WritingSpeakingGlossary
Complex sentence
A sentence with one independent clause and at least one dependent clause. A dependent clause has a subject and a verb but does not make sense on its own. Grammatical Range and Accuracy, marked in both Writing and Speaking, includes using complex sentences.
Guides that use this term
How to Improve Your IELTS Writing Score
Find the criterion that holds your Writing band down. Then read what the next band adds for it. Start with Task 2, because it counts twice as much as Task 1.
Improvement planWriting
Grammatical Range and Accuracy in Speaking: How Errors Are Counted
This criterion has two halves, the range of your grammar and its accuracy. A few basic errors are allowed even at band 8. This guide shows the bands, and what changes from band 6 to band 7.
Speaking
How to Get Band 7 in IELTS When You Are Stuck at 6.5
An overall 6.5 is an average of four section bands. This plan shows how to find the section and the criterion that hold yours down. Then it shows what band 7 asks for there.
Improvement planGeneral
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Range Without Errors
Grammatical range and accuracy asks how varied your sentences are, and how accurate they are. This guide shows the bands, and what changes from band 6 to band 7.
Writing
Checked against IDP's guide to complex sentences and ielts.org's Writing and Speaking key assessment criteria on 18 September 2026.