“Since three months” confuses a duration with a starting point. A small correction can make the timeline much easier to follow.
The examples-and-exercises section in OET Writing Success for Speech Pathologists includes this distinction while revising ongoing situations. This guide practises it with original study examples.
Use since for a starting point
Since Monday, since June and since the first session identify when something began. For three weeks and for several months identify how long it has lasted.
Original examples
“She has attended the study group since June.”
“She has attended the study group for three months.”
The first gives a starting point; the second gives a duration.
Check whether the period is finished
For does not always require a present perfect tense. “She attended the group for three months last year” describes a finished period. Choose the tense from the timeline, not from the preposition alone.
Correct the sentence without changing its meaning
Given: Weekly practice began four weeks ago and continues now.
Draft: “He is practising weekly since four weeks.”
Revision: “He has been practising weekly for four weeks.”
Preserve facts during grammar correction
Changing grammar should not add attendance, improvement or a duration that the notes never supplied. Keep the correction within the evidence.
Practise with one ongoing period and one finished period. Write a sentence for each, then explain why you chose since or for and why the verb tense matches the time described.
Explore OET Writing for Speech Pathologists — Course 1 to see the course outline, current availability and enrolment options. Use the worked exercise above to identify a skill you would like to practise next.
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OET Writing for Speech Pathologists — Course 1
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Source: OET SPE WR 01.epub, Jobins Training. Examples labelled original or illustrative were written for this article. Independent exam preparation; no affiliation with or endorsement by the examining body. Practice does not predict an official score.