What is Grammatical Range?

Understanding Grammatical Range and Accuracy

In IELTS Academic Writing Task 1, Grammatical Range and Accuracy (GRA) evaluates your ability to use a variety of grammatical structures correctly and appropriately.

This criterion assesses how well you:

• Construct sentences.

• Use complex structures effectively.

• Apply grammar and punctuation rules accurately.

Demonstrating strong grammatical control is essential for achieving a high band score, especially if you are aiming for Band 7 or above.

What Examiners Look for in Grammatical Range and Accuracy

To achieve a high score, your response must:

Demonstrate Grammatical Variety
Use a mix of simple, compound, and complex sentences naturally.

Ensure Grammatical Accuracy
Minimise errors in tense, subject-verb agreement, word order, and punctuation.

Use Passive Voice Correctly
Apply passive constructions appropriately, especially when describing processes.

Maintain Sentence Clarity
Ensure that every sentence is logically structured and easy to understand.

What to Avoid

• Frequent grammatical errors that affect meaning.

• Overuse of simple sentence structures.

• Incorrect tenses or verb forms.

• Misplaced modifiers or unclear sentence constructions.

Key Grammatical Structures for IELTS Writing Task 1

Sentence Types

Simple Sentences
“The percentage of students increased in 2020.”

Compound Sentences
“The percentage of students increased, but the number of teachers remained constant.”

Complex Sentences
“Although the percentage of students increased, the overall enrolment figures remained stable.”

Tenses

Present Simple
For general truths or static data.
“The chart illustrates the percentage of energy consumed.”

Past Simple
For completed actions or past data.
“In 2010, the figure rose sharply.”

Future Forms
Rare but used for predictions.
“The trend is expected to stabilise in the coming years.”

Passive Voice

Essential for describing processes when the focus is on the action, not the subject.
“The materials are transported to the factory.”

Comparative and Superlative Structures

Comparative
“The rate in France was higher than in Germany.”

Superlative
“Japan experienced the highest growth during the period.”

Prepositions

Frequently used when describing trends:
“An increase in sales.”
“A decline of 10%.”

Conditional Clauses

Useful for predictions or hypothetical situations.
“If the trend continues, the figures will double by 2030.”

Strategies for Improving Grammatical Range and Accuracy

Practise Sentence Variation

Combine simple, compound, and complex sentences naturally in your writing.

Use Passive Voice Appropriately

Particularly useful when describing processes and actions where the agent is not important.

Apply the Correct Tense

Ensure you choose the right tense for the context — present for general descriptions, past for historical data, and future for predictions.

Use Comparative and Superlative Forms

Accurately compare and highlight extremes in the data.

Include Conditional Clauses

These can add flexibility and show advanced grammar control.

Avoid Common Grammatical Errors

Focus on:

• Subject-verb agreement.

• Article usage.

• Correct prepositions.

• Avoiding misplaced modifiers.

Use Punctuation Correctly

• Use commas to separate clauses appropriately.

• Avoid run-on sentences.

Vary Sentence Beginnings

Avoid starting every sentence the same way. Use a variety of structures to maintain reader interest.

Review Grammar Rules Regularly

Keep refreshing your knowledge of key grammar areas: tenses, articles, prepositions, and sentence structures.

Practise Regularly

Write responses based on different Task 1 visuals. Focus on mixing sentence types and applying accurate grammar consistently.

Good vs Bad Examples of Grammatical Range and Accuracy

Bad Example

“The chart shows students increased. The teachers stayed the same. In 2010, students go up.”

Why It’s Bad

• Overuse of simple sentences.

• Tense errors (“go up” instead of “went up”).

• No sentence variety or logical flow.

Good Example

“Overall, the chart illustrates that while the number of students increased significantly, the number of teachers remained unchanged. Between 2000 and 2010, the student population rose steadily, demonstrating a clear upward trend.”

Why It’s Good

• Varied sentence structures (complex and compound).

• Accurate and natural use of tenses.

• Clear logical connections between ideas.

Final Advice on Grammatical Range and Accuracy for IELTS Writing Task 1

Mastering grammatical range and accuracy is not about using overly complicated sentences.
It’s about writing clear, correct, and naturally varied sentences that enhance your communication.

By using a variety of structures, maintaining accuracy, and practising consistently, you will improve your Grammatical Range and Accuracy score — and strengthen your overall IELTS Writing Task 1 performance.