Band 5Foundations
- Present & Past Simple
- Basic Question Forms
- Articles & Plurals
- and / but / so
- Common Prepositions
- going to & will
- Basic Adjectives
- Frequency Adverbs
One example
Many people use computers every day, and they are very useful.
Grammar by band.
Examiners reward range, a mix of structures, used accurately. Here's what range looks like at each level.
How to read this. These are the structures that typically mark each band. You don't need Band 8+ grammar to reach a 7, you need Band 7 structures used accurately. Find your target, master those first, and borrow upward only once they're secure.
This is the grammar strand of the wider band ladder. To see how grammar combines with vocabulary, cohesion, speaking and writing at each band, start with IELTS by band →
01The ladder
What range looks like, band by band.
Eight structures per level, one example each.
Conditionals are linked to a full drill page. The rest are taught across the Learn section as it grows.
I'm aiming for
Band 6Essentials
- Zero & First Conditionaldrill
- Present Perfect
- Comparatives & Superlatives
- Basic Relative Clauses
- Simple Passive Voice
- Time & Reason Clauses
- Basic Modal Verbs
- Discourse Markers
One example
If I get a good IELTS score, I will apply to UK universities.
Band 7Structures
- Second & Third Conditionaldrill
- Perfect Continuous Forms
- Non-defining Relatives
- Complex Passive
- Modals for Speculation
- Purpose & Result Clauses
- Concession & Contrast
- Cohesive Devices
One example
If I had studied harder, I would have passed the exam.
Band 8+Advanced
- Mixed Conditionalsdrill
- Reduced Relative Clauses
- Cleft Sentences
- Inversion for Emphasis
- Fronting for Emphasis
- Perfect Modals
- Advanced Substitution
- Complex Referencing
One example
Never have I experienced such a challenging test.
Use these naturally to show range. One complex sentence with a small slip beats ten flat simple ones, but forcing a structure you can't control is itself a lower-band signal.
02The mistake most people make
Reaching too high, too early.
Candidates aiming for a 7 often try to deploy cleft sentences and inversion, Band 8+ structures, while still making errors in the passive and the present perfect. The examiner sees the errors, not the ambition.
The faster route is the opposite: take the Band 7 column and make every structure in it automatic and accurate. Range with control beats reach without it, every time.
→Build the range
Knowing the list is easy. Producing it under pressure is the work.
We start from your target column and drill until those structures arrive on their own. Moving from 6 to 7? The pathway page puts this list inside a plan.
In a lesson we identify which structures you already control, which you're forcing, and which are missing, then build the gaps in order. Lessons are £20 for fifty minutes, one to one, in proper British English; the first lesson doubles as a full assessment.
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 →