IELTS Grammar Skills · 1
Passive voice
Useful in Writing Task 1 processes and formal Task 2 essays, but small errors with “be” and the past participle cost marks.
1The rule
something+be+past participle+(by …)
Use the passive when the action matters more than who did it, or when you don't know who did it.
Active: Workers built the bridge in 1990. → Passive: The bridge was built in 1990.
2Change only “be”
| Tense | Passive |
|---|---|
| Present simple | The tea is picked. |
| Present continuous | The road is being repaired. |
| Past simple | The museum was opened in 2005. |
| Present perfect | Two new parks have been built. |
| Future | A new library will be built. |
| Modal | More trees should be planted. |
3Use it in your test
- Writing Task 1 (process): First, the leaves are picked. Then they are dried.
- Writing Task 2 (formal tone): It is often argued that …
- Reporting facts: It is estimated that 40% of food is wasted.
- Don't add “by people / by someone”. It adds nothing. Use by only when it's useful information.
4Mistakes that lower your score
The tea picked by hand.→The tea is picked by hand.Don't forget “be”.
The bridge was build in 1990.→The bridge was built in 1990.Use the past participle (3rd form), not the base verb.
The accident was happened at night.→The accident happened at night.Some verbs have no passive: happen, arrive, die, occur, rise, fall, disappear.
The number of visitors was increased.→The number of visitors increased.In Task 1, figures rise and fall by themselves, so use the active form.
✓Quick tip
Mix active and passive. A whole essay in the passive is hard to read, but a few well-placed passives make your writing sound more academic.