IELTS Grammar Checklist by Band Score (Bands 5–9)

Grammatical Range and Accuracy makes up 25% of your Writing score and 25% of your Speaking score. Yet many candidates don't know what the examiner is actually checking.

The key insight is that the criterion has two halves:

• Range: the variety of grammar structures you use.
• Accuracy: how error-free those structures are.

Many candidates focus on one half and neglect the other. Some play it safe with simple, error-free sentences and cap their range. Others pile on complex structures they can't control and lose accuracy. A higher band needs both.

How to use this guide: take the five-question self-check in Part 1, jump to the card for your band, and focus on its Next level actions. Come back to it as you study.

Note: the band descriptions below are plain-English summaries, not the official wording. The wording of the public band descriptors can be updated, so always check the current version on the official IELTS website. The sample sentences are illustrations of each level, not scored examples, because examiners judge your whole performance, not a single sentence.

Contents

• Part 1: Quick self-diagnosis
• Part 2: Band-by-band checklists
• Part 3: One idea, five bands
• Part 4: Writing vs speaking
• Part 5: Three myths that cost points
• Part 6: Your personal action plan
• Conclusion

Part 1: Quick self-diagnosis

Answer yes or no to each statement about your own writing or speaking:

1. Most of my sentences are error-free, not just some of them.
2. I regularly use complex sentences (with although, which, if), and most of them are correct.
3. My errors almost never make my meaning unclear.
4. I can use the passive voice and conditionals naturally.
5. My punctuation and articles are mostly accurate.

Scoring key: count your yes answers.

Yes answers	Start with the card for...
0–1	Band 5
2	Band 6
3	Band 7
4	Band 8
5	Band 8–9 (focus on precision and rare slips)

This is only a rough guide. For a more reliable view, ask a teacher to read a few of your essays, or look at your errors in practice tests.

Part 2: Band-by-band checklists

Each band has the same five-part card, so you can compare levels at a glance:

1. What the examiner sees
2. Grammar you should control
3. What's holding you back
4. Sample sentence
5. Next level actions

Band 5: Limited range, frequent errors

What the examiner sees: mostly simple sentences. Complex sentences are attempted but are often wrong. Errors can sometimes confuse the reader.

Grammar you should control:

• ☐ Present simple and past simple
• ☐ Basic subject-verb agreement
• ☐ Simple compound sentences with and, but, because

What's holding you back: tense errors, missing articles, and run-on sentences.

Sample sentence: "Many students likes online lessons because it is cheap."

Next level actions:

1. Fix subject-verb agreement first (students like, not students likes).
2. Check every sentence for a verb and a subject, and end each one with a full stop.
3. Learn which and who to add information to a sentence.

Band 6: A mix of simple and complex, errors don't block meaning

What the examiner sees: a mix of simple and complex sentences. Errors are still frequent, but they rarely stop the reader from understanding.

Grammar you should control:

• ☐ Relative clauses (who, which)
• ☐ Basic conditionals (first and second)
• ☐ Present perfect
• ☐ Common linking words (however, although, because)

What's holding you back: complex sentences attempted but with frequent mistakes, and punctuation errors.

Sample sentence: "Many students prefer online lessons, which are cheaper than classes, although some of them feel lonely."

Next level actions:

1. Choose three complex structures and practice them until most of your sentences are error-free.
2. Review your comma use with relative clauses and linking words.
3. Practice the passive voice in short, simple sentences.

Band 7: A variety of complex structures, frequent error-free sentences

What the examiner sees: a good variety of complex structures, and many error-free sentences. Some errors remain.

Grammar you should control:

• ☐ Passive voice
• ☐ All conditional types
• ☐ Participle clauses (Having finished the report, she...)
• ☐ Modals for speculation (might have, could be)
• ☐ Longer noun phrases

What's holding you back: a few small errors, such as articles and prepositions, that appear again and again.

Sample sentence: "Although online lessons are cheaper, many students who study alone find it hard to stay motivated."

Next level actions:

1. List your repeat errors (usually articles, prepositions or plurals) and fix them one by one. See A vs An vs The: English Articles Explained.
2. Practice mixed conditionals and participle clauses.
3. Reread your work for small slips before you finish.

Band 8: A wide range, most sentences error-free

What the examiner sees: a wide range of structures used flexibly, with the majority of sentences error-free. Occasional slips or unnatural phrasing.

Grammar you should control:

• ☐ Inversion (Not only... but also...)
• ☐ Cleft sentences (What matters is...)
• ☐ Mixed conditionals
• ☐ Nominalization (the growth of... instead of when something grows)

What's holding you back: occasional slips and phrasing that sounds awkward or unnatural.

Sample sentence: "Not only do online lessons cut costs, but they also give learners control over their own schedule."

Next level actions:

1. Read good-quality writing and notice how natural phrases fit together.
2. Ask a teacher to point out phrasing that sounds unnatural.
3. Proofread for slips, especially in the last paragraph.

Band 9: Full flexibility and accuracy

What the examiner sees: a full range of structures used naturally and appropriately, with only rare, minor slips.

Grammar you should control:

• ☐ Structures chosen for precise meaning and effect, not to show off
• ☐ Natural control of all tenses, voice and clause types

What's holding you back: very little. Errors are rare slips, not patterns.

Sample sentence: "What makes online learning appealing is less its price than the freedom it gives learners to shape their own schedule."

Next level actions: keep consistency across a whole answer. At this level, the aim is to stay accurate under time pressure.

Part 3: One idea, five bands

The best way to see the difference is to write one idea at each level.

Idea: cities are getting more crowded, which causes pollution.

Band 5: "Cities is more crowded and this make pollution."

Simple structure with errors in agreement (Cities is, this make) and a vague link.

Band 6: "Cities are becoming more crowded, which causes more pollution."

Correct agreement, and a relative clause (which causes) links the ideas.

Band 7: "As urban populations continue to grow, pollution levels have risen significantly."

A subordinate clause (As...), the present perfect, and more precise vocabulary (urban populations, significantly).

Band 8: "The rapid growth of urban populations has led to a marked increase in pollution."

Nominalization: the idea of "growing" becomes a noun phrase (the rapid growth of), which makes the sentence more compact and formal.

Band 9: "Rapid urbanization, while economically beneficial, has come at a considerable environmental cost."

A concession inside the sentence (while economically beneficial) and a natural, precise expression (has come at a cost). The grammar serves the meaning.

Remember: these sentences show how range and precision grow. Real band scores depend on your whole performance, not on one sentence.

Part 4: Writing vs speaking

The criterion is the same in both tests, but the expectations are different.

	Writing	Speaking
What examiners notice	Punctuation, sentence boundaries and formal structures such as the passive	Natural spoken grammar, including contractions and shorter sentences
Errors	Visible on the page, so proofreading matters	Self-correction isn't penalized heavily if it sounds natural
Style	Formal	Conversational

The key difference: a Band 7 speaker doesn't need to sound like a Band 7 essay. Long, formal sentences in conversation can sound unnatural. Aim for clear, natural grammar with some variety.

Part 5: Three myths that cost points

Myth 1: "More complex grammar equals a higher band." Forced, error-filled complex sentences can lower your score. Range and accuracy work together.

Myth 2: "One mistake ruins your band." Even Band 8 allows occasional errors. What matters is the pattern, not a single slip.

Myth 3: "Memorized phrases impress examiners." Templated or memorized language is often easy to spot, and it doesn't show real control of grammar. Use structures you can adapt to any topic.

Part 6: Your personal action plan

1. Find your error pattern. Review three of your past essays and list your recurring mistakes. Most people have three to five repeat errors, such as articles, tenses or commas.
2. Learn one new structure per week from the next band's checklist, and practice it until it's accurate.
3. Proofread with a personal checklist. Make it from your own repeat errors and the band cards above, and use it on every piece of writing.

Practice grammar quizzes →

Conclusion

Improving by one band is about fixing your repeat errors and adding one level of range. It isn't about learning everything at once.

Start with the self-check, find your band, and work through the Next level actions. Little by little, your accuracy and range will rise together.

Keep learning

• Articles are a classic repeat error: A vs An vs The: English Articles Explained
• Another common confusion: Its vs It's: How to Never Confuse Them Again
• Practice with free grammar quizzes
• Not sure of your level? Take the free level test