Improve your Vocabulary for IELTS - Collocation of Facts

Understanding and using collocations with the word “facts” can improve your IELTS Speaking and Writing scores. Collocations make your language sound natural and fluent, which is essential for higher band scores. In this blog, we explore verb, adjective, and preposition collocations with “facts,” as well as common expressions and practical examples to help you use the word confidently.

Verb + Facts Collocations

Certain verbs naturally combine with “facts” to show how information is used, verified, or presented. Knowing these collocations helps you sound precise and academic.

Common Verbs with “Facts”

be based on, retain, give, distort, check, stick to

Examples:

• My brother has a good memory and finds it easy to retain facts.
• This booklet gives you all the basic facts and figures about the company.
• Professional journalists always check their facts before publishing a story.
• Don’t give your opinion; just stick to the facts.
• Newspapers are often accused of distorting the facts.
• Many of Shakespeare’s plays are based on historical facts.

IELTS Usage Tip: In IELTS Writing Task 2, use phrases like “according to the facts” or “stick to the facts” to make your arguments more formal and evidence-based.

Adjective + Facts Collocations

Adjectives describe the type or quality of facts, helping you express opinions clearly and accurately.

Common Adjectives with “Facts”

disturbing, useless, necessary, interesting, hard, well-known

Examples:

• Don’t fill your head with useless facts; focus on what helps you in life.
• The book is full of interesting facts about the British Royal Family.
• Our sales manager has all the necessary facts and figures at his fingertips.
• It’s a well-known fact that boys develop later than girls.
• The police supported their case with hard facts to prove Manson’s guilt.
• The newspaper revealed some disturbing facts about government spending.

IELTS Tip: Use varied adjectives to avoid repetition in essays and IELTS Speaking: for example, instead of always saying “important fact,” you can use “interesting fact”, “necessary fact,” or “hard fact.”

Expressions with Prepositions

Prepositions with “fact” help you indicate relationships, situations, or contrasts clearly.

Common Preposition Collocations

of, in, for, from, despite

Examples:

• The fact of the matter is we can’t afford a new car.
• In actual fact, the course was easier than expected.
• I know for a fact that she hasn’t paid the bill.
• As a matter of fact, I’ll be here for another three weeks.
• Apart from the fact she’d have to leave her dog, Lucy was happy with the job in Singapore.
• It took me two years to find a job, despite the fact I got a first-class degree.

IELTS Writing Tip: Phrases like “in actual fact” or “for a fact” make your language sound precise and authoritative — very useful in essays and speaking responses.

Common Expressions with Facts

Some expressions with “facts” are idiomatic and appear frequently in IELTS exams. Using them correctly demonstrates advanced vocabulary.

Key Expressions

• Get your facts right – make sure your information is accurate
  Before you start blaming us, you should get your facts right.
• Face the facts – accept reality
  Come on, Sue! Face the facts! You’re not as young as you used to be.
• The facts of life – basic truths, often about unavoidable life situations
  My parents made sure I knew the facts of life before I was ten.
• A statement of fact – a declaration that is true
  The government is corrupt! Is this a statement of fact or just opinion?

Notes for IELTS

• A fact of life often refers to a negative situation that must be accepted. Example: Unemployment seems to be a fact of life nowadays.
• Use expressions like “stick to the facts” in Speaking Part 2 or Part 3 to show your ability to describe situations accurately.

Practice Exercise

Fill in the blanks using the correct collocations from this lesson:

1. My brother has a good memory and can easily ________ facts.
2. The booklet ________ all the basic facts and figures about the company.
3. Journalists must always ________ their facts before publishing.
4. Don’t give opinions; just ________ the facts.
5. Newspapers are often accused of ________ the facts.
6. Many of Shakespeare’s plays are ________ historical facts.

Answers: retain, gives, check, stick to, distorting, based on

Using “Facts” in IELTS Writing and Speaking

In Writing

Facts are essential when presenting evidence, arguments, or examples. For instance:

• According to the facts, urbanization has both advantages and disadvantages.
• Stick to the facts to make your essay more persuasive and credible.

In Speaking

Use facts to support your answers naturally:

• I know for a fact that learning English opens many opportunities.
• In actual fact, studying abroad was easier than I expected.

These expressions make your English sound confident, precise, and formal.

Mastering collocations with “facts” can significantly improve your IELTS Writing and Speaking. Using verbs, adjectives, prepositions, and idiomatic expressions correctly helps you present ideas clearly and naturally. Next time you discuss topics like education, media, or social issues, remember to retain, check, or stick to the facts to impress the examiner. 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: 

• Improve Your Vocabulary for IELTS – Key Word: Space
• Improve Your Vocabulary for IELTS – Key Word: Size
• Using Collocation to Boost Your IELTS Score - Key Word: decision 
• Using Collocation to Boost Your IELTS Score - Key Word: a series of
• Grammar For IELTS : The Common Grammars And Sentence Structures In English (Part 1
• Grammar For IELTS : The Common Grammars And Sentence Structures In English (Part 2)
• Using Contrast in IELTS Speaking & Writing: Advanced Grammar in IELTS