Approval Collocation for IELTS: A List to Boost Your Score

Kasturika Samanta

8 min read

Updated On Oct 15, 2025

Get acquainted with advanced approval collocations for IELTS. Discover precise meaning and IELTS-related examples in this blog, complete with exercises tailored to improve lexical accuracy and fluency in IELTS writing and speaking tasks.

Lists of Approval Collocations for IELTS to Boost Your Score
Notes
Approval Collocation for IELTS: Practice Exercises
Approval Collocations Answer Keys for Practice Exercises

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The word ‘approval’ and its collocations are perfect to describe how governments approve policies, how society reacts to change, or how people seek validation. Therefore, learning and using approval collocations for IELTS appropriately is essential to improve your vocabulary and boost your lexical resource score.

In this blog, we will explore various approval collocations, along with their meanings and usage, so that you can add them to your advanced vocabulary word list for IELTS.

Lists of Approval Collocations for IELTS to Boost Your Score

In academic writing or discussion, approval carries subtle meanings: social acceptance, official permission, or emotional agreement. However, using them in the right contexts in conversations or in the IELTS exam is what makes the ultimate difference.

Therefore, we will go through the top important collocations for IELTS related to approval, which will be presented in the tables below with their meanings and example sentences.

Verb + Approval Collocations

These approval collocations show how it is given, received, or sought. They are especially useful in IELTS Writing Task 2 when discussing government actions, policies, laws, or societal acceptance.

Verb + Approval	Meaning	Example Sentence
Give approval	to officially allow or permit something	The government gave approval for the construction of the new bridge.
Meet with approval	to be accepted or praised by people	The new education policy met with approval from parents and teachers.
Need approval	to require permission or consent	Students need approval from the department to change their course.
Seek approval	to try to obtain permission or acceptance	Companies must seek approval before launching new products.
Show approval	to express agreement or support	The audience showed approval by applauding loudly.
Win approval	to gain support or acceptance	The proposal won approval due to its focus on sustainability.
Gain approval	to receive formal or emotional acceptance	The design gained approval from the city council.
Ask for approval	to request consent or endorsement	Developers asked for official approval before starting construction.
Obtain approval	to successfully get authorization	The research obtained approval from the ethics committee.
Express approval	to show positive feelings toward something	Citizens expressed approval for stricter environmental laws.
Get approval	to be granted permission	The plan got approval from the local authorities.
Receive approval	to be formally accepted	The project received approval after several revisions.
Require approval	to need permission by rule or law	All medical tests require approval from the relevant department.
Delay approval	to postpone permission or acceptance	The council delayed approval due to safety concerns.
Refuse approval	to deny consent or permission	The board refused approval for the new marketing strategy.

Noun + of + Approval Collocations

These expressions are often used in formal writing or IELTS Speaking Part 3 to describe gestures, symbols, or actions that represent agreement or permission.

Noun + of + Approval	Meaning	Example Sentence
Nod of approval	a small sign or gesture showing agreement	The teacher gave a nod of approval after reading the essay.
Roar of approval	loud applause or cheer showing support	The audience responded with a roar of approval after the speech.
Seal of approval	official confirmation or endorsement	The product received the government’s seal of approval for safety.
Sign of approval	indication of acceptance or satisfaction	The manager’s smile was a clear sign of approval.
Look of approval	expression showing a positive reaction	Her parents gave her a look of approval during the ceremony.
Gesture of approval	physical movement showing consent	The judge made a small gesture of approval as the argument concluded.
Murmur of approval	quiet sounds of agreement	There was a murmur of approval among the audience.
Wave of approval	sudden or widespread acceptance	The new digital policy sparked a wave of approval among users.
Mark of approval	a symbol showing something has been accepted	The certificate carried an official mark of approval.
Tone of approval	way of speaking that expresses agreement	His tone of approval encouraged the team to continue their efforts.

Common Adjective Collocations with ‘Approval’

Adjectives describe the type, level, or nature of approval. These collocations are highly useful for expressing opinions, public reactions, or formal permissions. As a result, they are significant for the writing and speaking tasks of the IELTS exam.

Adjective + Approval	Meaning	Example Sentence
Official approval	formal authorization	The project will start after receiving official approval.
Widespread approval	accepted by many people	The government’s plan met with widespread approval.
Public approval	accepted or supported by the general public	Public approval is essential for the success of new policies.
Social approval	acceptance by society or peers	Teenagers often seek social approval from their friends.
Moral approval	agreement based on ethical beliefs	Not all citizens gave moral approval to the new law.
Final approval	last stage of acceptance	Final approval was granted after years of discussion.
Full approval	complete agreement or consent	The board gave full approval to the merger plan.
Immediate approval	quick or instant acceptance	The design received immediate approval due to its practicality.
Conditional approval	accepted with certain conditions	The committee granted conditional approval for the project.
Parental approval	acceptance by parents	In many cultures, marriages require parental approval.
Government approval	consent given by the authorities	Pharmaceutical products must obtain government approval.
Mutual approval	agreement between the two sides	The contract will be signed only after mutual approval.
Strong approval	high degree of acceptance	The environmental campaign received strong approval worldwide.
Preliminary approval	initial permission before final acceptance	The plan got preliminary approval from local authorities.
Silent approval	unspoken agreement	He nodded, giving his silent approval.

Preposition + Approval Collocations

Approval collocations with prepositions are vital for constructing natural academic sentences in IELTS essays. They typically express the relationship between action and consent.

Preposition + Approval	Meaning	Example Sentence
On approval	subject to being approved	The equipment was sent on approval before purchase.
Without approval	without obtaining consent	No student can publish research without approval from the supervisor.
For approval	submitted or presented for permission	The proposal was sent to the committee for approval.
In approval	as a sign of agreement	The audience clapped in approval when the results were announced.
With approval	having consent, or authorization	The project was completed with approval from the authorities.
By approval	through the process of authorization	New systems must be introduced by approval of the management board.
Subject to approval	dependent on formal permission	Scholarships are subject to approval from the funding agency.
Pending approval	waiting for consent	Her visa is still pending approval.
After approval	following authorization	The funds will be released after approval by the board.
Under approval	in the process of being reviewed	The new health policy is currently under approval.

Notes

The phrase used in 3-1 is a common thing to say in speech. For example:
- Are we going to have the meeting in London or Leeds?
- Well, Leeds would definitely have my seal of approval.
Notice the large number of adjectives which mean full approval: total, 100%, unqualified, wholehearted, overwhelming, unanimous, universal, widespread.
A decision which has not been fully passed can be subject to the approval of, for example, the board, the council, the government etc.

Approval Collocation for IELTS: Practice Exercises

The exercises given below have been created to help improve your understanding and use of approval collocations for IELTS. So, solve them and check your answers with the answer keys to successfully learn them.

Exercise A: Use the correct form of these verbs.

give meet with need

seek show win

The board of directors talked over the proposal and decided to__________ it their approval.
My plans for the new house are complete – now all I__________ is approval to build it.
The audience__________ their approval by calling for encore after encore, then giving them a standing ovation.
She desperately wants to__________ her father’s approval.
We’ll have to__________ approval from head office before spending any more on this project.
The council’s plans for new traffic measures have __________ the approval of local residents.

Exercise B: Choose the correct adjective in the following.

Most guarantees on anything you buy now state that if the goods do not meet with your __________ approval, you may return them within 30 days of purchase – as long as you still have the receipt! (full / detailed)
You need__________ approval from the local council before you can build a garage in your garden. (official / legal)
Much against his wishes, the founder of the troubled company was forced to give his__________ approval to the takeover plans. (reluctant / grudging)
Last night’s committee meeting gave __________ approval to your plan for a new day centre for elderly people. There wasn’t even one vote against. (complete / unanimous)
The constitution of the USA requires the President to seek the__________ approval of Congress for any kind of military action. (previous / prior)
Incredibly, the proposed changes to the voting system have met with__________ approval. There have been very few objections. (majority / widespread)

Exercise C: Use these nouns to complete the sentences.

nod roar seal sign

Last week the government gave its____________ of approval to the deal.
There was a____________ of approval from the crowd when Nevin was replaced by Beckham.
The children longed for some ____________ of affection or approval from their mother.
I was pleased when I saw my teacher in the audience giving me a____________ of approval.

Exercise D: Complete the sentences with these prepositions.

on without for in

The architects sent the designs of the shopping centre to the planning department ____________ their approval.
When we suggested spending £10,000 on new computers, several people at the meeting nodded ____________ approval.
I’m sorry, I can’t agree to anything____________ my partner’s approval.
These goods are supplied ____________ approval. That means you can return them if they are not satisfactory.

Explore our Vocabulary for IELTS to boost your word power for IELTS and beyond!

Approval Collocations Answer Keys for Practice Exercises

Ex A:

give 2. need 3. showed 4. win 5. seek 6. met with

Ex B:

full 2. official 3. grudging 4. unanimous 5. prior 6. widespread

Ex C:

seal 2. roar 3. sign 4. nod

Ex D:

for 2. in 3. without 4. on

To conclude, in the IELTS exam, approval is not just something you receive; it is something your vocabulary earns. Learning approval collocations helps IELTS candidates articulate agreement, permission, and acceptance with greater accuracy, variety, and professionalism. So, master these collocations, apply them in your essays and answers, and win the examiner’s approval with every sentence.

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