Grammatical Range and Accuracy (A Comprehensive Guide)

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Today, I’m going to share my insights on this crucial aspect of IELTS writing.

Before we dive into strategies, let’s clarify what we mean by grammatical range and accuracy.

Grammatical range refers to your ability to use a variety of grammatical structures in your writing.

Accuracy, on the other hand, is about using these structures correctly.

Many test-takers focus solely on vocabulary, overlooking the importance of grammar.

However, grammatical range and accuracy account for 25% of your Writing Task 2 score.

This means that even if your ideas are brilliant and your vocabulary is impressive, poor grammar can significantly lower your overall band score.

Most students believe that using complex grammatical structures is the key to a high score. While it’s true that examiners look for a range of structures, it’s equally important to use them accurately.

In fact, many candidates score lower because they attempted overly complex sentences that were riddled with errors.

Another misconception is that simple sentences are always better because they’re less likely to contain mistakes.

While there’s some truth to this, relying solely on simple structures will limit your grammatical range score.

Strategies to Improve Grammatical Range and Accuracy

1. The Basics First

    Before attempting complex structures, ensure you have a solid grasp of basic grammar.

    This includes:

    Subject-verb agreement

    Proper use of articles (a, an, the)

    Correct verb tenses

    Basic sentence structures (simple, compound, and complex sentences)

    For Example

    a) Subject-verb agreement: Instead of writing “The government need to address this issue,” you should write “The government needs to address this issue.”

    b) Proper use of prepositions: Instead of “The graph shows an increase of sales in the last quarter,” write “The graph shows an increase in sales during the last quarter.”

    c) Correct use of countable and uncountable nouns: Rather than “There are less people attending universities nowadays,” use “There are fewer people attending universities nowadays.”

    d) Appropriate use of modal verbs: Instead of “People must to exercise regularly,” write “People must exercise regularly” or “People have to exercise regularly.”

    e) Correct pronoun usage: Replace “The students who their grades improved received awards” with “The students whose grades improved received awards.”

    2. More Complex Structures

    Once you’re comfortable with the basics, start incorporating more advanced grammatical structures.

    These might include:

    Conditional sentences (If… then…)

    Relative clauses

    Passive voice

    Participle phrases

    Inversion for emphasis

    For Example

    a) A participle phrase: Instead of writing two simple sentences like “Technology is advancing rapidly. This has both positive and negative effects,” you could combine them using a participle phrase: “Advancing rapidly, technology has both positive and negative effects.”

    b) Cleft sentences for emphasis: Instead of “The government’s policies are the main reason for the economic growth,” try “It is the government’s policies that are the main reason for the economic growth.”

    c) Reduced relative clauses: Rather than “The policy which was implemented last year has shown positive results,” write “The policy implemented last year has shown positive results.”

    d) Gerund phrases as subjects: Instead of “To read regularly improves vocabulary,” use “Reading regularly improves vocabulary.”

    e) Subjunctive mood: Replace “It is essential that the government takes action” with “It is essential that the government take action.”

    3. Use a Variety of Sentence Types

    Aim to use a mix of simple, compound, and complex sentences in your essay.

    This demonstrates your ability to express ideas with varying levels of complexity.

    For Instance:

    a)

    Simple: “Education is important.”

    Compound: “Education is important, and it should be accessible to all.”

    Complex: “While education is undeniably important, ensuring its accessibility to all remains a significant challenge in many parts of the world.”

    b)

    Simple: “Pollution is a global problem.”

    Compound: “Pollution is a global problem, but solutions exist.”

    Complex: “Although pollution is a global problem, innovative solutions are being developed to address it.”

    Compound-Complex: “Pollution is a global problem, and while some countries are taking action, others continue to ignore its effects, which exacerbates the issue.”

    c)

    Simple: “Education empowers individuals.”

    Compound: “Education empowers individuals, and it drives societal progress.”

    Complex: “While education empowers individuals, its impact on societal progress is often underestimated.”

    Compound-Complex: “Education empowers individuals, and although some argue that formal schooling is becoming less relevant, its role in driving societal progress remains crucial.”

    d)

    Simple: “Technology has transformed communication.”

    Compound: “Technology has transformed communication, and it continues to evolve rapidly.”

    Complex: “As technology continues to evolve rapidly, it has transformed communication in ways that were unimaginable a few decades ago.”

    Compound-Complex: “Technology has transformed communication, and while it has brought people closer in many ways, some argue that it has also led to a decline in face-to-face interactions, which concerns sociologists.”

    e)

    Simple: “Climate change affects ecosystems.”

    Compound: “Climate change affects ecosystems, and it threatens biodiversity.”

    Complex: “Because climate change affects ecosystems in complex ways, it poses a significant threat to global biodiversity.”

    Compound-Complex: “Climate change affects ecosystems, and although some species may adapt, many others face extinction, which could disrupt the delicate balance of nature.”

    4. Practice Identifying and Correcting Errors

    Developing your error correction skills can help you spot and fix mistakes in your own writing.

    You might consider:

    Working through grammar workbooks

    Taking online grammar quizzes

    Analyzing sample IELTS essays for grammatical structures and errors

    For Example:

    a) Look at this sentence: “If I would have known about the traffic, I will leave earlier.” Can you spot the errors? The correct version should be: “If I had known about the traffic, I would have left earlier.”

    b) “The number of students attending university have increased.”

    Correction: “The number of students attending university has increased.”

    c) “Despite of the challenges, the project was completed on time.”

    Correction: “Despite the challenges, the project was completed on time.”

    d) “The research paper was wrote by a team of experts.”

    Correction: “The research paper was written by a team of experts.”

    e) “Neither the students nor the teacher were aware of the schedule change.”

    Correction: “Neither the students nor the teacher was aware of the schedule change.”

    5. Read Widely in English

    Reading a variety of English texts can expose you to different grammatical structures in context. This can help you internalize correct usage and expand your grammatical range.

    For Example

    a) You might read news articles, academic papers, or novels in English. Pay attention to how different types of sentences are used to convey information and create emphasis.

    b) You can read articles from Nature or Science to expose yourself to academic language and complex sentence structures.

    c) You may explore works by authors like Jane Austen or Charles Dickens to see how complex ideas can be expressed through varied sentence structures.

    d) You might consider to read editorials from newspapers like The Guardian or The New York Times to see how arguments are constructed using a range of grammatical structures.

    e) It is time to examine instruction manuals or technical documents to familiarize yourself with precise, clear language often used in Task 1 essays.

    6. Practice Timed Writing

    Writing under time pressure can often lead to more grammatical errors.

    Regular practice with timed writing can help you maintain accuracy even when you’re rushing to complete your essay.

    Example: Set a timer for 40 minutes and write a full IELTS Writing Task 2 essay. Then, spend 5 minutes reviewing your work specifically for grammatical issues.

    7. Learn from Your Mistakes

      Keep a “grammar journal” where you record the errors you commonly make.

      You can review this regularly and practice using the correct forms.

      For Example

      a) If you often confuse “its” and “it’s,” you might write: “Its important to remember that ‘it’s’ is a contraction of ‘it is,’ while ‘its’ is possessive.”

      b) If you often confuse “affect” and “effect,” note: “Affect is usually a verb meaning ‘to influence,’ while effect is usually a noun meaning ‘result.’

      The new policy will affect (influence) student enrollment, and its effects (results) will be monitored closely.”

      c) For those struggling with “who” vs. “whom,” write: “Use ‘who’ for the subject of a sentence or clause, and ‘whom’ for the object.

      Who attended the meeting? (subject) To whom should I address this letter? (object)”

      d) If you frequently misuse semicolons, note: “Use semicolons to join two related independent clauses without a coordinating conjunction.

      The experiment was a success; the results exceeded our expectations.”

      e) For those who struggle with parallel structure, write: “In a list, all items should have the same grammatical form. Incorrect: The company focuses on developing new products, improving customer service, and to increase market share.

      Correct: The company focuses on developing new products, improving customer service, and increasing market share.”

      I encourage you to start implementing these strategies in your IELTS preparation.

      Which one do you think will be most helpful for you?

      Do you have any other strategies that have worked well in improving your grammar?

      Share your thoughts and experiences in the comments below.

      If you found this article helpful, you might also be interested in our guides on IELTS Writing Task 2 Task Achievement and Lexical Source.

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