Articles: a, an, the and zero
The most frequent error in IELTS writing — and the easiest marks to win back.
Why it matters
Article errors are counted under Grammatical Range and Accuracy. One or two are tolerated at Band 7, but frequent slips signal Band 6. Because articles appear in almost every sentence, fixing them improves accuracy across the whole essay.
The rules
Use a/an for one non-specific countable thing, often when first mentioned.
The city built a new bridge.
Use the when the reader knows which one: already mentioned, unique, or defined by a phrase after it.
The bridge that opened in 2019 cut journey times.
Use no article for general plural or uncountable nouns.
Children need exercise. Pollution harms health.
Use the with superlatives, ordinals and some institutions and groups.
the largest share, the first year, the government, the elderly
Model sentences
- The proportion of households with internet access rose sharply in the first decade.
- Governments should invest in education rather than in the military.
- A recent study suggested that the elderly are the fastest-growing group of smartphone users.
Common mistakes
Incorrect: The education is the key to the success.
Correct: Education is the key to success.
General uncountable nouns take no article.
Incorrect: Government should help unemployed.
Correct: The government should help the unemployed.
'The government' of a country is specific; 'the + adjective' names a group.
Incorrect: It is very important problem.
Correct: It is a very important problem.
Singular countable nouns always need a determiner.
Band tip
Check yourself
___ unemployment is often highest among ___ young.
(no article) Unemployment … the young.
The graph shows ___ number of tourists who visited ___ UK.
the number … the UK
She works as ___ engineer at ___ university in Leeds.
an engineer … a university (university starts with a 'you' sound)