IELTS Mistakes Introduction
Grammar plays a vital role in your IELTS Writing and Speaking scores, making up 25% of your band score in both tasks. Many test takers lose points due to small but frequent grammar mistakes that can be easily fixed with the right strategies.
This article provides a detailed breakdown of the most common IELTS grammar mistakes, including verb tense errors, article misuse, subject-verb agreement, and sentence structure problems. Whether you’re aiming for Band 6 or Band 8, correcting these mistakes can make a big difference in your performance.
Why Grammar Matters in IELTS
Grammar is assessed under the Grammatical Range and Accuracy criterion in both the Writing and Speaking components. This means the examiner looks at:
- How many different sentence structures you use
- How accurately you use grammar (e.g. tenses, articles, prepositions)
- Whether your sentences are error-free and easy to understand
Common IELTS Grammar Mistakes
1. ❌ Wrong Verb Tense
Many IELTS candidates switch between tenses or use the wrong one entirely. Inconsistent tense usage confuses the reader or listener and lowers your accuracy score.
Example Mistake:
People are believing that education is important.
Correction:
People believe that education is important.
👉 Tip: Use the present simple for general facts and opinions, and the past simple for completed events.
2. ❌ Incorrect Article Usage (a/an/the)
Articles are small but powerful. Misusing them is a common mistake for learners from article-free native languages.
Example Mistake:
She wants to become teacher.
Correction:
She wants to become a teacher.
Quick Rules:
- Use a/an for general, singular nouns
- Use the when the noun is specific or previously mentioned
3. ❌ Subject-Verb Agreement Errors
This occurs when the subject and verb do not match in number (singular/plural).
Example Mistake:
The students enjoys the lecture.
Correction:
The students enjoy the lecture.
👉 Always make sure singular subjects use singular verbs, and plural subjects use plural verbs.
4. ❌ Run-On Sentences
Too many IELTS candidates write long sentences without proper punctuation, leading to confusion and lower coherence.
Example Mistake:
People think the government should provide free healthcare it would help many poor people.
Correction:
People think the government should provide free healthcare because it would help many poor people.
✅ Break long sentences or add conjunctions like “because”, “so”, or “although”.
5. ❌ Misusing Prepositions
Preposition use can be tricky, especially with time and place phrases.
Common Mistakes:
- In Monday → should be on Monday
- Discuss about the issue → should be discuss the issue
- Different than → should be different from
Tip: Learn common preposition + noun combinations to improve accuracy.
6. ❌ Confusing Countable and Uncountable Nouns
Some nouns are uncountable in English but may be countable in other languages.
Example Mistake:
She gave me many informations.
Correction:
She gave me a lot of information.
Other Uncountable Nouns: advice, furniture, news, luggage, money
7. ❌ Poor Use of Passive Voice
Using passive voice correctly can improve your grammatical range, but incorrect usage can be confusing.
Mistake Example:
The internet is using by people every day.
Correction:
The internet is used by people every day.
Tip: Use passive voice for formal writing when the doer is unknown or not important.
8. ❌ Missing Relative Clauses
Short, choppy sentences can hurt your fluency and range. Relative clauses help link ideas more naturally.
Poor Style:
My friend is a teacher. She works in a college.
Better:
My friend, who works in a college, is a teacher.
9. ❌ Incorrect Word Order in Questions
In Speaking Part 3, candidates often struggle with forming grammatically correct questions.
Mistake:
Why you think this is important?
Correction:
Why do you think this is important?
10. ❌ Misusing Modal Verbs
Modal verbs (can, could, should, must, might) are often misused or left out.
Example Mistake:
You must to finish the task.
Correction:
You must finish the task.
Tip: Modal verbs are followed by the base form of the verb (no “to”).
📋 Quick Grammar Fix Checklist for IELTS
✅ Keep verb tenses consistent
✅ Use correct articles (a, an, the)
✅ Match subject and verb correctly
✅ Avoid run-on sentences
✅ Learn preposition rules
✅ Don’t count uncountable nouns
✅ Use passive voice properly
✅ Combine sentences with relative clauses
✅ Practise question structure
✅ Review modal verb usage
Grammar in IELTS Writing
In IELTS Writing Task 2, grammar mistakes can lower your band score under:
- Grammatical Range and Accuracy
- Coherence and Cohesion
Using a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, along with accurate grammar, is key for achieving Band 7 or higher.
👉 Related: IELTS Writing Task 2 Overview
Grammar in IELTS Speaking
In the IELTS Speaking test, grammar affects your fluency and range score. Examiners look for:
- Use of different tenses
- Variety of sentence structures
- Accuracy in forming questions and conditional statements
Practice common speaking questions with attention to tense and sentence formation.
Learn More with our Resources
🌍 Other Resources for Grammar Practice
- British Council: Grammar Practice
- Cambridge English Grammar Exercises
- Grammarly Handbook (use with caution; not always accurate for academic British English)
Glossary
- Run-on sentence (noun): A sentence that joins two or more ideas without correct punctuation
- Relative clause (noun): A clause that describes a noun, starting with who, which, or that
- Uncountable noun (noun): A noun that cannot be made plural or counted individually
- Modal verb (noun): A helper verb like can, must, should used to show possibility or necessity
- Passive voice (noun): A sentence style where the action is more important than the doer (e.g. “The book was read by him”)
