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The Role of Grammar in the IELTS Exam
The short answer for whether grammar is important in the IELTS exam or not is YES! Although there is not a “Grammar” section on the IELTS test, grammar still carries a pretty heavy weight in determining your grade. In the writing and speaking portions of the exam, grammar accounts for about 25% of your grade. You will be graded on grammatical range and accuracy in each of these sections, and while it may not sound like much, it can affect your score significantly.
In the speaking section of the test, grammatical range and accuracy will be examined to be sure they sound natural and appropriate. Meaning, the examiner will be sure the responses are not following a template or sample, and that they are contextually appropriate. They will be listening for things like appropriate verb-tenses, and looking for a variety of complex sentences. The ideal examinee will come off as a native speaker of the English language where grammar is involved.
In the writing section of the test, grammar usage becomes much more obvious and clear to the examiner. In this portion, the examiner will be looking more for sentence structure, the correct usage of the parts of speech, and the use of proper verb tenses and punctuation.
As you can see, grammar can play a pretty major role in your outcome, so you don’t want to skip out on studying this aspect. Make sure you fully understand verb tenses – how and when to use them properly, using the eight parts of speech correctly, and knowing when and where to use the appropriate punctuation.
In the end, grammar matters more than how many words you actually know. Being able to form grammatically correct sentences will help your grade more than having a large vocabulary and being unable to use it smoothly in a sentence. If you have any doubts about your strength when it comes to grammar, make sure you reach out for help and study as much as you can. It will make an impact! If you need to seek out assistance, I would love the opportunity to help you reach your exam goals. Take a peek at the courses I offer here.
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