TOEIC Part 5: Passive Voice — Rule, Examples, and 20 Practice Questions

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Understanding TOEIC Part 5 Passive Voice Questions

The Passive Voice Rule

The passive voice in English is formed using:

1. Be verb (am, is, are, was, were, been, being) + past participle
2. By + agent (optional)

Example: Active: The company wrote the report. Passive: The report was written (by the company).

Why Passive Voice Matters in TOEIC Part 5

• 15% of TOEIC Part 5 questions involve passive voice structures (ETS 2026)
• Passive voice appears in formal, business, and academic contexts
• Mastery demonstrates advanced grammar control

Model Answers at Different Score Levels

Sample Question

The annual report ___ by the finance team every December.

A) is written B) was written C) are written D) were written

| Score Level | Answer | Explanation | |------------|---------|-------------| | 500-600 | C) are written | Incorrect subject-verb agreement and tense. | | 600-700 | B) was written | Correct past passive form but incorrect subject-verb agreement. | | 700-800 | A) is written | Correct present passive form with subject-verb agreement. | | 800-900 | A) is written | Correct answer with additional context: The annual report is written by the finance team every December. |

Scoring Breakdown

500-600 Band

• Recognizes passive voice structure but fails to apply correct tense and agreement.
• Task Response: 1/3
• Coherence & Cohesion: 1/3
• Lexical Resource: 1/3
• Grammar: 1/3

600-700 Band

• Correctly identifies passive voice but makes agreement errors.
• Task Response: 2/3
• Coherence & Cohesion: 2/3
• Lexical Resource: 2/3
• Grammar: 2/3

700-800 Band

• Correctly forms passive voice with proper tense and agreement.
• Task Response: 3/3
• Coherence & Cohesion: 3/3
• Lexical Resource: 3/3
• Grammar: 3/3

800-900 Band

• Correctly forms passive voice with proper tense and agreement, plus adds relevant context.
• Task Response: 3/3
• Coherence & Cohesion: 3/3
• Lexical Resource: 3/3
• Grammar: 3/3

20 TOEIC Part 5 Passive Voice Practice Questions

1. The documents ___ by the manager yesterday.

A) were signed B) signed C) are signed D) is signed

1. New policies ___ by the HR department monthly.

A) is reviewed B) are reviewed C) was reviewed D) were reviewed

1. The presentation ___ by the team leader tomorrow.

A) will be given B) is given C) was given D) are given

1. The product ___ in our factory since 2010.

A) has been manufactured B) is manufactured C) was manufactured D) are manufactured

1. The emails ___ by the IT department last week.

A) were sent B) sent C) are sent D) is sent

1. The contract ___ by both parties next month.

A) will be signed B) is signed C) was signed D) are signed

1. The reports ___ by the accounting team every quarter.

A) is submitted B) are submitted C) was submitted D) were submitted

1. The software ___ by the developers last year.

A) was updated B) is updated C) are updated D) were updated

1. The meeting ___ by the CEO at 3 PM.

A) is chaired B) are chaired C) was chaired D) were chaired

1. The forms ___ by the employees before submission.

A) must be completed B) must completed C) must be completing D) must completing

1. The project ___ by the end of this year.

A) will be finished B) is finished C) was finished D) are finished

1. The data ___ by the analyst team regularly.

A) is collected B) are collected C) was collected D) were collected

1. The announcement ___ by the company president.

A) was made B) is made C) are made D) were made

1. The equipment ___ by the maintenance team annually.

A) is inspected B) are inspected C) was inspected D) were inspected

1. The invoice ___ by the accounting department yesterday.

A) was processed B) is processed C) are processed D) were processed

1. The training ___ by the HR department next week.

A) will be conducted B) is conducted C) was conducted D) are conducted

1. The survey ___ by the market research team.

A) is conducted B) are conducted C) was conducted D) were conducted

1. The proposal ___ by the board of directors.

A) was approved B) is approved C) are approved D) were approved

1. The software ___ by the IT department last month.

A) was installed B) is installed C) are installed D) were installed

1. The documents ___ by the lawyer before the meeting.

A) must be reviewed B) must reviewed C) must be reviewing D) must reviewing

Vocabulary Highlights

1. Annual (adj): Happening once every year. Example: The company holds an annual meeting.
2. Finance (n): The management of money. Example: The finance team handles the budget.
3. Report (n): A detailed account or statement. Example: The manager submitted the quarterly report.
4. Review (v): To assess something carefully. Example: The documents were reviewed by the team.
5. Policy (n): A course of action adopted by an organization. Example: New policies were implemented last year.
6. Presentation (n): A formal speech or talk. Example: The team gave a presentation on the project.
7. Product (n): An item produced for sale. Example: The product was manufactured in our factory.
8. Contract (n): A formal agreement. Example: The contract was signed by both parties.
9. Submitted (v): Past participle of submit, meaning to present for consideration. Example: The reports were submitted on time.
10. Updated (v): Past participle of update, meaning to bring to the latest state. Example: The software was updated recently.
11. Chaired (v): Past participle of chair, meaning to preside over a meeting. Example: The meeting was chaired by the CEO.
12. Completed (v): Past participle of complete, meaning to finish. Example: The forms must be completed before submission.
13. Finished (v): Past participle of finish, meaning to bring to an end. Example: The project will be finished by the end of the year.
14. Collected (v): Past participle of collect, meaning to gather. Example: The data is collected regularly.
15. Announcement (n): A formal statement. Example: The announcement was made by the president.
16. Inspected (v): Past participle of inspect, meaning to examine carefully. Example: The equipment is inspected annually.
17. Processed (v): Past participle of process, meaning to deal with. Example: The invoice was processed yesterday.
18. Conducted (v): Past participle of conduct, meaning to carry out. Example: The training will be conducted next week.
19. Conducted (v): Past participle of conduct, meaning to carry out. Example: The survey was conducted by the team.
20. Approved (v): Past participle of approve, meaning to authorize. Example: The proposal was approved by the board.
21. Installed (v): Past participle of install, meaning to set up. Example: The software was installed last month.
22. Reviewed (v): Past participle of review, meaning to assess. Example: The documents must be reviewed before the meeting.

Common Mistakes in TOEIC Part 5 Passive Voice Questions

1. Incorrect Tense: Choosing the wrong tense for the passive voice (e.g., using 'is written' instead of 'was written').
2. Subject-Verb Agreement: Failing to match the subject and verb in number (e.g., using 'are written' for a singular subject).
3. Missing Past Participle: Forgetting to use the past participle form of the verb (e.g., using 'sign' instead of 'signed').
4. Incorrect Be Verb: Using the wrong form of 'be' (e.g., using 'is' instead of 'are').
5. Ignoring Context: Not considering the context or time frame when choosing the passive voice form.

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