IELTS Writing: Find and Correct the Error — Practice Set 1 (Articles and Subject–Verb Agreement)
One wrong article or one verb that does not agree with its subject will not fail your essay. Twenty of them will. In IELTS Writing, grammar is not a side skill: Grammatical Range and Accuracy is one of the four marking criteria, worth 25% of your Writing score — the same weight as Task Response, Coherence and Cohesion, and Lexical Resource.
The good news is that most candidates lose marks on the same small set of errors, again and again. This IELTS Writing find and correct the error practice set trains you on the two most common ones: articles (a / an / the) and subject–verb agreement. There are 20 original sentences below, each with exactly one planted error. Find it, correct it, then check your answer against the correction, the corrected sentence and the rule.
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Why these two error types cost you a band
The public IELTS Writing band descriptors draw a clear line. At Band 7, Grammatical Range and Accuracy requires varied complex structures with frequent error-free sentences. At Band 6, errors occur and some reduce communication. The difference between the two bands is often not vocabulary or ideas — it is how often basic errors like a honest teacher or the list of books are appear.
IDP IELTS makes the same point in its official guide, "7 steps towards a band 7": step 6 is to use a range of grammatical structures correctly, and step 7 is to check your essay thoroughly. IDP's own sample essay is deliberately written with errors — including articles and agreement — and then annotated to show the corrections. This set works the same way, with 20 chances to practise instead of one. For the full format and score tables, see our free IELTS practice tests hub and the official IELTS site.
How to use this practice set
- Cover the answers. Find the error before you look at the correction — in the real test nobody underlines your mistakes.
- Say the rule out loud. After checking an answer, repeat the rule in your own words — knowing why it is wrong stops you repeating the error.
- Keep an error log. Write down every item you miss, with the rule. Miss three article items and articles are your weak spot — re-read the quick-rules section and redo the set tomorrow.
- Time yourself. Twenty items should take about 15 minutes — in Task 2 you have 40 minutes for the whole essay, so error-checking must be fast.
- Apply it. After this set, take one essay you have already written and check it for exactly these two error types.
Part A — Articles (a / an / the): items A1–A10
A1. She is a honest teacher who always helps her students.
- Error: a honest
- Correction: an honest
- Corrected sentence: She is an honest teacher who always helps her students.
- Rule: Use an before a vowel sound, not just a vowel letter. Honest starts with a silent h, so it begins with a vowel sound — an honest teacher, an hour, an honour.
A2. I went to the school every day when I was a child.
- Error: the school
- Correction: school (no article)
- Corrected sentence: I went to school every day when I was a child.
- Rule: No article is used with institutions when you mean their purpose — go to school, go to university, be in hospital (British English). Use the only when you mean the building itself: I went to the school to meet the head teacher.
A3. He bought a umbrella because it was raining.
- Error: a umbrella
- Correction: an umbrella
- Corrected sentence: He bought an umbrella because it was raining.
- Rule: Use an before a vowel sound. Umbrella starts with the vowel sound /ʌ/ — an umbrella, an apple, an exam. Compare a university and a European country, where the first sound is the consonant /j/.
A4. The honesty is the best policy for every teacher.
- Error: The honesty
- Correction: Honesty (no article)
- Corrected sentence: Honesty is the best policy for every teacher.
- Rule: Abstract nouns used in a general sense take no article — honesty, education, happiness, pollution. Use the only for a specific case: the honesty of that report surprised everyone.
A5. She plays piano very well, but she cannot sing.
- Error: piano (missing article)
- Correction: the piano
- Corrected sentence: She plays the piano very well, but she cannot sing.
- Rule: Musical instruments take the — play the piano, play the guitar, play the violin. Sports are the opposite: play football, play tennis — no article.
A6. I need a information about the new English course.
- Error: a information
- Correction: some information (or: information)
- Corrected sentence: I need some information about the new English course.
- Rule: Information is an uncountable noun — it has no plural and cannot follow a/an. Use some information or a piece of information. The same applies to advice, news, furniture, research and homework.
A7. He is a tallest boy in the class.
- Error: a tallest
- Correction: the tallest
- Corrected sentence: He is the tallest boy in the class.
- Rule: Superlatives take the — the tallest, the best, the most expensive.
A8. We stayed at a hotel near the Oxford University.
- Error: the Oxford University
- Correction: Oxford University (no article)
- Corrected sentence: We stayed at a hotel near Oxford University.
- Rule: Most proper nouns take no article — Oxford University, London, Pakistan, Mount Everest. The exception is names with of or plurals: the University of Oxford, the United Kingdom, the Himalayas.
A9. She has the breakfast at seven every morning.
- Error: the breakfast
- Correction: breakfast (no article)
- Corrected sentence: She has breakfast at seven every morning.
- Rule: Meals take no article — have breakfast, eat lunch, cook dinner. Use the only for a specific meal: the breakfast we had at the hotel was excellent.
A10. This is an unique opportunity for young teachers.
- Error: an unique
- Correction: a unique
- Corrected sentence: This is a unique opportunity for young teachers.
- Rule: Use a/an by sound, not spelling. Unique starts with the consonant sound /j/ (like you), so it takes a — a unique, a university, a one-hour wait (because one starts with /w/).
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Part B — Subject–verb agreement: items S1–S10
S1. The list of books are on the table.
- Error: are
- Correction: is
- Corrected sentence: The list of books is on the table.
- Rule: The verb agrees with the head noun, not the noun nearest to it. The head noun is list (singular), so the verb is is — ignore of books in the middle.
S2. Neither the teacher nor the students was in the classroom.
- Error: was
- Correction: were
- Corrected sentence: Neither the teacher nor the students were in the classroom.
- Rule: With neither … nor and either … or, the verb agrees with the nearest subject. Students is plural, so the verb is were.
S3. Each of the candidates have submitted the form.
- Error: have
- Correction: has
- Corrected sentence: Each of the candidates has submitted the form.
- Rule: Each, every, everyone, everybody, nobody and anyone are singular, even when followed by of + plural noun. Each of the candidates has …, Everyone knows ….
S4. The committee have decided to postpone the meeting.
- Error: have
- Correction: has
- Corrected sentence: The committee has decided to postpone the meeting.
- Rule: A collective noun acting as one unit takes a singular verb — the committee has, the government is, the team wins. Use a plural verb only when you stress the individual members: the committee are divided. In IELTS writing, the singular form is the safe default.
S5. Ten kilometres are a long distance to walk every day.
- Error: are
- Correction: is
- Corrected sentence: Ten kilometres is a long distance to walk every day.
- Rule: Amounts of distance, time and money are treated as a single unit — ten kilometres is, two hours is, fifty dollars is.
S6. There is three reasons for this problem.
- Error: is
- Correction: are
- Corrected sentence: There are three reasons for this problem.
- Rule: In inverted sentences starting with there, the verb agrees with the noun after it. Three reasons is plural, so the verb is are.
S7. The number of students have increased this year.
- Error: have
- Correction: has
- Corrected sentence: The number of students has increased this year.
- Rule: The number of is singular (has), but a number of is plural (have). Compare: The number of students has increased vs A number of students have complained.
S8. Neither of the answers are correct.
- Error: are
- Correction: is
- Corrected sentence: Neither of the answers is correct.
- Rule: Neither of and either of are singular — neither of the answers is, either of the plans works. (In informal speech you will hear neither are, but in IELTS Writing use the singular form.)
S9. My brother, along with his friends, are going to Lahore.
- Error: are
- Correction: is
- Corrected sentence: My brother, along with his friends, is going to Lahore.
- Rule: Phrases such as along with, together with and as well as do not change the subject. The subject is still my brother (singular), so the verb is is.
S10. The data shows that prices are rising every year.
- Error: shows
- Correction: show
- Corrected sentence: The data show that prices are rising every year.
- Rule: In formal academic writing, data is the plural of datum, so it takes a plural verb — the data show. Singular data is common in speech, but in IELTS Writing Task 2 the plural form is the safer choice.
Quick-rules reference
Article rules in one place
| Situation | Rule | Example |
|---|---|---|
| First mention, singular countable noun | a / an | I read a book about teaching. |
| Already mentioned, or only one exists | the | The book was excellent. / the sun, the internet |
| Vowel sound | an | an hour, an honest man, an umbrella |
| Consonant sound (even if spelt with a vowel) | a | a university, a unique idea, a one-way ticket |
| Plural or uncountable, general meaning | no article | Teachers need training. / Information is power. |
| Superlative | the | the best essay, the tallest student |
| Musical instrument | the | play the piano |
| Sport or game | no article | play football, play chess |
| Institution as a purpose | no article | go to school, go to university |
| Institution as a building | the | go to the school to meet the teacher |
| Meals | no article | have breakfast, eat dinner |
| Proper noun (most) | no article | Oxford University, Lahore, Monday |
| Name with of or plural | the | the University of Oxford, the United States |
Subject–verb agreement rules in one place
| Situation | Rule | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Head noun vs words in between | Verb agrees with the head noun | The list of books is … |
| Either … or / neither … nor | Verb agrees with the nearest subject | Neither the teacher nor the students were … |
| Each, every, everyone, nobody | Always singular | Each of the candidates has … |
| Collective noun as one unit | Singular | The committee has decided … |
| Collective noun as individuals | Plural | The committee are divided … |
| Distance, time, money | Treated as one unit — singular | Ten kilometres is a long way. |
| There is / there are | Verb agrees with the noun after it | There are three reasons. |
| The number of | Singular | The number of students has … |
| A number of | Plural | A number of students have … |
| Along with / together with / as well as | Does not change the subject | My brother, along with his friends, is … |
| Data (academic writing) | Plural | The data show … |
Score yourself
| Correct out of 20 | What it means |
|---|---|
| 18–20 | Band 7+ accuracy on these two error types. |
| 14–17 | Good, but one error type is leaking marks. Re-read those rules and redo the set in two days. |
| 10–13 | These errors are probably costing you half a band. Study the quick-rules reference, then redo the set. |
| Below 10 | Study the rules first, then redo the set untimed — speed comes after accuracy. |
The 2-minute check for every essay. Before you finish Writing Task 2, spend your last two minutes on three checks: (1) every a/an — vowel sound or consonant sound next? (2) every verb — find its real subject, ignoring words in between. (3) every there is/are — singular or plural after it? Those three checks catch most of the errors in this set — the same point as IDP's step 7: check your essay thoroughly before you finish.
Frequently asked questions
How much do article and agreement errors actually cost in IELTS Writing? They sit inside Grammatical Range and Accuracy, worth 25% of your Writing score. A few slips are fine at Band 7. But if basic article and agreement errors appear in most sentences, examiners usually cap Grammar at Band 6, pulling your whole Writing score down by half a band.
Why is "an honest teacher" right but "a university" right too? Because a/an follows the sound, not the letter. Honest starts with a silent h, so its first sound is a vowel — an honest. University starts with the consonant sound /j/ (like you), so it takes a.
Is "the data shows" really wrong? In everyday speech, no — singular data is very common. In formal academic writing, including IELTS Task 2, data is treated as plural (the data show), and that is the form examiners expect. Use the plural in your essays.
Should I use "the committee has" or "the committee have"? Use has in IELTS Writing unless you are stressing that the members disagree (the committee are divided). A committee acting as one unit takes a singular verb.
What comes after this set? Practice Set 2 covers tenses and prepositions — the other two error types IDP's annotated essay highlights. Our English grammar for IELTS guide collects all four sets' rules in one place, with quizzes per rule.
What to do next
- Redo the 20 items tomorrow from memory, missed ones first.
- Take an essay you have already written and check it for articles and agreement only.
- Move on to Practice Set 2: tenses and prepositions, then free IELTS practice tests hub.
All 20 practice sentences are original MissMono study material, written for this set. IELTS is a registered trademark of the British Council, IDP: IELTS Australia and Cambridge University Press & Assessment; this page is not affiliated with or endorsed by them.