The future perfect passive is a complex grammatical structure that often appears in IELTS exams, particularly in the Writing and Speaking sections. Mastering this tense can significantly enhance your English proficiency and boost your IELTS score. Let’s delve into the intricacies of this tense and explore how to use it effectively in your IELTS preparation.
Understanding the Future Perfect Passive
The future perfect passive is used to describe an action that will have been completed at a specific point in the future, with emphasis on the result rather than the doer of the action. It’s a combination of the future perfect tense and the passive voice, making it a sophisticated grammatical structure that can impress IELTS examiners when used correctly.
Formula: will + have + been + past participle
For example:
- “By 2030, the new airport will have been completed.”
- “The research paper will have been submitted before the deadline next week.”
- “All the exam papers will have been marked by this time tomorrow.”
In these sentences, the focus is on the completion of the action (completion of the airport, submission of the paper, marking of exam papers) rather than who is performing these actions.
Future Perfect Passive Timeline
Usage in IELTS Writing and Speaking
IELTS Writing Task 2
In IELTS Writing Task 2, using the future perfect passive can demonstrate a high level of grammatical control and sophistication. It’s particularly useful when discussing future predictions or hypothetical situations.
Example paragraph:
“By the year 2050, it is likely that significant advancements will have been made in renewable energy technology. Solar panels will have been installed on the majority of buildings, and fossil fuels will have been phased out in most developed countries. These changes will have been implemented gradually over the decades, resulting in a cleaner and more sustainable global energy system.”
IELTS Speaking Part 3
In the Speaking test, using the future perfect passive can showcase your ability to discuss complex ideas about the future.
Example response to “How do you think technology will change education in the future?”:
“I believe that by 2040, traditional classrooms will have been largely replaced by virtual learning environments. Textbooks will have been completely digitized, and personalized AI tutors will have been developed to cater to individual learning styles. These changes will have been implemented gradually, but they will revolutionize the way education is delivered and accessed.”
Common Mistakes and How to Avoid Them
Incorrect auxiliary verb order:
- Incorrect: “The project will been have completed.”
- Correct: “The project will have been completed.”
Forgetting to use the past participle:
- Incorrect: “The book will have been write by next year.”
- Correct: “The book will have been written by next year.”
Using the active voice instead of passive:
- Incorrect: “They will have finished the construction by 2025.”
- Correct: “The construction will have been finished by 2025.”
Overusing the structure:
While it’s impressive to use the future perfect passive, overusing it can make your speech or writing sound unnatural. Use it sparingly and appropriately.
Strategies for Mastering the Future Perfect Passive
Practice with timelines: Create visual timelines to understand the sequence of events in the future perfect passive.
Use context clues: Look for time expressions like “by 2030” or “before the end of next year” that often accompany this tense.
Transform active sentences: Practice converting future perfect active sentences to passive ones.
Incorporate into your IELTS essays: Try to include at least one future perfect passive sentence in your Writing Task 2 essays when discussing future predictions.
Use in Speaking Part 3: When asked about future developments, try to incorporate this structure in your responses.
IELTS Writing Sample
Enhancing Your IELTS Score with Advanced Grammar
Using the future perfect passive correctly can contribute to a higher band score in both Writing and Speaking. Here’s how it can impact your score:
- Band 6: Basic use of future perfect passive with some errors
- Band 7: Correct use of future perfect passive in appropriate contexts
- Band 8-9: Consistently accurate use of future perfect passive, demonstrating flexibility and precision
Example for Band 8-9:
“It is anticipated that by the time the new environmental policies come into effect, significant progress will have been made in reducing carbon emissions. Renewable energy sources will have been integrated into the national grid, and sustainable transportation systems will have been implemented in major cities. These changes will have been driven by a combination of government initiatives and public awareness campaigns.”
Conclusion
Mastering the future perfect passive is a valuable skill for IELTS success. By understanding its structure, practicing its use in context, and avoiding common mistakes, you can effectively incorporate this advanced grammatical form into your IELTS Writing and Speaking responses. Remember to use it judiciously and always in conjunction with a range of other grammatical structures to demonstrate your overall English proficiency.
To further enhance your IELTS preparation, consider practicing with past exam questions that require discussion of future events or predictions. This will give you ample opportunity to apply the future perfect passive in realistic test scenarios.
For more advanced grammar structures that can boost your IELTS score, you might want to explore passive causative constructions or future continuous passive. These structures, along with the future perfect passive, will help you express complex ideas with precision and sophistication in your IELTS exam.