Grammar
A, an, the and no article. The single biggest error source in candidate writing. With a practice exercise.
Articles in IELTS writing cause more errors than any other point of grammar. If your first language has no article system, you will get them wrong repeatedly in a single essay, and repetition is what turns a slip into evidence about your level.
The good news is that a handful of rules cover almost every sentence you will write in an IELTS essay. You do not need the full picture, only the parts that come up.
The rules
Six rules covering most sentences in a Task 2 essay.
Governments should invest in education. You mean all of them, so a plural noun with no article. This is the standard way to make a general claim.
Education is important. Pollution is increasing. Abstract and uncountable nouns take no article when the meaning is general.
The government of Singapore introduced this law. One identified thing, so the definite article.
A new policy was introduced. The policy has since been criticised. A introduces; the refers back.
It is the sound, not the letter. An hour because the h is silent. A university because it begins with a y sound.
The best solution, the first reason, the environment, the internet. If there is only one, or it is the only one of its kind, use the.
Method
Six patterns examiners see repeatedly.
The governments should act when you mean governments generally. Remove it. This is the commonest single article error in IELTS writing.
Government of Japan passed a law. A specific, named government needs the article.
The education is important is wrong unless you mean a particular system you have identified. Abstract nouns are general by default.
The United Kingdom, the Netherlands, the United States take the. New Zealand, France, Japan do not. There is no rule; learn the ones you use.
Go to school, go to university, go to hospital take no article when you mean the activity. Go to the school means the building.
In your final two minutes, read once looking only at articles. Reading for everything at once catches nothing.
Practice
Choose the correct version.
Is the noun general or specific?
General plural or general uncountable takes no article. Specific takes the.
That single question decides most sentences in an IELTS essay.
1Which is correct in a general claim?
B. A general plural and a general uncountable noun, both with no article. This is the standard form for a general claim.
2Which is correct?
B. One specific, named government takes the. The law is being mentioned for the first time, so it takes a.
3Which is correct?
An hour. The h is silent, so the word begins with a vowel sound. It is the sound that decides, not the letter.
4Which is correct?
A university. It begins with a y sound, which is a consonant sound, despite starting with the letter u.
5A new policy was introduced last year. ______ policy has since been criticised.
The. First mention takes a, and every mention after that takes the, because the reader now knows which policy you mean.
6Which is correct?
B. Go to school means attend as a student. Go to the school means visit the building, which is a different meaning.
If your first language has no article system this is expected, and it is the most repeated error in IELTS writing. It is also systematic, which means fixing the pattern fixes every instance.
The complete IELTS course on IELTStestONLINE has video lessons on every question type, many more exercises like this one, and your own support tutor you can ask when an answer does not make sense. Take a look at the complete course
Six sentences with options is straightforward. Twenty article decisions inside your own essay, under time, is the real test.
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When the noun is specific and the reader knows which one you mean, either because you have named it or because there is only one.
With general plural nouns and general uncountable nouns. Governments should invest in education uses neither, and both are correct.
A university. The choice depends on the sound, not the letter, and university begins with a y sound.
Countries that are plural or describe a union or group: the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, the United States. Most others do not.
Read your essay once looking only at articles, in your final two minutes. Reading for everything at once finds almost nothing.
Full membership
If you could see your article mistakes, you would not be making them. Having them pointed out is what changes the pattern.
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