台灣學生練 IELTS 寫作常陷入一個誤區：背大單字。花一個月背 ubiquitous, epitomise, quintessentially——寫進 essay 後 examiner 卻沒加分。
原因：Band 7 的 Lexical Resource 看的不是「你知不知道難字」，是「你用字自然嗎」。自然的關鍵是 collocations——字詞的慣用搭配。
Collocation 是什麼？
有些字天生一起走，換別的搭配就不對：
| 對 ✓ | 錯 ✗ | |-------------------------|---------------------------| | make a decision | do a decision | | heavy rain | strong rain | | commit a crime | do a crime | | conduct research | make research | | draw a conclusion | pull a conclusion |
Native speakers 會立刻察覺——do a decision 不是文法錯，是「聽起來不對」。Examiner 看到 3-4 個錯 collocation 就從 Band 7 打回 6.5。
8 大功能類別 collocations
下面八張表是 Task 2 必備。每類選 4-5 個常用——不是要你全背，是選兩三類深挖。
類別 1：趨勢動詞（描述變化）
用在 essay 提到數據變化時。
| 中文 | 英文 collocation | 例句 | |--------------|---------------------------|--------------------------------------------------------| | 數字上升 | figures rose | The figures rose steadily throughout the decade. | | 數字下降 | numbers fell | The numbers fell by approximately 12% after 2015. | | 趨勢浮現 | patterns emerged | New consumption patterns emerged during the pandemic. | | 比例激增 | proportions surged | Online shopping proportions surged after 2020. |
類別 2：因果（最高頻用途）
幾乎每篇 Task 2 都會用到。**不要全篇用 *because***——換成下面這些：
| 中文 | 英文 collocation | 例句 | |-----------|--------------------------|-------------------------------------------------------------| | 導致 | lead to | Poor diet can lead to serious health complications. | | 造成 | result in | Urban overcrowding often results in higher pollution levels. | | 有助於 | contribute to | Renewable energy contributes to long-term sustainability. | | 源於 | stem from | Many social problems stem from economic inequality. | | 起因於 | be attributed to | The decline can be attributed to changing consumer habits. |
類別 3：分析動詞（處理題目的態度）
Task 2 是 analytical essay——這些動詞展現你在分析：
| 中文 | 英文 collocation | 例句 | |------------|------------------------------|-----------------------------------------------------------------| | 檢視影響 | examine the impact | This essay will examine the impact of remote working on cities. | | 分析資料 | analyse the data | Researchers have analysed the data from 40 countries. | | 評估結果 | evaluate the outcome | It remains too early to evaluate the outcome of the policy. | | 質疑假設 | challenge the assumption | Recent findings challenge the assumption that money ensures happiness. |
類別 4：頻率與範圍
取代 many, most, few 這類 B1 等級字詞：
| 中文 | 英文 collocation | 例句 | |--------------|-----------------------------|-------------------------------------------------------------------| | 顯著比例 | a significant proportion | A significant proportion of young adults now live with parents. | | 絕大多數 | a substantial majority | A substantial majority support the new regulation. | | 少數 | a small minority | Only a small minority of students choose this pathway. | | 相當大部分 | a considerable share | A considerable share of household income goes to rent. |
類別 5：形容詞強調（替代 very）
Simon 強調：Band 7+ 作文裡 very 應該出現 0 次。
| 中文 | 英文 collocation | 例句 | |--------------|-----------------------------|---------------------------------------------------------------------| | 普遍認為 | widely regarded | He is widely regarded as the founder of modern economics. | | 高度爭議 | highly controversial | Genetic engineering remains highly controversial. | | 深切擔憂 | deeply concerning | The rising extinction rate is deeply concerning. | | 日益重要 | increasingly significant | AI has become increasingly significant in medical diagnosis. |
類別 6：轉進個人觀點
Opinion essay 要表態時——不要一律 I think。
| 中文 | 英文 collocation | 例句 | |---------------|-------------------------------------|---------------------------------------------------------------------| | 從我的角度看 | from my perspective | From my perspective, this policy will ultimately backfire. | | 看來合理 | it seems reasonable to | It seems reasonable to argue that some regulation is necessary. | | 有人會主張 | one could argue that | One could argue that the benefits have been overstated. |
類別 7：限定性語言（Hedging）
Band 7+ 文章不絕對化。用這些軟化斷言：
| 中文 | 英文 collocation | 例句 | |--------------|--------------------------|-------------------------------------------------------------------| | 一般而言 | generally speaking | Generally speaking, investment in education pays off long-term. | | 某種程度上 | to some extent | This is true, to some extent, in developed economies. | | 大多數情況下 | in most cases | In most cases, parental involvement improves outcomes. | | 通常 | as a rule | As a rule, early intervention is more effective than later. |
類別 8：結論信號
結論段不要只會 In conclusion。
| 中文 | 英文 collocation | 例句 | |----------------|-----------------------------------|----------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 總的來說 | on balance | On balance, the benefits outweigh the concerns raised. | | 綜合考量 | taking everything into account | Taking everything into account, stricter regulation appears justified. | | 總結來說 | to summarise | To summarise, there is no simple answer to this question. |
Rule：少而準，不是多而散
280 字的 Task 2 essay，準確用 10-12 個自然 collocations 最佳——不是愈多愈好。硬塞會讓 examiner 感覺你在「背範文」。自然句比華麗句分高。
Before/After 對照段
❌ Before（Band 6）
Social media is very bad for young people. It makes them feel sad and they compare themselves with others. Many young people use it a lot and this is a big problem. The government should do something about it. I think it is important to solve this problem very soon.
✓ After（Band 7+）
The impact of social media on young people is deeply concerning. Constant exposure to curated online images contributes to rising rates of anxiety and self-comparison, particularly among adolescents. A substantial proportion of teenagers now spend over four hours daily on these platforms, which has been attributed to measurable declines in mental wellbeing. On balance, I believe governments must take decisive action to regulate algorithmic content targeting minors, before the long-term consequences become irreversible.
差在哪：
- 同樣 66 字，但用了 6 個自然 collocations（deeply concerning, contributes to, particularly among, a substantial proportion, has been attributed to, on balance, take decisive action）
- 沒有任何一個「大單字」——全部是 B2 等級字詞的精準搭配
- 讀起來像 BBC / Economist 文章，不是翻譯腔
怎麼學 collocations？
- 挑 2-3 類先深挖——因果與分析類最優先（任何題目都用得到）
- 每週選 10 個——寫 5 個自己例句，讀 5 個範文例句
- 讀真實英文：Economist、BBC News、Guardian Opinion，每天 15 分鐘畫底線
- 寫完 essay 檢查——每段至少 2 個自然 collocation？
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