Academic Passives & Reporting Structures (IELTS, TOEFL, YDS Practice) -C1 Grammar Test

This C1 grammar test focuses on academic passive constructions and reporting structures, including:

• reporting passives (is believed to…, is thought to…)

• passive infinitives (to have been, to be done)

• formal distancing structures

• research-style passive patterns

Choose the correct answer.

 

RESULTS

#1. The substance is believed ___ harmful effects on human health.

having

to have

to have had

#2. The results were found ___ inconsistent with previous studies.

being

to be

been

#3. Several theories ___ to explain the phenomenon.

have proposed

are proposing

have been proposed

#4. The device is claimed ___ during the testing phase.

to fail

to have failed

failing

#5. The new treatment is expected ___ within the next decade.

to develop

to be developed

to have developed

#6. The participants were observed ___ differently under stress.

to respond

respond

responding

#7. The experiment ___ under strictly controlled conditions.

conducted

was conducted

has conducting

#8. The data appear ___ incorrectly.

to analyze

to have analyzed

to have been analyzed

#9. The theory is widely regarded ___ no longer adequate.

as

like

to be

#10. The samples were found ___ contaminated.

being

to be

to have

#11. The medication was reported ___ severe side effects.

causing

to cause

to have caused

#12. The model is assumed ___ applicable across different contexts.

to be

being

been

#13. The documents are believed ___ during the cyberattack.

to destroy

to have destroyed

to have been destroyed

#14. The hypothesis was later shown ___ unsupported.

being

be

to be

#15. The method has been criticized ___ lacking empirical evidence.

for

of

about

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✅ Answer Key with VERY DETAILED EXPLANATIONS

🧠 C1 Academic Passive Logic (IELTS · TOEFL · YDS)

🔑 Core C1 Principle

At C1 level, passives are used to:

• remove the human subject
• sound objective and research-oriented
• distance the writer from claims
• shift focus to processes and evidence

Exams test whether you can control:

👉 time + voice + reporting stance

1. to have

“The substance is believed to have harmful effects…”

This reports a general belief about a present fact.

Structure:
be believed + to have

Why others fail:
• having → breaks infinitive structure
• to have had → would imply a finished past effect

Exam focus: academic reporting present states.

2. to be

“Were found to be…” is a fixed academic passive reporting pattern.

Why others fail:
• being → gerund, breaks structure
• been → incomplete infinitive

Exam focus: research conclusion phrasing.

3. have been proposed

Passive present perfect → focus on existence of theories, not who proposed them.

Why others fail:
• active forms shift focus to people
• progressive distorts academic tone

Exam focus: process-oriented academic passives.

4. to have failed

The failure happened before the claim.

Reporting verb (present) + perfect infinitive = earlier event.

Exam focus: time-shift in reporting structures.

5. to be developed

Future expectation + passive focus.

We care about the process, not the developer.

Exam focus: research projections.

6. to respond

With perception verbs in the passive, we use:

👉 be observed + to + infinitive

Active:
They observed participants respond.

Passive:
Participants were observed to respond.

Exam focus: structure transformation.

7. was conducted

Simple past passive describing a completed academic procedure.

Exam focus: method description language.

8. to have been analyzed

“Appear” + perfect passive infinitive.

The analysis happened before now, and incorrectly.

Structure:
appear + to have been + V3

Exam focus: complex passive infinitives (very C1).

9. as

“Regarded as” is a fixed academic expression.

❌ regarded like
❌ regarded to be

Exam focus: collocation accuracy.

10. to be

“Found to be contaminated” = classic scientific conclusion pattern.

Exam focus: lab-report grammar.

11. to have caused

Side effects occurred before the report.

So we use perfect infinitive.

Exam focus: cause–report sequencing.

12. to be

“Assumed to be” is a fixed academic reporting structure.

Exam focus: neutral stance language.

13. to have been destroyed

We need:

• earlier time → have
• passive voice → been + V3

Full C1 structure.

Exam focus: advanced passive infinitives.

14. to be

“Shown to be” is a formal evaluative pattern.

Exam focus: academic conclusion framing.

15. for

“Criticized for” + gerund/noun.

The criticism targets the reason, not the topic.

Exam focus: reporting verb + preposition patterns.

🧠 C1 Academic Passive Survival Notes

High-level exams expect you to:

• control passive infinitives
• shift time inside passive reporting
• use verbs like:
believed, assumed, reported, observed, found, shown, regarded

This grammar dominates:

• IELTS Task 1 reports

• TOEFL academic listening/reading

• YDS advanced grammar