IELTS Writing Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band by Band

What Grammatical Range and Accuracy means in IELTS Writing: sentence variety, error-free sentences and punctuation, explained band by band with examples.

4 min read · Updated 2026-10-31

Grammatical Range and Accuracy is about your sentences: how varied they are, and how many of them are free from errors. Range and accuracy carry equal importance, so a writer who plays safe with only simple sentences and a writer who attempts complex sentences full of errors can end up at similar bands. It is one quarter of each task's score.

The band table below is our paraphrase of the official descriptors, not the official wording. For the exact text, see the official Writing band descriptors (PDF).

What examiners look at

Range of structures: simple, compound and complex sentences; relative clauses, conditionals, passives, comparatives and noun phrases.
Proportion of error-free sentences: how many sentences contain no mistakes at all.
Types of error: small slips, or errors that make the meaning unclear?
Punctuation: commas, full stops and capital letters used correctly, with no run-on sentences.

Band by band

Band	What it looks like
9	A wide range of structures used flexibly and accurately. Errors are extremely rare and appear only as slips.
8	A wide range of structures used flexibly. Most sentences are error-free, and errors that remain are occasional and minor. Punctuation is well managed.
7	A variety of complex structures used with some flexibility. Many sentences contain no mistakes at all. A small number of grammar or punctuation slips are still there, but the reader understands everything.
6	Uses both simple and complex sentences. Grammar and punctuation mistakes appear, but they seldom get in the way of the meaning.
5	A limited range of structures. Complex sentences are attempted but tend to be less accurate than simple ones, and errors are frequent; punctuation may be faulty. Errors can cause some difficulty for the reader.
4	A very limited range, with complex structures rare. Some structures are accurate, but errors are frequent and may hide the meaning. Punctuation is often faulty.
3	Tries to build sentences, but mistakes are so common that they twist the meaning.
2	Hardly any real sentences appear, apart from phrases learnt by heart.
1	No rateable language is evident, or the response is 20 words or fewer.

Band 0 is given if you do not attend or attempt the task, write entirely in another language, or there is proof the answer was fully memorised.

Features that cap your score

Only simple sentences: without a variety of complex structures, you cannot reach Band 7, however accurate you are.
Complex sentences that are usually wrong: frequent errors in complex forms keep the score around Band 5.
Errors that stop the reader understanding hold the score at Band 5 or below.
Run-on sentences and missing full stops count as punctuation errors and pull down the error-free proportion.

How to move up a band

From 5 to 6: fix the basics that appear in every sentence: subject-verb agreement, articles (a, an, the) and verb tenses.
From 6 to 7: increase the number of completely error-free sentences. Proofread each sentence once just for grammar.
From 7 to 8: widen your range with structures you can control: participle clauses (Having moved to the city, …), conditionals with unless or provided that, and inversion where it sounds natural.
Always: learn your own error pattern. Most writers repeat the same two or three mistakes, so check specifically for those.

Common mistakes

Before (agreement, article and run-on errors):

The number of tourist have increase in recent years, this is because flight is cheaper than before.

After:

The number of tourists has increased in recent years, largely because flights are cheaper than they used to be.

The "after" version corrects the plural (tourists), agreement (the number … has), the past participle (increased), and the comma splice (, this is because) by turning the second clause into a reason phrase.

Before (only simple sentences):

Some people work from home. They save time. They do not travel. They can be lonely.

After:

Although people who work from home save the time they would spend travelling, they can feel isolated from their colleagues.

Sources

IELTS, Writing band descriptors (PDF)
IELTS, Scoring in detail

Questions people ask

Do I need complex sentences to get Band 7?

You need a variety of complex structures, but accuracy matters just as much. At Band 7, many of your sentences also need to have no errors at all.

Does punctuation count?

Yes. Punctuation is part of Grammatical Range and Accuracy, and faulty punctuation is mentioned in the descriptors from Band 6 down.

Is it better to write simple sentences to avoid mistakes?

Only simple sentences will keep your score low, because range is half of this criterion. Aim for a mix: simple sentences for clarity and complex ones you can control.

Try it in a real-format test.

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