Where it appears in the exam
What is it?
The passive voice shifts the focus from WHO performs the action to WHAT receives it. It is formed with be + past participle, and 'be' is conjugated in the tense you need: is done (present), was done (past), has been done (present perfect), is being done (continuous), will be done (future), must be done (modal). At B2 level, Cambridge doesn't test whether you KNOW what the passive is — it tests whether you can PRODUCE the correct auxiliary in a one-word gap.
Why it matters in the exam
It is directly tested in Part 2 and Part 4, and appears occasionally in Part 1. In Part 2, the gap asks for the passive auxiliary ('been', 'being', 'be'). In Part 4, reporting verb transformations are among the most frequent. In Parts 5-7, academic texts use the passive constantly — you need to understand it to comprehend the text. And in Writing (W1-W2), using passive is what separates a B1 register (active only) from a B2 register (alternating active and passive with purpose).
The cognitive trap
"The instinct: skipping the auxiliary — 'The bridge has built' instead of 'has been built'"
Why your brain does this: when you see 'has' next to a participle, your pattern-completion instinct reads the sentence as active and marks it as grammatically complete. The brain fills the gap before you consciously check whether the subject is doing or receiving the action.
"The bridge was built in 1920" — always be + past participle
Why it matters in the exam: every passive construction requires an explicit be + past participle auxiliary, with no exceptions. Impersonal reports ('It is said that...') demand passive — never active ('It says that...'). And continuous passives ('is being repaired') are perfectly normal in English. Cambridge places the auxiliary as a gap in Part 2, counting on your instinct to skip it.
Recognition pattern
In the exam, look for the key signal first. The answer follows.
How to spot the passive and what to write in the gap
"The report ___ completed" — a report doesn't complete, it IS completed — passive.
"The bridge ___ designed by a famous architect" — 'was' (passive confirmed by 'by').
"The bridge ___ built in 1920." — 'was'. The most frequent gap in Part 2.
"The report has ___ completed." — 'been'.
"The road is ___ repaired." — 'being'.
"The house was ___ renovated when we arrived." — 'being'.
"The work must ___ finished by Friday." — 'be'.
"It should have ___ done earlier." — 'been'.
"The car needs to ___ repaired." — 'be'.
"It is ___ that she left the country." — 'believed'.
"She is ___ to arrive tomorrow." — 'expected'.
Passive by tense: what's correct and what goes wrong
The report has completed.
Without 'been', the sentence is ACTIVE: 'the report has completed' (what has the report completed?). The report doesn't complete — it IS completed. The passive marker is missing.
The report has been completed.
Present Perfect Passive: has + BEEN + past participle. 'Been' is mandatory between 'has' and the participle to mark the passive.
She is believed to leave the country.
'To leave' = present infinitive. Implies she is leaving NOW or habitually. If the action already happened, you need the perfect infinitive: 'to have left'. Cambridge penalises this error in Part 4.
She is believed to have left the country.
Reporting verb personal passive: Subject + is believed + to have + PP. 'To have left' because the action (leaving) is PRIOR to the current belief — perfect infinitive.
The house was been renovated when we arrived.
'Was been' does NOT exist in English. 'Was' and 'been' are both forms of 'be' — combining them duplicates the auxiliary. Past Continuous Passive uses 'being', not 'been'.
The house was being renovated when we arrived.
Past Continuous Passive: was + BEING + past participle. An action in progress at a specific past moment.
The car needs to be repairing.
After 'to be' in passive, you need the PAST participle (repaired), not the present (repairing). '-ing' would create a meaningless active continuous structure here.
The car needs to be repaired.
Passive infinitive: needs + to be + past participle. The subject (car) receives the action (repair) — passive.
Why your brain gets it wrong
The learner's short circuit
Analyse the trap by exam format
The new hospital, which has ______ built entirely with public funds, will open its doors to patients next month.
Your brain reads 'has built' and accepts the sentence as active: 'the hospital has built'. It sounds complete. But a hospital doesn't build — it is built. The passive structure demands 'has BEEN built'. Without 'been', the meaning changes entirely.
has ___ built
The subject (hospital) is the RECIPIENT of the action (building). Recipient = passive. 'Has + ___ + participle' = Present Perfect Passive. The gap is always 'been'.
→ been
The invisible gap: 'been' between 'has' and the participle
In Part 2, Cambridge places 'has' and the participle VISIBLE on both sides of the gap. The sentence seems to work without the gap. But the recipient subject reveals that 'been' is missing — the only word that converts active to passive.
Strategy
Read the subject. Does it perform the action or receive it? If it receives it — you need a passive auxiliary in the gap. 'Has ___ built' — 'been'. 'Is ___ repaired' — 'being'. The subject is always your clue.
People believe that the painting was stolen during the night. The painting ______ during the night. (BELIEVED)
You build 'is believed to...' correctly — the reporting passive pattern is right. But you use the present infinitive ('to be stolen') instead of the perfect infinitive ('to have been stolen'). 'Was stolen' in the original is PAST — it needs the perfect infinitive to maintain the temporal reference.
BELIEVED
'Was stolen' in the original = past action. In the transformation, the past becomes a perfect infinitive: 'to have been stolen'. Rule: if the action inside 'that...' is past relative to the main verb — 'to have + PP'.
→ is believed to have been stolen
The double shift: passive + perfect infinitive
This transformation requires two simultaneous operations: (1) convert to personal reporting passive ('is believed to...') and (2) adjust the tense with the passive perfect infinitive ('to have been stolen'). That's 5 words. It's the highest-value transformation in Part 4 — it appears frequently and is worth 2 points.
Strategy
Step 1: Subject + is believed to... Step 2: Is the action in 'that...' present or past? Present — 'to be/to do'. Past — 'to have done/to have been done'. Step 3: Was the original action passive ('was stolen')? Yes — 'to have BEEN stolen'.
The results of the investigation 9 later today, according to the spokesperson.
Your brain associates 'later today' with the future continuous ('will be announcing'). It sounds natural. But 'results' don't announce anything — results ARE announced. The recipient subject demands passive: 'will be announced'. The key isn't the tense — it's the VOICE.
The subject decides the voice, not the tense
Many learners choose the tense (continuous, perfect, simple) before deciding the VOICE (active or passive). But voice comes first: does the subject DO or RECEIVE? If it receives — passive, and only then do you choose the tense.
Strategy
Before looking at the options: read the SUBJECT. Can it perform the action of the verb? 'Results' can't 'announce' — someone announces the results. Recipient subject — passive. Then choose the tense ('will be announced').
Passive Voice (all tenses) is 1 of 82
The exam tests 82 grammar competencies across 19 families. Mastering one is the first step. Automating all 82 is passing.
Related competencies