Level B1 (approx. band 4-5) · Academic and General Training Many learners know the tenses but still choose the wrong one. They describe a chart from 2010 in the present, or they answer a question about their daily routine in the present continuous. The good news is that each IELTS task has a "home" tense. In this episode: • Speaking part 1: habits and facts • Speaking part 2: past stories or present descriptions • Speaking part 3: general ideas and speculation • Writing task 1: past, present and projections • Writing task 2: general truths and consequences • Model • Language bridge • Practice • Self-check questions with answers Key points: • Part 1 home tense: present simple. Add the present perfect for "how long". • Event card: past tenses. Description card: present simple, plus a past example. • Part 3: present simple for general truths, will and might for the future, would for imagined situations. • Check the dates first. Past dates: past simple. Future dates: expected to. No dates: present simple. • Task 2 home tense: present simple. Present perfect for trends, will and would for results. IELTS Complete Course: a self-study podcast from A1 to C2 for Academic and General Training. Listen, pause and answer, then take the 52-question quiz. Audio voiced with AI from an original script by Dr. Rashmi R Nair. Independent course, not affiliated with the IELTS test owners.