In the IELTS Writing and Speaking assessment criteria, the “Grammatical Range and Accuracy” component accounts for 25% of your total score. Many candidates, despite having an extensive vocabulary, find their band scores stuck at 5.5 – 6.0 simply because they repeatedly rely on basic or predictable complex sentence structures.
To break through to higher bands like 7.0+ or 8.0+, you need to master structures that emphasize your points and guide the reader’s train of thought. One of the most effective grammatical tools for this is the Cleft Sentence. In this article, ECE English will help you master everything from the foundational theory and advanced variations to the mindset required to apply them directly in your IELTS exam.
Overview: What is a Cleft Sentence?
The word “cleft” comes from the verb “cleave,” meaning to split or divide. True to its name, a Cleft sentence is a structure divided into two clauses: a main clause containing a dummy subject combined with the information to be emphasized, and a dependent clause (usually starting with relative pronouns like that, who, whom) to provide additional meaning.
Core Function: In speech or casual conversation, emphasis is often conveyed through intonation. However, in Academic English, you cannot use vocal inflection. Cleft sentences serve as a grammatical solution to isolate and highlight a specific object, event, or action, forcing the reader to focus entirely on that information.
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Standard sentence: The government should invest more in renewable energy.
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Emphatic cleft sentence: It is the government that should invest more in renewable energy.
Common Cleft Sentence Structure using the dummy subject “It”
To understand how this works, we will take a standard academic sentence (Subject + Verb + Object + Adverb) and transform it into basic cleft forms:
Original sentence: Teacher Nhi designed this intensive IELTS curriculum in 2025.
Subject Focus Cleft Structure
Used when you want to clarify exactly who or what is the agent performing the action, eliminating confusion with other subjects.
Example: It was Teacher Nhi who/that designed this intensive IELTS curriculum in 2025.
Object Focus Cleft Structure
Used when you want to highlight the object directly or indirectly affected by the action.
Example: It was this intensive IELTS curriculum that Teacher Nhi designed in 2025.
Adverbial Focus Cleft Structure
Used to highlight the time, place, reason, or purpose of an event. This structure appears with high frequency in argumentative essays.
Example (Time focus): It was in 2025 that Teacher Nhi designed this intensive IELTS curriculum.
Example (Purpose focus): It is for career advancement that many working professionals decide to retake the IELTS test.
Passive Voice Cleft Structure
Combining cleft sentences with the passive voice creates a highly academic structure, maximizing the objectivity of your writing.
Example: It was the newly enacted education policy that was heavily criticized by environmentalists.
Advanced Cleft Structures and Special Variations
To reach a 7.5+ band score for Grammar, using only “It is/was…” is not enough. You should enrich your writing with these special variations:
Pseudo-cleft sentences (Wh- clefts)
Unlike “It + be” clefts, using a “Wh-” clause at the beginning of the sentence directs the most important information to the end, creating absolute focus for the reader.
Example: What many students desperately need is a personalized learning pathway.
Example: Where automation technology causes the most disruption is in the manufacturing sector.
Inverted cleft sentences
Move the emphasized component to the front and place the “what” clause or time markers at the end. This structure is very powerful for historical essays or trend descriptions in Task 1.
Example: A personalized learning pathway is what many students desperately need.
Example (Time marker): The year 2026 will be when many top universities heavily increase their IELTS requirements.
Cleft sentences with “All”
This structure carries the nuance of “the only thing,” limiting focus to a single element.
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Verb emphasis:
All (that) + S + do/does/did + is/was + (to) V + O
Example: All that the authorities did was build more roads, which failed to solve traffic congestion.
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Object emphasis:
All (that) + S + V + is/was + O
Example: All that individuals can do is reduce their daily carbon footprint.
Existential cleft sentences with “There”
Instead of using “There is/are” monotonously, this structure combines with a relative clause to emphasize the severity or presence of an issue.
Example: There are several global issues that the United Nations must address immediately.
Conditional cleft sentences with “If”
This form embeds a conditional assumption to highlight a core solution or cause.
Example: If the younger generation wants to land a high-paying job, it is digital literacy that they must master.
Why do Cleft Sentences help boost your IELTS score?
If you think cleft sentences are just for “making sentences longer,” you are mistaken. In the IELTS exam, they directly address the following cognitive and assessment criteria:
Boosting “Grammatical Range”
Examiners are always looking for complex structures. Interweaving 1-2 cleft sentences into your Task 2 essay immediately demonstrates your mastery of advanced grammar, rather than just relying on standard conjunctions.
Optimizing “Coherence and Cohesion” through information flow
The information-shifting technique in inverted cleft sentences allows you to place important information or previously mentioned details at the beginning of a new sentence. This creates a cohesive link between sentences (lexical cohesion), making your argument flow naturally.
Correcting Overgeneralization in Writing Task 2
Candidates often make the mistake of writing overly absolute statements like: Technology causes social isolation. This is prone to losing points in Task Achievement due to overgeneralization.
When applying cleft sentences combined with Hedging, your writing becomes objective and sharply argumentative:
What technology may potentially exacerbate is not communication itself, but rather the quality of face-to-face social interactions.
Practical Application in IELTS
Application in IELTS Writing Task 2
Cleft sentences are most powerful in your Thesis Statement, Topic Sentences, or Concluding Sentences to firmly assert your position.
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Thesis Statement (Agree or Disagree):
Standard: I believe that cutting carbon emissions is the best way to stop global warming.
While many support direct financial penalties on factories, I argue that it is the aggressive reduction of carbon emissions at a national level that plays the most decisive role in mitigating global warming.
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Discussion (AI’s impact on jobs):
What artificial intelligence threatens is not the existence of employment, but rather the security of low-skilled, repetitive jobs.
Application in IELTS Writing Task 1
In Task 1, cleft sentences help you avoid repetitive structures when describing highlights or turning points in a chart.
Line Graph: It was between 2020 and 2025 that the consumption of clean water witnessed the most dramatic surge.
Map: What replaced the old industrial factory in the north of the town was a modern shopping complex.
Breakthrough in IELTS Speaking Part 3
Speaking Part 3 requires you to answer macro-level, social questions. Using Wh- clefts or “All” clefts helps you buy time to think while still scoring high on grammar.
Examiner asks: How can governments encourage people to protect the environment?
Candidate answers: Well, there are several measures that can be adopted, but what authorities should focus on first is raising public awareness through social media campaigns, rather than just imposing heavy fines.
Comprehensive Practice Exercises (IELTS Format)
To help you internalize this knowledge, complete these three sections designed by ECE English to mirror the actual exam format.
Part 1: Multiple Choice
1. ________ environmental degradation becomes irreversible, governments must intervene.
A. It is before that
B. It is when that
C. It is before which
D. It is when which
2. What the research team finally discovered ________ a breakthrough in cancer treatment.
A. that was
B. it was
C. was
D. which was
3. It was from the official government report ________ the media obtained the statistics.
A. where
B. that
C. which
D. when
4. It is eggs ________ a high level of bad cholesterol, so consumers should be cautious.
A. that contain
B. that contains
C. contain
D. containing
5. ________ we all strive for in this modern society is a sustainable work-life balance.
A. That happiness
B. It is happiness that
C. Happiness it is that
D. What happiness
Part 2: Fill in the blanks
1. It was my mother ________ cooked the dinner.
2. ________ he wanted to inherit was not the house, but the money instead.
3. Bangkok is ________ Nam wants to make the proposal to Linh.
4. It is the chair ________ has been removed to make way for a new desk.
5. ________ you want to see at this moment must be someone really important to you.
Part 3: Writing (Rewrite sentences in IELTS style)
1. Over-reliance on smartphones damages young people’s social skills. (Use It is… that to emphasize the subject)
2. Governments must invest heavily in public transport systems to solve traffic congestion. (Use Wh- cleft)
3. Fast food advertisements directly target children, which leads to childhood obesity. (Use Passive Cleft)
4. The rapid advancement of automation technology alarms many traditional workers. (Use Inverted Wh- cleft)
5. The lack of practical experience makes university graduates struggle to find a job. (Use If cleft sentence)
Answer Key
Part 1 Answers:
1. B. It is when… that… is the cleft structure for emphasizing time/condition.
2. C. The clause What the research team finally discovered acts as the subject, followed directly by the verb was.
3. B. The adverbial phrase from the official government report must be followed by that in a cleft sentence, not where.
4. A. Since the emphasized noun is plural (eggs), the verb in the following clause must be plural (contain).
5. D. The What cleft structure acts as the subject for the entire sentence.
Part 2 Answers:
1. who/that
2. What/All
3. where
4. that
5. Whom/The person who
Part 3 Answers:
1. Answer: It is over-reliance on smartphones that damages young people’s social skills.
Explanation: Accurately asserts the core cause, creating a strong emphasis for a topic sentence.
2. Answer: What governments must do to solve traffic congestion is invest heavily in public transport systems.
Explanation: Placing the solution after the verb be makes the sentence suggestive and solution-oriented for Problem-Solution essays.
3. Answer: It is children who are directly targeted by fast food advertisements, which leads to childhood obesity.
Explanation: Moving “children” to the center of emphasis in a passive structure makes the writing highly academic.
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