7.3. Grammatical Range and Accuracy
Mix your structures without losing control of them.
The short version
Both range and accuracy are scored.
Range only counts if the sentence stays clear.
Frequent error-free sentences at Band 7. A majority at Band 8.
An unfinished complex sentence scores below two clean short ones.
Range only helps if the sentence stays clear
Useful moves: past for a story, who / when, if, because / so. You do not need all of them in one answer.
The descriptors ask for frequent error-free sentences at Band 7, and a majority of them at Band 8. Neither asks for long sentences. If one breaks halfway through, split it and carry on. An unfinished complex sentence scores lower than two clean short ones.
Three short claims
Having a bakery which it is staying twelve years the landlord is doubling the rent because of this reason being very difficult.
A bakery near me lasted twelve years, and then the landlord doubled the rent, so a chemist moved in.
Why do small shops close?
I think small high-street shops close mainly because rent is too high for the turnover they can make. A bakery near me lasted twelve years and then the landlord doubled the rent; a chain chemist moved in. Online shopping is a factor, but I do not think it is the first cause on a street that still has a bus stop. In many towns the same pattern happens when a lease ends, not when people suddenly stop buying bread.
- GrammarA reason clause the speaker can finish.
- GrammarA time clause that still points at the cause, not a new essay.
Coloured text shows what the examiner is looking for.
Quiz time2 questions
Combine without breaking
A different set of facts. Turn these three sentences into one or two controlled spoken sentences, keeping all three meanings.
I moved to this city in 2019. I did not know anyone here. I joined a running club.
Set up your learning path at the top of this lesson to get band-specific feedback.
Find the broken sentence
Choose the sentence that would cost you marks on Grammatical Range & Accuracy if you said it.
Which sentence contains the error?
Recap
Mix past, if, who and because. You do not need all of them at once.
If a sentence breaks halfway, split it and carry on.
Two clean short sentences beat one that never lands.
Next: how clearly a listener can follow you.