Sounding like an essay — and claiming only as much as your evidence allows.
How this drill works, and why it is built this way›
Band 8 is the only band that mentions “inappropriacies” alongside errors. An inappropriacy breaks no rule. It is simply the wrong thing to say in this place.
Three faults live here: too casual (contractions, slang, two-word verbs), too certain (claiming what you cannot show), and too formal (business phrases in an academic essay).
Modal verbs are how English measures certainty. Will · is likely to · may · might · could. Choose the one your evidence earns.
Never use contractions in IELTS writing. Do not, not don't. Speaking is different — contractions are correct and natural there.
Some items mark phrases that are perfectly polite in Indian business English. They are not wrong. They are the wrong register for an examiner, and that is a change you make for the exam.
Worked example
Which belongs in an IELTS essay?
A Technology will definitely solve this problem. · B Technology may help to address this problem.
Answer: B
A is grammatically perfect and makes a claim no evidence can support. B claims less and is therefore more defensible. Examiners reward accurate claiming, not confident claiming. The point: match your certainty to your evidence.
Moderate · CEFR B1around band 5 – 5.5change level:
The drill moves you up or down on its own. Two good sets and it gets harder; two hard ones and it steps back.
The band range is what this level practises for — it is a guide, not a score. Only your first answer to each item counts towards the level decision.
Your answers and explanations open after the set is complete, the attempt is saved and your email is verified.
