Gramática para IELTS Speaking: estructuras que te llevan a Band 7+

Para Band 7 necesitas «construir frecuentemente oraciones sin errores» con «estructuras complejas variadas». No se trata de memorizar reglas — se trata de usar gramática diversa de forma natural. En esta guía revisamos 5 estructuras clave, 10 errores típicos y cómo pasar de Band 6 a Band 7+ a través de la gramática.

Qué exigen los descriptores de Band 7

Los criterios oficiales del IELTS para Grammatical Range and Accuracy en Band 7 piden:

• Uso de una variedad de estructuras complejas con flexibilidad
• Frecuentemente produce oraciones sin errores, aunque comete algunos errores gramaticales
• Los errores no impiden la comunicación

La palabra clave es variedad. Un solo condicional en toda tu respuesta = Band 6. Condicional + cláusula relativa + pasiva en una misma respuesta = Band 7+.

1. Oraciones condicionales — la herramienta clave de Part 3

Part 3 son preguntas abstractas («¿Cómo han cambiado las tecnologías la comunicación?», «¿Qué pasaría si...?»). Los condicionales son obligatorios aquí — el examinador literalmente los espera.

Second conditional — hipótesis en presente/futuro

Estructura: If + past simple, ... would + verb

• «If I had more free time, I would definitely travel more often.» (Part 1: hobbies)
• «If the government invested more in public transport, fewer people would drive cars.» (Part 3: environment)
• «If I could change one thing about my city, it would be the traffic.» (Part 2)

Consejo para hispanohablantes: en español decimos «Si tuviera tiempo, viajaría». En inglés es «If + past simple + would». Nunca uses «would» en la cláusula con «if» («If I would have...» es incorrecto).

Third conditional — hipótesis en el pasado

Estructura: If + past perfect, ... would have + past participle

• «If I had studied harder at school, I might have gone to a better university.»
• «If social media hadn't existed, people would have communicated very differently.»

Mixed conditional — condicional mixto (¡Band 7+!)

Estructura: If + past perfect, ... would + verb (ahora)

• «If I had taken that job offer in London, I would be living abroad right now.»
• «If my parents hadn't pushed me to learn English, I wouldn't be taking this IELTS exam today.»

Tip: el mixed conditional es una estructura «wow». Si logras usarlo 1–2 veces durante todo el speaking, los examinadores lo notarán. Pero no fuerces — tiene que sonar natural.

2. Voz pasiva (Passive Voice) — el tono académico

La pasiva hace que tu discurso suene más objetivo y «académico». A los examinadores les encanta en Part 3, donde necesitas generalizaciones y opiniones.

Formas básicas

• Present passive: «Children are encouraged to read from an early age in my country.»
• Present perfect passive: «The city has been transformed by rapid economic development over the last decade.»
• Modal passive: «Stricter laws should be introduced to protect the environment.»

Estructuras pasivas impersonales (para opiniones)

Son especialmente poderosas en Part 3:

• «It could be argued that technology has made our lives easier but less connected.»
• «It is often said that young people today are more materialistic than previous generations.»
• «It is widely believed that education is the key to economic development.»

Band 6 vs Band 7:

• Band 6: «I think technology is good because it helps us.»
• Band 7: «It could be argued that technology has fundamentally reshaped the way we live, although it has also been criticised for creating social isolation.»

3. Cláusulas de relativo (Relative Clauses)

Las cláusulas de relativo permiten unir dos ideas en una oración compleja. Es un marcador básico de Band 7+.

Defining relative clauses (especificativas)

• «The teacher who had the biggest impact on me was my English teacher in high school.»
• «The book that I'm currently reading is about sustainable living.»
• «The city where I grew up is a small coastal town in the north.»

Non-defining relative clauses (explicativas, con comas)

• «My hometown, which is a small coastal city, has changed dramatically over the past decade.»
• «My best friend, whom I've known since kindergarten, now lives in Canada.»
• «I studied economics at university, which I now regret slightly, because I was more interested in psychology.»

Tip: las non-defining clauses suenan muy naturales en Part 2 (descripciones). Practica describir personas y lugares usando «, which...» y «, who...».

4. Tiempos perfectos (Perfect Tenses)

Los tiempos perfectos muestran la conexión entre pasado y presente — algo que los candidatos de Band 6 suelen ignorar, usando solo Past Simple.

• Present perfect: «I've been learning English for about 10 years now, and I still find new things every day.»
• Present perfect continuous: «Lately, I've been working on improving my pronunciation, especially word stress.»
• Past perfect: «By the time I arrived at the airport, my flight had already been cancelled.» (¡+ pasiva!)
• Future perfect: «By next summer, I will have been studying for the IELTS for almost a year.»

Error hispano típico: «I live here since 2020» → correcto «I've lived here since 2020». El inglés usa present perfect con «since» y «for».

5. Oraciones hendidas (Cleft Sentences) — para enfatizar

Las cleft sentences dividen una oración en dos partes para destacar información clave. Son estructuras Band 7+ muy potentes.

What-cleft

• «What I really enjoy about my job is the variety — no two days are the same.»
• «What I find most challenging about IELTS is the time pressure in the speaking section.»

It-cleft

• «It was my mother who first encouraged me to learn English.»
• «It's the pronunciation that I struggle with the most, not the grammar.»

10 errores gramaticales típicos (y cómo evitarlos)

#	Error	Incorrecto	Correcto
1	Concordancia	«People is important»	«People are important»
2	Artículos	«I go to the school every day»	«I go to school every day»
3	Tiempo verbal	«Yesterday I go to the shop»	«Yesterday I went to the shop»
4	Preposiciones	«Depend of», «discuss about»	«Depend on», «discuss ∅»
5	Incontables	«Many informations», «advices»	«A lot of information», «advice»
6	Present Perfect vs Past	«I live here since 2020»	«I've lived here since 2020»
7	Used to + infinitivo	«I used to played football»	«I used to play football»
8	3rd person -s	«He speak English well»	«He speaks English well»
9	«Would» en la cláusula if	«If I would have time...»	«If I had time...»
10	Orden en preguntas indirectas	«I don't know where is he»	«I don't know where he is»

Ejercicio: convierte Band 6 en Band 7+

Pregunta Part 3: «How has technology changed the way people work?»

❌ Respuesta Band 6 (gramática simple)

«Technology changed work a lot. Now people can work from home. It is good because you save time. But it is also bad because you work more hours. I think technology is important.»

✅ Respuesta Band 7+ (gramática variada)

«Technology has fundamentally transformed the workplace (present perfect) over the past two decades. What I find most remarkable is that people can now work from virtually anywhere in the world (what-cleft). If this trend continues, I believe traditional offices might become obsolete (first conditional + modal). However, it could be argued that remote work has also led to longer hours and burnout, which is something we should address (pasiva + relative clause). If I had been asked this question ten years ago, my answer would have been very different (third conditional).»

Análisis: en la respuesta Band 7+ se usaron 6 estructuras complejas diferentes en 30 segundos. No es exceso — es lo que pide Band 7.

Cómo entrenar la gramática para Speaking

1. Grábate — responde preguntas de Part 3 durante 2 minutos y escucha la grabación. Cuenta cuántas estructuras complejas usaste.
2. Aprende plantillas, no reglas — memoriza 10 «fórmulas» (ej.: «What I find most... is...») e insértalas en tus respuestas.
3. Lee en inglés todos los días — la gramática se «absorbe» mejor leyendo que con libros de texto. Lee The Guardian, BBC, Medium.
4. Una estructura por día — elige una estructura (ej. mixed conditional) y úsala en todas tus respuestas durante un día entero.