STA 2018 KS2 Expected Standard
Maintaining one consistent verb tense within a paragraph.
Year 6 · targeted lesson · 6 pieces
Published exemplification — the same live marking as the product, on government or exam-board material, not a pupil’s book. STA KS2 English writing exemplification. Contains material developed by the Standards and Testing Agency for 2018 national curriculum assessments and licenced under Open Government Licence v3.0.
Targeted lesson
Created 27 August 2026
Priority gap
Maintaining one consistent verb tense within a paragraph.
1.Lesson focus
Group
Year 6 writing group
Year group
Year 6
Writing context
Short editing intervention using diary and narrative writing, with transfer to the group’s current writing.
Priority gap
Maintaining one consistent verb tense within a paragraph.
Evidence from the writing
““Tomorrow, I hope will be as action-packed as...””
““My life is find this animal.””
““has the only source of income” and “who she has raised””
““was opened” and “still want””
Existing strengths
- The group can create engaging first-person diary voices.
- The group uses effective time-linking phrases, including “Meanwhile”, “Within a few minutes” and “As soon as”.
- The group chooses vivid and ambitious vocabulary.
- The group can sequence events clearly so that a reader can follow what happens.
Likely misconception
A change in time word, such as tomorrow or later, does not automatically mean that every verb should change tense. Writers choose the tense that matches when the event happens: a diary recount of completed events usually needs past tense, while a future hope can use a future form such as “I hope tomorrow will be...”.
2.Learning goal
Today we are learning to check that our verbs stay in the correct tense for the time of our writing.
Why it matters
Consistent tense makes the timing of events clear, so the reader can follow our writing without being confused.
3.Success criteria
- I can identify whether a verb matches the tense of a paragraph.
- I can correct a tense slip with a prompt or tense check.
- I can independently reread a short paragraph and make all verbs match its chosen tense.
4.Activate and diagnose
Read this together
“Yesterday, I travelled across the grasslands with my colleague. We spotted unusual fauna and flora, but then I notice a venomous plant beside the path. Tomorrow, I hope will be just as action-packed.”
Diagnostic questions
- Is this mainly a recount of something happening now, something that has happened, or something that will happen? How do you know?
- Underline the verbs that do not fit a past-tense recount.
- How could we improve “Tomorrow, I hope will be just as action-packed” so the future meaning is clear?
5.Explicit teaching
The feature
Consistent verb tense
When it's used
Use a consistent tense whenever writing a sentence or paragraph. In a diary or story recounting completed events, the main tense is usually past tense. A writer may deliberately use a future form when referring to a later event or hope.
How it works
First, decide the time frame: past, present or future. Next, spot the doing, being or having words (verbs). Check that each verb matches the chosen time frame. In a past-tense paragraph, use forms such as travelled, noticed, was, had and were. If looking ahead, signal this clearly with a future form, for example “I hope tomorrow will be...” or “Tomorrow, we will travel...”.
Common mistake
Mixing a present-tense verb into a past-tense recount, such as “I notice”, or using an incomplete future phrase, such as “I hope will be”.
Remember
Choose the time; check every verb.
6.Teacher model
Before
As soon as we reached the planet, I see a mysterious creature. It has bright scales and then it disappeared behind a rock.
Think aloud
“This is a story about events that have already happened, so I need past tense. “Reached” is already past tense. I will change “see” to “saw” and “has” to “had”. “Disappeared” is already past tense. I will reread the whole sentence and check that each verb now tells the reader the action happened in the past.”
After
As soon as we reached the planet, I saw a mysterious creature. It had bright scales and then it disappeared behind a rock.
What changed
The present-tense verbs “see” and “has” became the past-tense verbs “saw” and “had”, matching the rest of the narrative.
7.Guided practice
Work on this together
“Meanwhile, we crossed the river and my colleague slips on a stone. I grabbed her arm and we continue towards the schooner.”
Prompts to use
- What is the main time frame of this extract? Which verb helps you decide?
- Read each verb aloud: crossed, slips, grabbed, continue. Which ones do not match the past tense?
- Let’s improve the sentence together. What should “slips” become? What should “continue” become?
- Reread the improved extract. Have we checked every verb?
8.Independent application
Task
Write, or edit, a three-sentence past-tense diary or story moment about an unexpected discovery. Include one time-linking phrase, such as “Meanwhile” or “Within a few minutes”. Before finishing, underline every verb and check that it matches past tense. If you include a thought about tomorrow, use a complete future form.
Transfer into their own writing
Return to a recent diary, story, report or recount paragraph. Decide its intended time frame, circle the verbs, and change any verb that accidentally slips into a different tense.
9.Review and check
Review questions
- What do we choose before checking our verbs?
- In a past-tense recount, which is correct: “I notice” or “I noticed”? Why?
- How can we write clearly about a future hope at the end of a past-tense diary entry?
Exit check
Correct this sentence independently: “Yesterday, I explored the cave and find an extraordinary painting. Tomorrow, I hope will be just as exciting.”
Judging the outcome
Secure
Completes the exit check accurately and independently.
Developing
Applies the skill with prompting or with partial accuracy.
Not yet secure
Cannot yet apply the skill without direct support.
10.Next step
If secure
Ask the group to use deliberate tense shifts across a paragraph, for example moving from a past-tense recount to a clearly signalled future hope in a diary ending.
If developing
Provide a short paragraph with verbs highlighted. The group labels the paragraph’s time frame and selects the correct past- or present-tense verb from two options.
If not yet secure
Revisit past, present and future through oral rehearsal: say one event in all three time frames, then match simple verb cards such as walk/walked/will walk to time words.
Future review
At the next extended-writing conference, use the prompt “Choose the time; check every verb” during a one-minute final tense scan of one paragraph.
Mark your own piece of writing
Photograph a handwritten piece and get the same report — free to start, no card required.