Extend Your Vocabulary to Ace the IELTS – Key Word: Movement

Vocabulary building is essential for achieving a Band 7.0+ in IELTS Writing and Speaking. One of the most powerful ways to expand your vocabulary is by learning collocations, words that naturally go together. In this lesson, we’ll explore the keyword “movement”, its different uses, and practice exercises to help you use it correctly in IELTS contexts.

Why Learn Collocations with “Movement”?

The word movement is highly versatile and can mean:

• The act of moving (physical action).
• A group of people with a purpose (e.g., political or social movement).
• A trend or change in society, politics, or even the stock market.
• A part of a musical composition (e.g., symphony movement).

By mastering collocations with “movement,” you’ll improve both accuracy and fluency in IELTS Speaking and IELTS Writing.

Verb + Movement (Act of Moving)

When describing physical actions, some verbs naturally collocate with movement. Let’s practice.

Exercise 1: Fill in the blanks

Use the correct form of these verbs: allow, co-ordinate, detect, monitor, restrict, retrace

1. Long skirts tend to ­­___________ movement, so I usually wear trousers to work. They give you greater freedom of movement.
2. As the disease progresses, the patient loses the ability to ___________ his movements and needs help with the simplest of tasks.
3. The alarm goes off the second these infra-red sensors ___________ the slightest movement.
4. Detectives are trying to ___________ the young girl’s movements on the night she disappeared.
5. An important job of the security forces is to ___________ the movements of suspected terrorists.
6. The law will be changed to ___________ free movement of goods within Europe.

Answer Key: 1. restrict | 2. co-ordinate | 3. detect | 4. retrace | 5. monitor | 6. allow

Adjective + Movement

Adjectives bring precision to descriptions. This is especially useful in IELTS Writing Task 2 essays and IELTS Speaking when describing events, people, or trends.

Exercise 2: Choose the more natural collocation

1. Audiences were always spellbound by Nureyev’s ___________ arm movements. (beautiful / graceful)
2. The ___________ movement of troops into the area brought a quick end to the days of rioting. (rapid / fast)
3. During the Second World War, we couldn’t travel around the country. Our movements were very ___________. (restricted / constrained)
4. Our burglar alarm is activated by the ___________ movement in the house. (smallest / slightest)
5. Don’t make any ___________ movement or you’ll frighten the bird and it’ll fly away. (rapid / sudden)

Answer Key: 1. graceful | 2. rapid | 3. restricted | 4. slightest | 5. sudden

IELTS Tip: Using “restricted movement” in a health-related essay or “rapid movement” in a description task can help you demonstrate range and precision.

Verb + Movement (Group with a Purpose)

Movement also refers to groups of people with shared goals, especially in social, political, or environmental contexts—topics that frequently appear in IELTS Writing and Speaking.

Exercise 3: Fill in the blanks

Use the correct form of these verbs: ban, be involved with, campaign, join, sympathise with, weaken

1. My brother ___________ heavily ___________ the animal rights movement and its campaign to stop animals being used in experiments.
2. Outraged by the inequalities between men and women in society, Mrs Pankhurst ___________ the movement for equal rights.
3. Over the last thirty years the trade union movement in the UK has been ___________ by anti-union legislation.
4. Although I ___________ the nationalist movement, I don’t approve of the use of violence.
5. When the peace movement began to gather strength, the military government saw it as a threat and took immediate steps to ___________ it.
6. The Green movement is ___________ for better recycling facilities in every town in the country.

Answer Key: 1. is heavily involved with | 2. joined | 3. weakened | 4. sympathise with | 5. ban | 6. campaigning

IELTS Tip: Use these expressions in Task 2 essays about environment, politics, or social change. Example: “The environmental movement has been campaigning for stricter carbon regulations.”

Movement + Preposition

Prepositions often change the nuance of meaning, so it’s important to learn fixed expressions.

Exercise 4: Fill in the blanks

Use: against, away from, for, of, in, towards

1. The police caught the last-known movements ___________ the terrorists on camera.
2. There’s not been much movement ___________ crude oil prices for a number of years.
3. Since the death of Princess Diana, there seems to be a movement ___________ greater informality among members of the Royal Family.
4. There has been a mass movement ___________ government. The people hope to force the President out of office.
5. Recently, there has been some movement ___________ progressive methods of teaching and a return to more traditional ways.
6. There have been several movements ___________ reform of the voting system over the last century, but little real change has taken place.

Answer Key: 1. of | 2. in | 3. towards | 4. against | 5. away from | 6. for

IELTS Tip: Preposition collocations are very common in IELTS Reading and Listening. Recognising them can help you avoid traps in True/False/Not Given questions.

How to Use “Movement” in IELTS Writing & Speaking?

• IELTS Writing Task 2:
  “In recent years, there has been a strong movement towards renewable energy as a solution to climate change.”

• IELTS Speaking Part 3:
  “Yes, I think young people today are more likely to join environmental movements, especially because of the rise of social media activism.”

Using movement in these contexts shows range, flexibility, and precision, which examiners look for in higher band scores.

The keyword movement is a multi-dimensional word that can describe physical actions, societal trends, or organised groups. By learning collocations such as “restrict movement,” “join a movement,” “movement towards change,” you can significantly improve your IELTS Vocabulary. Practice these exercises, and try incorporating these phrases into your essays, speaking answers, and reading comprehension practice.

For those aiming for top scores, following the IELTS Exam Preparation Tips for Band Score of 8+ can further enhance your vocabulary and overall test performance.

Also Check: 

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