Problem: scattered tense knowledge collapses under pressure — writers know each tense alone but cannot summon the right one in the letter. Answer in brief: review present and past as a contrast pair, compress all tenses onto one summary page, and automatise the present simple passive as the default formal structure. This guide gives the review formula with a one-page summary, and OET Grammar — Course 15 trains review and summary across 34 topic sections.
Review: present and past as a pair
Always together, never separately: “She fell (past event) and is comfortable (present status)”; “He took (past routine?) vs He takes (present routine?)”. The pair’s test is routine-vs-event: routines live present (“takes daily”), events live past (“took yesterday, missed today”). Review drills alternate the two until the choice is instant — hesitation between present and past is the commonest mid-letter stall.
All-tenses summary: one page
One page, four rows: Present (status/routine/truth), Past (dated events/background), Perfect (change-to-now), Future (plans/requests) — each with its letter-zone and one model sentence. Memorise the page, not the textbook: exam recall needs one lookup table, and this is it. Rewrite the page from memory weekly; gaps in recall are gaps in control.
Review and summarise supervised? The full OET Grammar — Course 15 provides present-past review with an all-tenses summary and present-simple-passive training across 34 topic sections with 58 lessons and mock tests. Explore the course →
Present simple passive: the default formal
“Is monitored”, “are reviewed”, “is prescribed” — the workhorse of formal handover for routines and truths. Use for standing arrangements (“She is reviewed monthly”), ward truths (“Observations are recorded four-hourly”), and protocol statements (“Wounds are assessed using…”). Its danger is routine-ising single events (“was reviewed Friday” for one appointment) — event vs routine, same test as ever.
Review drill routine
Daily: five contrast pairs (present/past), three summary recitations (one page from memory), five passive conversions (active routine → present simple passive). Fifteen minutes, every day, for three weeks — review is maintenance, and maintenance compounds.
FAQs
What goes on the summary page exactly?
Four rows: family, zone, formation pattern, one model sentence. Nothing else — the page must be recallable whole, or it is not a summary.
How often should I re-review?
Daily during learning, weekly once automatic, once the night before the exam. Spaced review beats massed review at every interval studied.
What is in the course?
Thirty-four topic sections of present-past review with an all-tenses summary and present-simple-passive training, 58 lessons and 5 complete mock tests.
The matching course
OET Grammar — Course 15 reviews to permanence: contrast pairs, one-page summary, default formal passive — 34 topic sections, 58 lessons, 5 mock tests. If knowledge scatters under pressure, consolidate 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): 34 topic sections, 58 lessons, 5 mock tests.
- Examples are newly written and fictional; other valid structures exist.