Proper English Grammar
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What is actually holding your English back?

Twelve questions, four areas, one honest answer: the area to fix first, and exactly where on this site to start fixing it.

What this is, plainly. Twelve questions cannot give you a band, and this page will not pretend otherwise. What they can do is compare your four core areas against each other, name the weakest, and point you at the right drills. For a band, sit a full practice test, or book an assessment and I will tell you myself.
The diagnostic · twelve questions

  1. 1Which sentence is correct?

  2. 2The information you sent ___ very useful.

  3. 3If the government ___ taxes last year, the economy would have grown faster.

  4. 4Which is punctuated correctly?

  5. 5The factory, ___ employs half the town, may close.

  6. 6Which is a complete sentence?

  7. 7Public transport is cheap. ___, many people still drive.

  8. 8Cities are building more cycle lanes. ___ has reduced traffic in some areas.

  9. 9Which uses despite correctly?

  10. 10The new policy will have a serious ___ on small businesses.

  11. 11The best upgrade of a very big problem:

  12. 12Which collocation is natural?

0 of 12 answered

Each area maps to a criterion the examiner actually marks. Grammar accuracy and sentence control feed Grammatical Range and Accuracy, cohesion feeds Coherence and Cohesion, and vocabulary precision feeds Lexical Resource. If two areas tie, the profile names the one that costs more marks first. And if the profile surprises you, that is worth knowing too: most people sit half a band below where they think they are, and it is usually one area doing the damage. When you want a person to hear your English rather than a quiz, a lesson is £20 and starts with exactly this diagnosis, done properly.

The book of the method

The Proper English Grammar Guide to IELTS Speaking

The method this site drills for free, written down properly: five response frameworks, thirteen grammatical structures taken to automation, vocabulary by band, pronunciation with audio demonstrations one scan away, and first-language guidance for eight language families. 614 pages, built from more than two thousand documented one-to-one lessons. Most guides teach every candidate the same English; this one starts from what your first language makes you do.

Paperback on Amazon →Kindle edition →The free 79-page companion →