Image Collocation for IELTS: A List to Boost Your Score

Kasturika Samanta

7 min read

Updated On Oct 09, 2025

Expand your IELTS vocabulary using image collocations. From verb and adjective patterns to common phrases, this blog provides structures, examples, and exercises to enrich your language and maximize your performance in IELTS Speaking and Writing tasks.

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

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The word ‘image’ is versatile, as it can mean how people see us (public image) or a mental or visual picture (mental image). In IELTS, using accurate image collocations allows you to talk about topics like advertising, media, self-presentation, and identity, all of which are frequent themes in IELTS Speaking Part 2 and Writing Task 2. Thus, studying image collocations for IELTS is important for enhancing your advanced vocabulary word list for IELTS and overall score.

In this blog, we will explore image collocations for IELTS, divided into four key categories with meaning and examples.

Lists of Image Collocations for IELTS to Boost Your Score

When preparing for the IELTS exam, especially the speaking and writing sections, words like ‘image’ can help you express ideas about perception, reputation, and visualization. Thus, the following tables will provide various image collocations for IELTS, along with their usage examples.

Verb + Image (How Others See Us)

This set of image collocations focuses on how individuals, organizations, or countries are perceived by others. It’s particularly useful when discussing branding, reputation, or social perception in IELTS Writing Task 2.

Verb + Image	Meaning	Example Sentence
Change one’s image	to alter public perception	The company changed its image after rebranding.
Create an image	to develop a particular impression	Celebrities often create an image of perfection on social media.
Improve an image	to make reputation or perception better	Governments try to improve their image through welfare programs.
Shed an image	to remove or move away from a certain reputation	The city is trying to shed its image as a polluted place.
Tarnish an image	to damage or ruin one’s reputation	The scandal tarnished the politician’s image permanently.
Project an image	to present oneself in a particular way	He tries to project an image of confidence and reliability.
Reinvent an image	to completely transform how one is perceived	After years of decline, the brand reinvented its image.
Maintain an image	to keep a particular reputation	Public figures work hard to maintain their image.

Common Adjective + Image Collocations

Adjectives that describe ‘image’ help express tone, perception, and quality. They are perfect for IELTS Speaking Part 3 or Writing Task 2 on topics like fame, society, or business reputation.

Adjective + Image	Meaning	Example Sentence
Clean image	morally upright or respectable	The actor has always had a clean image in the industry.
New image	a recently changed reputation	The company launched a campaign to promote its new image.
Right image	the correct or desirable public perception	In marketing, projecting the right image is crucial.
Public image	the way someone or something is seen by society	A leader’s public image can determine their success.
Stereotyped image	A simplified or fixed idea of something	Media often promote a stereotyped image of beauty.
Staid and stuffy image	boring or overly traditional reputation	The bank wanted to move away from its staid and stuffy image.
Negative image	an unfavourable perception	Fast food companies often have a negative image due to health issues.
Polished image	carefully crafted and refined reputation	Celebrities maintain a polished image through PR teams.

Verb + Image (Picture or Visualization)

This group of collocations focuses on mental or visual images. They are useful when discussing art, imagination, technology, or memory in IELTS answers.

Verb + Image	Meaning	Example Sentence
Appear in an image	To be visible in a photo or visual representation	Her reflection appeared in the background of the image.
Blot out an image	To try to forget or erase from memory	He tried to blot out the image of the accident from his mind.
Capture an image	To record or photograph something	Photographers aim to capture the perfect image of nature.
Conjure up an image	To bring to mind or imagine vividly	The word “village” conjures up images of peace and simplicity.
Produce an image	To create or generate a visual form	The satellite produced clear images of the storm.
Retain an image	To keep a mental picture	She retained a clear image of her childhood home.
Distort an image	To change or twist its appearance	Fake news often distorts the real image of events.

Common Expressions with ‘Image’

These phrases are frequently used in spoken and written English and are great for showing idiomatic control, which is a strong indicator of high-level English.

Expression	Meaning	Example Sentence
Image makeover	a complete transformation of reputation	The company underwent an image makeover to attract youth.
Image-conscious	very concerned about how one is perceived	Teenagers today are often highly image-conscious.
Image problem	a negative reputation that needs fixing	The government faces an image problem after recent scandals.
Mirror image	something identical or opposite in reflection	The twins are mirror images of each other.
Public image campaign	an effort to improve reputation	A public image campaign was launched to restore trust.
Mental image	a picture in one’s mind	When I think of success, a clear mental image comes to mind.
Digital image	an image stored electronically	Digital images have revolutionized photography.

Notes

This expression means ‘identical’:
- William is the spitting image of his father.
Things can be ‘bad for your image’:
- Daly’s advisers said it would be bad for his image to be photographed with the protesters.
Note the expression ‘fit (somebody’s) image of something’:
- Wearing jeans and no tie, Mr Jones hardly fits most people’s image of a headmaster!
Note the expression ‘part of somebody’s image’:
- I don’t need glasses – they’re just part of my image.

Image Collocation for IELTS: Practice Exercises

The following exercises are provided to help you improve your understanding and your ability to use image collocations, a skill that is useful for the IELTS exam.

Exercise A: Use the correct form of these verbs.

change create improve

shed tarnish project

Millions have been spent on advertising in an effort to _________ a sexy image for the new perfume from Chanel.
Since winning the gold medal at the Olympic Games, his image has been _________ by accusations of drug use which he hotly denies.
Many businesses hire public relations consultants to help them_________ their image in the market place.
Getting a totally new hair-do is the way most women try to _________ their image.
Eastbourne on the south coast of England is trying hard to _________ the dull image the public have of it and promote itself as an attractive seaside resort.
Sometimes it’s difficult to find out what pop idols and filmstars are really like – all you ever see is the image they _________ on the screen.

Exercise B: Use these adjectives to complete the sentences.

clean new right

public stereotyped staid and stuffy

The police in the UK are often accused of having a _________ image of black people and other ethnic minorities.
I changed my hairstyle and replaced my entire wardrobe in order to create a _________ and younger image.
Like most politicians, the prime minister’s _________ image is very different from the person underneath.
Museums are trying hard to shed their _________ image and become more interesting and attractive to young people.
There is no doubt that recent events have damaged the ___________ image that the President has successfully cultivated over the years.
Today all political parties have to project the _________ image if they are going to attract the female vote.

Exercise C: Use the correct form of these verbs.

appear blot out capture

conjure up produce project

Some horrific images of war were_________ by TV crews filming on the battlefield.
Slowly, a blurred image began to _________ on the screen. Man had landed on Mars.
I’ve tried to_________ the image of my mother’s sad face, but it just keeps coming back to me.
The Hubble telescope _________ sharper images of stars than those of any telescope on earth.
For many people, the word ‘tropical’ _________ images of palm trees and deserted beaches.
A giant image of Madonna was_________ onto a huge screen above the stage. Her fans went wild.

Image Collocations Answer Keys for Practice Exercises

Ex A:

create 2. tarnished 3. improve 4. change 5. shed 6. project

Ex B:

stereotyped 2. new 3. public 4. staid and stuffy 5. clean 6. right

Ex C:

captured 2. appear 3. blot out 4. produces 5. conjures up 6. projected

In conclusion, create flashcards with image collocations on one side and example sentences on the other, and practice using 2–3 in your IELTS answers every day. This will help you master these collocations, and you can propose ideas clearly, respond politely, and express opinions effectively, all of which are key skills for achieving a higher IELTS band score.

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