Grammatical range and accuracy in Writing

By the end you’ll be able to

Use relative, conditional, concessive and participle clauses and passive forms flexibly

Produce frequent error-free sentences (Band 7) and near-error-free writing (Band 8+)

Eliminate the highest-frequency errors: articles, agreement, countability, tense consistency, run-ons and comma splices

Punctuate complex sentences accurately

What the exam asks

Both tasks, same criterion. GRA is rated in whole bands in Task 1 and Task 2, with equal weight alongside Task Achievement/Response, Coherence and Cohesion, and Lexical Resource.
Range is the variety of structures you use: simple, compound and complex sentences; different kinds of subordinate clause; passives; modal and conditional forms.
Accuracy is the proportion of sentences with no grammar or punctuation errors. Punctuation belongs to this criterion.
No help from the screen. The computer test shows a word count and allows cut, copy and paste, but has no spell-checker or grammar checker.

The ladder below paraphrases the differences between the bands that matter most.

Band	Range	Accuracy
5	Narrow and repetitive; complex sentences attempted	Complex sentences often go wrong; errors can make the reader work
6	Simple and complex sentences, little flexibility	Some slips, but the message nearly always gets through
7	Several complex structures, some flexibility	Many sentences are completely clean; a few slips remain
8	A wide variety, used flexibly	The large majority of sentences are clean
9	Complete control, each structure fitting the meaning	Accurate throughout; any slip is rare and trivial

Structure	Task 2 example	Watch out for
Defining relative clause	Students who work part-time often have less time to revise.	No commas; which is not used for people
Non-defining relative clause	Singapore, which has strict littering laws, is famously clean.	Commas at both ends; never that
Real and unreal conditionals	If fuel were cheaper, more people would drive.	No would in the if-clause
Mixed or inverted conditionals	Had the city invested earlier, congestion would not be so severe today.	Use sparingly, and only when you are sure of the form
Concession	Although tourism creates jobs, it can damage fragile environments.	Never although … but; despite + noun or -ing
Participle clause	Faced with rising rents, many young people move back home.	The main-clause subject must be the one doing or receiving the action
Passive and impersonal forms	It is often argued that … / Plastic bags should be taxed.	Use when the doer is unknown or unimportant
Noun clause	What worries many parents is the cost of childcare.	Singular verb after a what-clause subject
Comparative structures	The more people rely on cars, the harder it becomes to fund buses.	Both halves need the + comparative
Modal hedging	This may partly explain …; such schemes tend to …	Don’t hedge every sentence

Error	Wrong	Right
Agreement across a phrase or clause	The number of cars have risen. / people who lives there	The number … has risen. / people who live there
Articles with generic nouns	The technology has changed the society.	Technology has changed society.
Uncountable nouns	researches, advices, informations, equipments	research, advice, information, equipment
Comma splice or run-on	Cars pollute the air, they should be banned.	Cars pollute the air; they … / Because cars pollute the air, they …
Double conjunction	Although it is cheap, but …	Although it is cheap, …
Dangling participle	Having removed the traffic, footfall rises.	Once the traffic has been removed, footfall rises.
Tense drift	In 2019 the city introduces a charge and traffic fell.	… introduced … fell.