IELTS Speaking Grammar: Range & Accuracy for Band 7

Grammatical Range and Accuracy is one of the four equally weighted criteria in IELTS Speaking. It's the one candidates most often misunderstand. Some try to cram in "advanced" structures and make more mistakes. Others play it safe with simple sentences and stay stuck at Band 6. The descriptors ask for something more specific than either.

This guide shows what examiners are looking for at each band, which structures actually matter in speaking, and how to practise them.

What the descriptors say (in plain English)

From the public IELTS Speaking Band Descriptors, summarised:

Band	Range	Accuracy
5	Basic sentences are reasonably accurate; only a limited range of complex structures	Complex structures "usually contain errors" and may cause some comprehension problems
6	"A mix of simple and complex structures, but with limited flexibility"	May make frequent mistakes with complex structures, though these "rarely cause comprehension problems"
7	"A range of complex structures with some flexibility"	"Frequently produces error-free sentences, though some grammatical mistakes persist"
8	"A wide range of structures flexibly"	"A majority of error-free sentences" with only very occasional errors
9	"A full range of structures naturally and appropriately"	Consistently accurate apart from native-speaker-like "slips"

Two things to notice:

1. Band 7 does not mean error-free. It means frequently error-free, with some mistakes persisting. You can make errors and still score 7.
2. The step from 6 to 7 is about flexibility. At Band 6 you can produce complex structures. At Band 7 you use them flexibly, choosing the right one for what you're saying, without it sounding forced.

The structures that actually matter in speaking

You don't need rare grammar. You need common complex structures, used naturally where they fit:

• Relative clauses: "The teacher who helped me most was the one who never gave me the answer."
• Conditionals, especially second and third: "If I had more time, I'd learn to cook properly." / "If I hadn't moved cities, I wouldn't have met my best friend."
• Modals for speculation (essential in Part 3): "It might be because…", "That must have been difficult…", "People could argue that…"
• Present perfect and past perfect for time: "I've lived here for six years." / "By the time I arrived, the film had already started."
• Passive, when the action matters more than who did it: "A lot of old buildings have been turned into apartments."
• Comparisons: "It's far less stressful than it used to be." / "The more I practise, the easier it gets."
• Subordinate clauses for reasons, contrast and conditions: although, whereas, unless, as long as, even though.
• Reported speech and noun clauses: "My manager told me that I should apply." / "What surprised me most was…"

In practice, Part 2 naturally needs past tenses and narrative sequencing, and Part 3 needs speculation, comparison, conditionals and contrast. See Part 2 cue cards and Part 3 questions and answers.

The errors that cost the most

Every speaker makes mistakes. Examiners notice which ones are frequent and which make you harder to understand. These are the common ones to work on first:

• Tense consistency in stories: switching between past and present while describing one event in Part 2.
• Missing endings: third-person -s ("she work") and past -ed ("yesterday I walk"). These are often pronunciation as much as grammar.
• Articles: missing or extra a/an/the. This is very common for speakers of languages without articles.
• Subject–verb agreement in longer sentences: "The number of people who use public transport are…" should be is.
• Broken complex sentences: starting a conditional or relative clause and not finishing it correctly.
• Overusing one structure: every answer starting with "I think that…" or every reason with "because". It's not wrong, but it shows limited range.

How to practise grammar for speaking

Grammar exercises on paper help with knowledge. Speaking scores move when you use structures under time pressure.

1. Pick one structure a week. For example, second conditionals.
2. Answer five Part 3 questions out loud that naturally invite it. "What would happen if…?", "How would your life be different if…?"
3. Record yourself, then transcribe one minute. Mark every error. You'll usually find the same two or three repeating.
4. Re-answer the same questions using the structure correctly, at normal speed.
5. Fix your top three repeated errors first. Cutting a frequent error does more for your score than adding one rare structure.

What not to do: don't memorise "Band 9 structures" to insert into answers. Forced, rehearsed grammar sounds unnatural, and the descriptors reward using structures flexibly and appropriately.

FAQ

Can I get Band 7 for grammar if I make mistakes? Yes. The Band 7 descriptor says you frequently produce error-free sentences, "though some grammatical mistakes persist".

Do I need to use the passive or the third conditional to get a high score? No single structure is required. What matters is a range of complex structures used naturally and flexibly where they fit.

Is grammar more important than fluency? No. The four criteria are equally weighted. But pushing for grammatical perfection can damage fluency. Speak naturally and fix your most frequent errors.

How is grammar marked in Speaking compared with Writing? Both use a Grammatical Range and Accuracy criterion. In Speaking, the examiner judges spontaneous spoken grammar, so natural spoken forms and the occasional self-correction are expected.

Practise grammar in real conversation

Sprechify is a live voice AI tutor built only for IELTS Speaking. It corrects your grammar during the conversation, one fix at a time, and gives feedback against all four Band Descriptors. Its Part 3 week drills comparisons, hypotheticals and counter-arguments. See the 30-day course.

Related reading: IELTS Speaking Band Descriptors Explained · Common IELTS Speaking mistakes · How to get Band 9 in IELTS Speaking