If you’ve ever thought to yourself, “I know my grammar needs work… but I don’t know where to start,” you’re not alone — and you’re not wrong to feel stuck.
Most learners don’t struggle because they’re lazy or bad at grammar. They struggle because grammar is usually taught in a way that feels disconnected from real life: too many rules, not enough relevance. So instead of building confidence, it builds hesitation.
You might know the feeling: you’re writing an email or answering an exam question, and suddenly you pause — not because you don’t know what you want to say, but because you’re unsure how to say it correctly.
One of my students, Reza, told me this after his first mock test:
“I avoid certain grammar completely because I’m afraid of using it wrong.”
In his writing, everything was short and safe. But safe doesn’t mean strong. Once we worked through grammar topic by topic — focusing on what he actually needed — everything changed. His writing became clearer, more flexible, more confident. Five weeks later, he went from Band 6 to 7.5.
That’s the goal here too.
This page isn’t a list of grammar rules. It’s a map. A structure. A system.
It helps you focus only on what matters most: the 10 essential parts of grammar that learners use every day — in IELTS, in school, in work, and in conversation.
Each section below opens into a full child page, where you’ll find deep explanations, real-life examples, practice tools, blog posts, and downloadable resources. You can follow them step by step or jump straight to the areas where you feel the most uncertain.
You’ll also find real student stories, practical comparisons (Band 5 vs Band 8 grammar), and common traps to avoid — so you’re not just learning rules, you’re learning how to use grammar with purpose.
But first, let’s figure out where you’re starting from — so you know exactly what to focus on next.
Before you jump into lessons, it’s worth taking a moment to find out:
Where does your grammar really stand right now?
Some learners struggle with tenses. Others have no problem with structure but keep misusing articles. Many get confused switching between informal and academic grammar. But most don’t actually know what their weak spots are — until they’re losing marks because of them.
That’s where this short self-assessment comes in.
It’s not about passing or failing. It’s about understanding your current level, identifying the grammar areas you’ve already mastered, and spotting the ones that need more focus.
One learner, Daria, scored Band 7 in Speaking but only Band 5.5 in Writing. She thought her vocabulary was the issue — but once she took our diagnostic grammar test, she realized her real problem was sentence structure and verb tense consistency. After just three targeted lessons, her next practice test jumped a full band.
That’s the power of knowing where to look.
This short test covers the 10 key grammar areas you’ll see on this page — from tenses and conditionals to modals and conjunctions. You’ll get a quick, clear result with:
It’s fast, free, and the easiest way to stop guessing — and start improving.
Take the Grammar Level Check →
After the test, we’ll guide you directly into the most important areas — starting with one of the most essential topics for every learner: Tenses.
That’s where your grammar control really begins.
Tenses are one of the most powerful tools in English — and one of the most misunderstood. They help you show not just when something happened, but also how it connects to the present, whether it’s finished, ongoing, or still possible.
But many learners rely on just a few “safe” tenses — like present simple or past simple — and avoid the rest out of fear of getting them wrong. The result? Writing that sounds flat. Speaking that lacks flow. And answers that feel basic, even when the ideas are strong.
One of my students, Amir, used to write everything in past simple. His essay ideas were solid, but every sentence felt repetitive:
“People used technology. It changed communication. It helped society.”
Once he learned how to mix present perfect and future forms — and when to shift tenses for effect — his tone immediately improved. His sentences became smoother, more academic, and more confident. In his next IELTS test, he jumped from Band 6 to 7.5 in Writing.
That’s the impact of tense control: it doesn’t just fix grammar — it upgrades your clarity, tone, and fluency.
In this section, you’ll learn:
You’ll also be able to download our clear, color-coded Grammar Tense Chart — a printable reference tool that simplifies all 12 tenses on one page.
🔗 Continue to: Tenses →
The child page includes full breakdowns, visual timelines, example sentences, mistake alerts, and practice sets.
Once you’re confident using the right tense, the next step is learning how to structure your sentences in a way that flows — and makes your writing stand out.
Once you’ve chosen the right tense, your next challenge is how to build the sentence itself — clearly, smoothly, and with flow. That’s where sentence structure makes all the difference.
Many learners get stuck writing in short, choppy lines:
“Social media is popular. It connects people. It is useful.”
These sentences are correct — but they feel basic, repetitive, and low-band. To move beyond Band 6, you need variety: combining ideas, adding contrast, showing cause and effect — all within one sentence.
One of my students, Hana, had great ideas but wrote like this in every task. Once she learned how to turn two simple ideas into one compound or complex sentence — using conjunctions, clauses, and balance — her writing improved immediately. Not just in grammar, but in cohesion and task response, too.
That’s the key: sentence structure isn’t just about grammar. It’s about clarity, rhythm, and logic — whether you’re writing or speaking.
In this section, you’ll learn:
Strong sentence variety also improves your fluency in IELTS Speaking, especially in Part 2 and Part 3, where linking ideas smoothly shows control and confidence.
You’ll also get access to editable templates and structures you can copy, practice with, and adapt for essays, letters, or speaking responses.
🔗 Continue to: Sentence Structure →
The child page breaks down structure types, sentence patterns, learner examples, and common mistakes — with quick exercises to practice variety.
Once your sentence structure is strong, it’s time to focus on the smallest grammar words with the biggest impact — the articles: a, an, and the.
After you’ve mastered how to build stronger sentences, there’s another small but critical piece that can still trip you up: articles — a, an, and the.
They’re short. They seem simple. But they cause confusion for almost every learner — even at higher bands.
Articles are about meaning. They show whether something is new or known, general or specific. And when you use them correctly, your writing feels clear, polished, and accurate. When you don’t? Even great ideas can sound awkward or incomplete.
One of my students, Lina, said she “just guessed” when to use the — and often skipped a/an entirely. Once we walked through article logic step by step (with real examples, not just grammar terms), her writing immediately felt more natural. It wasn’t about remembering rules — it was about understanding the message.
This is especially important in IELTS Writing Task 1 and Speaking Part 2, where specific vs general ideas affect how we use articles.
In this section, you’ll learn:
You’ll also find tips for improving article accuracy through repetition, speaking drills, and visual examples.
Learn the difference between “a problem” and “the problem” — and how these tiny words shape clarity and precision in every sentence.
Once you’re confident using articles correctly, it’s time to learn how to connect ideas smoothly — with the right words, transitions, and logic. That’s where conjunctions come in.
Once your articles are accurate and your sentence structure is strong, the next challenge is connecting your ideas smoothly and logically — and that’s exactly what conjunctions are for.
Conjunctions are the words that hold your thoughts together: and, but, because, although, even though, while, unless, so. They give your writing rhythm. They show relationships between ideas. And when used well, they turn short, disconnected thoughts into flowing, high-band communication.
But many learners either avoid conjunctions completely — or overuse the same few (like and or because) in every sentence.
One of my students, Karim, had strong vocabulary and good grammar accuracy, but his writing lacked progression. Everything felt like a list. Once he learned to use contrast words (however, on the other hand, whereas), his Task 2 body paragraphs immediately became more logical — and more persuasive.
That’s the power of conjunctions: they help you organize your thoughts and guide your reader.
In this section, you’ll learn:
You’ll also see how conjunctions play a key role in both Task 2 writing logic and Part 3 speaking fluency.
Build smoother sentences, stronger arguments, and more flexible responses — just by mastering the right connectors.
Once your ideas are well connected, the next step is learning how to express possibility, ability, advice, and obligation — with confidence. That’s where modal verbs come in.
Hence your ideas are connected clearly, the next step is learning how to express possibility, permission, advice, and obligation — and that’s exactly what modal verbs help you do.
Words like can, could, should, must, may, might, and would might seem small, but they carry huge meaning. They help you express attitude, tone, and confidence — especially when discussing ideas in IELTS Speaking Part 3 or writing opinion essays in Task 2.
The problem is, many learners treat them all the same. They say things like:
“People should go to the gym, or they can get sick.”
But should expresses advice. Can expresses ability — not consequence.
To improve clarity, we need to learn what each modal verb really means in context.
One of my students, Farah, used can and should in almost every paragraph. Her tone sounded flat — even when her ideas were good. Once she learned to use modals more precisely (must for rules, might for probability, could have for regret), her writing became far more nuanced and confident.
In this section, you’ll learn:
You’ll also see how modal verbs help you build more flexible grammar — especially when paired with perfect forms or conditionals.
Modal verbs are particularly important in IELTS Writing Task 2, where you express recommendations, and in Speaking Part 3, where you discuss opinions, possibilities, and future outcomes.
🔗 Continue to: Modal Verbs →
Learn how to express ideas with clarity and confidence — and avoid the modal traps that confuse tone and meaning.
Once you’re comfortable with modals, it’s time to explore one of the most misunderstood grammar areas: conditionals — sentences that describe real or unreal possibilities.
Conditionals are one of the most confusing grammar topics for learners — not because they’re hard, but because they often sound similar, yet mean something completely different.
“If I study, I pass.”
“If I studied, I would pass.”
“If I had studied, I would have passed.”
These sentences all use the word if, but each one talks about a different time and a different kind of possibility — real, unreal, and hypothetical.
One of my students, Iqbal, used only one pattern in all his answers:
“If people exercise, they will healthy.”
He had the right idea, but the grammar was off — and it made his writing sound unnatural. Once we broke conditionals into types and connected them to real-life situations (health advice, regrets, policies, hopes), everything clicked. He finally felt confident using real and unreal structures in both Writing Task 2 and Speaking Part 3.
In this section, you’ll learn:
You’ll also learn how to blend modals and conditionals naturally — a Band 7+ skill that gives your language more nuance and flexibility.
🔗 Continue to: Conditionals →
Break down real, unreal, and imagined situations — with simple patterns, real examples, and powerful practice sets.
Once your conditionals are solid, it’s time to fix one of the smallest but most consistent grammar problems across all levels: Subject–Verb Agreement.
Once you’re confident using conditionals, it’s time to tackle one of the most common grammar issues that sneaks into even simple sentences — subject–verb agreement.
It sounds basic: make sure your verb matches your subject. But in real sentences, this is where many learners lose marks — especially when the subject is long, reversed, or unclear.
“The number of students have increased.”
❌ Incorrect
✅ “The number of students has increased.”
The mistake is tiny — but it affects clarity, grammar range, and your Band score.
One of my students, Adnan, spoke fluently in Part 1 and Part 2 of his IELTS Speaking test, but dropped to Band 6 in Part 3. The examiner’s comment? “Frequent subject–verb errors with abstract topics.” After just one week of targeted practice — focusing on longer subjects and tricky verbs — Adnan brought those mistakes down to near zero.
In this section, you’ll learn:
You’ll also see how to build awareness through self-correction — so that grammar accuracy becomes automatic, not forced.
🔗 Continue to: Subject-Verb-agreement →
Learn how to avoid tiny errors that lower clarity — and boost your grammar accuracy with confidence.
Once your verbs are matching your subjects properly, you’re ready to build more advanced grammar — like the passive voice, which is essential in academic writing, maps, and formal speech.
Now that you’ve strengthened subject–verb accuracy, it’s time to level up your grammar range — starting with the passive voice.
The passive voice helps you shift focus in a sentence. It’s not about hiding the subject — it’s about emphasizing what happened, rather than who did it. That’s why passive forms are common in academic writing, scientific descriptions, Task 1 summaries, and even formal speaking.
✅ “The report was submitted on time.”
vs
🔹 “She submitted the report on time.”
Both are correct. But depending on the situation, one may sound clearer, more formal, or more appropriate.
One of my students, Sofia, avoided the passive voice entirely. “I thought it was too complicated,” she told me. But once she understood how it worked — and saw how often it appeared in IELTS model answers — she began using it in her Task 1 and map descriptions. Her Band score improved from 6.5 to 7.5 just by improving variety and precision.
In this section, you’ll learn:
You’ll also find before/after examples showing how passive forms improve flow, clarity, and formality.
🔗 Continue to: Passive voice →
Includes structure charts, examples across tense forms, and practice sets tailored to IELTS writing and speaking tasks.
Next up? Reported Speech — the grammar that helps you describe what someone said, asked, or suggested. It’s a must-have for Part 3 answers and formal writing summaries.
After learning how to focus on the action with passive voice, you’re now ready to master another key grammar skill: reported speech — how we talk about what someone else said, asked, or told us.
“She said, ‘I’m tired.’”
✅ “She said that she was tired.”
Reported speech isn’t just about changing verb tenses. It’s about learning how to shift perspective, adjust pronouns, and match time references — especially when moving from direct to indirect speech.
And yes, it’s incredibly useful in IELTS Speaking Part 3, Task 2 opinion writing, and any real-life conversation where you’re sharing information or responding to ideas.
One of my students, Minh, struggled in Speaking Part 3 because he kept quoting opinions without adjusting the grammar. For example:
“My friend said, ‘we should exercise.’ It’s good.”
Once he learned how to rephrase naturally using reported forms — “My friend said we should exercise, and I agree because…” — his tone improved immediately. His Band score followed.
In this section, you’ll learn:
You’ll also learn smart ways to practice reported speech by rewriting interviews, podcasts, and sample IELTS answers.
🔗 Continue to: Reported Speech →
Get real examples, common tense shifts, question reporting models, and downloadable tense-change tables.
Next, we’ll finish your core grammar toolkit with something deceptively tricky: quantifiers and determiners — the small words that shape meaning, quantity, and accuracy in nearly every sentence.
You’ve mastered verbs, structure, logic, and reporting — now it’s time to refine the small words that shape quantity, ownership, and specificity: quantifiers and determiners.
These are the words that come before nouns — like some, many, few, much, each, every, all, most, a lot of, the, this, that, and those — and they often confuse learners more than they expect.
“Much people think social media is bad.”
❌ Incorrect
✅ “Many people think social media is bad.”
Small difference, big effect on clarity and accuracy.
One of my students, Shirin, used “a lot of” for everything — whether it was countable or uncountable, specific or general. Once she learned how to choose between much, many, a few, and some, her IELTS Writing and Speaking answers instantly sounded more precise and intelligent.
In this section, you’ll learn:
You’ll also get a simple reference chart that breaks down common quantifiers by noun type and usage tone — perfect for quick review before a test or speaking session.
🔗 Continue to: Quantifiers & Determiners →
Learn how these small grammar tools add accuracy, fluency, and control to every sentence — no matter your level.
Now that you’ve seen all 10 core grammar areas, it’s time to bring it all together — by spotting (and fixing) the most common grammar mistakes that hold learners back from Band 7+.
By now, you’ve explored the 10 most essential grammar areas — from tenses and modals to conjunctions and structure. But even after learning the rules, many learners still fall into small grammar traps that lower their clarity, confidence, and Band scores.
And most of the time, they don’t even realize they’re doing it.
Grammar mistakes aren’t just about accuracy — they affect how intelligent, fluent, or organized you sound. A strong idea can fall flat if it’s introduced with the wrong article or tangled in the wrong verb tense.
That’s why we created this special section — not just to show you common mistakes, but to explain why they happen, how to spot them in your own writing or speaking, and how to fix them quickly.
In this section, you’ll find:
One of my learners, Anika, was stuck at Band 6.5 in writing for three months. Once she went through this mistake-focused section — and began tracking her most common errors — she was able to fix her weak spots systematically. The result? Band 7.5 in her next attempt.
🔗 Continue to: Common Grammar Mistakes →
This section is your safety net — helping you build accuracy, not just knowledge.
Even after learning the rules, many learners still have questions that don’t get answered in traditional grammar books — like “Is passive voice bad in IELTS?” or “What’s a mixed conditional, really?”
That’s why we’ve created a full Grammar FAQ Page, based on real learner struggles across all levels.
One of my students, Talha, spent weeks memorising grammar rules — but still got stuck on tiny things like “much vs many” and “the difference between said and told.” Once he read our grammar FAQs, he messaged me:
“Finally! It’s like you answered the questions in my head — not the ones in textbooks.”
On the FAQ Page, you’ll find:
All answers are practical, example-based, and linked to the grammar guides you’ve seen above — no dead ends, no fluff.
🔗 Explore the Full Grammar FAQ Page →
Get honest answers to the most common (and confusing) grammar questions — with links to the exact guides you need next.
Learning grammar shouldn’t mean reading the same rules over and over again. That’s why we’ve created tools and printable that actually help you apply what you’ve learned — not just understand it.
Whether you’re struggling with tense consistency, unsure about sentence types, or want a quick-reference sheet before your IELTS test, this section has you covered.
One of my students, Elena, said she never really used what she studied… until she started tracking her own grammar.
“The moment I printed that sentence structure cheat sheet, I finally started noticing my own patterns — and my mistakes.”
Downloadable resources include:
All files are PDF format and printable. You can also use them digitally to practice on your phone, tablet, or laptop.
🔗 Access Grammar Tools & Downloadables →
These resources are 100% free and created based on real learner feedback — not generic templates.
Grammar becomes easier when you stop treating it like a set of rules — and start seeing how it works in real IELTS questions.
That’s what our Grammar Blog is built for.
Every post is based on real learner mistakes, Band 5 vs Band 8 comparisons, and the actual language needed for IELTS Writing, Speaking, and beyond. You won’t find generic grammar lectures here — just practical, targeted tips you can apply immediately.
One of our readers, Jorge, said:
“Your blog posts helped me finally ‘feel’ grammar. I could see it in sample essays, in Speaking answers — and now I actually know when and why to use it.”
On the blog, you’ll find:
You can read the blog like a course — or search by keyword, question type, or grammar topic.
Ready to Personalize Your Grammar Journey?
🔗 Take The Grammar Level Check →
🔗 Visit the IELTS Grammar Blog →
Your grammar path is personal — we just help you follow it confidently.
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