Problem: piecemeal tense study leaves gaps — writers master past and present, then perfects and futures ambush them mid-letter. Answer in brief: survey all four tense families plus formal passive in one pass, with each family’s letter-zone and one model sentence, then drill the boundaries between them. This guide gives the complete survey with boundary drills, and OET Grammar — Course 7 trains the full survey across 11 topic sections.
Present family: facts, routines, today
Present simple for stable truths (“She has type 2 diabetes”), routines (“He takes metformin twice daily”) and today’s findings (“She is comfortable”). Present continuous sparingly for genuinely ongoing processes (“She is recovering well”). Model: “Mrs Osei is alert today; she takes ramipril each morning.” Zone: now and always.
Past family: events, background, sequence
Past simple for dated events (“He fell on Monday”); past continuous for background in progress (“She was living alone when…”); past perfect for before-past sequencing (“She had stopped the tablets before admission”). Model: “He had completed two rehab courses before this fall.” Zone: finished time.
Survey everything supervised? The full OET Grammar — Course 7 covers present, past, perfect and future tenses with formal passive across 11 topic sections with 50 lessons and mock tests. Explore the course →
Perfect family: change reaching now
Present perfect for change-to-now (“Her walking has improved”); past perfect for change-before-then. The family’s test: can you state the present consequence? If not, simple tense probably fits better. Model: “His appetite has returned since Tuesday, so discharge planning proceeds.”
Future family: plans, promises, requests
“Will” for scheduled facts and promises (“She will attend Friday”); “going to” for arranged plans; modals (“should”, “please”, “would appreciate”) for requests and recommendations. Model: “Please review the wound on Friday; she will bring all medicines.” Zone: what happens next and who acts.
Passive for formal medical writing
Procedures, findings received, arrangements made — with agents where responsibility matters. “The wound was closed with clips on Tuesday” (process + date); “He should be reviewed by cardiology within two weeks” (modal + owner + timeframe). Formal does not mean agentless: add owners to recommendations always.
Boundary drills
For each family pair (present/past, past/perfect, perfect/future), write three sentence pairs differing only in the boundary choice, with the meaning change stated: “She was comfortable” vs “She is comfortable” (then vs now); “He lost weight” vs “He has lost weight” (done vs ongoing concern). Boundaries are where marks live — drill them, not the middles.
FAQs
How do I know which family a clause needs?
Ask when: finished time → past; now/always → present; change-to-now → perfect; next → future. Time questions answer tense questions.
What if a sentence spans families?
Subordinate correctly: “Although she fell (past), she is comfortable today (present) and will attend review (future).” Mixed sentences are normal; mixed-up zones are the fault.
What is in the course?
Eleven topic sections surveying present, past, perfect and future tenses with formal passive, 50 lessons and 5 complete mock tests.
The matching course
OET Grammar — Course 7 surveys everything once, properly: four tense families plus formal passive, with boundary drills — 11 topic sections, 50 lessons, 5 mock tests. For gap-free tense control, survey here.
Sources and note
- OET Writing criteria per the official OET site: oet.com — Writing. Check current format guidance before the exam.
- Course details verified from its public staging page (read-only): 11 topic sections, 50 lessons, 5 mock tests.
- Examples are newly written and fictional; other valid structures exist.
Put this into practice
Compare these course outlines and choose the practice that matches your next goal.
