Think about these questions, or answer them aloud.
In the public IELTS band descriptors, at band 7 grammar and punctuation are generally well controlled and error-free sentences are frequent, while at band 8 the majority of sentences are error-free. Many C1 writers already know the rules; their errors often appear because they write quickly under pressure, so a few minutes of focused checking can make a real difference to the score.
The key is to check systematically. Rereading your essay “for mistakes” usually means reading for meaning, and your eyes slide over the errors. Instead, look for one type of error at a time.
| Error type | Wrong | Right |
|---|---|---|
| Subject–verb agreement | The number of cars have increased. | The number of cars has increased. |
| Uncountable nouns | Many researches show… / an advice | Much research shows… / a piece of advice |
| Articles | The technology is changing the society. | Technology is changing society. |
| Word form | It has a benefit effect. | It has a beneficial effect. |
| Comma splice | Prices rose, people bought less. | Prices rose, so people bought less. / Prices rose; people bought less. |
| Sentence fragment | Many people choose it. Because it is cheap. | Many people choose it because it is cheap. |
| Preposition or collocation | It has an effect to health. / We discussed about it. | It has an effect on health. / We discussed it. |
| Tense consistency | Since 2010, the price rose every year. | Since 2010, the price has risen every year. |
| Parallel structure | Cycling is cheap, healthy and it helps the environment. | Cycling is cheap, healthy and good for the environment. |
| Dangling modifier | Walking to school, the rain started. | While I was walking to school, it started to rain. |
Use this routine in the last 3–5 minutes of an essay, or the last minute of a short task.
Then add your personal top three: the errors your teachers correct again and again. Look for those specifically.
Nowadays, the technology play an important role in the education. Many researches shows that students who uses tablets in class is more motivated. However, there are also some disadvantage. For example, students can easily distract by games and social media, this reduce their concentration. In addition, some parents worries that their children spends too much time in front of screens. Which may damage their eyesight.
Nowadays, technology plays an important role in education. A growing body of research shows that students who use tablets in class are more motivated. However, there are also some disadvantages. For example, students can easily be distracted by games and social media, which reduces their concentration. In addition, some parents worry that their children spend too much time in front of screens, which may damage their eyesight.
Pass 1: verbs
Pass 2: nouns
Pass 3: sentence boundaries
About a dozen small changes, the same ideas, and a much more accurate paragraph.
Write the correct form of the word in brackets. Think about agreement, uncountable nouns, tense and word form.
Match each incorrect sentence to its error type. One error type is not used.
Use the three-pass routine: verbs, nouns, then sentence boundaries. Then compare your version with the model answer.
This paragraph is part of a response to a TOEFL Academic Discussion question about whether cities should invest more in public parks. It contains 14 errors. Rewrite the whole paragraph with every error corrected. Keep the writer's ideas and order.
I agree with Priya that cities should invest more in public parks, but I think she don't consider the cost of maintenance. In my hometown, the council build a beautiful park five years ago. At first, it was very popular, many families went there every weekends. However, the council did not have enough money for take care of it. Nowadays the grass is dead, the playground equipments are broken and the most of people avoid going there. Which is a waste of public money. In my opinion, before a city create a new park, it should makes a long-term plan for its maintenance. It could also asking local businesses to sponsor it, this would share the cost. Otherwise, the park will became a problem instead of a benefit for community.
Write at least 120 words · about 12 minutes
Save words to review them later with flashcards.
“Always proofread your essay before the time runs out.”
““It rained, we stayed inside” is a comma splice.”
““Because it was cheap.” is a sentence fragment.”
“Check subject–verb agreement after long noun phrases.”
““Research” and “equipment” are uncountable nouns.”
“Parallel structure makes long sentences easier to read.”
“Fix dangling modifiers by naming who did the action.”
“Tense consistency is important when you describe the past.”
“The park was closed because of poor maintenance.”
“A local bank sponsors the summer festival.”
