Using Collocation to Boost Your IELTS Score – Key Word: Challenge

Collocations play a key role in achieving a high band score in the IELTS Speaking and Writing tests. Using natural word combinations shows your ability to use English fluently and accurately. In this blog, we’ll explore one of the most versatile and commonly used words, “challenge” and learn how to use it effectively in different contexts.

Understanding the Word “Challenge”

The word “challenge” can be used both as a noun and a verb, and it appears frequently in IELTS topics such as work, education, sports, and social issues. It can refer to a difficult task, a test of skill, or a competitive situation. For instance:

• Preparing for the IELTS exam is a real challenge for many test takers.
• She challenged herself to learn a new language in six months.

To use this word naturally, you need to understand its collocations, the words it commonly goes with. Let’s explore how “challenge” combines with verbs and adjectives to create meaningful expressions.

Verb + Challenge Collocations

Some verbs naturally combine with “challenge” to express different meanings or intensities. Here are six useful collocations every IELTS learner should know.

Common Verbs with “Challenge”

accept, face, issue, meet, pose, provide

These verbs can transform your sentences from basic to advanced. Let’s look at examples:

• Persuading staff to accept new work patterns is a challenge faced by many companies.
• Lewis has just accepted Tyson’s challenge to fight for the world title.
• My current job doesn’t provide me with enough of a challenge.
• We must modernize this business to meet the challenges of the next decade.
• Frankfurt could soon pose a real challenge to London as Europe’s financial centre.
• The Conservative candidate issued a challenge to others to take part in a public debate.

Tip for IELTS Writing Task 2: Instead of saying “there are many problems”, you can write “society faces several challenges”. It sounds more natural and formal, improving your Lexical Resource score.

Adjective + Challenge Collocations

Adjectives help describe the type or degree of challenge. Using a range of adjectives with “challenge” adds depth and variety to your IELTS Speaking and Writing.

Common Adjective Collocations

biggest, direct, legal, enormous, physical, real, new, unsuccessful

Here are examples that demonstrate their usage:

• Celtic is the only team that can offer a real challenge to Rangers, the current champions.
• Climbing is both a physical and a mental challenge.
• After twenty years as a doctor, I wanted a new challenge, so I became a teacher.
• Feeding the world’s growing population is one of the biggest challenges we face today.
• After his unsuccessful challenge for leadership, the Minister retired from politics.
• The firemen’s strike was seen as a direct challenge to government authority.
• They decided to mount a legal challenge to the school closure.
• Raising funds for the new hospital has been an enormous challenge.

IELTS Speaking Tip: When describing personal experiences, use collocations naturally:

• “Moving abroad was a big challenge for me, but I learned a lot.”
• “My new job provides me with constant challenges that keep me motivated.”

Talking About Big Challenges

When you want to describe major difficulties or competitive situations, English offers several expressions. Here are examples of “big challenge” collocations in action:

• The British athlete put up a strong challenge in the early part of the race but gradually fell away.
• The strike by transport workers represents a serious challenge to the government’s pay policy.
• Leyton Hewitt is expected to make a major challenge for the men’s title at Wimbledon.
• Designing a computer to beat the world chess champion posed a formidable challenge.
• The court will face a tough challenge conducting a fair trial in such an emotional case.
• Real Madrid face a stiff challenge in the next round of the competition.

These examples show how “challenge” fits naturally into both formal and informal contexts, a crucial skill for the IELTS exam.

Useful Expressions with “Challenge”

Understanding idiomatic expressions with “challenge” can help you sound more fluent and natural in IELTS Speaking.

Expressions You Can Use

• Take up a challenge – to agree to try something difficult
  She took up the challenge of running a marathon.
• Rise to a challenge – to deal successfully with something difficult
  He always rises to challenges at work.
• Relish the challenge – to enjoy facing something difficult
  The new manager relishes the challenge of rebuilding the club.
• Throw down a challenge – to invite someone to compete or prove themselves
  They threw down the challenge that he couldn’t finish the project in a week.

IELTS Speaking Example: “I always try to rise to challenges because they help me grow both personally and professionally.”

How “Challenge” Helps You in IELTS?

Mastering collocations with “challenge” not only improves your vocabulary but also boosts your coherence and lexical accuracy. Here’s how:

In Writing:

You can replace repetitive words like problem or difficulty with natural phrases such as:

• “Environmental challenges” instead of “environmental problems”
• “Overcoming the challenges of urbanization” instead of “dealing with the problems of cities”

In Speaking:

It helps you sound fluent and confident:

• “Preparing for IELTS was a real challenge, but I enjoyed the process.”
• “I love taking on new challenges because they make life more interesting.”

Practice Exercise

Try completing the following sentences using the correct collocations from this lesson:

1. Many developing nations must ___________ the challenges of modernization.
2. He ___________ the challenge of learning English in just six months.
3. It’s important to ___________ new challenges if you want to grow.
4. The legal team plans to ___________ a challenge to the new law.

(Answers: face, accepted, take up, mount)

Using precise and natural collocations like “face a challenge”, “pose a challenge”, or “meet the challenge” can greatly enhance your IELTS Speaking and Writing performance. They make your English sound more advanced, fluent, and native-like.

So, the next time you write or speak about difficulties, goals, or ambitions, remember to use “challenge” creatively. It’s a powerful word that can turn a simple sentence into an impressive one.  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
• 100+ Advanced Vocabulary Word List for IELTS (PDF Available)