Example
technological advances
Recent technological advances have made it possible to work from almost anywhere.
Written byFizza Butool ZaidiandAli ZaidiUpdated 11 November 2026
16 collocations
Formal pairs suit Writing Task 2. Neutral ones work anywhere. Informal ones belong in Speaking.
new developments in technology
Recent technological advances have made it possible to work from almost anywhere.
Advances in technology is the same idea in a different order.
the newest and most advanced technology
Hospitals with cutting-edge technology can diagnose cancer much earlier.
State-of-the-art is a similar phrase.
depend a great deal on something
Modern economies rely heavily on the internet for trade and communication.
Heavily is the natural adverb with rely and depend.
the time a person spends looking at a phone, computer or TV
Parents should set limits on children's screen time.
Limit, reduce and cut down on collocate with it.
the ability to use digital technology and judge online information
Schools should teach digital literacy so that pupils can spot false information online.
Good in Task 2 essays on education and technology.
be able to use the internet
Around a third of the world's population still does not have access to the internet.
As a verb, access takes no preposition: access the internet.
Avoid: they access to the internet → have access to the internet
the gap between people who have technology and those who do not
Free broadband in rural areas would help to narrow the digital divide.
Narrow, bridge and widen collocate with it.
intrude into people's personal lives or information
Some apps invade people's privacy by collecting data they do not need.
The noun phrase is an invasion of privacy.
an incident in which private information is stolen or exposed
A data breach at a bank can expose millions of customers to fraud.
Suffer and report collocate with breach.
make something no longer useful because something newer exists
Streaming services have rendered DVDs obsolete.
Become obsolete is the intransitive version.
make a machine or program do work that people used to do
Companies automate tasks such as data entry to cut costs.
Automation is the noun.
stay informed about and use new technology
Older people often find it hard to keep up with the latest technology.
Natural in Speaking and fine in Writing.
having so much information that it is hard to think clearly
Constant notifications lead to information overload and poor concentration.
Suffer from and lead to collocate with it.
something that has both good and bad effects
Social media is a double-edged sword: it connects people but also spreads rumours.
Use once at most in an essay; it is a fixed phrase, so overuse looks memorised.
easy to use or understand
Government websites should be user-friendly so that older people can use them.
Use before a noun (a user-friendly app) or after be.
good at using modern technology
My grandmother is surprisingly tech-savvy; she video-calls us every week.
A natural Speaking word. In Writing, use digitally skilled.
Technology questions are full of everyday words such as phone and internet. Pairing them accurately, as in have access to the internet or rely heavily on, is how you show the flexibility the Band 7 descriptors describe without forcing rare words in.
Source: the public IELTS band descriptors, summarised on ielts.org. Using these collocations will not by itself guarantee a band; accuracy and relevance matter most.
Speaking Part 3
An excerpt we wrote to show these collocations working together. Collocations from this page are in bold.
Do you think technology has made people's lives better or worse?
Mostly better, I'd say, but it's a double-edged sword. Technological advances mean my parents can video-call relatives abroad for free, which was unthinkable twenty years ago. On the other hand, we rely heavily on our phones, and I think too much screen time affects concentration. There's also the digital divide: people who don't have access to the internet are increasingly shut out of basic services.
Say these collocations out loud
Write or record your own answer and get AI feedback on vocabulary, grammar and coherence. BandLadder feedback is an estimate, not an official IELTS score.
Practise IELTS Speaking →Yes, it is common in formal journalism. Use it once and follow it with a clear explanation of both sides.
The verb access takes a direct object: people access the internet. The noun takes to: people have access to the internet.
Keep up with the latest technology, screen time, tech-savvy and a double-edged sword sound natural when you talk about change and its effects.
Use collocations with more precise nouns: technological advances, digital literacy, automation, data, devices. Our synonyms pages also help.
Keep going
Practise in context
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