Writing Task 2 — Vocabulary and Collocation

By the end, you can choose words that express your idea accurately, use common collocations in context and paraphrase without changing meaning. This lesson relates primarily to Lexical Resource. A rare word does not earn credit simply because it is long. Precise words can be simple or advanced; the test of a choice is whether it fits the meaning, grammar and register. This focused practice cannot predict a Writing band.

Compare “The government should ameliorate the multitudinous deleterious ramifications of congestion” with “The government should reduce the harmful effects of congestion.” The first is overloaded and unnatural for its simple idea; “ameliorate” itself is not forbidden when used accurately. Also compare “The city increased the number of cycle lanes” (transitive: the city increased something) and “Cyclist numbers rose” (intransitive: numbers rose without an object). “Problem” may name harm, “issue” can be more neutral, and “challenge” suggests a difficulty to address. These words are not automatic substitutes.

Words often occur together in a way that sounds natural: “pose a threat” to road safety, “play a role” in a decision, “raise awareness” of waste, “address a problem”, “take responsibility”, “have an impact”, “meet a need”, “provide access”, “reach a conclusion”, “face pressure”. Learn how each combination works in a sentence, not as a fixed list to insert everywhere. A city can “provide access to” a park; residents can “have access to” it. Avoid chatty forms such as “stuff” or “super bad” in a formal argument. Formal does not mean inflated.

Weak example — “The city made a super amazing plan to make rubbish problems go away. This awesome thing will give all people beautiful benefits.” The language is vague and too informal for a reasoned essay. “All people” and “go away” claim more than the idea supports. The paragraph offers no precise action or effect. Another weak habit is swapping every instance of “recycling” for an unrelated or broader term just to avoid repetition. A key concept sometimes needs to be repeated.

Improved example — “The city plans to add separate recycling bins at bus stations. Clear labels may help passengers sort bottles and paper correctly, although the scheme will also need regular collection.” The action, location and possible effect are specific. “Sort bottles and paper” is natural; “regular collection” names a practical condition. “May” keeps the claim measured. Repeating “bins” in a longer paragraph would be clearer than calling them “this stuff”.

Original TutorLand prompt idea: “A town is considering free repair workshops for household items. Discuss one benefit and one difficulty.” Natural paraphrase: “The town may offer workshops that help residents fix items at no charge.” The wording changes but retains town, workshops, repair and cost. Bad drift: “All cities must teach everyone to recycle for profit.” That sentence changes the place, action, audience and purpose. Paraphrasing means preserving the exact task while expressing it naturally; it is not a thesaurus exercise.

Edit “The council did a lot of things and it was really good for people.” Ask what the council did, which people and what benefit. Try: “The council added drinking-water taps near sports grounds, giving players access to water without buying a bottle.” Independent application: revise this original TutorLand paragraph without changing its claim: “Our town has a big issue with broken bikes. The town should do a thing to help people with bikes. This good thing could make a lot of difference.” Specify a plausible repair service or workshop, an audience and a concrete effect. Do not invent statistics.

Check: □ Does each key word express my intended meaning? □ Does the word combine naturally with the neighbouring words? □ Does my paraphrase preserve the task limits? □ Is the register clear and appropriately formal? □ Have I avoided both vague language and forced rare words? The next lesson examines grammatical range and accuracy. It will appear for learners only after human review and publication.