Vietnamese Speakers: Common IELTS Writing Errors and How to Fix Them

Vietnamese test-takers consistently score lower in IELTS Writing than in other skills. According to IELTS statistics, Vietnamese students average around 5.8 in Speaking—the lowest among the four skills—but Writing presents similar challenges due to fundamental differences between Vietnamese and English grammar.

If you're a Vietnamese speaker preparing for IELTS, understanding these differences isn't just academic—it's practical. The errors you make aren't random. They're predictable patterns caused by how Vietnamese grammar works. Once you recognize these patterns, you can systematically eliminate them from your writing.

This guide identifies the most common errors Vietnamese speakers make in IELTS Writing and provides concrete strategies to fix each one.

Why Vietnamese Speakers Face Unique IELTS Challenges

Vietnamese is an isolating language—words don't change form to indicate tense, number, or grammatical relationships. English, by contrast, relies heavily on word modifications (verb conjugations, plural forms, articles) to convey meaning.

When you write in English, your brain naturally applies Vietnamese linguistic patterns. Researchers call this "negative transfer" or "L1 interference." Studies show that around 30% of Vietnamese learners' writing errors stem directly from this interference, particularly in sentence structure and verb usage.

The good news: systematic errors can be systematically fixed. Let's examine each pattern.

Error 1: Tense Confusion and Inconsistency

This is the most significant grammar issue for Vietnamese speakers in IELTS Writing, directly impacting Grammatical Range and Accuracy scores.

Why This Happens

Vietnamese doesn't have verb tenses. Instead, time is indicated by context or time markers (đã = past, sẽ = future, đang = ongoing). Verbs remain the same regardless of when an action occurs.

In English, verbs must change form to match time reference. Your brain, trained in Vietnamese, doesn't automatically signal "change the verb" when time shifts.

Common Patterns

Using present tense for past events:

• ❌ "Yesterday, I go to the library and study for three hours."
• ✓ "Yesterday, I went to the library and studied for three hours."

Mixing tenses within a paragraph:

• ❌ "The government introduced new policies last year. The policies help many people."
• ✓ "The government introduced new policies last year. The policies helped many people."

Confusion between simple and progressive:

• ❌ "Currently, the number of students increase every year."
• ✓ "Currently, the number of students is increasing every year."

How to Fix It

1. Identify your time frame before writing each paragraph
2. Underline time markers (yesterday, now, in 2020, currently)
3. Check that every verb matches the time marker
4. Review the final paragraph specifically for tense consistency

Practice exercise: Write a paragraph about a past experience, then one about current trends. Check every verb matches the time frame.

Error 2: Missing or Incorrect Subject-Verb Agreement

Vietnamese verbs don't change based on subject. English verbs do. This creates consistent agreement errors.

Why This Happens

In Vietnamese, whether the subject is "Tôi" (I), "Anh ấy" (He), or "Họ" (They), the verb "ăn" (eat) stays the same. In English, "I eat" but "He eats"—the verb changes.

Your brain doesn't automatically trigger this change because it doesn't exist in Vietnamese.

Common Patterns

Third person singular errors:

• ❌ "Technology help students learn faster."
• ✓ "Technology helps students learn faster."

Plural subject confusion:

• ❌ "Many people thinks this is a good idea."
• ✓ "Many people think this is a good idea."

Complex subject confusion:

• ❌ "The rise in temperatures cause environmental problems."
• ✓ "The rise in temperatures causes environmental problems."

How to Fix It

For every sentence:

1. Find the main subject
2. Ask: singular or plural?
3. Match the verb accordingly

Third-person singular (he/she/it/one thing) = add -s to present tense verbs
Plural (they/people/many things) = no -s on present tense verbs

Error 3: Omitting the Verb "To Be"

Like several Asian languages, Vietnamese allows sentences without a linking verb. English doesn't.

Why This Happens

In Vietnamese, adjectives function like verbs—they carry the meaning of "being" within them. You can say "Cô ấy đẹp" (She beautiful) without a linking verb. The adjective "đẹp" implies the state of being.

When you write in English, this pattern transfers, creating incomplete sentences.

Common Patterns

Missing "is/are" before adjectives:

• ❌ "This problem very serious."
• ✓ "This problem is very serious."

Missing "is/are" in descriptive sentences:

• ❌ "The main reason people unhappy with their jobs."
• ✓ "The main reason is that people are unhappy with their jobs."

Missing "is/are" in passive constructions:

• ❌ "English taught in many schools."
• ✓ "English is taught in many schools."

How to Fix It

Every complete English sentence needs a verb. When describing states, conditions, or characteristics, you need a form of "be."

Checklist for each sentence:

• Is there a verb?
• If describing a state (adjective), is "be" present?
• If passive, is "be" + past participle complete?

Error 4: Missing Subjects in Clauses

Vietnamese allows subject omission when context makes it clear. English requires explicit subjects in almost every clause.

Why This Happens

In Vietnamese, once a subject is established, subsequent clauses can omit it. For example: "Cha tôi làm việc cho đến khi xỉu" = "My father worked until fainted." The second subject is understood.

English subordinate clauses require their own subjects.

Common Patterns

Missing subjects in subordinate clauses:

• ❌ "My father worked until fainted."
• ✓ "My father worked until he fainted."

Missing objects/pronouns:

• ❌ "That man is very impolite, so nobody likes."
• ✓ "That man is very impolite, so nobody likes him."

Missing subjects after conjunctions:

• ❌ "She studied hard but failed the exam."
• ✓ "She studied hard but she failed the exam." (or with same subject: first version is acceptable)

How to Fix It

After every conjunction (when, while, because, although, if, so, but, and), check: is there a clear subject in the following clause?

If the same subject performs both actions and the structure allows, you can omit it after "and" or "but": "He studied hard and passed the exam." But always include it after subordinating conjunctions: "He passed because he studied hard."

Error 5: Word Order Errors

Vietnamese and English have different word order conventions, particularly for modifiers and questions.

Why This Happens

Vietnamese often places modifiers after the noun they describe, and question formation doesn't require inversion. When you translate your thinking into English, these patterns transfer.

Common Patterns

Adjective placement:

• ❌ "The factors environmental affect health."
• ✓ "The environmental factors affect health."

Adverb placement:

• ❌ "He quickly very ran."
• ✓ "He ran very quickly."

Question word order in indirect questions:

• ❌ "I don't know what is the answer."
• ✓ "I don't know what the answer is."

How to Fix It

English rules:

• Adjectives come BEFORE nouns: "important reasons," not "reasons important"
• In indirect questions, use statement word order: "I wonder where she is" (not "where is she")

Error 6: Direct Translation of Idioms and Collocations

Vietnamese speakers often translate idioms and expressions literally, creating phrases that don't exist in English.

Why This Happens

Every language has fixed expressions that don't translate word-for-word. When you think in Vietnamese and translate, you create phrases that may be grammatically correct but sound unnatural or incorrect.

Common Patterns

Incorrect collocations:

• ❌ "enter into the room" (from "đi vào")
• ✓ "enter the room"

Literal translations:

• ❌ "career road" or "career way"
• ✓ "career path"

Wrong verb combinations:

• ❌ "make homework"
• ✓ "do homework"

How to Fix It

Learn common English collocations as fixed phrases, not as individual words:

• "make a decision" (not "do a decision")
• "do homework" (not "make homework")
• "take responsibility" (not "get responsibility")

Keep a collocations notebook and add phrases as you learn them.

Additional Challenge: Confidence and Practice

Research on Vietnamese learners highlights a significant issue beyond grammar: many Vietnamese students know grammar rules in isolation but struggle to apply them in fluent writing. This often stems from educational systems that emphasize grammar exercises over communicative practice.

How to Build Confidence

1. Write daily: Even 10 minutes of writing helps build automatic patterns
2. Time yourself: Practice under exam conditions to build fluency
3. Focus on communication first: Perfect grammar matters less than clear ideas
4. Accept mistakes as learning: Every error identified is an error you can fix

Action Plan for Vietnamese Speakers

Week 1-2: Tense Mastery

• Practice identifying time markers in paragraphs
• Write daily entries using only past tense, then only present
• Check every essay specifically for tense consistency

Week 3-4: Subject-Verb Agreement

• Practice identifying subjects (especially complex ones)
• Complete agreement exercises daily
• Circle every verb and draw an arrow to its subject

Week 5-6: Complete Sentences

• Check every sentence has a clear subject AND verb
• Practice subordinate clauses with explicit subjects
• Build collocations vocabulary

How AI Feedback Helps Vietnamese Speakers

Standard IELTS feedback often identifies errors without explaining the underlying pattern. If you keep missing verb tenses, generic feedback just keeps marking "tense error" without connecting it to Vietnamese L1 interference.

AI tools like BandWriteCoach can be programmed to recognize Vietnamese-specific error patterns. This means:

• Identifying that your tense errors stem from Vietnamese's lack of tense markers
• Flagging patterns of missing subjects in subordinate clauses
• Recognizing literal translations and suggesting natural alternatives

This pattern-based feedback helps you build systematic awareness, not just correct individual mistakes.

Key Takeaways

1. Tense is your biggest challenge—Vietnamese has no verb tenses, so you must consciously monitor every verb
2. Third-person singular needs an -s—build this habit through deliberate practice
3. Every sentence needs a subject and verb—check both are present
4. Subordinate clauses need subjects—after "when/while/because/if," include the subject
5. Adjectives come before nouns in English—reverse your Vietnamese word order
6. Learn collocations as phrases—don't translate word by word

These patterns likely explain most grammar errors in your IELTS essays. By addressing each systematically, you can make significant improvements to your Grammatical Range and Accuracy score.

Need help identifying Vietnamese-specific patterns in your IELTS essays? BandWriteCoach provides AI-powered feedback that recognizes L1 interference and gives you targeted practice to build stronger English writing habits.