The grammar IELTS examiners actually score
Grammar is 25% of your Writing and Speaking scores, marked as Grammatical Range and Accuracy: the variety of structures you use and how many of your sentences are free of errors.
Guides
- Grammatical Range and Accuracy: The IELTS Grammar Criterion DecodedGrammatical Range and Accuracy (GRA) is one of four IELTS Speaking and Writing marking criteria, each worth 25% of the sub-score. It measures two things together: how varied and complex your sentence structures are (range) and how error-free they are (accuracy). High bands require both: accurate but only-simple English caps your score.
- Grammar for IELTS Band 7: The Structures That Unlock ItBand 7 Grammatical Range and Accuracy means using a range of complex structures with some flexibility while frequently producing error-free sentences. In practice this means four structures (relative clauses, conditionals, the passive voice, and concession) used correctly most of the time, plus the elimination of comma splices and run-on sentences.
- The 20 Most Common IELTS Grammar MistakesThe most common IELTS grammar mistakes cluster around finished-time tenses used with the present perfect, missing or wrong articles, comma splices, subject-verb agreement, and misused prepositions after fixed phrases. Fixing these twenty patterns removes more Grammatical Range and Accuracy errors than learning any new advanced structure.
- Complex Sentences for IELTS: How to Build Them Without Breaking ThemA complex sentence combines one independent clause with at least one dependent clause, joined by a subordinator (because, although, which, that) or a relative pronoun. IELTS examiners reward complex sentences as evidence of grammatical range, but only when punctuated correctly, without collapsing into comma splices or fragments.
- IELTS Writing Task 2 Grammar: What Examiners RewardIELTS Writing Task 2 grammar rewards a controlled mix of complex sentences, conditionals for hypothetical reasoning, and the passive voice for formal generalisations, all judged under Grammatical Range and Accuracy, 25% of the Task 2 band. Comma splices, informal contractions, and tense drift across paragraphs are the errors examiners flag most often.
- IELTS Writing Task 1 Grammar: Trends, Comparisons and ProcessesIELTS Writing Task 1 (Academic) grammar centres on three tools: trend vocabulary (rise, fall, fluctuate) in the correct tense, comparatives and superlatives for chart differences, and the passive voice for process diagrams. Choosing the right tense for the data period matters more here than in any other IELTS task.
- Grammar in IELTS Speaking: How Much It Matters and What to UseGrammar in IELTS Speaking is judged the same way as Writing: Grammatical Range and Accuracy is 25% of the Speaking band, but spoken norms differ: contractions are expected, self-correction is a good sign, and native-like slips don't cost marks at the top bands. Part 1 rewards accurate simple grammar; Part 3 rewards conditionals and modals.
- Linking Words for IELTS: The Complete Guide (With Misuse Warnings)Linking words connect ideas (addition, contrast, cause-effect, sequence) and are mainly assessed under Coherence and Cohesion, not Grammatical Range and Accuracy, though misused linkers also create grammar errors. Overusing formulaic linkers (Firstly, Moreover, In conclusion) in every sentence reads as mechanical rather than genuinely cohesive.
- Which Tenses Do You Need for IELTS? A Task-by-Task GuideIELTS uses different tenses in different tasks: Speaking Part 1 leans on present simple and present perfect, Part 2 on past tenses, Part 3 on conditionals and modals; Writing Task 1 depends entirely on the chart's own time frame, and Task 2 mixes present simple claims with past evidence and present perfect trends.
Structures that unlock Band 7
Questions
How important is grammar in IELTS?
Grammatical Range and Accuracy is one of four equally weighted criteria, 25% of your Writing score and 25% of your Speaking score. It measures both the variety of structures you use and how many of your sentences are error-free.
What grammar do I need for Band 7?
The Band 7 descriptor requires 'a variety of complex structures' with 'frequent error-free sentences'. In practice: relative clauses, conditionals, passives, and concession clauses, used accurately, with comma splices eliminated.
Does grammar matter more in Writing or Speaking?
It carries identical 25% weight in both, but the descriptors differ slightly: Speaking tolerates the occasional slip a native speaker would make, while Writing also scores punctuation control. The structures examiners reward are nearly identical.
Can I check my IELTS grammar before the exam?
Yes. The free IELTS Grammar Checker estimates your Grammatical Range and Accuracy band from any practice essay or speaking transcript, lists every error with the rule explained, and links each one to the lesson that fixes it.