To get a higher IELTS writing score, do the IELTS Writing course  (this is not free).

My suggestions for serious students:

(1) Do exercises from here every day (or choose type of exercise using menu).
(2) Visit the Topics section.
(3) Get the IELTS Topics book and study it.
(4) Use the News Reading exercises every day.
(5) Join the site so that you can ask questions / comment: free membership.

This exercise is based on Censorship: sex and violence (topic 16) in the IELTS Topics eBook.

The book helps you learn collocations that can be used across a range of writing and speaking topics – the collocations are not limited to the subject being discussed.

It is not enough to know the language – you must be able to use it naturally.

Complete the sentences below with collocations from the text. Often you are given the first letter(s) to help you.

The exercise should be easy – if it is not then you need to review the topic.

1. People who arrive at work late and then spend hours chatting to their friends have no r_____  _____  c______  when they are fired!
2. F_____  of e_____  is one of the foundations of a democratic country, because people need to be able to say what thet think without being punished or restricted.
3. The law regarding the possession of illegal drugs is very strict in some countries, and anyone found with drugs is likely to be s_____  p_____.
4. Many in the Labour Party in Britain want to m____  it  i_____  for a parent to smack his or her child.
5. Even though I f____  your i_____ ap_____, I think that you have the complete right to express them.
6. As a r_____  of  a_____ when he was a child, David has always had trouble establishing lasting relationships as an adult.

Posted in IELTS, IELTS Topics | Comments: none

This exercise is based on Tourism: good or bad (topic 15) in the IELTS Topics eBook.

The book helps you learn collocations that can be used across a range of writing and speaking topics – the collocations are not limited to the subject being discussed.

It is not enough to know the language – you must be able to use it naturally.

Complete the sentences below with collocations from the text. Often you are given the first letter(s) to help you.

The exercise should be easy – if it is not then you need to review the topic.

1. It is h_____  f_____  to believe that the danger of climate change is possibly the biggest threat facing the planet today.
2. I don’t think that travel broadens the mind – j_____  _____  o_____ , by encouraging a focus on difference rather than similarity I believe it narrows the mind.
3. The industrial growth of China is a w_____  p_____  dev_____  and has lifted hundreds of millions of people out of poverty.
4. In s_____  c______ it is quite acceptable to use drugs for recreational purposes.
5. The fact that people travel more has not led to a g____ un_____  of each other’s culture.
6. I c_____  di_____  with almost everything that man says!
7. En_____  dam____  is associated with rapid development.

Posted in IELTS, IELTS Topics | Comments: none

This exercise is based on Family size (topic 13) in the IELTS Topics eBook.

The book helps you learn collocations that can be used across a range of writing and speaking topics – the collocations are not limited to the subject being discussed.

It is not enough to know the language – you must be able to use it naturally.

Complete the sentences below with collocations from the text. Often you are given the first letter(s) to help you.

The exercise should be easy – if it is not then you need to review the topic.

1. It is likely that several d_____  c_____  will join the fully industrialised world within the next 20 years.
2. John has never been interested in technology, so he can never be seen with the l____  ga_____. In fact, I don’t think he has even got a mobile telephone!
3. Large s____  im_____  can put a strain on local services, and this sometimes causes resentment from the indigenous population.
4. Although countries develop in different ways, the o____  pa_____  is very similar: there is mass production stage that depends on cheap labour before the country moves up the technology ladder.
5. I have a m_____  p_____. Anne is sick, and she is due to give an important presentation today.
6. Although it has rained today, the amount of rain that we have had this year is far below the rep____  l____ that is needed if we are to maintain our reserves.
7. I was very lucky. My family always said that I was completel f____  to c_____  my career, and I did not have to join the family business.

Posted in IELTS, IELTS Topics | Comments: none

This exercise is based on Stress in the modern world (topic 12) in the IELTS Topics eBook.

The book helps you learn collocations that can be used across a range of writing and speaking topics – the collocations are not limited to the subject being discussed.

It is not enough to know the language – you must be able to use it naturally.

Complete the sentences below with collocations from the text. Often you are given the first letter(s) to help you.

The exercise should be easy – if it is not then you need to review the topic.

1. John needed a holiday because the pr_____ of w_____  were making him ill.
2. If someone drinks, drives and then has an accident, I have very l_____  s______  for  t_____ .
3. It is q_____  u_____  to say that the food at the restaurant made you ill – it was the amount of beer you drank!
4. I have many electrical devices, and although I am sure that they must m___  l____ e_____ in many ways, I sometimes wonder whether I need them all.
5. It is quite fashionable for people to say that they are s_____  o_____, when they want to boast that they have an important job.
6. Keep criticising people is t____ coun_______ . It is better to look for some positive way to encourage them.
7. I went to the doctor’s today to be pre_____  anti-d______  as a result of my completely soul destroying job!

Posted in IELTS, IELTS Topics | Comments: 2

This exercise is based on Modern versus traditional architecture (topic 11) in the IELTS Topics eBook.

The book helps you learn collocations that can be used across a range of writing and speaking topics – the collocations are not limited to the subject being discussed.

It is not enough to know the language – you must be able to use it naturally.

Complete the sentences below with collocations from the text. Sometimes you are given the first letter(s) to help you.

The exercise should be easy – if it is not then you need to review the topic.

1. The pr_____ of the environment is one of the major political issues of the twenty-first century.
2. Some would argue that people over 65 should retire from work in order to _____  w_____  f_____  people from a younger generation.
3. For many people, the few wild areas that are left in Britain are  a v_____  p_____  _____  our h_____ .
4. The reviews said that the restaurant was fantastic, but I think it is h_____  o_____ – it is no more than average.
5. She does not have a personal style. In fact, she has an anon_____  q_____  that makes it difficult to remember her: but she would make a good spy!
6. If it hadn’t been for the campaigning efforts of John, this building would have been demolished instead of being pre_____  _____  pos_____.

Posted in IELTS, IELTS Topics | Comments: none

This exercise is based on Nuclear power – good or bad? (topic 10) in the IELTS Topics eBook.

The book helps you learn collocations that can be used across a range of writing and speaking topics – the collocations are not limited to the subject being discussed.

It is not enough to know the language – you must be able to use it naturally.

Complete the sentences below with collocations from the text. Sometimes you are given the first letter(s) to help you.

The exercise should be easy – if it is not then you need to review the topic.

1. Many people have used water as though it was v_____ u_____ but we are having to change our view as a result of greater environmental awareness.
2. Early computers were very slow, but since then the processor speeds have i_____  d_____.
3. I have no plans to travel abroad in the f_____  ______.
4. Thanks vert much for the present – it was a_____  f_____.
5. The world’s r_____  _____  ever increasing consumer demand is likely, eventually, to lead to a crisis.
6. I hate my job, but at the moment a cannot think of any r______  a_____.
7. One of the problems that Japan has had to overcome is that it doesn’t have natural resources in any s_____  q_____ .

Posted in IELTS, IELTS Topics | Comments: none

This exercise is based on Immigration (topic 9) in the IELTS Topics eBook.

The book helps you learn collocations that can be used across a range of writing and speaking topics – the collocations are not limited to the subject being discussed.

It is not enough to know the language – you must be able to use it naturally.

Complete the sentences below with collocations from the text. Sometimes you are given the first letter(s) to help you.

The exercise should be easy – if it is not then you need to review the topic.

1. When I was young I was h_____  am_____, and wanted to reach the top of my profession.
2. Bill Clinton is a p_____  e_____  of the way a poor by can rise to the top in America.
3. Until recently there was a lot of d_____  ag______  people with handicaps.
4. The view that people’s intelligence is linked to race is without foundation and simply a result of b_____  p_____.
5. These days it is fashionable to talk about the s_____  s_____ that is required for a job.
6. Some people get angry very quickly, which makes it difficult to have a ra_____  d_____ with them about any controversial topic.
7. Sex is no longer a t_____  subject, at least in the west.

Posted in IELTS, IELTS Topics | Comments: 4

This exercise is based on Government housing: good or bad (topic number-8) in the IELTS Topics eBook.

The book helps you learn collocations that can be used across a range of writing and speaking topics – the collocations are not limited to the subject being discussed.

It is not enough to know the language – you must be able to use it naturally.

Complete the sentences below with collocations from the text. Sometimes you are given the first letter(s) to help you.

The exercise should be easy – if it is not then you need to review the topic.

1. Most people believe that s_____  m_____ is a good thing, because it gives people a sense of possibility – that if they work hard they can improve their lives.
2. Drug abuse inevitably leads to s_____  p_____ as people cannot keep a job, and turn to crime to finance their habit.
3. If a doctor cannot cure your illness, a least he or she should t_____  to  a_____  m_____  it _____.
4. Economists love theories, but politicians need p_____  s_____s  to problems.
5. If a young person does not have a job for a long period of time, it can by h_____  da_____  to their self-esteem.
6. My generation was lucky. We were able to buy houses relatively cheaply, and then over the years we got the b_____  of  r_____  h_____  p_____ that has enabled us to live very comfortably.

Posted in IELTS, IELTS Topics | Comments: none

This exercise is based on Gender roles (topic 7) in the IELTS Topics eBook.

The book helps you learn collocations that can be used across a range of writing and speaking topics – the collocations are not limited to the subject being discussed.

It is not enough to know the language – you must be able to use it naturally.

Complete the sentences below with collocations from the text. Sometimes you are given the first letter(s) to help you.

The exercise should be easy – if it is not then you need to review the topic.

1. It is still relatively unusual for the man to b_____  _____ the children.
2. The number of people who smoke in the UK has fallen significantly _____  r_____  years.
3. One of the drawbacks of having a dog is that when you go on holiday you need to find someone to l_____  _____ it.
4. Some people think, although not me, that as you get older it becomes harder  _____  a_____ to changes in society.
5. It is unfair if the son of the boss is appointed in preference to someone else who is b_____  q_____ .
6. I think it is p_____  r_____  that two gay people who want to get married, should be able to do so.
7. Often people who shout a lot are trying to hide the fact that they are in_____ .
8. The number of things we can do on a mobile phone has grown e______ in recent years.

Posted in IELTS, IELTS Topics | Comments: 4

This exercise is based on Festivals (topic 6) in the IELTS Topics eBook.

The book helps you learn collocations that can be used across a range of writing and speaking topics – the collocations are not limited to the subject being discussed.

It is not enough to know the language – you must be able to use it naturally.

Complete the sentences below with collocations from the text. Sometimes you are given the first letter(s) to help you.

The exercise should be easy – if it is not then you need to review the topic.

1. One advantage of always living in the same place is that you grow up with a strong s_____ of identity.
2. All religions have religious r_____ that create a sense of familiarity and seriousness for believers.
3. Personally, I find issues of race and “cultural identity” very irritating. They put an emphasis on differences r_____ than s_____, and this can have extremely negative c_____ .
4. London is one of the most c_____ cities in the world.
5. Listening to the news on the BBC is o____ of _____ w_____ in which you can improve your English.
6. People who live a jet –set  life may lack a sense of b_____ to a particular community.
7. England c_____ Christmas – most importantly by giving presents and eating a lot!
8. The e_____ in many English courses is speaking or chatting skills – with the result that many students cannot write well. I r____ this as a mistake.
9. Many people think practical jokes are h_____< but sometimes they can have s_____ and n_____ consequences.

Check your answers with the eBook.

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