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Your Guide to IELTS Grammar: IELTS Grammar Syllabus, Books, Topics, Preparation

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Kashyap Matani
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English grammar is the backbone of the English Language and is one of the major pillars of your IELTS exam. It is essential to have a strong command over grammar in English to successfully pass all four sections in the IELTS examination. 

Unlike IELTS vocabulary, IELTS grammar is helpful and important for all four sections: listening, reading, speaking, and writing. You may pass the IELTS with a passing score without an extravagant vocabulary, but weak grammar might boost your way to the passing and good score for the IELTS

Table of Contents

Before diving into ways to ace your IELTS grammar test, let us go through the other sections surrounding the grammar portion: IELTS grammar syllabus, question and marks, grammar topics for IELTS, and preparation books.

IELTS Grammar Syllabus

Typically, there is no decided ‘syllabus’ for your IELTS examination. Your knowledge in the field overall helps you ace your sections by applying the knowledge systematically. There are specific topics in English grammar that you should be acquainted with, discussed later in this article.

Criteria/Section

Marks

Question Types

Syllabus

Writing 

0-9.0

Paper writing 

Analytical writing, based on essays and problem-solving.

Speaking 

0-9.0

Speech
Personal Interview

Conversation 

Normal day-to-day conversations and issues.

Listening 

40

MCQs, long answer short answers, and more

Recordings on different topics.

Reading 

40

MCQs, Reasoning, Grammar, etc.

Paragraphs from newspapers, journals, etc.

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Moving on, here are a few key points to note for different IELTS sections with respect to the IELTS grammar syllabus. 

IELTS Writing 

In the IELTS Writing round, two sections of writing are given to you. And, you have to write two papers of 250 and 150 words each on different topics and situations. In this section, your written grammar must be impeccable and absolutely flawless. Because the grammar section in the writing part is the most scoring, you should devote lots of hours practising this. 

IELTS Reading

In the IELTS reading section, comparatively less knowledge of English Grammar is required. However, you should be heavily acquainted with idioms, phrasal verbs, and other grammatical tools that writers and journalists use in their texts to properly understand the material. Note that the text provided to you will be high quality, and understanding the essence of these isn't a piece of cake. 

Suggested: IELTS Exam Dates 2023

IELTS Listening 

The IELTS Listening section comprises the understanding of several voice recordings and answering questions related to the voice recording. Having knowledge of English grammar is again essential for this section, for the recording might use irony, sarcasm, metaphor, etc. speaking tools that are difficult to understand without much knowledge of grammar. 

IELTS Speaking

This section primarily tests your fluency and confidence when conversing in the English language. Your way of speaking, fluency and grammatical accuracy you have during your speech defines your proficiency in the english language. Further, punctuation plays a very important role in the IELTS speaking section.

Suggested: IELTS Academic vs IELTS General Exam 

IELTS Grammar Topics to Study

Apart from general proficiency in English grammar, there are certain topics that you must prepare before you go on to polish your grammar for the IELTS examination. These IELTS grammar topics at large help you prepare the basics which you can then apply and strive for that 9.0 band score: 

  1. Tenses 
  2. Modals
  3. Metaphor, simile, figures of speech
  4. Verbs
  5. Pronouns and prepositions
  6. Adjectives and nouns
  7. Articles use
  8. Degree of comparison use

Other than these, knowledge of redundant words, an extensive vocabulary, and grabbing attention and making texts engaging are extremely helpful for students to get full marks in their writing and speaking sections. These sections have no right answer, and your proficiency in the language as a whole is largely monumental in helping you achieve that 9.0.  

Suggested: IELTS Exam Syllabus and Pattern 

Question Types and Marks for Grammar for IELTS

There are different question types for each IELTS section. Let us know more here:

Section

Question Types

Marks

Writing

Comprises two tasks:

Writing an interpretation of a visual representation 

Answering a situation or problem in an essay form.

Graded on 0-9 band scale

Speaking

Comprises three tasks:

Personal interview

Speech

Discussion 

Graded on 0-9 band scale

Reading 

Revolves around reading texts (based on the type of IELTS opted for) and answering MCQ, short and long, and other types of questions based on the same.

40

Listening

Revolves around listening to audio recordings (based on the type of IELTS opted for) and answering MCQ, short and long, and other types of questions based on the same.

40

Suggested: 6.5 to 7.0 IELTS Accepting Universities 

How to Improve Grammar for IELTS?

Improving the IELTS grammar is not a task for a day. It takes years of consistent practice and IELTS preparation to achieve the perfect English grammar that can be applied to your test. Here are a few ways in which you can improve your english grammar:

  1. Reading: Undoubtedly, reading is one of the most important pillars of improving your English language. Reading in abundance helps acquaint you with proper grammar usage, and great vocabulary words, and helps you understand different writing styles, figures of speech, and the hidden meaning behind simple texts. Good literature and newspapers are excellent reading sources. 
  2. Listening to podcasts: These days, podcasts have become a convenient alternative to reading books and material and are life savers for those who don't have the time to read books. Listen to good podcasts with fruitful messages and good speaking to improve your speaking and listening. 
  3. Web series and movies: To improve your English the fun way, start watching english web series and movies with subtitles and varying accents. Not only will this improve your listening, but also help you understand the language better and imply your knowledge in the other three sections. 
  4. Writing: Writing can only be improved by writing. Abundantly. Start writing notes to yourself, random emails, quora answers, and random essays whenever you get time. This way, you can let your ideas flow in a regulated system and find a way to give your thoughts wings. Writing consistently will help you improve thought expression and checking it through a grammar checker will help you learn the mistakes in your text. 
  5. Preparation books: One obvious way of preparing for your IELTS grammar is by investing in an English grammar book for IELTS. Let us know more about this way. 

Suggested: How to Send IELTS Scores to Universities 

Best English Grammar Book for IELTS

Candidates find investing in an English grammar book for IELTS as a helpful method to score well on the tests. Here are the top IELTS grammar book that you should check out:

Title

Author 

Price (in INR)

Cambridge Grammar for IELTS Without Answers

Diana Hopkins

5,367.00

IELTS Academic Writing Book with IELTS Grammar Preparation & Sample Essays

IELTS Success Group

905.00

Common Mistakes at IELTS Advanced

Julie Moore

602.00

Oxford Practice Grammar Advanced

George Yule 

499.00

Advanced English Grammar with Answers

Hewings 

154.00

Suggested: Best IELTS Preparation Books 

Working on your English grammar is highly influential towards achieving a great score on your other tests like the GRE and GMAT. It is highly advisable for all candidates to take this portion seriously and prepare well. 

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Frequently Asked Questions about Grammar Topics for IELTS

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