Two ways to say the same thing: The passive voice lets you turn a sentence around so the action — not the person doing it — comes first.
Active: A famous chef cooks the meals. (the subject does the action)
Passive: The meals are cooked by a famous chef. (the subject receives the action)
The thing that was the object of the active sentence (the meals) becomes the subject of the passive one. You build the verb with a form of *be* + the past participle (are cooked).
- active voice
- the normal order — the subject does the action ("The dog chased the cat.")
- passive voice
- the subject receives the action ("The cat was chased by the dog.")
- the agent
- the person or thing that does the action; in the passive it comes after "by" ("…by the dog")
- past participle
- the third form of a verb (cooked, eaten, written, built) — the part you add after "be"
- be + past participle
- the recipe for every passive: am/is/are/was/were/been + the participle
- the by-agent
- the optional "by …" phrase that names who did the action; you can leave it out
Why it earns marks: The passive appears in every kind of formal English you meet at SL — news reports, instructions, science articles, official notices. Using it accurately (and only when it fits) shows range and register control, which is exactly what Criterion A (Language) and Criterion C (Conceptual understanding) reward.
One recipe, every tense: Every passive uses the same recipe: the correct form of *be* + the past participle. You change only the *be* part to move between tenses — the past participle never changes. So is built / was built / will be built / has been built are all the verb build in the passive, just in different tenses.
| Tense | Active | Passive (be + past participle) |
|---|---|---|
| Present simple | They clean the office. | The office is cleaned. |
| Present continuous | They are cleaning the office. | The office is being cleaned. |
| Past simple | They cleaned the office. | The office was cleaned. |
| Present perfect | They have cleaned the office. | The office has been cleaned. |
| Future (will) | They will clean the office. | The office will be cleaned. |
| Modal (must) | They must clean the office. | The office must be cleaned. |
Singular or plural? Look at the new subject: The form of be agrees with the new subject (the thing receiving the action), not with the agent. The book was sold but The books were sold. And don't forget the by-agent is optional: if it doesn't matter who did it, just drop it — The office is cleaned (every evening).
Practice with real exam questions
Answer exam-style questions and get AI feedback that shows you exactly what examiners want to see in a full-marks response.
Try Practice Free7-day free trial • No card required
Choose the passive on purpose: The passive is not "better" than the active — you choose it for a reason. Use it when the action matters more than the doer, when you don't know (or don't want to say) who did it, or when you want a formal, impersonal tone for a report or a notice.
When the passive is the right choice
- The doer is unknown — "My wallet was stolen on the bus." (we don't know by whom)
- The doer is obvious or unimportant — "The streets are cleaned every night." (by the council, of course)
- You want a formal / impersonal tone — "Visitors are asked to remain silent." (a notice, not "We ask you…")
- You want to keep the focus on the topic — "The new bridge was completed in 2024." (the bridge is the story)
- In processes and instructions — "First, the water is heated to 100°C." (typical of science writing)
Don't overdo it: Good writing mixes active and passive. A whole paragraph in the passive sounds heavy and cold. Reach for the passive when the action is the point, then switch back to the active to keep your writing lively. Add "by …" only when naming the doer actually adds information.
A news report built on the passive: Here is a short news report built one sentence at a time. News writing loves the passive because the event matters more than who carried it out. Watch the recipe be + past participle appear in several tenses (was opened, was designed, have been donated, will be added, has been praised).
IB-style task — the passive in a news report
The report, sentence by sentence
- A new community library was opened in our town last weekend.
- The building was designed by local architects and was constructed in just eight months.
- Inside, thousands of books have been donated by families across the area.
- A small garden was planted at the entrance, and benches will be added next month.
- The project has been praised by residents, who say the library is needed by everyone in the community.
Steal this for your own writing: For a report, an article or a formal email, open with a passive headline-style sentence (A new … was opened), keep the focus on the topic, and add "by …" only when naming the doer matters. Mix in an active sentence or two so it doesn't sound robotic.
Feeling unprepared for exams?
Get a clear study plan, practice with real questions, and know exactly where you stand before exam day. No more guessing.
Get Exam Ready Free7-day free trial • No card required
The slips to watch for: Three mistakes dominate. 1. Forgetting *be — you must keep a form of "be" ("The house was built", never "The house built" when you mean it was built). 2. Wrong participle — use the past participle (the third form), so "was written", not "was wrote". 3. Wrong agreement — "be" agrees with the new subject: "The books were sold", not "The books was* sold". Compare the right version with the typical mistake.
Correct
- The letter was written yesterday.
- The cakes were sold in an hour.
- The museum is visited by thousands of tourists.
Common mistake
- The letter was wrote yesterday. (wrong participle — needs "written")
- The cakes was sold in an hour. (wrong agreement — needs "were")
- The museum visited by thousands of tourists. (no "be" — needs "is visited")
Ask: be? participle? agreement?: Before you write a passive, run three quick checks. 1. Is there a form of be (am/is/are/was/were/been)? 2. Did you use the past participle (built, eaten, written), not the past simple? 3. Does be match the new subject in number (was/were)? If a sentence passes all three, your passive is sound.