Education is one of the most common IELTS topics. Writing Task 2 asks whether university should be free, what schools should teach first and whether online courses will replace the classroom. In Speaking Part 3, the examiner keeps the conversation going: will the teacherâs role change, is learning by heart still useful, should everyone go to university? The topic feels familiar, so it seems easy. Thatâs exactly where learners write words that look right but change the meaning.
The biggest trap is the verb for exams. Pass an exam means you took it and succeeded: itâs a result. So I pass exams every month announces a monthly success, not simply that you have exams. For the exam itself, you need take or sit an exam. The topic has several traps like this: knowledge has no plural, university often takes no article, and learn and study arenât interchangeable. Below are 27 collocations for writing about education precisely, the typical mistakes learners make with them and an example of how LetsWords gives feedback on a sentence you write yourself. Youâll find other topics in our IELTS vocabulary by topic guide.
Education: words and collocations
School and learning
| Expression | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| compulsory education | the years of school required by law | In many countries, compulsory education ends at the age of sixteen. |
| the school curriculum | the subjects and content a school teaches | Financial literacy deserves a place in the school curriculum. |
| rote learning | memorising by repetition, without real understanding | Rote learning may help pupils pass tests, but it rarely builds understanding. |
| develop critical thinking | learn to analyse and question ideas | Group debates help students develop critical thinking. |
| a hands-on approach | learning by doing things yourself | A hands-on approach to science keeps younger children engaged. |
| acquire knowledge | gain knowledge | Children acquire knowledge faster when they can apply it immediately. |
| set homework | give students homework (said of a teacher or school) | Many primary schools now set less homework than they did a decade ago. |
| academic performance | how well a student does at school or university | Lack of sleep has a clear effect on academic performance. |
Exams and marks
| Expression | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| take / sit an exam | do an exam (the process) | Most teenagers in the UK sit their first national exams at sixteen. |
| pass / fail an exam | succeed / not succeed in an exam (the result) | Students who fail an exam should have a chance to retake it. |
| get good marks | receive high scores or grades | Getting good marks is not the same as understanding the subject. |
| high-stakes testing | exams with serious consequences for students or schools | High-stakes testing puts enormous pressure on both pupils and teachers. |
| continuous assessment | grading based on work done throughout the year | Continuous assessment rewards steady effort rather than one good day. |
| revise for an exam | go over material before an exam (British English) | She spent the whole spring revising for her final exams. |
Higher education
| Expression | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| higher education | university and college study | Access to higher education has expanded rapidly since the 1990s. |
| tuition fees | the money students pay for their courses | Rising tuition fees discourage many talented students from applying. |
| do a degree in | study for a degree in a subject | He is doing a degree in civil engineering. |
| graduate with debt | finish university owing money | Many young people graduate with debt that takes decades to repay. |
| drop out of university | leave university before finishing | Financial problems are a common reason for dropping out of university. |
| vocational training | training for a particular trade or job | Vocational training can be a better route for practically minded students. |
| lifelong learning | continuing to learn throughout your life | Lifelong learning is essential in a rapidly changing job market. |
Access and equality
| Expression | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| equal access to education | the same chance to study for everyone | Free schooling is the first step towards equal access to education. |
| from disadvantaged backgrounds | from poor or socially disadvantaged families | Students from disadvantaged backgrounds are less likely to apply to top universities. |
| invest in education | spend money on education to get long-term benefits | Countries that invest in education tend to have more skilled workforces. |
| the quality of teaching | how good the teaching is | Smaller classes do not automatically improve the quality of teaching. |
| distance learning | studying remotely, usually online | Distance learning allows adults to study without leaving their jobs. |
| a well-rounded education | an education that develops many different abilities | Sport and music are part of a well-rounded education. |
Youâll find the linking words that connect these arguments in an essay in our guide to IELTS Writing vocabulary.
Common mistakes
You want to say that students have exams every month, not that they succeed in them every month:
Students who pass exams every month feel constant pressure.
Students who take exams every month feel constant pressure.
Pass is the successful result. If you mean simply having or doing an exam, write take or sit, and keep pass for when you succeeded.
Schools should give children more knowledges.
Schools should give children more knowledge.
Knowledge is uncountable, so it has no plural: more knowledge, a lot of knowledge. In an essay, acquire knowledge also sounds natural. A appears in phrases like a good knowledge of English.
After she finished the university, she found a job.
After she finished university, she found a job.
When university means a stage of life rather than a particular institution, British English usually uses no article: go to university, at university, finish university. You can also say graduate from university.
Children must learn harder to get good marks.
Children must study harder to get good marks.
Study harder means put more effort into your schoolwork. Learn means gain knowledge or a skill: learn English, learn to drive. The difference is covered in detail in the learn vs study exercise.
How LetsWords explains mistakes like these
Mistakes like these are almost invisible to the person who makes them: the sentence looks correct but says something you didnât mean. Thatâs why LetsWords catches them in sentences you write yourself. Hereâs what one task looks like.
Youâre reviewing do a degree in. LetsWords shows you a hint in your native language meaning âstudy for a degree in a subjectâ. You recall the English expression and write a sentence about your studies:
My sister is making a degree in economy at university.
The feedback explains two mistakes:
- making â doing: the general verb âmakeâ doesnât go with degree. You do a degree in a subject;
- economy â economics: economy is a countryâs economic system, while the academic subject is economics.
My sister is doing a degree in economics at university.
LetsWords explains each correction in your native language: Russian, Korean or Vietnamese. A few days later, the expression comes back in review, and you use it in a new situation, for example in a Speaking answer about your study plans. Thatâs how a collocation from a list becomes one you recall from memory and write without mistakes.
Start practising with feedback on your mistakes
When you sign up, you choose IELTS as your goal and your level, and LetsWords picks the right practice for you. You can try the feedback before you pay.
Using these collocations in Writing Task 2
An exam-style task:
Some people believe that university education should be free for everyone, while others think students should pay tuition fees. Discuss both views and give your opinion.
A paragraph that develops the first view:
Those who support free university education argue that it is the only way to guarantee equal access to education. When tuition fees are high, talented students from disadvantaged backgrounds often decide not to apply at all, or they drop out of university because they cannot afford to continue. Free tuition also has wider economic benefits. When governments invest in education, the country gains more qualified graduates, and these graduates later pay higher taxes, so part of the cost returns to the state. Finally, when students know they will not graduate with debt, they are more likely to choose a subject they are genuinely interested in rather than the one that promises the highest salary.
Why the paragraph works. There are no rare words here: each collocation does a specific job. Equal access to education states the main point in one precise phrase instead of âall people can studyâ. From disadvantaged backgrounds says who you mean without the clumsy poor people. The second point rests on invest in education, not a vague âmoney for education is goodâ. For Lexical Resource, thatâs what precision means: the words sit in the combinations English speakers expect, and the examiner reads without stumbling. For Task Response, each collocation leads to a consequence, so the paragraph develops the view rather than just stating it.
Using them in Speaking
A Part 3 question: Is rote learning still useful today?
To some extent, yes. You canât really do maths without knowing your times tables by heart, so rote learning still has its place. But I think schools rely on it far too much. When the school curriculum is built around memorising facts for exams, students rarely develop critical thinking. A hands-on approach, where pupils test ideas themselves, keeps them engaged much longer.
The answer opens with a clear position, gives an example and then qualifies it. Three collocations from the tables sound natural in speech and show that you command the vocabulary of the topic rather than reciting a memorised script.
Practise for free
- take an exam: do an exam, not pass it;
- learn vs study: gaining a skill vs working at a subject;
- drop out: leave school or university early;
- do research: carry out research;
- take notes: write down key points;
- make progress: get better at something;
- mark: a score or grade for school work.
From the list to real use
A table helps you understand a collocation, but in the exam youâll have to recall sit an exam or graduate from university on your own, with no prompt, and get the preposition and article right straight away. Move from the list to real use with LetsWords: practise with the IELTS collection for your level and add collocations from this page to a collection, for example acquire knowledge or equal access to education. You recall each expression from its meaning, write a sentence with it, and LetsWords points out the mistake and explains it in your native language (Russian, Korean or Vietnamese), while spaced repetition brings the expression back until it feels natural. Then test the vocabulary in a full text: the IELTS Writing section has Task 2 questions on education, about online courses, practical skills at school and adult learning, and a full answer gets detailed feedback on all four criteria, tied to what you wrote. If a whole essay still feels like too much, start with criterion practice on a short passage. When you sign up, you answer a few questions about your goal and level, and LetsWords picks your practice; you can try the feedback before you pay. For vocabulary on other topics, see our IELTS vocabulary by topic.