection.

Accepted Answer

denote

Answer

'Denote' is the academic AWL verb meaning 'to signify or represent,' appropriate when discussing the scope of a term.

Question 5

The committee will ______ a decision on the proposal at its next meeting, taking all submitted evidence into account.

Accepted Answer

make

Answer

'Make a decision' is the correct collocation; 'take a decision' is possible in British English but less standard in academic writing; 'do' and 'have' are incorrect.

IELTS Practice Test

IELTS Practice Test

IELTS Vocabulary: Academic Word List and Collocations 1