State Collocation for IELTS: A List to Boost Your Score

Prity Mallick

8 min read

Updated On Sep 18, 2025

Master the art of using state collocations for IELTS success. This blog provides meanings, examples, and practice activities to enhance your vocabulary range, improve writing accuracy and speaking fluency, ultimately aiming for a strong IELTS band score.

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

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The word ‘state’ appears frequently to describe conditions, situations, and emotions. When you are preparing for IELTS, you need to know what is collocation for IELTS and use the state collocations appropriately, as examiners expect candidates to go beyond simple words like ‘condition’ or ‘situation’ and instead use natural, academic collocations such as ‘state of emergency’ or ‘nervous state’, etc. Therefore, mastering these combinations helps you convey complex ideas more fluently, boosting your lexical resource score.

This blog covers the most important structures, like Adjective + State Collocations, State + of + Noun Phrase, and States of Emotion collocations for IELTS, with meanings and exam-style examples, followed by exercises and answer keys to make them a part of your overall vocabulary.

Lists of State Collocations for IELTS to Boost Your Score

The word state is far more than just “country.” In IELTS, collocations like ‘fit state’, ‘state of emergency’, and ‘state of shock’ can help you express conditions with accuracy and style.

In the following tables, you will find state collocations for IELTS. Each table includes the meaning and sample sentences for each collocation associated with the word 'state'.

Adjective + State Collocations

Adjectives describe the quality, seriousness, or type of a state. These state collocations are useful for both formal writing and spoken English.

Adjective + State	Meaning	Example Sentence
Fit state	physically or mentally suitable condition	He was not in a fit state to attend the IELTS exam after the accident.
Mental state	psychological condition	Stress can negatively affect a student’s mental state during exam preparation.
Original state	the condition something had initially	The old building was restored to its original state.
Real state	actual or true condition	The report revealed the real state of the country’s education system.
Untidy state	a messy or disorganised condition	The classroom was left in an untidy state after the activity.
Financial state	monetary condition	The financial state of many families worsened during the recession.
Advanced state	a highly developed stage	The patient was diagnosed at an advanced state of illness.
Sorry state	a very poor or pitiful condition	The sorry state of public transport affects daily commuters.
Stable state	a condition of balance and security	The economy is now in a stable state after years of crisis.
Critical state	a very serious condition	The patient was admitted in a critical state to the hospital.

State + of + Noun Phrase Collocations

This state collocation structure highlights specific aspects or situations described by the word state. These are extremely common in IELTS Writing Task 2 essays (governments, environment, economy).

State + of + Noun Phrase	Meaning	Example Sentence
Poor state of repair	bad physical condition	Many historical buildings are in a poor state of repair.
State of health	physical or mental wellbeing	The state of health among children has improved with better nutrition.
State of emergency	a government-declared crisis	The earthquake led the authorities to declare a state of emergency.
Sad state of affairs	an unfortunate situation	It is a sad state of affairs that many students lack access to libraries.
High state of alert	maximum readiness for danger	The army remained in a high state of alert after the attack.
State of total chaos	complete disorder	The airport was in a state of total chaos after the flight cancellations.
State of the economy	current financial condition of a country	The state of the economy is a frequent topic in IELTS Writing Task 2.
State of decline	period of worsening condition	The state of decline in wildlife habitats is alarming.
State of equilibrium	balanced or stable condition	Markets reached a state of equilibrium after months of fluctuation.
State of transition	a changing or shifting condition	Many developing nations are in a state of transition towards industrialisation.

States of Emotion Collocations

State is also used to describe emotional or psychological conditions. These are very helpful in IELTS Speaking Part 2 when narrating personal experiences.

States of Emotion	Meaning	Example Sentence
Nervous state	condition of anxiety or unease	Before the interview, I was in a nervous state.
State of exhaustion	condition of extreme tiredness	After studying all night, she was in a state of exhaustion.
State of fear	condition of being afraid	Citizens lived in a state of fear during the war.
State of panic	sudden uncontrollable fear or anxiety	The fire caused a state of panic among the crowd.
State of shock	condition of disbelief or trauma	He was in a state of shock after hearing the unexpected news.
State of confusion	mental uncertainty or disorder	The new policy created a state of confusion among students.
State of happiness	condition of joy or contentment	She was in a state of happiness after receiving her IELTS results.
State of depression	condition of persistent sadness	Many young adults face a state of depression due to unemployment.

State Collocation for IELTS: Practice Exercises

Below are a few exercises that you need to complete to help improve your understanding and ability to use state collocations for the IELTS exam.

Exercise A: Use these adjectives in the sentences.

fit mental original real

untidy financial advanced sorry

I’ll drive. You’re in no __________ state!
Some people believe that an analysis of your dreams can reveal details of your __________ state.
They complained about the__________ state that the flat had been left in.
The company is in a dangerous __________ state. We are on the point of bankruptcy.
By the time she arrived for her interview, she had worked herself up into a __________ state. I’ve never seen her so nervous before.
The experts believe that they will be able to restore the painting to its__________ state.
The dog was in a very __________ state when we found it – cold and thin and abandoned.
I’ve looked at your roof and I’m sorry to tell you that the wood is in an __________ state of decay. You need a new roof.

Exercise B: Use these expressions in the sentences.

poor state of repair state of health state of emergency sad state of affairs

high state of alert state of total chaos state of the economy state of decline

The house was in a very __________ when we bought it.
It’s a__________ when two adults argue over who gets to sit beside the chairman!
After the disaster the government declared a __________
Regular exercise can make a big difference to your __________
Security forces are on a __________ because of the terrorist threat.
Ever since our secretary left, the office has been in a __________ .
Since the civil war the economy has been in a __________ .
Economists are painting a grim picture of the current __________ .

Exercise C: We often use ‘state’ when describing feelings and emotions. Complete the sentences below.

nervous exhaustion fear panic shock

After the accident the driver just sat in the car, unable to speak. He was in a state of ______________ .
The news of the outbreak of war threw investors into a state of ______________. Many tried frantically to sell their shares.
We lived for years in a perpetual state of ______________ in Sarajevo. You could be shot by a sniper at any time.
She was in a state of ______________ , so her doctor signed her off work and told her to take a complete rest for a month.


Notes Note how we describe a very bad state: We were shocked at the appalling state of the hospital. Inspectors condemned the shocking state of the prison. The engine is in good condition, but the bodywork is in a terrible state and needs some attention. The kitchen was in a disgusting state when they left. The rail system is in a bit of a sorry state at the moment If something is in a ‘state of flux’, it is constantly changing. ‘State’ also means country: In 1947 India became an independent state. The United States is made up of ‘states’. The ‘welfare state’ is the system which provides health care, unemployment benefit, old age pensions etc.

Answer Keys for Practice Exercises State Collocations

Ex A: 1. fit 2. mental 3. untidy 4. financial 5. real 6. original 7. sorry 8. advanced

Ex B:

poor state of repair
sad state of affairs
state of emergency
state of health
high state of alert
state of total chaos
state of decline
state of the economy

Ex C: 1. shock 2. panic 3.fear 4. nervous exhaustion

To conclude, state collocations are highly versatile. You can use them to talk about health, economy, politics, emotions, or physical conditions. Whether you are writing about the state of the economy in Task 2, or describing your mental state in Speaking, these collocations will make your English sound more natural and academic. So, practicing these expressions regularly will help you move beyond simple IELTS vocabulary and achieve a higher lexical resource score in IELTS.

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