The Common Grammar Mistake of Forgetting the Past Tense in IELTS Speaking (+ Practice Exercises)

One of the most common grammar mistakes in English--not just in the IELTS Speaking test--is forgetting to use the past tense. For many IELTS learners, especially those whose native languages do not have the same tense structure as English, remembering to switch to the past tense can be difficult.  However, this can significantly affect your score, as the correct use of tenses is crucial for demonstrating your proficiency in English. 

Why does using the correct tense matter?
Using the correct tense shows the examiner that you can accurately convey when events occurred. This is not only about grammar; it also affects the clarity of your ideas. If you use the wrong tense, your listener might be confused about when the events happened, which can disrupt communication.

Let's look at some typical mistakes that learners make:

• Incorrect Sentence: When I was a child, I often play with my cousins in a river near our home.
  • Correct Sentence: When I was a child, I often played with my cousins in a river near our home.

 

• Incorrect Sentence: I get the violin as a present from my grandparents.
  • Correct Sentence: I got the violin as a present from my grandparents. 

In both examples, the verbs "play" and "get" should be in the past tense ("played" and "got") to accurately reflect actions that happened in the past.

Tips to Avoid This Mistake

1. Refresh your memory. You may or may not remember the past tense forms of some verbs, especially the irregular verbs--the verbs which don't simply add -d or -ed to make the past tense, such as speak → spoke, teach → taught, and draw → drew.  The irregular verbs seem to be a common stumbling block because they need to be memorized as they don't follow a set pattern. There are no shortcuts for this step. You'll need to learn and remember the correct past tense forms of verbs. Reading stories is a good way to pick up on the past tense because a lot of stories are written in this way. 
2. Practice regularly. Make it a habit to practice speaking about past events. Describe your day, talk about your childhood, or narrate a story from your past. The more you practice, the more natural it will become to use the past tense correctly. Below you'll find a list of typical IELTS questions asking about the past.
3. Practice with photos. When practicing, use pictures or timelines to help you remember to use the past tense. For example, look at your old photos and describe what was happening in each picture. Where was the photo taken? Who were the people there? What were you doing? 
4. Listen, notice and shadow. Listen to native speakers and pay attention to how they use past tenses. This could be through movies, TV shows, podcasts, or conversations. Notice the verbs they use and how they change forms based on the tense. After listening and noting the verbs in past tense, imitate the speakers out loud, phrase by phrase or sentence by sentence. Doing this regularly will get you used to the structure and the actual sounds of these words at the same time. 
5. Record yourself. Record your speaking practice and listen to it critically. Identify any mistakes you make with tenses and make a conscious effort to correct them in future practices.
6. Get feedback: Practice speaking with a tutor or a study partner who can give you feedback on your use of tenses. Sometimes, others can spot mistakes that you might miss.

Here are some exercises with typical IELTS questions to help you practice using the past tense. Try to record your own responses, then play it back and listen if you used the past tense correctly before looking at the sample answers.

​IELTS Speaking PART 1
1. What do you remember about learning languages at school?

• Sample answer:  Well actually, I don't think it was a very pleasant experience. We had English classes every year where we learned grammar endlessly and had a lot of spelling quizzes. Most of my teachers were nice at least, but they often got upset at the class when we scored low in exams. I'm sure there were lots of interesting activities, but I tend to remember more of the negative experiences. 

​
2. Did you enjoy playing sports when you were at school?

• Sample answer: No, I'm afraid I didn't. Honestly, I wasn't very good at sports. In high school and even in university, the only sport I could play decently was badminton. I did quite poorly in basketball and volleyball, which were both part of the curriculum. Needless to say, I didn't get high grades in my PE classes. 

​IELTS Speaking PART 2
1. Describe a past event: Talk about a memorable event from your past. 

• Sample answer 1: "Two years ago, I visited my sister who had immigrated with her family to Hawaii. It was my first trip abroad as well as my first time to see her since they moved, so I was really excited to go on that trip. Hawaii was such a wonderful place to visit and my sister and nephews showed me around the island. We went to the beach nearly every afternoon and enjoyed swimming and snorkeling. I didn't know how to snorkel so they had to teach me at first. I was introduced to some local cuisine and I totally enjoyed trying out new dishes such as their poke bowls and the loco moco. Poke is essentially chunks of raw fish marinated in some sauce, while loco moco is like a burger except it is made with rice as the base, and it's topped with an egg. Sampling new flavors was definitely one of the highlights of my trip. I’ll never forget all the new experiences I had, but what made it really special was spending it with my sister and her family, who I’m very close to.”

​

• Sample answer 2:  "When I was in high school, I participated in a student exchange program with our sister school in Japan. I travelled with two of my classmates and we spent two weeks learning  and interacting with students in a school in Kyoto. My host family was really welcoming and their daughter, her name is Yuki, was in the class I attended. Yuki is a really  lively and somewhat wacky girl who tried her best to teach me about Japanese culture as well as some common Japanese words and greetings. She taught me some swear words, of course, which her parents really frowned upon, but overall she's such a wholesome and funny person to hang out with... I couldn't have asked for a better host family and I really wish I could give back to them in return for all their hospitality. I still keep in touch with Yuki through social media and I hope to be able to travel back to Japan sometime in the future..."

​
​IELTS Speaking PART 3
1. Why do you think children today might be better at science than their parents?

• Sample answer: "I think previous generations had fewer science resources compared to what today's children have, both in school and on the internet. For example, older generations likely had science books with fewer pictures and those pictures were probably just in black and white or were simplified illustrations. On the other hand, children today often have better access to videos, animations and other visual learning tools. I think having these tools deeply affects how interested learners can be, and at the same time it also affects how much they can learn about subjects like science, so it makes sense that children these days would have better science skills and know-how."

2. Some people say that it is more important to be able to learn new things now than it was
in the past. Do you agree or disagree with that? Why?

• Sample answer: “I completely agree that learning new things is more important now than in the past, especially if someone wants to do well in today’s modern, fast-paced world. In the past, people could often rely on only one skill set or one profession for their entire lives, but these days technology and industries are changing so quickly that we constantly need to update our knowledge. For example, even in jobs that didn’t use much technology before, workers now need to learn how to use computers or digital tools such as mobile apps. On top of that, society is becoming more globalized, so learning new languages, cultural skills, or even just adapting to new ways of working has become essential. In my view, lifelong learning is no longer optional; it’s really necessary to keep up.”

Suggested Exercises
Here are some practice questions for you. Sample answers are given for the first one. 
1. What did you do last weekend?

• Sample answer 1: "Last weekend, I went hiking with my friends. We explored a new trail and then we had lunch at a restaurant with great mountain views. The food was expensive though."
• Sample answer 2: "Well actually, it rained heavily all day on Saturday, so my family and I just stayed home and watched some videos on YouTube. We also made pancakes and cleaned the kitchen counters afterwards. We kind of repeated the same things on Sunday  because the weather was still awful. It sounds like we always *lollygag on the weekends but actually we usually try to go out for walks and get lots of exercise." (*vocabulary: to lollygag means to waste time or to just be idle.)

​
​2. Did you like studying science when you were at school? [Why/Why not?]
3. What was the last thing you bought online?
4. Did you learn to swim when you were a child?  [Why/Why not?]
5. Did you enjoy singing when you were younger?  [Why/Why not?]
​​
6. [Speaking Part 2] Describe a journey [e.g. by car, plane, boat] that you remember well.
You should say:
where you went
how you travelled
why you went on the journey
and explain why you remember this journey well.

How did that go? Were you able to use the past tense correctly? Reflecting on your answers is a great way to notice whether you’re still making mistakes or if you’ve improved. The more aware you are of your own usage, the easier it will be to correct yourself in real time during the IELTS Speaking test.
​
Forgetting to use the past tense is a common but easily fixable mistake in the IELTS Speaking test. By understanding why this mistake happens and using the above strategies to avoid it, you can improve your grammatical accuracy and enhance your overall speaking performance. As you keep practicing, the past tense will start to come automatically, boosting both your accuracy and confidence.​