CELPIP Collocations: Word Partnerships That Lift Your Band

1What collocations are — and why CELPIP graders reward them

A collocation is a pair or group of words that native speakers habitually use together: you make a decision, you don't "do" one; you raise concerns, you don't "lift" them. The individual words are simple, but choosing the right partner is what separates fluent English from translated-sounding English.

On CELPIP, the Vocabulary dimension in Speaking and Writing isn't only about knowing rare words. Graders are matching your output to the CLB descriptors, and one of the clearest CLB 9+ signals is natural word combination. A response built from correct collocations sounds effortless; a response built from technically-correct-but-unpartnered words sounds laboured, even if every word is spelled right.

This is why collocations are high-leverage. You already know words like decision, concern, deadline, and impact. You don't need to learn new vocabulary — you need to learn which verbs, adjectives, and prepositions those familiar nouns demand. That is a much smaller, faster job than memorising obscure single words, and it moves your band more reliably.

Collocations help your Listening and Reading too. When a CBC speaker says "the policy drew sharp criticism," recognising drew criticism and sharp criticism as fixed units means you process the sentence as two chunks instead of five separate words — faster comprehension, fewer misses on paraphrase questions.

Tip: Think of every common noun as having a small set of "approved partners." Your job for CELPIP is to learn those partners, not to find new nouns.

2The 20 you may already know, and the 60 more you need

Our companion article, the CELPIP Phrase & Vocabulary Bank, ends with a 20-item list of collocations CELPIP loves (raise concerns, address the problem, shed light on, weigh the pros and cons, and so on). Treat that list as your foundation — the 20 you should already recognise.

This article goes well beyond it. Below you'll find 60-plus more collocations, organised the way your brain actually retrieves them under time pressure: by grammatical pattern (verb+noun, adjective+noun, adverb+adjective, dependent prepositions) and by exam slot (email, opinion, trends, register). The phrase bank gives you a starter set; this article gives you a structured system.

raise concerns / raise an issue
address the problem / address the matter
draw criticism / draw attention
have an impact on / play a role in
make a strong case for
strike a balance between
weigh the pros and cons
meet the demand / meet the deadline

Don't try to swallow all 80 at once. Skim every section, mark the 15-20 collocations that feel almost-but-not-quite familiar (those are the fastest wins), and load them into the test-day deck in section 12. Leave the ones that already fire automatically — you don't need to study what you already own.

Tip: If a collocation in the lists below is already second nature to you, skip it. The studying value is entirely in the partnerships you currently get slightly wrong.

3Verb + noun collocations (make a decision, raise concerns, meet a deadline)

Verb+noun is the most error-prone pattern because the wrong verb (do a decision, say an opinion) is grammatical but instantly non-native. Learn the noun with its correct verb attached, as one unit.

make a decision / reach a decision / come to a decision
take action / take steps / take measures
set a goal / set a deadline / set priorities
draw up a plan / put forward a proposal
reach an agreement / reach a compromise

raise concerns / express concerns / voice concerns
address an issue / tackle a problem / resolve a dispute
pose a risk / pose a challenge / pose a threat
meet a need / meet a deadline / meet expectations
cause a delay / cause confusion / cause disruption

make a point / make a suggestion / make a complaint
give an example / give feedback / give an update
hold a view / share an opinion / express a preference
ask a favour / ask permission / request assistance
draw a conclusion / reach a verdict

reach a compromise (verb + noun)

To settle a disagreement by each side giving something up. CELPIP example (Task 2): "Rather than choosing one option outright, the team could reach a compromise that preserves the best of both proposals."

Never default to make or do when you're unsure. If you can't recall the partner verb, choose a different noun you do know the partner for — a correct collocation on a simpler noun beats a wrong verb on a fancy one.

4Adjective + noun collocations (strong argument, valid point, growing concern)

Adjective+noun partnerships are how you show precision and intensity without reaching for rare words. "A big problem" is fine; "a pressing problem" or "a serious problem" is CLB 9+. The noun is ordinary; the adjective makes it land.

a strong argument / a compelling argument / a weak argument
a valid point / a fair point / a key point
a common misconception / a widespread belief
a reasonable assumption / a safe assumption
a minor detail / a crucial detail

a pressing issue / a growing concern / a serious problem
a major drawback / a significant disadvantage
a tight deadline / a heavy workload / a busy schedule
a major setback / a temporary setback
an urgent matter / a sensitive matter

a significant impact / a lasting impact / a positive impact
a clear benefit / a tangible benefit / a long-term benefit
high demand / strong support / broad appeal
a viable option / a practical solution / a realistic alternative
a steep price / a reasonable cost / a worthwhile investment

a growing concern (adjective + noun)

A worry that is increasing over time. CELPIP example (Speaking Task 7): "Screen time among young children is a growing concern, and I think parents should set clear limits early."

Tip: Pair intensity adjectives (serious, pressing, significant, tangible) with abstract nouns you already use. This single habit lifts Vocabulary faster than learning ten new nouns.

5Adverb + adjective collocations (highly effective, deeply concerned, widely accepted)

Adverb+adjective pairs replace the overused intensifier "very." "Very effective" is flat; "highly effective" is graded as a stronger choice. The adverb has to match the adjective, though — you can't say "highly tired," you say "utterly exhausted." Learn the approved pairs.

highly effective / highly competitive / highly likely
widely accepted / widely recognised / widely available
deeply concerned / deeply rooted / deeply divided
strongly opposed / strongly recommend / strongly support
fully aware / fully committed / fully understand

perfectly clear (not "very clear")
utterly exhausted (not "very tired")
absolutely essential (not "very important")
deeply grateful (not "very thankful")
increasingly common (not "more and more common")

reasonably confident / reasonably priced
broadly consistent / broadly similar
particularly effective / particularly relevant
remarkably consistent / remarkably resilient
genuinely concerned / genuinely useful

widely accepted (adverb + adjective)

Agreed on by most people. CELPIP example (Writing Task 2): "It is now widely accepted that flexible hours improve productivity, which is why I would support the new policy."

Match the adverb to the adjective, not to "very." If you'd say "very tired," reach for utterly exhausted; if "very clear," reach for perfectly clear. The wrong adverb ("highly tired") sounds worse than plain "very."

6Dependent prepositions (depend on, result in, comply with, cope with)

Dependent prepositions are the silent band-killer. "Depend of," "comply to," "result to" — every one is grammatical-looking and wrong, and graders notice instantly because the preposition is fixed by the verb or adjective, not by logic. There's no rule; you memorise each pairing.

depend on / rely on / count on
result in (an outcome) / result from (a cause)
comply with (rules) / cope with (difficulty)
consist of / account for / benefit from
lead to / contribute to / object to
deal with / interfere with / cooperate with

aware of / capable of / typical of
responsible for / suitable for / eligible for
concerned about / enthusiastic about / cautious about
similar to / accustomed to / committed to
consistent with / familiar with / dissatisfied with

an increase in / a decrease in / a rise in
a solution to / an answer to / a threat to
the impact of / the cause of / the advantage of
a demand for / a need for / a reason for
an alternative to / an objection to

comply with (verb + preposition)

To follow a rule or instruction. CELPIP example (Task 1 email): "I am writing to confirm that our team will comply with the new safety procedures starting next Monday." Note: comply with, never "comply to."

Tip: When you save a new verb or adjective to your deck, save the preposition with it as one chunk — "result IN," "concerned ABOUT." Learning the verb alone guarantees you'll guess the preposition wrong under pressure.

7Workplace and email collocations (for Writing Task 1)

Writing Task 1 is almost always an email, often to a boss, a company, or an institution. These workplace collocations carry the formal register the prompt expects and let you sound like someone who writes professional email regularly.

bring a matter to your attention
address an ongoing issue
request an extension / request clarification
raise a formal complaint / file a complaint
follow up on our previous conversation

take the necessary steps / take prompt action
look into the matter / investigate the issue
meet the deadline / extend the deadline
reach a resolution / find a workable solution
honour the agreement / waive the fee

appreciate your prompt attention to this matter
look forward to your response / await your reply
remain available should you need further details
apologise for any inconvenience caused
value your continued cooperation

bring a matter to your attention (email opener)

A formal way to start a complaint or notification. CELPIP example: "I am writing to bring a recurring billing error to your attention, which has now affected two consecutive statements."

Match the collocation register to the recipient. "File a complaint" and "appreciate your prompt attention" belong in formal emails; for a note to a friend, "give you a heads-up" and "sort it out" fit instead. Mixing the two is a top tone-mismatch error.

8Opinion and argument collocations (for Speaking Task 7 and Writing Task 2)

Both Speaking Task 7 and Writing Task 2 ask you to take and defend a position. These collocations frame your stance, your reasoning, and your concession without resorting to the same flat words ("good reason," "big advantage") every time.

make a compelling case / build a strong case
hold a firm view / take a clear stance
put forward an argument / advance an argument
back up a claim / support a position with evidence
carry weight / hold true

acknowledge a valid point / concede some ground
weigh the costs and benefits / weigh competing priorities
outweigh the drawbacks / outweigh the risks
strike the right balance / find common ground
see merit in both sides

the most sensible option / the more practical choice
a far better alternative / a clear advantage over
tip the scales in favour of
the deciding factor / the bottom line
well worth considering / hard to justify

outweigh the drawbacks (argument verb + noun)

To be more important than the negatives. CELPIP example (Task 7): "Working from home has its downsides, but for most people the flexibility and saved commute time clearly outweigh the drawbacks."

Tip: One concession collocation (acknowledge a valid point) followed by one rebuttal collocation (the benefits outweigh the drawbacks) is a complete, high-band argument move in a single breath. Pair them.

9Cause, change and trend collocations (for describing situations and predictions)

Several CELPIP tasks ask you to describe how something is changing or predict what will happen (Speaking Task 4 predicts from an image; Task 2 and Task 7 often involve trends). These collocations describe direction and cause precisely.

a sharp increase / a steady rise / a gradual decline
rise dramatically / drop significantly / level off
gain momentum / gain popularity / lose ground
reach a peak / hit a record high / fall to a low
fluctuate widely / remain stable

give rise to / pave the way for / set in motion
trigger a response / spark a debate / fuel demand
have a knock-on effect / leave a lasting impression
stem from / arise from / be driven by
in the long run / in the short term

be likely to / be bound to / show signs of
point to a trend / signal a shift
in all likelihood / for the foreseeable future
bound to improve / set to grow
barring any setbacks

gain momentum (trend verb + noun)

To grow stronger or faster over time. CELPIP example (Task 4 prediction): "Based on the chart, online learning is gaining momentum, so I'd expect enrolment to keep climbing next year."

Quantify direction with a collocation, not just a verb. "It went up" is CLB 6; "it rose steadily" or "it climbed sharply" is CLB 9 — the adverb partner does the grading work.

10Collocations that signal register (formal vs casual partnerships)

Many ideas have a formal collocation and a casual one. Choosing the wrong one for the task is a tone error, and tone mismatch is one of the fastest ways to lose Task Fulfillment points. These pairs let you switch register deliberately.

The left side fits formal Task 1 emails and Task 2 essays; the right side fits friendly Speaking tasks and informal Task 1 notes. The meaning is the same — only the partnership changes.

reach a decision (formal) — make up your mind (casual)
address the issue (formal) — sort it out (casual)
request assistance (formal) — give me a hand (casual)
express dissatisfaction (formal) — not be happy about (casual)
provide an update (formal) — fill you in (casual)

decline an invitation (formal) — take a rain check (casual)
raise a concern (formal) — flag something (casual)
anticipate a delay (formal) — be running late (casual)
convey my gratitude (formal) — say a huge thanks (casual)
make an exception (formal) — let it slide (casual)

express dissatisfaction vs not be happy about

Same meaning, different register. Formal email: "I wish to express my dissatisfaction with the service." Friendly message: "I have to be honest, I wasn't happy about how that went."

Tip: Read the prompt first and decide the register before you choose collocations. Once you've picked formal or casual, keep every partnership on that side — switching mid-response is the giveaway graders catch.

11The 10 collocation errors that sound "off" to graders (make/do, say/tell)

These ten mistakes are so common that graders register them as a clear lower-band signal. None of them is a grammar error in the textbook sense — they're all wrong partnerships. Fixing these ten is pure profit.

make vs do: you make a decision, a mistake, a suggestion, a complaint, an effort, progress; you do your homework, the dishes, research, a favour, business, your best. Wrong: "do a decision," "make my homework."

say vs tell: you say something (say it to someone); you tell someone something (tell needs a person object). Wrong: "He said me the news," "She told that she was late." Right: "He told me the news," "She said she was late."

do a decision -> make a decision
say me the answer -> tell me the answer
make a research -> do research / conduct research
discuss about the issue -> discuss the issue (no 'about')
depend of the situation -> depend on the situation
comply to the rules -> comply with the rules
give an exam -> take an exam / write an exam
lose the bus -> miss the bus
make a party -> throw a party / have a party
a strong rain -> heavy rain

These errors don't usually break meaning, so they won't lower Listening or Reading scores — but in Speaking and Writing they directly drag your Vocabulary band, because they're exactly the partnerships the CLB descriptors expect a strong user to get right.

Tip: Pick the two or three of these you currently make and drill only those. You don't need to fix mistakes you never make — find your own leaks first with a recorded practice task.

12How to learn collocations in chunks, plus a 40-collocation test-day deck

Collocations stick only when you learn the whole chunk, never the words apart. Below is the method, then a curated 40-item deck — the highest-leverage partnerships from this whole article, ready to drill.

The chunk method: store each collocation as one unit on a flashcard ("____ a decision" on one side, "make / reach" on the other). Always learn the noun with its verb and the verb with its preposition. Produce each chunk in one full sentence three times before you consider it learned — recognition is not the same as retrieval under exam pressure.

Harvest live: collocations from a textbook feel dead; the same ones from a CBC opinion piece or a Canadian podcast feel usable because you met them in context. When you read or listen, save the whole partnership ("the policy sparked a debate"), not the single word ("debate"). FlexiLingo's phrase detection flags these multi-word units automatically so your deck fills with real, recurring Canadian-English collocations.

1. make a decision / reach a decision
2. take action / take steps
3. raise concerns / express concerns
4. address an issue / tackle a problem
5. meet a deadline / meet expectations
6. pose a risk / pose a challenge
7. make a strong point / make a compelling case
8. draw a conclusion
9. a pressing issue / a growing concern
10. a valid point / a fair point
11. a significant impact / a lasting impact
12. a viable option / a practical solution
13. a tight deadline / a heavy workload
14. highly effective / highly likely
15. widely accepted / widely recognised
16. deeply concerned / strongly opposed
17. absolutely essential / perfectly clear
18. depend on / rely on
19. result in / result from
20. comply with / cope with
21. lead to / contribute to
22. concerned about / responsible for
23. consistent with / committed to
24. an increase in / a solution to
25. bring a matter to your attention
26. take the necessary steps
27. apologise for any inconvenience caused
28. look forward to your response
29. acknowledge a valid point
30. the benefits outweigh the drawbacks
31. strike the right balance
32. tip the scales in favour of
33. a sharp increase / a gradual decline
34. gain momentum / gain popularity
35. give rise to / pave the way for
36. be likely to / show signs of
37. in the long run / in the short term
38. sort it out (casual) / address the issue (formal)
39. give me a hand (casual) / request assistance (formal)
40. heavy rain (not 'strong rain'), take an exam (not 'give an exam')

Tip: Drill five collocations a day from this deck, always inside a full sentence. After eight days you'll have all 40 in active memory; refresh the list weekly until test day.

Frequently Asked Questions

What's the difference between a collocation and an idiom?

A collocation is a literal, predictable word partnership (make a decision, heavy rain) where the meaning is transparent. An idiom is figurative and not deducible from the words ("bite the bullet," "under the weather"). CELPIP rewards both, but collocations are safer and higher-leverage because they're literal — you can use far more of them without sounding forced.

How many collocations should I aim to use in one CELPIP response?

Two to three well-placed collocations per Speaking task and three to four per Writing task. That's enough to signal a strong Vocabulary band. More than that reads as a checklist rather than natural speech, and overuse can actually lower the naturalness graders are listening for.

Will getting a collocation slightly wrong hurt my score?

A wrong partnership ("do a decision," "depend of") is a clearer lower-band signal than a plain word would be, because the CLB descriptors expect strong users to combine words correctly. If you're not confident of the partner verb or preposition, use a simpler noun whose collocation you do know — accuracy beats ambition here.

Do collocations matter for Listening and Reading, or only Speaking and Writing?

They matter for all four. In Listening and Reading, recognising fixed partnerships ("drew sharp criticism," "gaining momentum") as single chunks speeds up comprehension and helps you spot paraphrased answers. In Speaking and Writing, producing them lifts your Vocabulary band directly. One collocation deck improves every section.

How is this different from the CELPIP Phrase & Vocabulary Bank article?

The phrase bank focuses on functional sentence stems (opinion openers, concession phrases, email openers) and ends with a 20-item collocation list as a starter set. This article is dedicated to collocations specifically — 60-plus more partnerships organised by grammatical pattern and exam slot, plus a 40-item collocation deck. Use the phrase bank for sentence frames and this article for word partnerships; together they cover both.

What's the fastest way to make new collocations automatic?

Learn them as whole chunks from real Canadian content, then produce each one in three of your own sentences before moving on. Recognition fades under exam pressure; only retrieval-practiced chunks survive. Spaced repetition (Anki, Quizlet, or FlexiLingo) on the 40-item deck, with one full sentence per review, gets them firing automatically in about two weeks.

CELPIP Collocations: The Word Partnerships That Lift Your Band