Grammatical Range and Accuracy is not just about knowing complex structures — it is about producing them correctly under timed conditions. The most common error pattern is not lack of knowledge but lack of a final-check system.
Examples
Weak
AvoidMany people thinks that government should investing more money in public transport because it reducing traffic and pollution.
Stronger
BetterMany people believe that governments should invest more in public transport, as this would reduce both traffic congestion and urban pollution.
Three errors fixed: subject-verb agreement (thinks → believe), verb form after modal (investing → invest), and non-finite clause replaced with a cleaner "as this would" construction.
How It Works
The 3-minute final check
In the final 3 minutes, scan only for these four error types in order:
- Subject-verb agreement: every third-person singular subject needs -s.
- Verb form after modals: should/would/can + bare infinitive (no -ing, no to).
- Article errors: a/an/the vs zero article before countable nouns.
- Missing -ed on past participles: "is concern" → "is concerned."
When each error appears most often
- Subject-verb agreement: complex subjects (the number of people, each of the governments).
- Modal + verb form: recommendation sentences (should investing, must to reduce).
- Articles: first mention of a noun, abstract nouns, plural nouns.
Quick-fix patterns
Quick rules
- Check modals first — they cause the most errors per minute.
- "The number of" is singular; "a number of" is plural.
- Abstract nouns (education, poverty) usually take zero article.
Common Mistakes
Modal + -ing
Avoid"Governments should investing in renewable energy."
Better"Governments should invest in renewable energy."
Fix: After should/would/can/must: use the bare infinitive (invest, reduce, build).
Subject-verb mismatch with complex subject
Avoid"The number of students who fail their exams are increasing."
Better"The number of students who fail their exams is increasing."
Fix: "The number of" is singular — the verb must match the head noun "number," not the noun in the relative clause.
Practice Lab
Self-mark each task. Retry until every answer is correct.
Score: 0/3
1. Quick pick
Which sentence is grammatically correct?
2. Build it
Put the sentence in the correct order.
Tap a chunk to move it between the bank and answer area.
3. Sort it
Sort each item into the correct category.
Many researchers believes that climate change is accelerating.
Many researchers believe that climate change is accelerating.
The government should to invest more in public health.
The government should invest more in public health.
Why It Matters
Grammatical Range and Accuracy contributes 25% of your IELTS Writing score. A final 3-minute scan targeting subject-verb agreement, modal forms, articles, and past participles catches the four most frequent error types. Most Band 6 writers already know these rules — the issue is not checking.
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