Tenses: the quiet signal that moves you past Band 6.
Examiners don't mark tense as a topic; they hear it in every sentence you speak. Choosing the right one, on purpose, is one of the clearest range signals you can give.
Why this matters. Tense is the most visible grammar in the test, because it sits in every sentence. A candidate who narrates the past in the present simple is capped at Band 6 however good the vocabulary is; one who shifts deliberately between past, perfect and future shows the range a 7+ needs. Six forms, one cardinal boundary, and a map of which tense each part of the test is asking for.
Each tense answers a different question about time.
You don't need every tense in English for IELTS. You need these six, used deliberately.
Present simple
I work · I think · it matters
Habits, routines, opinions and general truths, the backbone of Part 1 and of Part 3 generalisations.
I work in healthcare, and I think shift patterns affect everything.
Present perfect
have / has + past participle
Experience with no specific time, recent change, and trends. The single fastest way to show Band 7 control.
I've lived in three countries, and that has shaped how I see this.
Past simple
the past form of the verb
Completed past events, especially anything tied to a finished time.
I sat the test last year and missed the band by half a point.
Past continuous
was / were + -ing
An action in progress in the past, the scene-setter for a Part 2 narrative.
We were driving home when the idea first occurred to me.
Present perfect continuous
have / has been + -ing
An activity running up to now, with the duration emphasised.
I've been preparing for this exam for the best part of a year.
Future forms
will · going to · present continuous
Plans, intentions and Part 3 predictions.
I'm going to retake it, and I suspect scores like mine will become common.
The one boundary that caps Band 7
The present perfect can't take a finished time. “I have visited Rome in 2018” is wrong, a specific past time forces the past simple (“I visited Rome in 2018”), and the present perfect is for experience with no stated time (“I’ve visited Rome”). A finished time needs a finished tense.
What tense control sounds like at each band.
At Band 5
Simple present and past dominate, and not always accurately: common verbs slip (he go, she don't), and time markers do not always match the tense. The present perfect is rare or misused, and there is little sense of choosing a tense to fit the meaning. Errors are frequent and sometimes blur when something happened.
At Band 6
The present simple does all the work, including for finished past events (“Yesterday I go…”). The present perfect is missing, or turns up with a specific past time that doesn't belong. Tense shifts feel random rather than meaningful.
At Band 7
Past simple and present simple are under control, and the present perfect appears where it should, experiences and trends. The odd slip survives in a long sentence, but it's usually self-corrected.
At Band 8+
The full range, deployed flexibly and on purpose. Past continuous sets scenes, the present perfect carries trends, future forms handle predictions, and every time marker is matched to its tense.
Which tense each part of the test wants.
The same range that reads as confident in Part 3 reads as forced in Part 1. Each part of the test pulls for particular tenses; this is the map. Shifting between them on cue is itself a Band 7+ marker.
| In this part… | Reach for | For example |
|---|---|---|
| Part 1, habits & opinions | present simple | I usually study in the evenings, when it's quieter. |
| Part 1, experience so far | present perfect | I've worked in two countries, which taught me a great deal. |
| Part 1, asked about the past | past simple | I started learning English when I was eleven. |
| Part 2, the narrative | past simple | We arrived just as the festival was getting under way. |
| Part 2, setting the scene | past continuous | The sun was setting and the streets were filling up. |
| Part 2, the reflection | present perfect | That trip has stayed with me ever since. |
| Part 3, general truths | present simple | Different societies value education in different ways. |
| Part 3, trends & change | present perfect | Technology has transformed how we communicate. |
| Part 3, predictions | future | I suspect this trend will only accelerate. |
Part 3 hypotheticals (“What would happen if…?”) want a conditional rather than a plain tense, that's a structure of its own. Work through conditionals →
Ten to drill.
Choose the correct form for each gap. Press Check answers for your score and the rule behind each one. Nothing is sent anywhere.
You can list the tenses in a minute. Using them without thinking is the work.
Tense slips hide inside long sentences, exactly where you can't hear them yourself.
In a lesson we run Part 2 narratives and Part 3 discussion until the shifts happen on their own, and I flag the slip the moment it appears. Lessons are £20 for fifty minutes, one to one, in proper British English; the first step is a free 25-minute introduction. This is adapted from the grammar chapter of the forthcoming Ultimate Guide to IELTS Speaking.