📰 IELTS Grammar Focus – Articles (a, an, the) – Rules & Exceptions

Articles — a, an, the — are among the smallest words in English, yet they cause big problems for IELTS candidates. Misusing or omitting them can lead to confusion and lower your score in both Writing and Speaking. This guide will help you master article usage with clear rules and examples.

📌 Basic Article Types

Indefinite Articles: a, an (used when mentioning something for the first time)
Definite Article: the (used when referring to specific or known things)

✅ When to Use "a" or "an"

Use “a” before words that start with a consonant sound:
“a book,” “a university,” “a job”
Use “an” before words that start with a vowel sound:
“an apple,” “an honest person,” “an hour”

✅ When to Use "the"

When the noun is known or has been mentioned before
When there is only one (e.g., “the sun,” “the president”)
With superlatives (e.g., “the best,” “the most interesting”)
With names of seas, rivers, and certain geographic areas (e.g., “the Amazon,” “the Netherlands”)

🚫 When Not to Use Any Article

With uncountable nouns in general: “Information is important.”
With plural nouns in general: “Computers have changed education.”
With names of countries (unless they include “kingdom,” “states,” “republic,” or are plural):
“China,” “Brazil” vs. “the United Kingdom,” “the United States”

✍️ Common IELTS Context Examples

Writing Task 2:
“The government should invest more in the healthcare system.”

Task 1 (General Training):
“I recently bought a table from your store, but the item arrived damaged.”

Speaking Part 1:
“I usually start my day with a cup of coffee.”

❗ Common Errors to Avoid

❌ “I want to buy car.” → ✅ “I want to buy a car.”
❌ “He works in an university.” → ✅ “He works in a university.”
❌ “The pollution is a problem.” (when talking generally) → ✅ “Pollution is a problem.”

🧠 Practice Activity

Fill in the blanks with the correct article (a, an, the, or no article):

I saw ___ elephant at the zoo.
___ information on the website was outdated.
She is ___ honest person.
He wants to work in ___ European country.

🎯 Final Advice

Don’t ignore articles in your writing and speaking — they reflect your attention to detail and your grammar control. Read native-level texts and underline the articles to build intuition. The more natural it feels, the fewer mistakes you’ll make — and the higher your score will go.

📣

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