Time Collocation for IELTS: A List to Boost Your Score

Nehasri Ravishenbagam

9 min read

Updated On Oct 16, 2025

Boost your IELTS vocabulary with expert guidance on time collocations for Band 9. This blog explains meanings, provides examples, and includes interesting exercises to enhance your writing precision, speaking confidence, and overall IELTS score potential.

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

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Time is one of the most fundamental yet flexible nouns in English. It’s used to describe experiences, schedules, opportunities, and life stages - all of which appear frequently in IELTS Writing and Speaking. So, the time collocations for IELTS show not just vocabulary knowledge but also collocational accuracy, a key feature of Band 8+ language use.

In this blog, we will explore different time collocations, categorized into verbs, adjectives, and other useful combinations, to help you enrich your overall IELTS vocabulary.

Lists of Time Collocations for IELTS to Boost Your Score

Whether you are writing about time management, leisure activities, or technology saving time, using accurate and advanced time collocations for IELTS can dramatically enhance your lexical range and naturalness.

Therefore, explore the lists of the top important collocations for IELTS related to time in the tables below, including their meanings and example sentences.

Verb + Time Collocations

Certain verbs naturally combine with ‘time’ to express how it is used, saved, or wasted. These are quite useful in IELTS Writing Task 2 essays about work-life balance, technology, and productivity.

Verb + Time	Meaning	Example Sentence
Afford time	to have enough time available	Busy professionals often can’t afford time for exercise.
Kill time	to spend time doing something unimportant while waiting	I read magazines to kill time at the airport.
Make time	to find time for something important	It’s essential to make time for relaxation.
Save time	to reduce the amount of time needed	Online shopping helps save time for working people.
Spend time	to use time for a particular purpose	Students should spend more time reading newspapers.
Take time	to require a certain amount of time	Learning a new language takes time and patience.
Waste time	to use time unproductively	People often waste time scrolling through social media.
Value time	to appreciate the importance of time	Successful people value time as their most precious asset.
Lose time	to fall behind schedule	We lost time due to traffic congestion.

Noun + of + Time Collocations

These structures describe quantities, durations, or qualities of time, making your sentences more academic and specific, perfect for a high IELTS band score.

Noun + of + Time	Meaning	Example Sentence
Amount of time	quantity of time	Students spend a large amount of time preparing for exams.
Course of time	over a period of time	Attitudes toward gender equality have changed over the course of time.
Length of time	duration	The length of time required for the project was underestimated.
Matter of time	something inevitable that will happen soon	It’s only a matter of time before electric cars become mainstream.
Space of time	a short or limited duration	In a short space of time, technology has revolutionized communication.
Waste of time	something not worth doing	Arguing about trivial issues is a complete waste of time.
Period of time	a continuous stretch of time	Many students study abroad for a period of time.
Moment of time	a specific instant	That moment of time changed her life forever.

Common Adjective + Time Collocations

Adjectives help describe the quality or type of time. These are useful in IELTS Speaking (Part 2 stories or Part 3 discussions) and Writing Task 2 essays related to lifestyle, leisure, or work.

Adjective + Time	Meaning	Example Sentence
Convenient time	a suitable or appropriate moment	Please call me at a convenient time.
Quality time	time spent meaningfully with loved ones	Parents should spend quality time with their children.
Smashing time (informal)	an excellent or enjoyable time	We had a smashing time on our holiday.
Spare time	free or leisure time	I like to read novels in my spare time.
Ample time	plenty of time available	You should start early to have ample time for revision.
Precious time	valuable time that shouldn’t be wasted	Commuting wastes precious time every day.
Good time	a pleasant or enjoyable period	We had a good time at the festival.
Rough time	a difficult or challenging period	Many people went through a rough time during the pandemic.
Limited time	a short or restricted period	We have limited time to finish the task.
Perfect time	the best or ideal moment	This is the perfect time to apply for scholarships.

Expressions of Time

These are fixed expressions that make your speech sound natural and idiomatic. They are essential for IELTS Speaking fluency and Writing variety.

Expression	Meaning	Example Sentence
The whole time	throughout the entire period	She was smiling the whole time.
The first time	when something happens initially	The first time I travelled abroad was unforgettable.
Next time	on a future occasion	I’ll be more careful next time.
My usual time	the regular or habitual moment	I wake up at my usual time, around 6 a.m.
A specific time	a fixed or definite moment	The interview will be held at a specific time tomorrow.
Some time	a period that is not defined exactly	It took me some time to get used to living alone.
At the right time	when conditions are suitable	You’ll succeed at the right time.
In no time	very quickly	The children finished their homework in no time.
At any time	whenever possible	You can contact customer support at any time.
On time	punctual	Students are expected to arrive on time for their classes.

Notes

If you arrive ‘in the nick of time’, you arrive just in time.
Note these expressions:
- There’s no hurry. We’ve got all the time in the world.
- Time is running out to save the survivors.
- Time’s up! Stop writing. (said in an examination)
- You took your time! I’ve been waiting here for hours!

Time Collocation for IELTS: Practice Exercises

We have put together a few exercises that you should take some time to solve to enhance your comprehension and use of the time collocations for the IELTS exam.

Exercise A: Use the correct form of these verbs.

afford kill make

save spend take

It can ____________ quite a long time to get used to living in a different country.
People who ____________ too much time together usually end up getting on each other’s nerves.
It’ll take you about half an hour to walk to the station. Get a taxi. Think of the time you’ll____________ !
I arrived two hours early for my interview, so I ____________ some time in the National Gallery and then I looked around a bookshop.
You keep saying you don’t have enough time. That’s not good enough! You’ve simply got to ____________ time!
I’d love to come out with you tonight, but I can’t ____________ the time. I have a report to finish for the morning.

Exercise B: Use these adjectives in the sentences.

convenient quality smashing spare

ample precious good rough

We had a____________ time at Sarah’s party. Everybody really enjoyed themselves.
She quit her job so that she could spend more ____________ time with her children.
I enjoy gardening in my ____________ time. As soon as I go into the garden, I forget all about work.
I’m sorry, I seem to have called at a bad time. When would be a____________ time to call back?
She’s having a ____________ time at work. =>Yes, there’s talk of redundancies. And I think her boss has been giving her a difficult time.
She claims that she didn’t have enough time to prepare for the interview, but like all other candidates we feel she had____________ time.
Make sure you’re at the station in ____________ time. The train won’t wait for you! It leaves at 9, so the rest of us are going to be there at 8.45.
Hurry up! You’re wasting ____________ time! We only have a few hours left!

Exercise C: Use these nouns in the sentences.

amount course length

matter space waste

These meetings are a complete __________ of time. Nothing is ever decided!
Children seem to spend an inordinate __________ of time watching TV – up to ten hours a day!
This new strain of flu is out of control. It’s only a__________ of time before it arrives here.
Standing on one leg for any __________ of time is quite difficult for most people.
His injuries are severe but they will heal in the __________ of time. He just needs to be patient.
Within a very short __________ of time he had lost his title. He was champion for under a month.

Exercise D: Use the following expressions in the sentences.

the whole time the first time next time

my usual time a specific time some time

She kept on talking __________ ! She didn’t stop for a minute.
The body had been in the water for __________ which made it difficult to determine the exact time of death.
I met my girlfriend’s parents for __________ last week.
Could we arrange __________ to discuss this problem? How about 10 tomorrow?
I’d try a different approach __________ . You might be more successful.
Although I was on holiday I still got up at __________ .

Time Collocations Answer Keys for Practice Exercises

Ex A: l. take 2.spend 3. save 4. killed / spent 5. make 6. afford

Ex B:

1 smashing 2. quality 3. spare 4. convenient

5 rough 6. ample 7. good 8. precious

Ex C:

1. waste 2. amount 3. matter 4. length 5. course 6. space

Ex D:

1 the whole time 2. some time 3. the first time

4 a specific time 5. next time 6. my usual time

To conclude, time is a universal concept, but the way you use it in English can make all the difference in your IELTS performance. By mastering time collocations for IELTS, you can transform ordinary sentences into polished, idiomatic expressions that impress examiners and demonstrate Band 8-level lexical control. So, next time you prepare for IELTS, do not just spend time memorizing vocabulary and adding it to your advanced vocabulary word list for IELTS; make time to learn how words truly work together.

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