Prepositions: time, place, and the ones that follow a word.
Time and place prepositions follow fairly clear rules. The ones that cap a band are dependent prepositions, the fixed word that follows a particular verb, adjective or noun, “depend on”, “interested in”, “a rise in”. They are small, they recur, and they are pure pattern memory, which makes them the most drillable accuracy points there are.
Why this matters. A preposition slip rarely blocks meaning, which is exactly why it is dangerous: it slides past unnoticed while it marks your accuracy down. “Depend of”, “interested on”, “discuss about”, “married with”, each is a small, frequent error, and each is usually a direct translation from a first language. Dependent prepositions are finite, so they reward drilling, and getting them right across a whole answer is a clear accuracy signal. The data prepositions (an increase of, a rise in, rose by) matter twice over, because they decide whether Task 1 figures read cleanly.
Most prepositions follow a rule; the dependent ones you simply learn.
Time and place prepositions are largely systematic. Dependent prepositions are not, the preposition is fixed by the word in front of it, so they are learned as pairs. These four groups cover almost everything IELTS asks of you.
Time: at, on, in
at a time · on a day · in a month / year
Narrowest to widest: at a clock time (at 7pm, at night), on a day or date (on Monday, on 3 May), in a month, year or longer (in July, in 2020, in the morning).
The course starts at nine, on the first Monday in September.
Place: at, on, in
at a point · on a surface · in an area
A point or place (at the station, at home), a surface or line (on the wall, on the coast), or an enclosed space or area (in the room, in London). Add above, below, between, among, opposite for relations.
We met at the cafe on the corner, in the old part of town.
Dependent prepositions
depend on · interested in · reason for
The band-capper. A fixed preposition follows certain verbs (depend on, deal with, result in, lead to), adjectives (interested in, responsible for, aware of, good at) and nouns (a reason for, an increase in, an effect on).
The outcome depends on funding, which is responsible for most of the delay.
Describing data (Task 1)
from X to Y · rise of / in · rose by / to
Movement and amount have fixed prepositions: rise from X to Y, an increase of 20% (the size), an increase in sales (the thing), rose by 20% (the change) but rose to 50% (the new level), a peak of 159.
Sales rose by 10%, from 200 to 220, reaching a peak of 240 in May.
The errors that mark you down
Two cause most of the damage. First, the first-language preposition: depend of, interested on, good in, married with are direct translations, and the English pairs (depend on, interested in, good at, married to) simply have to be learned. Second, some verbs take no preposition at all: you discuss a topic (not discuss about), enter a room (not enter into), and mention something (not mention about). In data, keep by for the change and to for the new level: figures rose by 10% but rose to 50%, never “rose to 10%” when you mean the increase.
What preposition control reads like at each band.
At Band 5
Prepositions are unstable. Time and place are confused (in Monday, at the morning), dependent prepositions are wrong or dropped (depend of, interested for, good in), and the no-preposition verbs collect one anyway (discuss about). Data prepositions are largely absent.
At Band 6
Time and place prepositions are mostly right, but dependent prepositions are a frequent slip, usually a first-language one: “depend of”, “interested on”, “discuss about”. In Task 1 the data prepositions wobble (“rose to 10%” for a change of 10%). The meaning is clear, but the errors recur and hold accuracy at Band 6.
At Band 7
The common dependent prepositions are mostly correct (depend on, interested in, responsible for), and time and place are reliable. The odd less-common pair still slips (similar to, capable of), but it does not block meaning, and the Task 1 split between by and to is usually handled.
At Band 8+
Full control, including the verbs that take no preposition (discuss, enter, mention) and the precise data prepositions (an increase of 20%, rose by 20% to a peak of 240). Prepositions are simply not a source of error.
The prepositions IELTS asks for, on one page.
Time and place follow the at / on / in ladder. The dependent prepositions are learned as pairs, so read down the list until the common ones are automatic. These are the pairs that come up most.
| For this… | Use… | For example |
|---|---|---|
| A clock time, or night | at | at 7pm, at midday, at night |
| A day or date | on | on Friday, on 3 May, on my birthday |
| A month, year, season or part of day | in | in July, in 2020, in winter, in the morning |
| A point or place; a surface; an area | at / on / in | at the station, on the wall, in the room |
| Verbs (dependent) | depend on, deal with, result in, lead to, belong to, consist of | Success depends on practice and results in confidence. |
| Adjectives (dependent) | interested in, good at, responsible for, aware of, similar to, different from | She is responsible for a team and good at planning. |
| Nouns (dependent) | a reason for, an increase in, an effect on, a solution to | There is no simple solution to this problem. |
| Describing data (Task 1) | from X to Y; an increase of / in; rose by / to | It rose by 10%, from 200 to 220, to a peak of 240. |
The verbs that take no preposition. Some common verbs need none at all: you discuss a topic, enter a building, mention a point, marry someone, contact a person, request help. Adding one (discuss about, enter into, contact with) is a classic first-language error. For the verb forms that follow a preposition, see gerunds and infinitives →.
Ten to drill.
Choose the correct preposition or sentence for each. Press Check answers for your score and the reason behind each one. Nothing is sent anywhere.
You can memorise the pairs in an afternoon. Reaching for the right one mid-sentence is the work.
Preposition slips are small, frequent, and exactly the kind that quietly hold a 6.5 at 6.5, because they never block meaning.
In a lesson I catch the wrong preposition the moment it slips and we drill the pair until the right one is automatic, in speech as well as writing. Lessons are £20 for fifty minutes, one to one, in proper British English; the first step is a free 25-minute introduction. This page is adapted from the grammar chapter of the forthcoming Ultimate Guide to IELTS Speaking.