Here's the thing: most Band 6 writers can describe a graph or process just fine. What stops them from hitting Band 7? Grammar mistakes that pile up sentence after sentence. Not the dramatic kind—just small, annoying ones. Missing articles. Wrong verb tenses. Awkward subject-verb agreement. These errors cost you points because examiners use the Grammatical Range & Accuracy descriptor to separate the bands.
The gap between Band 6 and Band 7 isn't massive. It's really about quantity: Band 6 essays average 10-15 grammar mistakes versus 3-5 in Band 7 responses. You don't need perfect English. You need fewer careless errors, and you need to show you can handle some complex structures without breaking them. This guide walks you through the exact grammar mistakes that trap Band 6 writers, and how to catch them before you submit using an IELTS writing checker or manual proofreading.
Task 1 is formal and data-focused. You're not telling a story or making arguments. Every sentence needs to be clean, accurate, and direct. That's why examiners notice grammar slip-ups more in Task 1 than in other sections. There's less room for personality or tone to hide bad grammar.
Look at the official band descriptors. Band 7 writers show "generally accurate grammar with only occasional errors." Band 6 writers show "frequent errors in grammar and punctuation that sometimes obscure meaning." The difference isn't perfection. It's frequency. Band 7 isn't error-free—it's just much less error-prone.
Tip: In a 150-word Task 1 response, Band 6 writers average 8-12 grammar errors. Band 7 writers average 2-4. That's your actual target.
This is the Band 6 killer. Most students know the rules. Most still mess up when they're under time pressure. Here's what happens: you're describing a pie chart, and you write "The chart shows data about pollution." Correct. Then the next sentence: "Chart shows that highest percentage is in transport." Missing articles. One error per sentence and suddenly your essay looks sloppy.
The rule is straightforward: use "the" when the reader already knows which thing you mean. Use "a" or "an" when it's the first mention. Don't skip articles in front of nouns.
Weak: "Graph illustrates the consumption of energy from 2000 to 2020. Consumption increased significantly during this period."
Good: "The graph illustrates the consumption of energy from 2000 to 2020. The consumption increased significantly during this period."
"The graph" and "the consumption" make it clear you're talking about the specific data in front of you. Without those articles, the sentence feels incomplete and rushed. Band 7 writers do this automatically. You need to build the habit by proofreading for articles specifically. This is one of the most common grammar mistakes in Task 1, and catching it is the fastest way to improve your grammar score.
Tip: After you finish writing, go through and circle every noun. Check that it has an article (a, an, or the) or a possessive (my, his, this) before it. This takes 2 minutes and catches most article mistakes.
Task 1 paragraphs describe data from the past. Sometimes you're describing trends that continue into the present or future. Get the tense wrong, and you lose marks. Here's where students slip up:
Weak: "The bar chart shows three countries. In 2010, France has 60 million people, and Germany has 82 million. By 2020, France increases to 67 million."
Good: "The bar chart shows three countries. In 2010, France had 60 million people, and Germany had 82 million. By 2020, France had increased to 67 million."
All verbs use past tense because you're describing historical data. Even though you're writing now, the data itself belongs to the past, so it needs past tense throughout.
Another common trap: overusing present simple. Students write "The chart shows unemployment rises in 2015" when they should write "The chart shows that unemployment rose in 2015." The subordinate clause describes the past event, so it needs past tense, not present.
Tip: Before you submit, identify every verb in your essay. Check that data descriptions use past tense, and that your overview sentence uses present simple correctly ("The chart shows..."). Mismatched tenses are visible and cost multiple marks.
You know the rule: singular subjects take singular verbs; plural subjects take plural verbs. But in Task 1, sentences get longer and more complex, and the subject can hide far from the verb.
Weak: "The data regarding employment rates and wage growth shows a clear relationship."
Good: "The data regarding employment rates and wage growth show a clear relationship."
The clause "regarding employment rates and wage growth" sits between the subject "data" and the verb. Students read "data shows" and think they're done. But "data" here is plural—it represents two things: rates AND growth. So the verb should be "show."
Another one that gets everyone: "Each" and "every" are always singular, even when they sound plural.
Weak: "Each of the three countries were affected by the recession."
Good: "Each of the three countries was affected by the recession."
"Each" is singular. One verb form: "was."
Task 1 loves passive voice. It's formal, objective, feels academic. But Band 6 writers often use it wrong or too much, and it sounds clunky or unclear.
Weak: "An increase in online shopping was seen by the data. This trend was suggested to indicate a shift in consumer behavior."
Good: "The data shows an increase in online shopping. This trend indicates a shift in consumer behavior."
The weak version uses passive voice twice and sounds awkward. "An increase was seen by the data" is technically correct but strange. The good version is clearer, simpler, and still formal enough for IELTS.
Passive voice works when you genuinely don't know who did something, or when the agent doesn't matter. "The factories were closed in 2015." That's fine. You don't need to say "The government closed the factories." Sometimes you use passive voice because the data, not people, is your subject.
Passive voice fails when it adds words without adding meaning, or when active voice is simpler. Don't use it just to sound smart. Use it only when it genuinely fits.
Tip: Read your passive voice sentences aloud. If they sound stiff or you added "by" phrases that don't help, switch to active voice. Task 1 doesn't reward passive voice. It rewards clarity.
Prepositions don't follow logic. You just have to know them. But certain prepositions show up constantly in Task 1, and Band 6 writers get them wrong.
Weak: "The chart illustrates data between 2000 until 2020 in three countries."
Good: "The chart illustrates data from 2000 to 2020 in three countries."
"Between...until" is wrong. "From...to" is correct for a range. This is grammar, not style. Get it right.
Task 1 requires clarity. A sentence fragment (incomplete sentence) or a run-on sentence (two sentences joined with just a comma) makes you look careless and costs marks for grammatical accuracy.
Weak (fragment): "The graph showing energy consumption from 2000 to 2020. A clear upward trend throughout the period."
Weak (run-on): "The graph shows energy consumption, it increased by 45% over the period."
Good: "The graph shows energy consumption from 2000 to 2020. A clear upward trend is visible throughout the period." Or: "The graph shows energy consumption, which increased by 45% over the period."
In the weak fragment, "The graph showing..." doesn't have a main verb. In the run-on, a comma joins two independent clauses; you need a semicolon, period, or conjunction.
The fix: every sentence needs a subject and a main verb. If you join two independent clauses, use a semicolon or add a conjunction like "and," "but," or "because."
Tip: As you write, underline the main verb in each sentence. If a sentence has no main verb, it's a fragment. If you joined two sentences with only a comma, that's a run-on. Fix both before submitting.
Spelling mistakes count as grammar errors in IELTS scoring. One misspelled word costs you points. More than five spelling errors in a 150-word essay signals carelessness and brings you down from Band 7 or keeps you stuck in Band 6.
Common Task 1 misspellings:
Word form errors are worse because they're harder to spot. You might write "The data showed an significant increase" (wrong article) or "The increasing was steady" (noun form instead of verb). These break grammar rules and confuse the reader.
Weak: "The chart demonstrate a continued decrease in the manufacturing, and the raise in services sector."
Good: "The chart demonstrates a continued decrease in manufacturing and a rise in the services sector."
Errors in the weak version: "demonstrate" should be "demonstrates" (verb form), "the manufacturing" should be "manufacturing" (no article before uncountable nouns), and "the raise" should be "a rise" (wrong word form). All three errors kill the sentence.
You have 20 minutes for Task 1. Don't waste 15 minutes writing and 5 minutes checking. Write for 15 minutes, then check for 5. Here's what Band 7 writers actually do:
This takes 5 minutes and catches 80% of grammar errors before the examiner sees them. Band 6 writers don't do this. That's the difference. You can also use a free IELTS writing checker to catch errors you might miss manually.
According to the band descriptors, Band 7 allows occasional errors. In a typical 150-word Task 1 essay, aim for no more than 3-5 grammar mistakes total. Errors that make your meaning unclear count more heavily than minor slips. An IELTS essay checker can help identify which errors are costing you the most points.
Use our free IELTS writing correction tool to catch grammar errors and spot exactly where you're losing points. Get instant feedback on your Task 1 or Task 2 essays.
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