If you want to achieve new heights in your career and open the gates to numerous opportunities, then studying at a top university abroad may be the best option for you.
Studying abroad is a long journey. You will first have to gather all the documents correctly, and then you can start your journey abroad.
To get admission to top universities in English-speaking countries, you will have to submit test scores of an English language proficiency exam.
This rule applies to you if you are from a non-English-speaking country. There are a lot of English testing exams, but the IELTS has always been the most preferred by Indian students due to its feasibility.
The IELTS tests your English based on 4 sections:
- Writing
- Listening
- Speaking
- Reading
In this blog, I will give you some tips and strategies for how to improve grammar for IELTS.
To score high in the IELTS, you need to prepare for each section as they all test different abilities. Certain skills help to increase your score in all the sections, like spelling, vocabulary, and grammar.
These skills are not tested in a particular section, rather they help you to build your score in all the sections and grammar is one of them, so it is important to improve your grammar to get a high band score.
Importance Of Grammar In IELTS
Before getting into how to improve grammar for IELTS, let us first understand why grammar is a crucial part of the IELTS.
The IELTS is a language assessment test, and any language is tested based on grammar. There is no such particular section in which grammar is checked, it is tested in all the sections.
However, the writing and the speaking sections are more important for grammar as in these sections grammar is most used to display ideas.
Thus, developing a strong grip on grammar will help you increase your overall score. Having a strong understanding of grammar also means that you will be able to understand what the question asks clearly and you will be able to answer the equations fluently.
Syllabus of Grammar for IELTS
An important part of understanding how to improve grammar for IELTS is getting to know the syllabus of grammar in IELTS.
However, there is no such defined syllabus for the grammar for IELTS, there are a few topics that are frequently asked.
These topics are as below:
- Nouns
- Adjectives
- Prepositions
- Modals
- Pronouns
- Article rules
- Tense
- Metaphors and similes
- Degree of comparison rules.
Tips On How To Improve Grammar For IELTS
Now that you have a general idea about how important grammar is and what is the syllabus, now let us get familiar with some tips to improve grammar for IELTS.
Knowing these tips will help you to get a clear understanding of how to improve grammar for IELTS.
- Improve your tenses
- Read English material
- Listen to podcasts
- Practice writing every day
- Improve your vocabulary
- Learn Punctuations
- Take tests
- Refer to Grammar books
- Work on your weaknesses
Improve your tenses
Most students have confused about tenses. Knowledge of tense is especially important when you are asked to introduce yourself.
There are two types of verb tenses; Simple and continuous tense. Simple tense is used when you are describing ordinary things.
However, if you are trying to speak about something that is currently happening at the time of your speaking then you use continuous tense.
There are several types of tenses when it comes to non-verbal tenses. Tenses like past participle and present perfect often confuse students.
These tenses are important when answering in speaking, in the speaking section you are required to talk about past events that have happened to you and how those events are now aligned with your present.
Thus, improving your basic understanding of tenses will give you more fluency and confidence.
Read English material
Probably the most important tip on how to improve grammar for IELTS is to read English literary materials.
Reading English will not only improve your grammar it will also help you to improve your vocabulary.
While reading English, try to stop and review the tense you are reading, the verb form used, synonyms used, etc.
Literary materials can be anything, the best-being newspaper as they present information in report form.
If you have difficulty understanding past tense and past participle tense, then reading newspapers will especially help you as they are written in past format.
You can also read other books and reading materials. Whatever you read, try to stop and understand the grammar used in writing and try to mimic that usage in your daily English.
Listen to podcasts
Listening to English is as much important as reading English. Thus our next tip for how to improve grammar for IELTS is to listen to podcasts.
Podcasts are the best tools to improve your English as a whole. Try to listen to educational podcasts. Identify the tense in which you are weak and choose the podcast accordingly.
For example, if you struggle with past tense and its forms, try to find history podcasts that narrate past events.
If you are struggling with the present tense and its forms, try to find podcasts on current affairs as they narrate in the present tense.
If you are struggling with the future tense, listen to podcasts about the future.
Podcasts are a great tool; you can listen to them anywhere and anytime. Furthermore, you can pause and rewind the part you found difficult to understand.
Practice writing every day
Yes, you read that right; writing can also improve your grammar. When you write on different topics, you understand how tenses, verbs, and their forums are used.
Your spelling and vocabulary are also tested in writing. You can write about anything you did in the day or about a topic that you find interesting.
It can be anything, but the only condition is that after writing, you have to get it checked. Now, you do not need a teacher to check your grammar, you can simply paste the text into a grammar-improving software like Grammarly.
It automatically highlights what you have written wrong and suggests an answer and a grammatically correct explanation.
Practicing writing every day will not only help you to get more clarity on how to improve grammar for IELTS, but it will also help you to improve your writing skills and vocabulary.
Improve your vocabulary
You can highly improve your grammar by working on your vocabulary. This is possible because we often use the same words at many different places because we do not have enough new words or synonyms.
Frequently using some words and not using a variety of words eventually leads to a lower band score. This changes the meaning of the sentence. If you learn new vocabulary words for IELTS and their synonyms daily, you can improve your score by using them in your sentences.
You are required to have proper grammar knowledge to use a variety of vocabulary words in sentences.
Learn Punctuations
English punctuations are probably the most ignored part of grammar by students. Most students either ignore punctuation completely or have little knowledge about them.
However, learning punctuation is an important tip for how to improve grammar for IELTS. Punctuation usage can change the meaning of the sentences.
You can make your sentence sound stronger or weaker based on them. You do not have to learn them intensively; a basic understanding of them will be enough.
Take tests
Our next tip for how to improve grammar for IELTS is to take mock tests. Mock tests give you a clear understanding of what you are doing wrong and what section is a weak point for you.
Take only the authentic tests as they mimic the actual test environment. Don’t just give the tests; evaluate your scores after the test.
Evaluate where you did wrong, and try to identify your grammatical mistakes. You can copy your answers and paste them on Grammarly to check their correctness.
Refer to Grammar books
There are several books available to improve grammar for IELTS. You will get all your answers on how to improve IELTS grammar in these grammar books.
Some of the best grammar books for IELTS are ‘ Grammar for IELTS’ by Cambridge Publications, ‘Oxford Practice Grammar Advanced,’ etc.
You can refer to any grammar book that is a bestseller or is published by an expert author. These grammar books act as a full guide to improving grammar.
These are also specially designed to guide you on grammar which is important for IELTS.
Work on your weaknesses
The last tip for how to improve grammar for IELTS is to identify your weakness. While practicing all the tips above, look for mistakes you are making actively, write them down to see if they are being repeated, and revise them daily.
Conclusion
Grammar is one of the most important aspects of scoring high in the IELTS, as grammar is the ability used in every exam section.
Grammar is easy to understand if the basics are clear. The 9 tips for how to improve grammar for IELTS given above will surely improve your grammar and will help you reach your desired score.
If you need guidance about the IELTS exam or have any queries related to the topic, contact our experts.
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