PTE Collocation List 2026: 100+ Pairs (Free PDF Download)

Collocations are the single highest-leverage vocabulary asset for the PTE Academic Reading section. If you can recognise common word pairings instantly, Fill in the Blanks goes from a slow guessing exercise to a fast pattern-matching task — and your Reading score moves with it. This 2026 reference list gives Nepali students the academic collocations that appear most frequently in PTE Reading and Reading-and-Writing Fill in the Blanks.

Save this page, copy the list into your notes app, or print it. The goal is recognition, not memorisation in isolation. Read the pairs aloud, write a sentence with each, and review them in 10-minute blocks daily for two weeks.

Download the full PTE Collocation List 2026 (free PDF) — all 105 pairs below with meanings and example sentences, formatted as a clean printable A4 reference. No sign-up needed.

Why Collocations Matter More Than Vocabulary Lists

Most Nepali students spend hours learning isolated academic words but still hesitate during Fill in the Blanks. The reason is that PTE Reading does not test whether you know the meaning of a word — it tests whether the word fits naturally with its neighbours. "Conduct an experiment" is correct; "make an experiment" is not. The blank is testing the pairing, not the word.

Collocations also speed up Fill in the Blanks decisions because you eliminate options by feel rather than reading the full sentence three times. This frees up time for Reorder Paragraphs and overall Reading time management.

Where does this list come from? Pearson publishes an official Academic Collocation List (ACL) of 2,469 entries identified from a 25-million-word corpus of academic English — far more than anyone needs to memorise for the exam. The 105 pairs below are the high-frequency PTE subset: the collocations that appear most often in PTE Reading and Reading-and-Writing Fill in the Blanks passages. Master these first; they give you the bulk of the recognition speed for a fraction of the study time.

Adjective + Noun Collocations

These pairs appear constantly in academic texts about education, environment, technology, and society — the most common PTE Reading topics.

Collocation	Meaning	Example sentence
fundamental principle	a basic rule or idea that something is built on	Equal access to education is a fundamental principle of public policy.
significant impact	a large or important effect	Remote work has had a significant impact on city economies.
inherent risk	a danger that is a natural, built-in part of something	Every medical procedure carries an inherent risk.
demographic shift	a change in the structure of a population	An ageing workforce reflects a broader demographic shift.
conceptual framework	a set of ideas used to organise and understand a topic	The study uses a conceptual framework drawn from behavioural economics.
economic growth	an increase in a country's production of goods and services	Tourism remains a key driver of economic growth in the region.
renewable energy	power from sources that do not run out, such as sun or wind	Investment in renewable energy doubled over the decade.
extensive research	research that covers a wide area or large amount of detail	Extensive research supports the link between sleep and memory.
compelling evidence	evidence so strong it is hard to argue against	The trial produced compelling evidence of the drug's effectiveness.
profound effect	a very deep, far-reaching effect	Early childhood nutrition has a profound effect on development.
diverse range	a wide variety of different things	The university offers a diverse range of postgraduate courses.
unprecedented growth	growth never seen before	Online education experienced unprecedented growth after 2020.
crucial role	an extremely important function	Teachers play a crucial role in shaping student motivation.
widespread acceptance	approval or adoption by many people	Electric vehicles are gaining widespread acceptance among commuters.
sustainable development	growth that meets present needs without harming the future	The report links sustainable development to responsible water use.
considerable attention	a large amount of notice or focus	Artificial intelligence has attracted considerable attention from regulators.
empirical evidence	evidence based on observation or experiment, not theory	The hypothesis lacks empirical evidence from controlled trials.
integral part	an essential, inseparable component	Peer feedback is an integral part of the writing process.
mutual benefit	an advantage shared by both sides	Trade agreements are designed for the mutual benefit of partner nations.
rapid expansion	very fast growth in size or scope	The rapid expansion of the city strained public transport.
adverse effect	a harmful or negative result	Excessive screen time can have an adverse effect on concentration.
viable alternative	a realistic option that could work instead	Buses offer a viable alternative to private car travel.
vested interest	a personal stake in an outcome, often financial	Lobbyists have a vested interest in delaying the reform.
pressing issue	an urgent problem that needs attention now	Youth unemployment is the most pressing issue facing the government.
finite resources	supplies that are limited and can run out	Fresh water is one of the planet's most finite resources.
collaborative effort	work done jointly by several people or groups	The vaccine was a collaborative effort between three universities.
cognitive development	the growth of thinking and reasoning abilities	Play is essential to a child's cognitive development.
ethical considerations	moral questions that affect a decision	Genetic testing raises serious ethical considerations.
global phenomenon	something happening across the whole world	Urban migration has become a global phenomenon.
key factor	one of the main causes or influences	Cost is a key factor in students' choice of destination country.
long-term consequences	effects that last far into the future	Deforestation has long-term consequences for soil quality.
pivotal moment	a point at which a decisive change happens	The discovery marked a pivotal moment in cancer research.
prior knowledge	what someone already knows before learning more	Effective teaching builds on students' prior knowledge.
profound implications	deep and serious likely consequences	Automation has profound implications for low-skill employment.
rigorous analysis	careful, thorough, and exact examination	The claims did not survive rigorous analysis of the data.
scarce resources	supplies that are limited relative to demand	Hospitals must allocate scarce resources during emergencies.
social cohesion	the unity and trust that holds a community together	Shared public spaces strengthen social cohesion in cities.
technological advances	improvements in technology	Technological advances have transformed remote diagnosis.
underlying assumption	a belief taken for granted beneath an argument	The model rests on the underlying assumption of rational behaviour.
vast majority	nearly all of a group	The vast majority of participants completed the survey.

Verb + Noun Collocations

These are the highest-frequency pairings in academic argumentation. If a Fill in the Blanks sentence describes an action, one of these is usually the answer.

Collocation	Meaning	Example sentence
conduct research	to carry out a systematic study	The team conducted research on sleep patterns in adolescents.
impose restrictions	to officially put limits in place	The city imposed restrictions on water use during the drought.
propose a solution	to suggest a way of solving a problem	The committee proposed a solution to the parking shortage.
gain insight	to develop a deeper understanding	Interviews helped researchers gain insight into voter behaviour.
reach a consensus	to come to a general agreement	After long debate, the panel reached a consensus on the policy.
raise awareness	to make more people conscious of an issue	The campaign aims to raise awareness of mental health support.
draw a conclusion	to decide what is true based on evidence	It is too early to draw a conclusion from a single study.
meet demand	to supply as much as people want	Local farms struggled to meet demand for organic produce.
address an issue	to deal with a problem directly	The new policy addresses the issue of overcrowded classrooms.
bear responsibility	to be accountable for something	Manufacturers bear responsibility for product safety.
establish a framework	to create a structure of rules or ideas	The treaty established a framework for carbon trading.
generate revenue	to produce income	The festival generates revenue for hundreds of small businesses.
pose a threat	to be a possible danger	Invasive species pose a threat to native wildlife.
play a role	to have a function or influence	Diet plays a role in the prevention of heart disease.
undergo a transformation	to experience a major change	The industry underwent a transformation after digital streaming.
undertake a study	to begin and carry out a piece of research	The ministry undertook a study of rural internet access.
allocate resources	to distribute money, time, or materials	Schools must allocate resources to teacher training.
assess the impact	to judge the effect of something	Economists assessed the impact of the tax cut on spending.
attain a goal	to succeed in reaching an objective	Few athletes attain their goals without structured coaching.
bridge the gap	to reduce the difference between two groups or things	Scholarships help bridge the gap between rich and poor students.
cause harm	to produce damage or injury	Misinformation can cause harm to public health efforts.
devise a strategy	to invent a plan to achieve something	Engineers devised a strategy to reduce energy loss.
enhance performance	to improve how well something works	Regular feedback enhances performance in the workplace.
exert influence	to use power to affect people or events	Social media exerts influence on consumer choices.
foster innovation	to encourage new ideas and methods	Tax incentives are intended to foster innovation in startups.
fulfil a requirement	to satisfy a condition that is demanded	The course fulfils the language requirement for admission.
hold a view	to have an opinion	Many economists hold the view that inflation will ease.
implement a policy	to put an official plan into action	The government implemented a policy of free school meals.
lend support	to give help or backing	Recent findings lend support to the original theory.
make a contribution	to give something that helps a result	Volunteers make a significant contribution to disaster relief.
mitigate the effects	to make harmful effects less severe	Early warning systems mitigate the effects of flooding.
overcome an obstacle	to succeed despite a difficulty	The project overcame the obstacle of limited funding.
pay attention	to focus on something carefully	Examiners pay attention to pronunciation as well as content.
place emphasis	to give special importance to something	The curriculum places emphasis on critical thinking.
pursue a career	to work towards a profession over time	She moved abroad to pursue a career in nursing.
retain information	to keep knowledge in memory	Students retain information better through spaced revision.
seek advice	to ask for guidance	Applicants should seek advice before choosing a study pathway.
shape attitudes	to influence how people think or feel	Advertising shapes attitudes towards body image.
take measures	to act in order to deal with a situation	Airlines took measures to reduce fuel consumption.
yield results	to produce outcomes	The new teaching method yielded results within one semester.

Preposition Collocations

These shorter phrases are common in linking sentences and discourse markers. They often appear in Reading and Writing Fill in the Blanks where the missing word is a single connector.

Collocation	Meaning	Example sentence
in light of	considering; because of new information	In light of recent findings, the guidelines were revised.
in response to	as a reaction to	The policy was introduced in response to rising rents.
in contrast to	showing how something is different from	In contrast to print media, online news updates instantly.
in addition to	as well as; besides	In addition to tuition, students must budget for insurance.
in line with	consistent with; matching	Salaries rose in line with inflation last year.
at odds with	in disagreement or conflict with	The data is at odds with the company's official claims.
at the expense of	with the loss or sacrifice of	Speed was achieved at the expense of accuracy.
at the heart of	being the central, most important part of	Trust lies at the heart of doctor-patient relationships.
at risk of	in danger of experiencing something bad	Coastal towns are at risk of severe flooding.
on behalf of	as a representative of	The lawyer spoke on behalf of the affected families.
on the basis of	using something as the reason or foundation	Candidates were selected on the basis of merit.
on the grounds that	for the stated reason that	The appeal was rejected on the grounds that it was late.
on the verge of	very close to the point of	Several species are on the verge of extinction.
by means of	using a particular method	The data was collected by means of an online survey.
by virtue of	because of; as a result of	She qualified by virtue of her ten years' experience.
with regard to	concerning; about	The rules are strict with regard to plagiarism.
with respect to	in relation to; concerning	The two groups differed with respect to age and income.
with the exception of	not including; apart from	All branches closed, with the exception of the city office.
directly linked to	having an immediate connection with	Air pollution is directly linked to respiratory disease.
closely related to	having a strong connection with	Motivation is closely related to academic performance.
broadly consistent with	generally in agreement with	The results are broadly consistent with earlier studies.
far from	not at all; the opposite of	The reform is far from complete.
apart from	except for; in addition to	Apart from cost, location is the main concern for students.
in terms of	when measured or considered by	The project succeeded in terms of both reach and cost.
as a result of	because of; caused by	Enrolments fell as a result of the fee increase.

How Nepali Students Should Practice Collocations

Memorising the list is not enough. The goal is automatic recognition. A working method:

1. Day 1-3: Read all collocations aloud once. Mark unfamiliar pairs with a star.
2. Day 4-7: Write three short sentences using the starred collocations. Speak each sentence aloud.
3. Day 8-10: Take five Fill in the Blanks practice sets. Time yourself. Note which collocations slowed you down.
4. Day 11-14: Review the slow-down list daily for 10 minutes. Mix into mock tests.

This 14-day cycle covers the most common Reading collocations and is enough for most students to move Reading from 70 to 78+, assuming the rest of their preparation is on track.

Common Mistakes With Collocation Practice

• Memorising in isolation — Learning "fundamental" and "principle" separately does not teach the pairing. Always learn collocations as a unit.
• Ignoring collocations in Reading and Writing Fill in the Blanks — This task tests grammar AND collocation. A grammatically correct option that is not collocationally natural is still wrong.
• Skipping the spoken practice — Speaking the pairs aloud builds faster recognition than reading them silently.
• Treating collocations as separate from Writing — Strong collocation use also lifts Written Discourse and Vocabulary in Writing.

What Students Have Found

"I had been at Reading 71 for three attempts. Two weeks of collocation drills lifted my next attempt to 79." — Bishal R., Kathmandu

"The collocation list helped me skip the panic mode in Fill in the Blanks. I just look for the natural pair now." — Anjali S., Bharatpur

Results reflect individual student preparation experience. Scores depend on personal effort, starting ability, and test conditions. No specific outcome is guaranteed.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many collocations do I need to memorise for PTE Reading?

Around 100-150 high-frequency academic collocations cover the majority of Fill in the Blanks. Quality and recognition speed matter more than total count. The list above is a strong starting set.

Are collocations only useful for Reading?

No. Strong collocation use also lifts Speaking (Vocabulary enabling skill) and Writing (Vocabulary and Written Discourse). Investment in collocations pays back across three of the four communicative skills.

Do collocations help with PTE Core Reading?

Yes. PTE Core Reading uses everyday English collocations more than academic ones, but the practice habit transfers directly. Build the recognition skill once and apply it to whichever exam you sit.

Can I just download a PDF of all PTE collocations?

Yes. Download the free PTE Collocation List 2026 PDF — all 105 high-frequency pairs from this page with meanings and example sentences, formatted for printing. We refresh the list for 2026, so the PDF matches what you see on this page.

Build Your PTE Reading Score

Collocations are one piece of a strong Reading strategy. For the full Fill in the Blanks elimination strategy, the grammar shortcuts, and Reading section time management, work through the dedicated guides. To diagnose where your Reading score is actually losing points, book a free score assessment call or join the next 15-day batch.

Note: PTE format and scoring rules can change. Always verify the latest task counts, word limits, and timing on the official Pearson PTE format page before relying on figures in this article.

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Last fact-checked on 2026-05-08 against official sources (Pearson PTE, Australia Department of Home Affairs, AHPRA, IRCC, GOV.UK, INZ). Test fees, score requirements, and visa rules can change at any time — always verify the latest details on the relevant official website before booking or applying.