What tenses to use and grammar tips for IELTS Writing Task 1. Grammar counts for 25% of your marks in IELTS writing task 1 and that includes the correct use of tenses based on the information given in the task. You can get tasks based in the past, present or future so tenses are essential to get right.
Below you will find:
- Grammar for IELTS Writing Task 1 Academic
- Tenses for IELTS Writing Task 1 General Training (bottom of page)
IELTS Writing Task 1: Grammar
For IELTS writing task 1 (Academic Test), you may be given a map, a diagram, a bar chart, a line graph, a table or a pie chart in the academic test. The IELTS examiner will mark you on the following (each worth 25% of task 1)
- Task Achievement: information, overview, accurate of data
- Coherence & Cohesion: Paragraphing, Linking Words
- Vocabulary: Collocations, Spelling and Accuracy
- Grammar: Sentence structures, tenses, grammatical range and accuracy
So, you can see that using the right tense is important in IELTS writing task 1 because it falls into the marking criterion of Grammar. You can read more about marking here: IELTS WRITING TASK 1 BAND SCORES EXPLAINED WITH TIPS
DATES & TENSES
On your IELTS writing task 1 graph, chart, map, diagram or table, you might find dates. These will tell you what tense to use.
- Dates in the Past = Past Tense
- Dates in the Future = Future Forms
- Dates spanning both Past and Future = both Past Tense and Future Forms
Example Sentences for Tenses:
- In 2010, the number of sales stood at 2 million and is forecast to rise to a peak of 10 million by 2050.
- The maps shows that in 1962, the village, located in the west was small. However, currently, it has expanded to join together with the neighbouring town.
- The number of people visiting a music cafe increased from 10,000 to reach 20,000 in 1975. By 2030, this number is predicted to hit 34,000.
- Today, the number of people visiting the Dali museum stands at 100,000. In previous years, the figure was only 90,000.
What if NO DATE is given in the IELTS chart?
If there is no date given on your IELTS chart, graph table etc, then you will use the present tense.
PASSIVE VOICE
There are candidates who have been told by some teachers that they will get a high score if they use the passive voice. This is not true. No tense is more valuable than another. You can only use the passive voice when it is appropriate and correct to do so. Most writing task 1 will not give you this opportunity. For example, the majority of all bar charts, line graphs, tables and pie charts will unlikely use the passive voice and to attempt to force it into your writing will probably result in an error. However, if you get a diagram or a map, they are often a combination of passive and active voice. Look at the paragraph below and see how the passive voice (red) is used along side the active voice (blue).
Paragraph: Rain is collected as it falls on the roof tops of houses. This water then passes through the drains and is eventually transferred to a water filter. The water is filtered to remove impurities before it then goes to a storage tank. From the tank it travels along pipes to reach the water treatment where it is treated with chemicals.
To see the model answer, click here: Diagram Model Answer
Articles: Using THE in grammar
In writing task 1, you are often given bar charts, line graphs and tables that refer to different countries and different nationalities. One of the biggest problems with this is the use of “the” with country names. Lets see how good you are with this.
Which options below are wrong?
- the British
- the UK
- the America
- the Britain
- the English
- the US
- the Americans
- the England
ANSWERS
Click below for answers and for information about using “the” with country names.
Answers
- Number 3 “the America” is wrong
- Number 4 “the Britain” is wrong
- Number 8 “the England” is wrong.
Details:
Almost all country names do not require the article “the”. We refer to France, England, Britain, Vietnam, Canada, China, India – all without “the”.
However, there are exceptions. Countries that are made up of a group of states or islands use “the”, such as the Philippines and the US. Any country that uses the words “states” or “united” or “republic” also use “the”, for example the UK, the US, the Republic of China. So, we would write “the UK” because it contains the word “united”, but we would write “Britain” without “the. Please note, the word “Britain” is not a synonym for England. Britain means the UK. Britain refers to the group of countries that make up the UK: England, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales. The word “Britain” actually means “Great Britain”.
We also need to use the article “the” when referring to nationalities as a group of people: the British, the Americans, the Chinese, the Vietnamese, the English.
You can find full training for articles in essay writing in my Grammar E-book.
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IELTS General Training Writing Task 1 Tenses
The examiner will mark you using the same criteria as the AC test, but with one difference in Task Achievement. The IELTS examiner will mark you on the following (each worth 25% of task 1). See below:
- Task Achievement: Purpose, tone and expanding points
- Coherence & Cohesion: Paragraphing, Linking Words
- Vocabulary: Collocations, Spelling and Accuracy
- Grammar: Sentence structure, tenses, punctuation, grammar range and accuracy
For students taking the General Training test. You will use a range of tenses in your letter depending on the aims and purpose. Below are some sample sentences:
- I am writing to …. (present continuous)
- I visited your store … (past simple)
- …the poor service I have received (present perfect)
- I hope the problem will be resolved … (future form and future passive)
- I had hoped that … (past perfect)
