Verb tenses in IELTS Writing Task 1 and Task 2: which tense, when
Quick answer
In IELTS Writing Task 1, let the visual choose the tense: the past for a past period, the present for a process or an undated chart, future forms for a projection. In Task 2, use the present simple for general claims, the present perfect for change that reaches today, and conditionals for consequences. IELTS sets no tense for either task. Grammatical Range and Accuracy rewards tenses that are correct and consistent, and one time frame per sentence.
Task 1 and Task 2 answers come back marked on all four Writing criteria, with the reason for each one.
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On this page
Tense errors are among the easiest to make under time pressure and the easiest to find afterwards. The skill is not knowing twelve tenses. It is knowing which three or four your two tasks need, and checking each sentence against one question: what time does this sentence talk about? This guide is part of the grammar cluster that begins with the guide to Grammatical Range and Accuracy. For the shape of the Writing test as a whole, see the guide to the Writing format for Task 1 and Task 2.
Key takeaways
- IELTS sets no tense. In Task 1 the visual decides, and in Task 2 the claim decides.
- Past dates mean past forms, no dates mean the present, and a future date means future forms.
- The present perfect is for a period that reaches today, never for a finished date.
- Keep one time frame in each sentence, and change it only when you mean to.
- A consistent, correct tense scores better than a varied but broken one.
What the criterion asks of tenses
IELTS.org lists Grammatical Range and Accuracy as one of four equally weighted Writing criteria, and Task 2 carries more weight than Task 1 in the final Writing band. This site’s Writing band descriptors explorer gives the public descriptors in plain words. At band 6, mistakes appear but rarely stop the reader understanding. At band 7, whole sentences without any error are frequent, and the writer controls several kinds of complex structure.
The descriptors never name a tense. IELTS publishes no list of tenses to show off and no count of errors per band. What a tense error does is separate a sentence from its timeline, and a reader who cannot tell when something happened has to guess. Treat tense as accuracy first and range second.
Task 1: the visual chooses
IELTS.org describes Academic Task 1 as a graph, table, chart or diagram described in at least 150 words in about 20 minutes. The first thing to read on the visual is its time information.
| What the visual shows | Tense | Invented example |
|---|---|---|
| A past period, with dates | Past simple | Sales rose from 2005 to 2015. |
| A period that ends now | Present perfect | Sales have risen since 2015. |
| No dates, or a general process | Present simple | Water is heated and then filtered. |
| A date still to come | Future forms | Sales are expected to rise by 2030. |
| A map of a past year and a later year | Past simple for both | The school was extended by 2020. |
Past dates
A graph covering 2000 to 2020 describes things that are finished, so write “rose”, “fell” and “peaked”. Do not drift into the present halfway through a paragraph because the data is on the page in front of you. The guide to charts, graphs and tables says the same: tense follows the data.
No dates, or a process
A chart with no dates, such as a pie chart of one year’s figures that is labelled as current, takes the present simple. So does a process, because it describes how something happens in general. The process diagrams and maps guide covers this, and the passive voice guide shows how to form it, for example “the water is filtered”.
Projections
When a chart gives figures for a year that has not happened yet, use a future form and make clear that it is a forecast: “is expected to”, “is projected to”, “will”, “is predicted to”. Do not write that something “rose” in a year that is still ahead. If the chart mixes past figures and a projection, change tense at the boundary between them and nowhere else.
The present perfect trap
The present perfect links the past to now. It suits “since 2015”, “over the last decade” and “so far”. It does not suit a finished, dated point.
Wrong: “The population has increased in 2010.”
Right: “The population increased in 2010.”
Right: “The population has increased since 2010.”
The sentence is wrong because “in 2010” closes the period, and the present perfect asks for a period that stays open. Many candidates reach for the present perfect because it feels more advanced. Choose the past simple when the date is fixed, and the present perfect only when the period runs on to now.
One time frame per sentence
A sentence can compare two years, but both verbs should agree with the dates:
Wrong: “In 1990 car use is higher than in 2020.”
Right: “In 1990 car use was higher than in 2020.”
When a sentence mixes a past clause with a present one, make sure you mean it: “The figure fell to 20 per cent, which is still the lowest on the chart” can be correct, because the second clause is true now. The test is whether the writer chose the change. If you did not choose it, fix it.
Task 2: the claim chooses
IELTS.org describes Task 2 as an essay of at least 250 words in about 40 minutes, and an essay is a series of claims, each with its own time.
The present simple for general claims
A general truth or a normal state of affairs takes the present simple: “Technology changes how people work”, “Many students feel under pressure”. Most topic sentences and most conclusions use it.
The present perfect for change up to now
When the question is about a trend or a development, the present perfect carries it: “Public attitudes have shifted”, “The cost of housing has risen”. Add “in recent years” or “since” if you want to be precise. The post on Task 2 essay structure shows where such sentences usually sit, in the first sentence of a body paragraph that sets up a development.
The past simple for finished examples
An example from the past, with or without a date, takes the past simple: “In the 1990s, many cities built ring roads, and traffic moved rather than fell”. Mark the shift from present to past with a time phrase so the reader sees it coming.
Conditionals for consequences
Task 2 asks you to predict and to weigh outcomes, and that is the job of the conditional. The two most useful forms are:
- Real or likely. “If cities invest in cycling lanes, more people will cycle.” The condition is in the present simple and the result is “will”.
- Unlikely or imagined. “If cities invested in cycling lanes, more people would cycle.” The condition is in the past simple and the result is “would”.
A very frequent error is “will” in both halves: “If cities will invest in cycling lanes”. After “if”, the condition is not in the future. IELTS sets no requirement to use conditionals, and the band descriptors ask only for a range of structures used with control, so use one where the argument is a consequence and nowhere else.
Modals for the future
“Could”, “may” and “is likely to” mark possibility with less risk than “will”, and they soften a claim you cannot prove.
Common tense errors
- A tense shift in the middle of a paragraph. The paragraph starts in the past and slides into the present, with no change in the time being described. Read back one paragraph at a time and ask the time question at each verb.
- Present perfect with a finished date. Described above.
- “Will” after “if”, “when” or “as soon as”. “When the road will open” is wrong. Use the present simple for a future event in a time or condition clause.
- A missing past marker in a Task 1 comparison. “Compared with 2000, 2010 shows” is a mix of two moments. Say what happened: “Compared with 2000, the 2010 figure was higher.”
- Wrong irregular forms. “Rised”, “growed” and “has went” all cost accuracy. Keep a short list of the irregular verbs of change that you use (“rise, rose, risen”, “fall, fell, fallen”, “grow, grew, grown”) and practise them.
Check your own text
A proofreading pass for tense takes two minutes:
- Underline every main verb in Task 1. Match each to a date or to the “no date” rule above.
- Circle every present perfect and look for a finished date next to it.
- Read each Task 2 paragraph and write the time of each sentence in the margin: general, up to now, finished, possible. Check that the verb agrees.
- Check every “if” sentence for “will” in the wrong half.
The essay checker on this site checks the shape of a Task 2 essay in your browser. It is not a band score and cannot judge your grammar, so use it for structure and use the checks above for the verbs.
How this fits the rest of the grammar work
Tense is one strand of Grammatical Range and Accuracy. The passive voice guide covers how tenses appear inside the passive. The guides on relative clauses and complex sentences cover how clauses combine, and each clause has its own tense to check. Speaking has its own tense problems, mostly in narrating past events, and the post on common grammar mistakes in IELTS Speaking covers them, so they are not repeated here.
The habit to build is small: before you write a verb, name the time it refers to.
Frequently asked questions
Does IELTS tell you which tense to use in Writing Task 1?
No. IELTS.org describes Task 1 as a description of a graph, table, chart or diagram in at least 150 words, and it sets no tense. The visual does the choosing. Dates in the past call for past forms, no dates call for the present, and a date still to come calls for future forms.
Can I use the present perfect in Task 1?
Yes, when the period runs up to now and the date is not a finished point. "Sales have risen since 2015" is natural. It is wrong with a finished date, as in "Sales have risen in 2015", where the past simple is needed. Many Task 1 tense errors are exactly this mix.
Is the present simple always right for Task 2?
It is the usual choice for general claims, such as "Technology changes how people work". It is not enough on its own. A Task 2 answer also talks about change over time, past causes and possible results, so it normally needs the present perfect, the past simple and conditionals too.
How many tense mistakes lower my band?
IELTS publishes no count of errors per band. The public wording asks whether mistakes get in the way of meaning and how often whole sentences are error-free. A tense slip that confuses the timeline matters more than one that does not, and a repeated slip matters more than a single one.
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