How to Write Complex Sentences for IELTS Band 7 - The World's Largest FREE IELTS Course!

Summary

This video script offers a comprehensive guide to constructing complex sentences, a key to improving IELTS writing scores. It explains the importance of using a variety of complex structures for higher bands and introduces subordinate, relative, and compound clauses. The instructor shares strategies to enhance essay fluency and readability, using practical examples and a student's success story to illustrate the impact of mastering complex sentences on overall IELTS performance. The script also provides tips on practicing and perfecting these sentence structures for effective essay writing.

Takeaways

• 📝 The lesson focuses on writing complex sentences to improve IELTS band scores, with different requirements for bands 5 through 8.
• 🎯 For band 7 and above, the ability to write a variety of complex sentences correctly is crucial, while bands 4 and 5 need to attempt complex sentences but with less accuracy.
• 👨‍🏫 The instructor shares a success story of a student named Dom from China, who improved his grammar score significantly by learning to write complex sentences.
• 🔗 Complex sentences are not necessarily complicated; they can be easy to write and are often already used by students.
• 📖 The first type of complex sentence discussed is the use of subordinate clauses, which depend on an independent clause for complete meaning.
• 🔍 Subordinate conjunctions, such as 'because', 'although', and 'even if', are used to link dependent and independent clauses, with some requiring a comma for clauses of concession.
• 💡 The lesson advises varying the position of dependent clauses to demonstrate good control of grammar, but cautions against starting sentences with 'because'.
• 🔑 Relative clauses provide extra information about a noun and are used to reduce word count, improving essay fluency and readability.
• 📚 The importance of maintaining subject-verb agreement in relative clauses is emphasized, and the use of commas depends on whether the clause is essential or extra information.
• 🔄 Compound sentences are created by linking two independent clauses with conjunctions (FANBOYS), which are considered complex and can be used to enhance IELTS essays.
• 🧩 The script encourages combining different types of complex sentences to create even more complex structures, which can earn higher band scores if used accurately.
• 📝 The '100% rule' is introduced, advising students to only use structures they are completely sure of in the exam, and to practice and get feedback on complex sentences from teachers or native speakers.

Q & A

What are the IELTS writing criteria for Band 7 and Band 8?

For Band 7, candidates need to write using a variety of complex structures and for Band 8, they need to write using a wide range of structures. Both bands require the complex sentences to be mostly correct.

What is the significance of using complex sentences in IELTS writing?

Complex sentences can help transform the overall appearance and fluency of an essay, potentially increasing the grammar score and the candidate's confidence in their writing.

What is an independent clause in a sentence?

An independent clause is a group of words that contains a subject and a verb and can stand alone as a complete thought.

What is a dependent clause and why is it called 'dependent'?

A dependent clause is a group of words that contains a subject and a verb but does not express a complete thought and depends on an independent clause to make sense.

How can subordinate conjunctions help in forming complex sentences?

Subordinate conjunctions are used to link an independent clause with a dependent clause, creating a complex sentence that provides additional information.

What is the role of relative clauses in reducing word count in an essay?

Relative clauses provide extra information about a noun and are inserted after the main noun of the sentence, which helps in reducing the overall number of words and improving essay fluency.

How should subject-verb agreement be maintained in complex sentences?

Subject-verb agreement must be maintained in complex sentences to ensure that the correct form of the verb is used according to the subject's number (singular or plural).

What is the purpose of commas in complex sentences involving relative clauses?

Commas are used after the main noun when the information in the relative clause is extra or non-essential to the overall sentence. If the information is essential, no comma is used.

What is a compound sentence and how is it formed?

A compound sentence is formed by linking two independent clauses with conjunctions such as 'and', 'but', 'or', etc., making it a complex sentence.

How can complex sentences be combined to create even more complex structures?

Complex sentences can be combined by adding subordinate clauses, relative clauses, and compound structures to create sentences with multiple clauses, which can score higher in IELTS if used accurately.

What is the '100% rule' when writing complex sentences in IELTS exams?

The '100% rule' advises candidates to only use structures in the exam that they are completely sure of, avoiding the risk of making errors by attempting overly complex sentences without full confidence.