TOEIC Link Collocations — 200 Word-Pairs That Decide Part 5 and Part 7, Organized in 8 Clusters

Why memorizing isolated words is not enough

TOEIC Link is dominated by "pick the natural pairing" items. In Part 5, when the choice is between "make / do / take / have," what decides the answer is not the dictionary meaning of any verb but the collocation rule that "decision" pairs with "make."

Learners who plateau after memorizing 1,000 words almost always plateau here. Collocations store word pairs as one retrieval unit, lifting Part 5 accuracy and Part 7 reading speed at the same time.

Four collocation types

TOEIC Link collocations break down into four families. Tag every collocation you study with its type — once you can spot the pattern in a Part 5 stem, the answer collapses to one or two candidates.

• Verb + noun: make a decision, take responsibility, reach an agreement
• Adjective + noun: prior notice, immediate response, tight schedule
• Verb + adverb: strongly recommend, highly appreciate, significantly increase
• Prepositional phrase: in charge of, on behalf of, in accordance with

Cluster 1 — Business decisions (25)

Meetings, contracts, approvals. Recurs across Part 3 / Part 4 listening and Part 7 email exchanges.

• make a decision / reach a decision
• come to an agreement / reach an agreement
• sign a contract / renew a contract
• approve a proposal / reject a proposal
• take action / take measures
• consider an option / weigh options
• reach a consensus / build consensus
• set a deadline / meet a deadline / miss a deadline

Cluster 2 — Scheduling and meetings (25)

Heavy in Part 3. A sentence like "reschedule the kick-off to push the agenda back" stacks three collocations; if any one is unfamiliar, the listening collapses.

• schedule a meeting / set up a meeting
• reschedule a meeting / postpone a meeting
• attend a meeting / chair a meeting
• set the agenda / cover the agenda
• take minutes / circulate the minutes
• follow up on / follow through with
• kick off a project / wrap up a meeting
• push back the deadline / move up the deadline

Cluster 3 — Finance and invoicing (25)

Dense in Part 7 email threads. "Settle the outstanding balance by the due date" loses meaning the moment one component is missing, so it has to be stored as a single chunk.

• issue an invoice / settle an invoice
• process a payment / authorize a payment
• overdue payment / outstanding balance
• past due / due date
• payment terms / net 30 days
• incur a charge / waive a fee
• reimburse expenses / submit an expense report
• late fee / processing fee

Cluster 4 — Employment and performance (25)

Part 4 announcements and Part 7 internal memos. A frequent weak spot for Japanese test-takers and an outsized score-lift cluster.

• fill a position / hire a candidate
• lay off / let go (of) / be made redundant
• apply for a role / submit an application
• conduct an interview / pass an interview
• meet expectations / exceed expectations
• performance review / annual evaluation
• promote to / be promoted to
• give notice / hand in resignation

Cluster 5 — Marketing and customers (25)

Part 7 ads and press releases. Verb + noun pairs dominate and become the deciding factor in Part 5 grammar items.

• launch a campaign / roll out a product
• increase market share / expand market presence
• target an audience / reach a demographic
• attract new customers / retain existing customers
• meet customer needs / address customer concerns
• place an order / cancel an order
• process a refund / issue a credit
• file a complaint / lodge a complaint

Cluster 6 — Supply chain and logistics (25)

Whole Part 7 questions can land on supply-chain text. Without collocation knowledge, the prose looks like a wall of jargon.

• place an order / fulfill an order
• ship an order / track a shipment
• meet demand / cope with demand
• maintain inventory / restock inventory
• on backorder / out of stock
• expedite delivery / delay shipment
• streamline operations / optimize the supply chain
• source materials / negotiate with suppliers

Cluster 7 — Technology and systems (25)

TOEIC Link has tilted toward IT scenarios — outages, updates, security. The collocations show up disproportionately in Part 4 and Part 7.

• install software / update software
• back up data / restore data
• log in / log out / sign in
• reset a password / change a password
• troubleshoot an issue / resolve an issue
• roll out an update / deploy a patch
• system outage / scheduled maintenance
• comply with security / breach a policy

Cluster 8 — Travel and hospitality (25)

A Part 3 staple. Airport / hotel / booking-change dialogues unravel the moment one collocation is missed.

• make a reservation / cancel a reservation
• book a flight / change a flight
• check in / check out
• board a flight / catch a connection
• submit a receipt / claim expenses
• reach a destination / be delayed in transit
• rent a car / pick up a rental
• business trip / on a business trip

A 3-step routine that locks them in

Browsing a list does not move scores. Three steps push collocations from "I see it" to "I produce it."

• Step 1: Read one cluster aloud daily — 25 collocations, 5 minutes
• Step 2: Add to flashcards as verb + noun pairs; cue with verb on one side, noun on the other
• Step 3: Once a week, write five into actual work emails

8 clusters × 25 = 200 collocations, by Part

* One cluster a month puts the full 200 in place inside 8 months. Part 5 and Part 7 accuracy lift in tandem.

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