A Practical Guide to Using the Official PTE Collocation List for a High Score

Have you ever been stuck on a PTE Fill in the Blanks question, looking at two words with similar meanings but knowing only one “sounds right”? That feeling of “sounding right” is your brain recognizing a collocation—and it’s a secret weapon for a high PTE score.

While many students waste time memorizing random vocabulary, the highest-scoring students instead focus on learning words in their natural partnerships. Mastering collocations, consequently, is the key to unlocking the Reading and Writing sections.

This guide will not only give you a direct link to the Official PTE Academic Collocation List provided by Pearson, but more importantly, it will give you a powerful method to actually learn and use the words on that list. After all, a list is just data; a method is what gets you a high score.

The Official PTE Collocation List

Your vocabulary preparation should start with the most trustworthy source available. Pearson, the creator of the PTE, has published a comprehensive collocation list specifically for test takers and teachers.

• What it is: This document is a detailed PDF containing over 2,500 common academic collocations that frequently appear in the PTE Academic exam.
• Why it’s essential: This is not just another unofficial list; it’s a roadmap provided by the test makers themselves. The words and phrases in this document are therefore high-frequency and directly relevant to the exam content.
• Where to find it: You can download the Official 2021 Pearson PTE Academic Collocation List (PDF) now.

Downloading this list is your first step. However, your second step is to realize that a list is not a learning plan.

What is a Collocation? (And Why Does PTE Test It?)

A Simple Definition with Examples

A collocation is a combination of two or more words that naturally go together in English. These are not strict grammar rules, but rather natural pairings that native speakers use all the time.

• For instance, we say “heavy rain,” not “strong rain.”
• Similarly, we “raise awareness,” not “lift awareness.”
• In an academic context, we “conduct research,” not “do research.”

The PTE tests collocations because using them correctly is a strong sign of language proficiency. It shows you understand not just the meaning of words, but also how people use them in context.

The Different Types of Collocations You’ll Encounter

The official list contains many patterns. Some of the most common types you should look for are:

• Verb + Noun: meet the criteria, express an opinion, play a role
• Adjective + Noun: economic growth, key factor, public transport
• Adverb + Adjective: highly effective, closely related, widely available
• Noun + Noun: climate change, market share, job satisfaction

Where Collocations Will Boost Your Score

Dominating Both Fill in the Blanks

Your collocation knowledge will have its biggest and most direct impact here. In both Reading: Fill in the Blanks and Reading & Writing: Fill in the Blanks, the correct answer is often the only word that forms a correct collocation.

• Example Question: “The study’s findings ____ a significant impact on future government policy.”
• Options: did, made, had, gave
• Analysis: If you know the collocation is “had an impact,” the answer is instantly obvious.

The High-Impact Tasks: Enhancing Your Writing and Speaking

• Write Essay: Instead of writing “The problem is very big,” using a strong collocation like “This poses a serious challenge” or “It is a major issue” makes your writing more academic.
• Speaking (Describe Image/Retell Lecture): Furthermore, using phrases like “sharp increase” or “gradual decline” will make your response sound more natural and fluent.

How to Learn the Official List

Staring at the 2,500-word PDF is overwhelming. For this reason, you should use an active learning system instead.

Step 1: Become a “Collocation Collector” (Active Reading)

Don’t just read the list. Read high-quality English articles every day. As you read, keep the official Pearson PDF open. When you see a collocation from the list used in a real sentence, highlight it. This active process of “finding” the collocations in the wild helps you understand their real-world usage.

Step 2: Create Your Personal “Collocation Journal”

This is your active learning tool. Each day, choose 5-10 new collocations from the official list and enter them into a notebook with the following details:

1. The Collocation: e.g., sustainable development
2. A Real Sentence (from an article): “Many nations are now focused on policies that promote sustainable development.”
3. Your Own Sentence: “Companies must invest in sustainable development to protect the environment.”

Step 3: Use Them or Lose Them (Active Practice)

Finally, you must actively use your new collocations for them to stick.

• When practicing a Write Essay question, for example, challenge yourself to include 3-4 new collocations from your journal.
• Similarly, when preparing for Describe Image, think about which collocations you can use.

High-Frequency Collocations from the Official List

To get you started, here is a small, curated selection of very common and useful collocations from the official Pearson list, grouped by theme.

Collocations for Academic & Research Contexts

• conduct research
• gather data
• analyze the results
• a growing body of evidence
• critical thinking
• draw a conclusion

Collocations for Business & Economics

• economic growth
• market forces
• financial resources
• consumer demand
• investment opportunities
• take measures

Collocations for Environmental & Social Topics

• climate change
• greenhouse gases
• sustainable development
• public awareness
• social justice
• cultural diversity

Collocations with Prepositions

• responsible for
• involved in
• focus on
• access to
• in response to
• on the basis of

Using Collocations to Solve a Real Question

Let’s see this in action on a Reading & Writing: Fill in the Blanks question.

• Sentence: “In order to be accepted into the university, applicants must ____ all the specified criteria.”
• Dropdown Options: reach, do, meet, achieve
• Analysis: All four verbs are related to accomplishing something. However, only one forms a correct and standard collocation. The correct phrase is “meet the criteria.” If you have learned this collocation from the official list, this question takes you less than 5 seconds to answer with 100% confidence.

How to Practice and Test Your Collocation Knowledge

• First, the best place to test your skills is on the Fill in the Blanks tasks. Go to our PTE Reading practice section and start looking for word partnerships.
• Next, actively use your new phrases in the PTE Writing practice section.
• Ultimately, see the impact on your overall score by taking a full-length PTE mock test.

Frequently Asked Questions About PTE Collocations

Q1. Do I need to learn all 2,500 collocations from the official list?

No. You do not need to memorize the entire list. Use the list as a reference. Focus on learning 5-10 new collocations per day using the journal method. Over a few weeks, you will consequently build a powerful and active vocabulary.

Q2. What is the difference between a collocation and an idiom?

A collocation is a natural pairing of words where the meaning is still literal (e.g., “public transport”). In contrast, an idiom is a phrase where the meaning is figurative (e.g., “break the ice”). For the PTE Academic, you should focus almost exclusively on learning collocations.

Q3. If I don’t know the collocation, can I still get the answer right?

Sometimes, you can use grammar or logic to find the answer. However, knowing the collocation is a massive shortcut. It allows you to answer with speed and confidence, saving you valuable time in the Reading section.