Using Modal Verbs in IELTS

Using Modal Verbs in IELTS makes a sentence more polite and understandable. Modal Verbs are types of auxiliary or helping verbs that are used to express concepts such as ability, possibility, deduction, hypothetical and conditional situations. Moreover, they are also used to express politeness. When it comes to using them in a sentence Modal Verbs can be tricky or ticklish. The good news is that they could be easy once you learn how they work. It is necessary for IELTS exams that you are able to use and understand Modal Verbs effectively. You are likely to use them in your academic writing, especially if you are writing an essay which needs to give solutions to a problem. These are also important to help in clarifying the certainty with which you are making a point, which is important for your writing.

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The Role of Modal Verbs in IELTS

They work as “supportive” or auxiliary verbs, they do not represent the main action of the sentence but are used to improve its expression of the main action. The Modal verb doesn’t actually act as the main action of the sentence but it supports the main action of the sentence and it works as an auxiliary or a supportive verb. For example:

I can make it better

Here ‘make’ is the main action and can is the Modal verb that comes before it.

Modal verbs can be divided into two types:

1. Modal Verbs
2. Semi-Modal Verbs

Common use of Modal Verbs in IELTS

When you are writing or speaking for IELTS, three important functions are generally used

1. Discussing degrees of certainty
2. Making suggestions
3. Hypothetical situations

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1. Degrees of Certainty: Will, May, Might and Could are common to make logical deductions about a situation.

Which one of these sentences do you think is incorrect?

Hopefully you found out that the first one is wrong. This is the common mistake mostly seen in IELTS essays. The grammar is ok, but all children with no parents may not become criminals!

You have to be very sincere during making assessments in this way.

“Will” means there is 100% possibility that this is going to happen, so avoid using it to make generalizations about anything unless you know it is 100% true. (Instead you can use “Will possibly”, which make it less certain)

When you are writing IELTS essays, you have to keep in mind that it’s unusual that you will have evidence with you or that you can use to show 100% what you are saying is true.

2. Suggestion: Should, Must, Ought to, have to and could area usually used to make suggestions, while solving a problem.

Take a look at this table and note how Modal Verbs are used to discuss the suggestion.

3. Hypothetical sentence:

To discuss hypothetical sentences generally "would" and "could" are the most common words that are used. If something is hypothetical, this means it may not happen. You are imagining something or discussing an unreal situation. For example

If the government pays more money on providing subsidies, the poverty problem would be solved.

It's something that hasn't happened yet and you don't know if it will.

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How to use Modal verbs:

1. Modal verbs are auxiliary verbs and they only modify the main verb in a sentence.
2. They add more politeness in a sentence and are used to express possibility, probability, ability, suggestions, obligation, deduction, habits and hypothetical, imaginary and conditional situations.
3. Could and would are only the Modal verbs that can be used both in past and present form.
4. Very often Modal verbs are used to modify non-modal auxiliary verbs that have an infinitive. For example: I should have said that.
5. Modal Verbs are always used before the main verbs. For example: You can go

MODALS in IELTS

It is seen that in IELTS Reading and Listening Tests, there are specific questions in the language of assumption. This is because when you do research, you don’t always have all the evidence that you need to prove your theory. Most of the texts are related to Academic Research so you need to make assumptions and guesses. And you have to tell your audience that you are NOT 100% sure. Based on some evidence you are just guessing or assuming.