Collocations Reference by Function

Why Organise Vocabulary by Function (কাজ অনুযায়ী কেন সাজানো)

Rather than memorising vocabulary alphabetically or by topic, PTE candidates benefit most from grouping phrases by the specific job they perform in an answer — describing a trend, linking two ideas, softening a claim, or naming an academic process. This reference groups fixed collocations exactly that way, so you can pull the right phrase quickly under time pressure.

শব্দভান্ডার বর্ণানুক্রমিকভাবে না শিখে, উত্তরে সেই বাক্যাংশ কী কাজ করে তা অনুযায়ী গোষ্ঠীভুক্ত করা বেশি উপকারী — প্রবণতা বর্ণনা, ধারণা সংযোগ, দাবি নরম করা, বা একাডেমিক প্রক্রিয়া বোঝানো। এই রেফারেন্স ঠিক সেভাবেই সাজানো।

Describing Trends (Describe Image)

Upward movement
  • rise/increase steadily
  • climb sharply
  • grow at a rapid pace
  • surge dramatically
Downward movement
  • decline/fall steadily
  • drop sharply
  • decrease gradually
  • plummet (very sudden fall)
No clear change
  • remain relatively stable
  • stay roughly constant
  • fluctuate slightly
  • level off
Comparing categories
  • account for the largest share
  • nearly twice the rate of
  • considerably higher/lower than
  • in stark contrast to

Essay Linking Phrases (Write Essay)

Adding a point
  • furthermore
  • in addition
  • moreover
Contrasting
  • on the other hand
  • whereas
  • by contrast
Cause and effect
  • as a result
  • this is largely due to
  • consequently
Concluding
  • on balance
  • in light of this
  • taking everything into account

Hedging & Degrees of Certainty

Academic writing rarely states claims as absolutely certain — these phrases let you make a claim while showing appropriate caution.

Strong certainty

"clearly demonstrates," "there is strong evidence that," "it is well established that"

Moderate certainty

"is likely to," "tends to suggest," "the data indicate that"

Cautious/tentative

"may potentially," "it is possible that," "arguably"

Academic Verb-Noun Pairs

Research language
  • conduct a study/survey
  • draw a conclusion
  • reach a consensus
  • address a gap in the literature
Impact language
  • have an impact/effect on
  • play a role in
  • give rise to
  • pose a challenge/risk
Policy language
  • implement a policy
  • allocate resources/funding
  • impose a restriction
  • introduce a regulation

Practise these in context: try the Speaking & Writing practice test and look for opportunities to use at least two collocations from this page in each answer.