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IELTS Foundation

Liza: Past Tenses & Irregular Verbs

Student: Liza (A2-B1)
Target: IELTS Band 6.5
Focus: Past Simple & Irregular Verbs
1 / N
Shadowing: Past Tense (Band 5-6)

Objective: Listen and repeat. Focus on irregular verbs and -ed endings.

Record yourself, then compare with the model
Listen & Repeat
Discussion: IELTS Part 1 Past Questions

Q1

"Did you study English at school?"

Q2

"When did you first start learning English?"

Q3

"Where were you last weekend?"

Past Simple for IELTS — Why It Matters

IELTS Speaking Part 2 requires telling a story about a past experience. IELTS Writing Task 1 (past trends) needs past tense. Using irregular verbs correctly moves you from Band 5 → Band 6.

Band 5 "I go to the exam yesterday." Band 6 "I went to the exam yesterday."
Regular (-ed) for IELTS
BasePastExample (IELTS context)
studystudied"I studied for three hours."
practisepractised"I practised speaking every day."
decidedecided"I decided to take the exam."
improveimproved"My score improved slowly."
12 Common Irregular Verbs for IELTS = Неправильные глаголы
BasePastBasePast
bewas/werehavehad
gowentdodid
getgotsaysaid
makemadetaketook
buyboughtcomecame
seesawmeetmet

Quick check — tap to reveal:

"Did she buy or buyed the book?"
She bought the book. (irregular: buy → bought)
"Did they went or go to class?"
They went to class. (past: go → went)
"He _____ (see) the teacher. Is it 'seed' or 'saw'?"
He saw the teacher. (irregular: see → saw)
was / were Table = Был/Была/Были
SubjectBE PastExample
Iwas"I was nervous before the test."
He / She / Itwas"She was happy with her score."
You / We / Theywere"We were very tired after the exam."
Negation: didn't + base verb = Отрицание

"I didn't go to university." (NOT "I didn't went")
"She didn't like the exam." (NOT "She didn't liked")

Rule: didn't + BASE verb (no past tense after didn't!)
Russian: "Я не пошёл" → "I didn't go" (NOT "I didn't went")

Practice — make these negative:

I passed the exam.→ I didn't pass the exam.
She understood the question.→ She didn't understand the question.
We finished on time.→ We didn't finish on time.
He made a mistake.→ He didn't make a mistake.
Past Simple Questions = Вопросы

Did + subject + base verb?
" Did you study English at school?" — "Yes, I did." / "No, I didn't."
" Where did you go last weekend?" — "I went to the cinema."

Rule: Did + subject + BASE verb? (NOT "Did you went?")
Russian: "Ты учил?" → "Did you study?" (NOT "Did you studied?")
Common Mistakes for Russian Speakers = L1 ошибки

1. Articles (Артикли)

RU: "Я купил книгу" (no article) → EN: "I bought a book" (need "a")

2. BE verb (Глагол быть)

RU: "Она была дома" → EN: "She was at home" (don't skip "was")

3. Past tense (Прошедшее время)

RU: "Я ходил" (one form) → EN: "I went" (irregular! NOT "goed" or "goed")

A. Fill the Gap: Past Tense (IELTS-themed)

Choose the correct past form. Click to reveal the answer.

B. Make It Negative

Click each sentence to see the negative form.

A. IELTS Part 1: Past Experiences

Answer in full sentences. Use Past Simple.

Q1

"Did you enjoy your last holiday?"

Q2

"What was your favourite subject at school?"

Q3

"When did you last celebrate something?"

B. IELTS Part 2: Cue Card

30 seconds preparation → 1 minute speaking

Cue Card

Describe a time you achieved something difficult.

You should say:
- What you achieved
- When and where it happened
- How you prepared for it
- And explain how you felt about it.

00:30
Preparation
01:00
Speaking
C. Diagnostic Free Speech (2 min)
02:00
Speaking Time

Prompt

"Tell me about something you learned to do."

Teacher listens for: irregular verbs correct/incorrect, -ed pronunciation, past tense accuracy

IELTS-graded Past Tense Errors
ErrorBand ImpactFix
"I go to the park yesterday."Band 5 GR"I went..."
"I didn't went."Band 5 GR"I didn't go."
"He buyed a book."Band 5 GR"He bought a book."
"She studyed all day."Band 5 GR"She studied all day."
"I walk-ed slowly."Band 5.5"I walked slowly." /t/ not /ɛd/
"There was many people."Band 5.5"There were many people."
"I was there yesterday." Band 6Keep!

Quick Wins — What You Already Do Well

✓ Regular -ed endings (studied, practised, decided)
✓ Time expressions (yesterday, last week, every day)
✓ Past tense of BE (I was / We were)

Band 5 → Band 6 Ladder: Past Tense
Band 5 Use irregular past forms, avoid didn't + past, add -ed correctly Band 6

Band 5 Past Tense Profile

"I go to the exam yesterday. She didn't went. I buyed a book."

Band 6 Past Tense Profile

"I went to the exam yesterday. She didn't go. I bought a book."

Teacher's Error Pad

Write Liza's actual past tense errors here during the lesson. Auto-saved to localStorage.

A. Speaking HW: Audio Recording + STT Self-Check

Task: Record a 1.5-minute answer: "Tell me about a memorable day from last year — a birthday, a trip, or an event."

Liza option: Describe a memorable creative moment — a concert, exhibition, or piece of music that meant something to you. Use past tense: "I went to...", "I saw...", "I felt...".
Record your answer (1.5 min)
Model Answer (for comparison):
"Last year, I had a memorable birthday. My friends organised a surprise party for me. They bought a cake and decorated the room. I was very surprised because I didn't expect anything. We ate pizza, listened to music, and took lots of photos. My best friend made a speech, and I felt so happy. It was a wonderful evening, and I will never forget it."
B. Writing HW: Weekend Story

Prompt: Write 10 sentences about your last weekend (120-150 words). Where did you go? What did you do? Who were you with?

Word count: 0 / 120-150

Self-Check Checklist

C. Error Journal

Write down 3 past tense mistakes + corrections from today's lesson.

Mistake 1:
Mistake 2:
Mistake 3: