1.To describe situations in the past that started earlier than another process.
Example:
His uncle was an engineer and uncle's father had also been an engineer.

2. To show the order of events in the past (following phrases can be useful in this case: when, as soon as, by the time, after)
Example:
When I moved to Saint Petersburg, 2 of my friend had already lived there.

3. To describe something that had happened before a particular moment in the past. (the following words can be useful in this case: always, sometimes, never, before+ fixed moment)
Example:
By the time we reached the city, we had already planned what we were going to do their.

4. When you use reporting verbs to report past events.
Example:
My friends told me that they had been to that place long time before.

You can use this tense in IELTS writing to describe two maps illustrating the changes between two periods in the past. Besides, you can use it in Speaking, while telling your examiner about your past experience.


We wish you the highest score in IELTS!

You can use Present Participle after such prepositions as:

• before
• after
• while

to make your writing more formal.

Compare two examples:

1. Although the government understands the locals' dissatisfaction with the situation, it is not in their interests to take any measures towards tackling it.

2. While understanding the locals' dissatisfaction with the situation, the government is not interested in taking any measures towards tackling it.

The second one is more formal, as it is less personal and contains uncommon structure. So, in case you are writing an essay, it is better to use the second sentence.

1.After spending a considerable amount of money on a newborn child, parents usually can not afford themselves buying expensive things.

2.Before being reconstructed in 2007, the airport could take only 5 plains an hour.

Hope this grammar tip was useful for you!

We wish you an effective preparation! Good luck!

To do this, you need to write about:

• current situation about the given topic
• a trend or a changing situation while giving details to the topic sentence
• a result of this situation,
• a possible result in the future
• the plan of this essay.

Let's discuss everything in details.

When we write about current situation, it is important to use Present Simple.

Example:
Nowadays, an increasing number of people tend to use smartphones for more than 8 hours a day.

Instead of Nowadays you can use the following words and phrases:

In contemporary world, In modern world, Currently, These days

When you need to write about a trend, or situation which is changing right now use Present Continuous

Example:
In other words, smartphone addiction is becoming more widespread among modern citizens, which can influence negatively on their health.

Present Perfect will help you to write about the result of somebody's action or situation.

Example:
In many countries this trend has already caused multiple diseases of the population, which directly shows that immeadite measures should be taken in order to limit the usage of gadgets.

You need to use Fisrt Conditional to write about possible result in the future.

Example:
If the amount of time spent in front of the smartphones' screen continues to grow, humanity will face even greater health issues.

And of course, it is better to use Passive Voice when you write an outline sentence.

Example:
In this essay some reasons of this situation will be discussed and some solutions of it will be proposed.

We hope, this info was usefull for you!

We wish you the best start of the year and the highest score in IELTS!