Using Collocation to Boost Your IELTS Score - Keyword: Disaster

In IELTS Writing and Speaking, words like disaster are often used to describe global problems, failures, or crises. To boost your lexical resource, it’s not enough to know the word itself, you must also master its verb, adjective, and noun collocations. This guide will help you do just that, with practice exercises and explanations.

Verb + Disaster

Verbs show how a disaster happens, is prevented, or is described. In IELTS essays, especially in Task 2, these collocations can make your writing more precise and academic.

Exercise: Use the correct form of these verbs: avert, court, head for, spell, end in, strike

• Disaster struck when the plane’s engine failed shortly after take-off.
• An airliner came close to disaster while approaching Kennedy Airport yesterday. Fortunately, the disaster was narrowly averted by the quick reactions of the pilot.
• The business was heading for financial disaster until a new manager arrived to save the situation.
• The discovery of foot and mouth disease in British cattle spelt disaster for many British farmers. Many went out of business as a result.
• Drinking and driving is stupid and irresponsible. If you do it, you are simply courting disaster.
• The trip to the island ended in disaster when the small boat we were in hit a rock and sank in a matter of minutes.

IELTS Tip: In Speaking Part 3, instead of saying It was really bad, try The plan ended in disaster. It sounds stronger and more natural.

Common Adjective Collocations with Disaster

Adjectives describe the scale, type, or seriousness of a disaster. In IELTS Writing Task 2, they help you express the gravity of a problem more effectively.

Exercise: Complete the sentences with these adjectives: ecological, impending, major, nuclear, natural, utter

• There’s not much you can do about natural disasters like floods and earthquakes.
• I’m not going to bore you with all the details. It’s enough to say that the whole event was a total and utter disaster.
• Many scientists believe that the destruction of the rain forests is an ecological disaster that threatens the future of life on Earth.
• When the emergency services arrived at the scene of the accident, they soon realised that they had a major disaster on their hands.
• On the morning of the final climb to the summit of Mt Everest, I woke with an overwhelming feeling of impending disaster. I was right. Two of our party of seven died that day.
• Everyone knew before it happened that Chernobyl was a nuclear disaster waiting to happen.

IELTS Tip: Words like ecological disaster or major disaster are useful when writing essays on environment, health, or technology.

Noun + Preposition + Disaster

Some nouns combine with prepositions to create strong fixed phrases. These are often used in academic writing, reports, and IELTS essays.

Exercise: Complete the sentences with the correct preposition.

1. It was impossible to comprehend the full scale of the disaster.
2. Following the rail crash, the government has promised a full investigation into the disaster.
3. The reason for the disaster was engine failure, not human error.
4. Hospitals up to fifty miles from the site of the disaster were inundated with casualties.
5. The recent wave of strikes has brought the country to the brink of economic disaster.
6. Letting Fernando organise the trip is a recipe for disaster. Everything is likely to go wrong.
7. The earthquake is just the latest in a long line of disasters that have hit the country recently.
8. The director accepted full responsibility for the disaster and resigned on the spot.

IELTS Tip: Try using the brink of disaster or a recipe for disaster in Speaking when predicting outcomes. Example: Opening more factories without pollution checks is a recipe for disaster.

Notes on Usage of “Disaster”

To sound more natural and flexible in IELTS, here are extra collocations and idiomatic uses of disaster:

Complete disasters

• The trip was an unmitigated disaster from start to finish.
• The whole project was an out-and-out disaster.

People as “disasters”

• He’s broken his leg again! That boy is a walking disaster!
• Meaning: a person who always has accidents or problems.

Predictable disasters

• A disaster waiting to happen and a recipe for disaster both mean something that will almost certainly cause problems.

Disaster zones

• The government officially declared the town a disaster area after the typhoon destroyed most of the buildings.
• Useful for Task 2 essays about natural disasters or emergencies.

Answer Key

Ex 1: struck, averted, heading for, spelt, courting, ended in
Ex 2: natural, utter, ecological, major, impending, nuclear
Ex 3: of, into, for, of, of, for, of, for

Mastering collocations with disaster will not only expand your vocabulary but also help you describe negative situations in a more precise and academic way. Whether you’re writing about climate change, economic issues, or health crises, these expressions will make your IELTS Speaking and Writing more powerful. 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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• 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)
• Especially vs Specially for IELTS Grammar: Lessons, Examples, Usage & Exercises