IELTS Grammar for Speaking: Structures That Score Band 7+

At Band 7, you need to "frequently produce error-free sentences" using "a range of complex structures." This doesn't mean memorizing rules — it means using varied grammar naturally in your answers.

Grammar Structures Examiners Want to Hear

1. Conditionals

Using conditionals shows you can talk about hypothetical situations — essential for Part 3.

• Second conditional (hypothetical now): "If I had more time, I would travel more often."
• Third conditional (hypothetical past): "If I had studied harder, I might have gotten a scholarship."
• Mixed conditional: "If I had taken that job, I would be living in London now."

2. Passive Voice

Useful for discussing processes, systems, and societal topics in Part 3.

• "The city has been transformed by rapid development."
• "Children should be encouraged to read from an early age."
• "It could be argued that technology has made life easier."

3. Relative Clauses

These add detail to your sentences and show grammatical range.

• "The teacher who had the biggest impact on me was my high school English teacher."
• "My hometown, which is a small coastal city, has changed dramatically."
• "That's something that I've always been passionate about."

4. Perfect Tenses

Show you can express different time relationships:

• Present perfect: "I've been studying English for about 10 years now."
• Present perfect continuous: "I've been working on improving my pronunciation lately."
• Past perfect: "By the time I arrived, the meeting had already started."

5. Reported Speech

• "My teacher told me that I should focus on fluency rather than accuracy."
• "Studies have shown that daily practice leads to significant improvement."

6. Cleft Sentences (for emphasis)

• "What I really enjoy about my job is the variety."
• "It was my mother who inspired me to become a teacher."
• "The thing that surprised me most was how friendly everyone was."

Common Grammar Mistakes That Cost Marks

Mistake	Wrong	Correct
Subject-verb agreement	"People is important"	"People are important"
Articles	"I go to university" (when specific)	"I go to the university near my house"
Tense consistency	"Yesterday I go to the shop"	"Yesterday I went to the shop"
Prepositions	"Depend of"	"Depend on"
Countable/uncountable	"Many informations"	"A lot of information"
Double negatives	"I don't have nothing"	"I don't have anything"

How to Use Complex Grammar Naturally

Don't force grammar structures. Instead, train yourself to reach for them by topic:

• Talking about the past? → Use past perfect, used to, would
• Giving opinions? → Use conditionals, passive voice
• Describing people/places? → Use relative clauses
• Comparing? → Use comparatives, superlatives, "whereas"

Practice Exercise

Answer this Part 3 question using at least 3 different complex structures:

"How has technology changed the way people work?"

Sample (Band 7): "Technology has fundamentally transformed the workplace (present perfect + passive). What I find most remarkable is that people can now work from virtually anywhere (cleft sentence). If this trend continues, I believe traditional offices might become obsolete within a generation (first conditional + modal). Having said that, not everyone has benefited equally — those who lack digital skills have been left behind (present perfect passive)."