Technology essays separate Band 6 from Band 7 by precision: the Band 6 essay says technology has many advantages; the Band 7 says algorithmic personalisation has redefined how consumers discover content. Here are 25 collocations to bridge that gap.
Group A — describing the change
- revolutionise the way [we / something] does X
- Streaming has revolutionised the way audiences consume music.
- transform [an industry] beyond recognition
- E-commerce has transformed retail beyond recognition in two decades.
- render [something] obsolete
- Smartphones have rendered standalone cameras and GPS units largely obsolete.
- blur the line between
- Remote work has blurred the line between professional and personal life.
- emerge as [the dominant X]
- Cloud computing has emerged as the dominant model for enterprise software.
Group B — benefits and capabilities
- streamline [a process]
- Automation has streamlined customer service for repetitive enquiries.
- boost productivity
- Collaboration tools have demonstrably boosted productivity in distributed teams.
- facilitate communication
- Video conferencing has facilitated communication across time zones in ways that were impossible a generation ago.
- democratise access to
- Online courses have democratised access to higher education.
- real-time data
- Real-time data on traffic conditions reroutes commuters around delays.
Group C — concerns and downsides
- raise privacy concerns
- Facial recognition in public spaces raises serious privacy concerns.
- be susceptible to / vulnerable to
- Critical infrastructure is increasingly vulnerable to cyberattack.
- spread misinformation / disinformation
- Social platforms have made it cheap and fast to spread misinformation at scale.
- the digital divide
- The pandemic exposed how starkly the digital divide affects educational outcomes.
- displace [a job / role]
- AI translation tools are gradually displacing entry-level translators.
- erode attention spans
- Short-form video appears to erode attention spans, particularly in adolescents.
Group D — qualifying and hedging
- a double-edged sword
- Social media is a double-edged sword: it connects people but also amplifies their differences.
- to varying degrees
- Every industry has been affected by automation, to varying degrees.
- in the foreseeable future
- Generative AI will reshape professional services in the foreseeable future.
- appears to / seems to
- AI summaries appear to reduce student engagement with original sources.
- the jury is still out on
- The jury is still out on whether remote work harms or helps long-term career progression.
Pick the technology-essay collocation
Critical infrastructure is increasingly _______ to cyberattack.
Pick one. You'll see why straight away.