🚫 Common Grammar Mistakes That Lower Your IELTS Score

Grammar mistakes are one of the main reasons IELTS candidates get stuck at Band 5 or Band 6 in both Writing and Speaking. Even if your ideas are strong, consistent grammar errors will limit your score. This guide covers the most frequent grammar mistakes in IELTS and how to fix them.

❌ 1. Subject–Verb Agreement Errors

Wrong: People in my country lives in small houses.
Correct: People in my country live in small houses.

✅ Tip: Make sure the subject and verb match in number. Singular subjects need singular verbs.

❌ 2. Wrong Tense Usage

Wrong: I study English since last year.
Correct: I have been studying English since last year.

✅ Tip: Use present perfect or present perfect continuous when describing experiences that continue into the present.

❌ 3. Article Mistakes (a, an, the)

Wrong: I went to university in USA.
Correct: I went to a university in the USA.

✅ Tip: "The" is used for specific things. "A/an" are used for non-specific, countable nouns.

❌ 4. Run-on Sentences

Wrong: I like traveling I think it's important for learning.
Correct: I like traveling because I think it's important for learning.

✅ Tip: Always connect your clauses with proper linking words or punctuation.

❌ 5. Sentence Fragments

Wrong: Because technology is important.
Correct: Technology is important because it helps us communicate quickly.

✅ Tip: Every sentence must have a complete thought — subject + verb + object.

❌ 6. Overusing Simple Sentences

Example: "I like food. Food is good. I eat food every day."
✅ Combine them: “I like food because it’s delicious and I eat it every day.”

✅ Tip: Mix short and long sentences using conjunctions to show fluency and coherence.

❌ 7. Misusing Prepositions

Wrong: I am interested on science.
Correct: I am interested in science.

✅ Tip: Prepositions are tricky — learn them through collocations, not individual rules.

✅ Final Tips to Reduce Grammar Errors

• ✔️ Review your writing for common mistakes — especially SVA and tenses
• ✔️ Record yourself speaking and check for repeated grammar errors
• ✔️ Read sample Band 7+ answers to observe grammar in action
• ✔️ Get feedback from a teacher or language partner

🎯 Final Advice

Grammar doesn’t need to be perfect for Band 7 — but it needs to be mostly accurate, with a variety of sentence structures. Start by identifying your top 2–3 grammar problems and fix those first. With consistency, your writing and speaking will sound more polished and score-ready.

See also next Using Complex Sentences in IELTS Writing Without Confusion

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