IELTS Subject-Verb Agreement Guide: Avoid Common Band 6 Errors

Continuing your series on upscoreielts.com, let's tackle another critical pillar of the Grammatical Range and Accuracy (GRA) criteria: Subject-Verb Agreement.

In the IELTS exam, these errors are often called "slips" or "systematic errors." Too many of them will trap your score at a Band 6. Below is a high-conversion, SEO-optimized lesson designed for your Vietnamese candidates.

The Golden Rule of IELTS Grammar: Subject-Verb Agreement

The most basic rule of English grammar is that a singular subject needs a singular verb, and a plural subject needs a plural verb. However, in the heat of a 40-minute Writing Task 2, even advanced candidates make mistakes when the subject is far away from the verb.

1. The Basics: Singular vs. Plural

Most candidates know that "He like" is wrong. But in IELTS, subjects are rarely that simple.

• Complex Subjects:

  • ❌ The quality of the locally grown fruits are important.

  • ✔ The quality of the locally grown fruits is important.

  • Expert Tip: The subject is "The quality" (singular), not "fruits." Don't let the word closest to the verb trick you!

• There is vs. There are:

  • ❌ There might be less chances.

  • ✔ There might be fewer chances.

  • Note: Use "fewer" for countable nouns (chances) and ensure your "there is/are" matches the noun that follows.

2. Passive Voice Pitfalls (Task 2 & Task 1 Process)

When describing how things are made or how a process works, candidates often lose track of the subject.

• ❌ Various statues of animals and different characters is constructed.

• ✔ Various statues of animals and different characters are constructed.

• Rationale: "Statues" and "characters" are plural, so the auxiliary verb must be "are."

3. The Tricky "Collective Nouns"

Collective nouns (Government, Staff, Family, Team, Committee) can be singular or plural depending on whether you are talking about the group as one unit or the individuals within it.

• British English (Common in IELTS): The government are (treating them as individuals) OR The government is (treating them as one unit).

• Safe Bet for IELTS: Stick to the singular verb for collective nouns to remain consistent unless you are specifically highlighting individual actions.

4. Words that are ALWAYS Singular

These words frequently appear in IELTS Task 2 prompts but are often treated as plural by mistake:

• Everyone / Everybody / Someone / Somebody

• Each / Every

• Either / Neither

• Example: "Each of the students has (not have) a unique perspective."

Let’s play a quiz to find out if you have understood the lesson!

Use the BeTheme Accordion method we discussed to present these questions.

Question 1

Title: The increase in the number of private vehicles ____ lead to higher pollution levels. Content: * A) has

• B) have

• C) having

• D) are

Correct Answer: A Rationale: The subject is "The increase" (singular). "Vehicles" is part of a prepositional phrase and does not dictate the verb.

Question 2

Title: Neither the parents nor the teacher ____ aware of the new school regulations. Content: * A) were

• B) was

• C) are

• D) being

Correct Answer: B Rationale: With "neither/nor," the verb agrees with the subject closest to it ("the teacher"). Since "teacher" is singular, we use "was."