🧠 IELTS Grammatical Range and Accuracy

This page explains what IELTS examiners expect under the Grammatical Range and Accuracy (GRA) criterion. You’ll see what “range” and “accuracy” really mean, how to avoid common grammar errors, and what it takes to get Band 7 or higher — without trying to sound overly academic.

🧠 Grammatical Range and Accuracy (GRA)

❓ What Do Examiners Look For?

There are two things examiners want to see:

• Range: A variety of sentence structures, including simple, compound, and complex forms

• Accuracy: Correct use of tenses, articles, punctuation, prepositions, and subject–verb agreement

To get Band 7 or above, you need to show control. That means your grammar feels natural, your sentence forms are mixed, and your message is clear with minimal mistakes.

🧨 Common Mistakes That Lower Your Score

1. Repeating the Same Grammar Mistakes
   If you keep making the same error — like “a children” or “he go” — you’ll be stuck at Band 6.

2. Only Using Simple Sentences
   Writing like this:
   “Tourism is good. It creates jobs. It brings money.”
   …is Band 5 or 6 territory.

3. Trying to Sound Advanced and Failing
   If your complex grammar is full of errors, it’s better to keep it clean and simple.

4. Poor Punctuation
   Missing commas, capital letters, or full stops makes your writing unclear — and unclear means a lower score.

5. Subject–Verb Agreement Errors
   Mistakes like “people thinks” or “children goes” are small — but deadly.

✅ What a Good Essay Shows

A Band 7+ essay will include:

• A mix of sentence types (simple, compound, complex)

• Correct tenses and word forms

• Clean punctuation

• Accurate use of articles (a / an / the)

• Minimal errors that don’t interfere with meaning

You don’t need perfect grammar — but repeated or distracting errors will cost you.

🛠️ How to Improve Your Grammar Score

1. Learn Basic Sentence Types
   You need to control these:

• Simple: “Tourism boosts the local economy.”

• Compound: “Tourism boosts the local economy, and it creates new jobs.”

• Complex: “Although tourism boosts the local economy, it may also harm the environment.”

2. Use Subordinating Conjunctions
   Words like although, because, while, since, unless help you create variety.
   Example:
   “While online education is becoming more common, many students still prefer face-to-face lessons.”

3. Practise Parallel Structure
   Keep your grammar consistent when listing:

• ❌ Bad: “It helps reduce crime, improving housing, and better education.”

• ✅ Better: “It helps reduce crime, improve housing, and provide better education.”

4. Master Articles and Plurals
   Small errors = big penalties.

• ❌ “A children need help.”

• ✅ “Children need help.”

• ❌ “An environment is fragile.”

• ✅ “The environment is fragile.”

5. Don’t Use Grammar You Don’t Understand
   If you can’t control it — don’t use it. Simplicity and clarity always win.

🧾 Sample Body Paragraph (Band 7+ Grammar)

So, why do I hold this stance? Tourism can benefit local communities because it creates jobs and stimulates local businesses. While this is particularly true in small towns, it also applies to larger cities that depend on seasonal income. For example, many residents in beach towns work in restaurants or hotels that rely heavily on international visitors. Without tourism, these jobs would disappear, and the local economy would suffer. Although tourism has drawbacks, its economic benefits are undeniable in many regions.

✅ Why this works:

• A mix of sentence types

• Clear transitions

• Clean grammar throughout

• No unnecessary complexity

🎯 Final Advice

To get a high score for grammar:

• Mix your sentence types — naturally

• Fix your most common errors

• Focus on clarity over complexity

• Avoid “template” phrases you don’t fully understand

This isn’t about showing off. It’s about writing clearly, accurately, and confidently — even under pressure.

That’s what examiners are looking for.

🧠 Ready to Practise?

Try rewriting this paragraph with clear grammar, correct punctuation, and a mix of sentence forms.

Original:

Many people travel. They go to new places. They take photos. It is fun. They spend money. This helps the economy. It also causes problems.

Your Task:

• Combine the ideas naturally

• Use a mix of sentence types (simple, compound, complex)

• Focus on clarity — not fancy grammar

• Avoid repeating the same sentence pattern