Original BandLadder material
Along the way you get worked examples with the key words marked, before-and-after fixes that show why the first version loses marks, a one-page visual summary, a quick check to test yourself and a recap of the rules to remember. Each card holds one idea, so you can read it on a phone between practice sessions.
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The first 3 of 9 cards
small slips that split a paragraph
Grammar holds a paragraph together as well as a sentence. Watch time, pointers and lists.
In 2022 the council opened a bike scheme. Within weeks riders fill the docks and shops lose parkingpast story, present verbs. This upset ownersthis = which thing?. The scheme cut costs, eased traffic and helping peoplelist changes form.
Fixed: filled, lost · This loss · helped
run them on every paragraph
| Thread | Ask yourself | Repair |
|---|---|---|
| Time | Same time frame for every verb? | Match the time word |
| Pointing | Which noun sits behind this, it, they? | Name the noun |
| Lists | Do all items share one form? | Make them match |
Read the paragraph three times, once for each thread.
the time word picks the tense
| Time frame | Tense | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Finished, dated | past simple | Sales rose in 2021. |
| Started then, still true | present perfect | Sales have risen since 2021. |
| True or shown now | present simple | The chart shows sales. |
| Later than now | will / is expected to | Sales will rise in 2035. |
Change tense when the time changes.
Card 4 of 9 onwards
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Yes, to read online. Create a free BandLadder account and the full lesson opens in the study reader. No card details are needed.
The PDF download comes with any BandLadder plan. Free accounts read the lesson online in the study reader, on the web and in the app.
The BandLadder team wrote and checked it. It is original BandLadder material, not copied from books or other websites, and its exam facts are checked against the official IELTS and PTE pages.
Both. The lesson is in the IELTS and the PTE study library, so it opens whichever exam you prepare for.
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