Grammar for IELTS: Preparation Strategy 2022

Grammar lies at the base of our ability to express ourselves. A proper knowledge of grammar can help you express your ideas precisely and unambiguously. Understanding grammar is an absolute necessity for academicians and students because it helps them understand, write, and speak in a coherent manner. Without a proper understanding of grammar, it will be difficult for you to construct meaningful and logical sentences.

Grammar for IELTS: Is it important?

As per the IELTS Speaking and Writing Band Descriptors, ‘grammatical range and accuracy’ affects 25% of your score. However, grammar, in general, is extremely important for all the sections of the IELTS exam, be it Speaking, Writing, Listening, or Reading.

Even though, grammar comprises 25% of your score on the Speaking and Writing sections, grammatical errors can bring down your score on ‘coherence and cohesion’ and ‘lexical resource’ criteria as well. If the sentences have too many grammatical errors, the examiner will have difficulty in understanding the meaning, thereby reducing your overall score.

The table given below has been taken from IELTS band descriptors and provides information about the scoring criteria of the IELTS Writing section, with respect to grammar:

Band	Grammatical Range and Accuracy
9	Wide range of structures with full flexibility and accuracy Rare minor errors
8	Wide range of structures Majority of sentences are error-free Very occasional errors
7	Variety of complex sentences Frequent error-free sentences Good control over grammar and punctuation Few errors
6	Mix of simple and complex sentences Some errors in grammar and punctuation Rarely reduce communication
5	Limited range of structures Attempts complex sentences but these are less accurate than simple sentences Frequent grammatical errors and faulty punctuation Errors can cause some difficulty for the reader
4	Very limited range of structures with rare use of subordinate clauses Some structures are accurate but errors are more
3	Attempts sentence creation but errors change their meaning
2	Can only use memorised sentences
1	Cannot use sentence forms at all

The table given below has been taken from IELTS band descriptors and provides information about the scoring criteria of the IELTS Speaking section, with respect to grammar:

Band	Grammatical Range and Accuracy
9	Full, natural, and appropriate sentences Consistent accurate sentences with rare mistakes
8	Wide range of sentence structures Majority of sentences are error-free
7	Range of complex sentence structures with some flexibility Frequent error-free sentences with some grammatical mistakes
6	Simple and complex sentences, but with limited flexibility Frequent mistakes in complex sentences with rare problems in comprehension
5	Basic sentences with average accuracy Limited range of complex sentences with errors that may cause problems in comprehension
4	Basic sentences with rare subordinate clauses Frequent errors lead to comprehension problems
3	Memorised sentences
2	Cannot speak basic sentences

IELTS Grammar Syllabus

There is no fixed IELTS grammar syllabus. Grammar, as a subject, cuts across all the sections of the IELTS exam. However, there are certain topics that you should be thorough with:

• Sentence Structure: Nouns, Pronouns, Adjectives, Verbs, Adverbs, Tenses, Prepositions, Conjunction etc.
• Subject-Verb Agreement
• Pronoun Agreement
• Modifiers
• Parallelism
• Idioms
• Passive Voice

Also Read: Best Resources for IELTS Preparation

IELTS Grammar Book

We have mentioned a comprehensive list of resources for IELTS preparation in the above-mentioned link. However, if you want to devote more time to grammar, we are mentioning some of the best resources below:

• Cambridge English: Grammar For IELTS

This book has almost all the grammar rules along with practice questions. It is published by Cambridge, which adds to its authenticity.

• English Grammar in Use by Raymond Murphy:

This book is ideal for those who prefer self-study. It contains easy-to-understand explanations along with practice exercises.

• Oxford Practice Grammar:

This book is suitable for intermediate users. It has sufficient practice exercises that will help you sharpen your skills.

• Collins Grammar for IELTS:

This book is for the advanced users and contains good explanations and practice exercises.

• Manhattan GMAT Sentence Correction:

GMAT? Yes! The content of this book is structured in a way that it will help you understand grammar right from the scratch. The language is interesting and examples are very clear. If you have sufficient time on your hands, you can opt for this book. You will not regret this choice.

IELTS Grammar Preparation Tips:

• The tables given above mention ‘Grammatical Range and Accuracy’ as scoring criteria. Let us break this down into two components to get more clarity:
  • Range: It refers to the sentence structures, complexity, and tenses.
  • Accuracy: It refers to construction of error-free sentences.
  • You must strike a balance between the two. Too much focus on complexity of sentences might bring your accuracy down, and too much focus on accuracy might bring your range down.
• You must focus on answering the questions rather than getting obsessed with putting in too many different sentence structures.
• Do not try to memorise the content of the books that we have mentioned above. Learn how to apply the content in your daily life conversations and on your mock tests.
• Not all of your sentences have to be complex. You must focus on accuracy and answering the questions. Construction of complex sentences is a skill that you develop over the entire length of your preparation.
• Focus more on your weak areas. You will get the knowledge of your weak areas after you have taken a diagnostic test or a mock test. Try to be as specific as you can, and by specificity, we mean that you should be able to pinpoint the area where you are lagging behind, e.g. nouns, or tenses, or subject-verb agreement, etc.
• Practice a lot of questions, using the books that we have mentioned. Simply learning the grammar rules will not help you, unless you practice their application.