IELTS Writing for Undergraduate applicants: How to Fix Unnatural word combinations
Learn words in natural pairs such as 'make a decision', 'raise awareness' and 'heavy traffic', not as single words. Collocation errors are among the most noticeable lexical mistakes at Band 6 and below.
At a glance
- For
- Undergraduate applicants
- Problem
- Unnatural word combinations
- Scoring criterion
- Lexical Resource
- Task affected
- Task 1 and Task 2
- IELTS test
- Academic
- Typical effort
- two to three weeks
- First step
- When you meet a new word, note two or three verbs or adjectives that usually go with it.
Why this happens to undergraduate applicants
Translation from another language produces combinations that are logical but not natural in English, for example 'do a mistake' or 'big traffic'. Examiners hear these immediately.
Why this affects undergraduate applicants: school essays reward a memorised structure and topic knowledge more than a direct answer to a new question.
Textbook vocabulary is good, but memorised phrases can be misused.
A strength to build on: Recent classroom writing practice means essay structure is already familiar.
Fix it in four steps
- When you meet a new word, note two or three verbs or adjectives that usually go with it.
- Use a collocation dictionary for your top ten essay topics.
- Replace one weak phrase per paragraph with a stronger natural pair.
- Read your essay aloud and mark any combination that sounds odd.
Before and after
Before
People should do more efforts to make a big pollution decrease.
After
People should make more effort to bring about a significant reduction in pollution.
Ten-minute drill: Write five correct collocations for 'decision', 'risk' and 'effect' and use one in a sentence each.
Questions and answers
How can undergraduate applicants fix unnatural word combinations?
Learn words in natural pairs such as 'make a decision', 'raise awareness' and 'heavy traffic', not as single words. Collocation errors are among the most noticeable lexical mistakes at Band 6 and below. Textbook vocabulary is good, but memorised phrases can be misused.
How long does it take undergraduate applicants to fix unnatural word combinations?
Most learners need two to three weeks. Study around school or a gap year gives time, so regular weekly essays with feedback are realistic.
What is a collocation?
A pair or group of words that naturally go together, such as 'strong evidence' or 'pursue a career'. Using them correctly makes writing sound natural.
How do I find collocations quickly?
A learner's collocation dictionary or the example sentences in an online learner's dictionary show the most common combinations.
What does a good practice drill look like for undergraduate applicants?
Write five correct collocations for 'decision', 'risk' and 'effect' and use one in a sentence each. Study around school or a gap year gives time, so regular weekly essays with feedback are realistic.
How can undergraduate applicants tell they have fixed unnatural word combinations?
Few phrases in your essay are flagged by a dictionary or a teacher as unnatural.
What should undergraduate applicants know about their IELTS Writing target?
Universities set an overall IELTS score and often a minimum Writing score that varies by course and institution. Check each offer's conditions.
Should undergraduate applicants practise this on Task 1, Task 2 or both?
It shows up in both tasks. Fix it in Task 2 first, because Task 2 carries about twice the weight of Task 1, then check Task 1 with the same checklist. Recent classroom writing practice means essay structure is already familiar.
Can an AI checker help undergraduate applicants with unnatural word combinations?
An AI checker can show where this pattern appears in your own essay and which criterion it affects, which makes the fix concrete. It gives a practice estimate, not an official IELTS score, so use it to choose the next revision, rewrite, and check again. The first check on this site is free.
Check your own essay
See where unnatural word combinations appears in your own writing and which criterion it affects, then rewrite the weakest paragraph.
Feedback is a practice estimate, not an official IELTS score. Last reviewed 2026-11-11. Score requirements change, so confirm them with the organisation that will read your result.
Related guides
- IELTS Writing for undergraduate applicants: overview
- Undergraduate applicants: memorised paragraphs that do not match the question
- Undergraduate applicants: an unclear position in Task 2
- Undergraduate applicants: overused linking words such as 'however' and 'moreover'
- Undergraduate applicants: rare or memorised words used in the wrong place
- Undergraduate applicants: an introduction that copies the question
- Undergraduate applicants: repeating the same words from the question
- Candidates with 30 days before the exam: unnatural word combinations
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- IELTS retakers: unnatural word combinations