verb · academic
attain
/əˈteɪn/a·TAIN
to achieve or reach something, especially after effort
Examples
“Many students work hard to attain a high band score in IELTS.”
“The project attained its goals within two years.”
“Policies aim to help communities attain sustainable development.”
Band 8 sentence
“By focusing on targeted practice and feedback, students can realistically attain a band 7 or above within a year.”
Collocations
- attain a goal
- attain a level
- attainable objective
Word family
Common mistakes
use 'reach' or 'get' in formal writing instead of 'attain'→'attain' is more formal and suitable in academic writing; 'reach' can be informal
say 'attain to'→attain (no preposition) or attain something
Say it for a higher band
5get→6reach→7+attain
Synonyms
achieve
Easily confused
achieve
“She achieved excellent results in her exams.”
reach
“They reached the summit after a long climb.”
Related words
Learn this word with the rest of its set, and get reminded at the right time.
In Sublist 8
Learn it with its set