THE USE OF COLLOCATIONS BY IELTS AND CSS ASPIRANTS IN ENGLISH ESSAY WRITING: A CORPUS-BASED STUDY

Abstract

The study explored the prevalence of collocations in English essays among examinee of the IELTS and the CSS exam. English language tests for applying to the IELTS and CSS exams. The study used both quantitative and qualitative approaches to examine 15 essays (from both groups) by drawing on Fairclough’s three-dimensional model of CDA. Both IELTS and CSS students mainly employed adjective + noun and noun + noun collocations. However important differences could be identified in the ways people talk and write about each topic. The CSS essays focused on politically charged and state-centered collocations such as “martial law,” “democratic leaders",” and “civilian rule,” showing local governance mindsets. On the other hand, IELTS essays preferred globally relevant collocations such as “renewable energy,” “gender equality," and “digital skills",” reflecting discourses of development and social justice. According to CDA, the two groups appeared to follow dominant ideological patterns: CSS aspirants seemed to embrace national narratives, while IELTS seekers exhibited features of global citizenship. An impersonal and authoritative voice devoid of apparent ideology was created with the frequent use of evaluative adjectives and nominalizations in the essay. The study concludes that collocations play a crucial role in developing arguments, constructing identity, and expressing one’s ideology. Attention to collocations should become a regular feature of language teaching and preparation for academic writing assessments.analysis techniques specific to the Saraiki language, this research advances our knowledge of the sentiment dynamics within the Saraiki-speaking population