IELTS Grammar Guides

Grammar for Band 7 to Band 9 Writing

Grammatical Range and Accuracy is worth 25% of your Writing band. These guides cover the structures examiners actually check — explained with IELTS-specific rules, examples, and the mistakes to avoid.

7 core topics23 rule sections41 common mistakes covered

Writing Task Guides

Core Grammar Topics

Apply to both Task 1 and Task 2
📖01

Articles: a, an, the

3 sections · 6 mistakes to avoid

Articles are among the most common sources of error for IELTS candidates. Mastering them significantly improves your Grammatical Range and Accuracy score.

Both Task 1 and Task 2
🔗02

Subject-Verb Agreement

3 sections · 5 mistakes to avoid

The verb must always agree in number (singular/plural) with its subject. This is especially important in complex IELTS sentences where the subject and verb are separated.

Both Task 1 and Task 2
🧩03

Complex Sentences

3 sections · 6 mistakes to avoid

Complex sentences are central to scoring Band 7+ in Grammar. They demonstrate range and control. IELTS requires a mix of simple, compound, and complex sentences.

Both Task 1 and Task 2
🔀04

If Clauses (Conditionals)

4 sections · 6 mistakes to avoid

Conditional sentences allow you to discuss possibilities, hypothetical situations, and consequences — essential for Task 2 essays when discussing solutions and future implications.

Primarily Task 2 (also used in Task 1 for future projections)
📌05

Prepositions

3 sections · 6 mistakes to avoid

Prepositions are frequently misused by IELTS candidates. Correct preposition use is essential for both fluency and accuracy in academic writing.

Both Task 1 and Task 2
06

Adverbs & Adjectives

3 sections · 6 mistakes to avoid

Using a range of precise adverbs and adjectives demonstrates Lexical Resource and helps avoid repetition — a key requirement for Band 7+.

Both Task 1 and Task 2
07

Tenses: Present, Past & Future

4 sections · 6 mistakes to avoid

Using the correct tense in the right context is fundamental to coherent academic writing. Different IELTS tasks require different tense choices.

Both Task 1 and Task 2