Grammar for IELTS - Avoid these common mistakes

Here are some common grammar mistakes to be aware of before writing the IELTS test: 

1. Subject-Verb Agreement 

In a sentence, the subject and verb must agree. In other words, the verb must be singular when the subject is. The same thing applies when plural, both the subject and verb must be in plural form.  

Singular

• The man has 10,000 books in his library.
  (The subject "man" is singular, so the verb "has" is also singular.)

• She dances in the competition.
  (The subject "she" is singular, so the verb "dances" is also singular.)

• He is the strongest athlete.
  (The subject "he" is singular, so the verb "is" is also singular.)

• The head of the committee is 37 years old.
  (The subject "head" is singular, so the verb "is" is also singular.)

Plural  

• The men have a bet going on at work.
  (The subject "men" is plural, so the verb "have" is also plural.)

• They dance as a couple.
  (The subject "they" is plural, so the verb "dance" is also plural.)

• They are a stronger team.
  (The subject "they" is plural, so the verb "are" is also plural.)

• The members of the committee are in the meeting room.
  (The subject "members" is plural, so the verb "are" is also plural.)

2. Conditionals 

Errors with conditionals can happen, so it’s important to know the different structures. 

Zero Conditional = if + Present Simple + Present Simple 

• If water reaches 100C, it boils. 

• If it rains, things get wet. 

First Conditional = if + Present Simple + will/won’t + infinitive verb (without ‘to’) 

• If you take too long, you will miss the bus. 

• I won’t participate if it’s not fair. 

Second Conditional = if + Past Simple + would/wouldn’t + infinitive verb (without ‘to’) 

• If I were a cat, I would sleep all day. 

• I would travel around the world if I won the lottery. 

Third Conditional = if + Past Perfect + would/wouldn’t have + Past Participle 

• If she had studied harder, she would have passed the test. 

• If the team had worked together, they wouldn’t have lost the finals. 

Mixed Conditional = if + Past Perfect + would/wouldn’t + infinitive verb (without ‘to’) 

• If she had received the certificate, she would be an instructor now. 

• I would be in the middle of nowhere now if I hadn’t checked the GPS. 

3. Word order

When writing a sentence, it is very important to have the correct word order. This makes the sentence clear and easy to understand. 

Sentence
Subject + Auxiliary Verb + Main Verb + Object + adverb of time 

• Incorrect: I have played for six years basketball. 

• Correct: I have played basketball for six years.

Question 
Auxiliary Verb + Subject + Main Verb + Object 

• Incorrect: You have played basketball? 

• Correct: Have you played basketball? 

4. The Use of Commas 

Commas are misused frequently. They can be overused, underused, or missed completely.  

Overuse of Commas 

When there is an independent and dependent clause in the same sentence, you don’t need a comma. 

• The house plant died because I didn’t water it. 

A comma is not necessary when two parts of a sentence are complementary. 

• You either follow my rules or you leave my house. 

Missing Commas 

There needs to be a comma after a transitional word, phrase, or clause.

• Unfortunately, it didn’t work out. 

• On the other hand, social media has some benefits. 

• Once the timer has finished, please put down your pencil. 

Commas are necessary when separating two independent clauses in a compound sentence. 

• The woman jumped on the scooter, and she drove towards the station.

Comma Splice 

A comma splice occurs when two independent clauses are joined by a comma. Two independent clauses should be separated by a period.

• Incorrect: I go shopping every Saturday, I buy clothes from different stores. 

• Correct: I go shopping every Saturday. I buy clothes from different stores.  

5. Sentence Fragments 

Sentence fragments can also often occur in writing. When there is a sentence fragment, it usually means a subject or a main verb is missing in the sentence.  

Missing a Subject 

• Incorrect: Shut the window on his hand. 

• Correct: The boy shut the window on his hand. 

Missing a Verb 

• Incorrect: Displaying his trophy. 

• Correct: The Olympian was displaying his trophy.  

Dependent Clause 

• Incorrect: After I start university. 

• Correct: I’ll come home less often after I start university. 

Grammar mistakes can easily be made, but they can also be easily avoided. Always double-check your writing when doing the IELTS test. Fewer mistakes could result in a higher band score.

Now that we’ve gone through some grammar rules and common mistakes, let’s test your understanding with this quick grammar test.

Answer key: A, A, B, A, B

Let’s take a look at one of the important standards for the IELTS Speaking and Writing tests, which together account for 25% of your final score – Grammatical Range and Accuracy.  

This particular criterion has two components since it addresses both "Range" and "Accuracy." So how do the two differ from one another?

Many English language learners are quite familiar with the concept of Grammar Accuracy. A speaker or writer should only make a few, infrequent, or uncommon mistakes at the top bands, which range from 7 to 9. Grammatical errors become more common as you go down the bands, from 6 and below, but the difference with band 6 is that the mistakes do not affect the writer’s or speaker’s message from coming through. 

Grammatical Range, however, relates to the variety and complexity of grammatical structures used. Those who achieve high bands in Grammatical Range and Accuracy have not only a variety of sentence structures and tenses, but also make very few mistakes. 

Read our other articles to help you brush up on your grammar skills:

• Grammar 101: Subjects and Objects in English

• Grammar 101: Understanding verb tenses

• Grammar 101: How to use who and whom correctly?

• Homophones, homographs & homonyms