Improve the underlined part of the sentence: The teacher said, "It is time that your daughter (has learned) how to write."

Introduction / Context:
This sentence improvement question tests knowledge of a specific English grammar pattern used with expressions like "It is time" or "It is high time". The sentence is: "The teacher said, It is time that your daughter (has learned) how to write." You must choose the form of the verb that correctly follows "it is time that" to express that something should already have happened and is overdue.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• Main reporting clause: "The teacher said".
• Quoted sentence: "It is time that your daughter has learned how to write."
• We need to correct the verb phrase "(has learned)".
• Options: "learned", "had learnt", "learnt", "no improvement", "has been learning".
• We assume standard formal English usage as tested in exams.

Concept / Approach:
With expressions like "It is time" or "It is high time", English often uses a past tense form of the verb to suggest that the action is already overdue or should have been completed earlier. For example, "It is time we left" or "It is high time he started working seriously." Although the verb looks like simple past, it refers to present or near future expectation. Therefore, after "it is time that your daughter", we use "learnt" (or "learned" in American spelling) rather than present perfect "has learned" or past perfect "had learnt". The exam here uses the British form "learnt".

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Identify the fixed expression: "It is time that ...". This signals an expected or overdue action. Step 2: Recall the rule: after "it is time" or "it is high time", we usually use the past simple to show that something should already have happened. Step 3: Apply the rule to the subject "your daughter". We need "your daughter learnt how to write", not "has learned" or "had learnt". Step 4: Among the options, "learnt" is the simple past form that fits this pattern. Step 5: Check word order and completeness: "It is time that your daughter learnt how to write." This is grammatically correct and clearly expresses that the teacher feels the child should have learned writing by now. Step 6: Confirm that the other forms do not match the idiomatic pattern used with "it is time".

Verification / Alternative check:
Compare with similar sentences: "It is time we went home", "It is time you took your studies seriously". These do not use "have gone" or "have taken". They use simple past to refer to a present or near future expectation. In the same way, "It is time that your daughter learnt how to write" sounds perfectly natural. Using "has learned" would focus on the result as already completed, which conflicts with the idea that it still needs to happen and is overdue.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
"Learned" by itself (option A) could be the simple past, but in exam style British English, "learnt" is often preferred, and the context of the question suggests that particular choice. "Had learnt" is past perfect, which would usually be used with another past time reference, for example, "by the time she joined school, she had learnt how to write." "No improvement" is wrong because "has learned" after "it is time" is not idiomatic. "Has been learning" suggests an ongoing process and does not convey the sense of an action that should already have been completed.

Common Pitfalls:
A common mistake is to match "it is time" with present perfect forms because learners believe that "has learned" sounds more advanced. However, the idiomatic rule for "it is time" is quite specific and is worth memorising. Another pitfall is ignoring regional spelling differences; both "learnt" and "learned" can be correct past forms, but exam boards often expect the version they use consistently in their materials.

Final Answer:
The correct improvement is "learnt", giving the sentence "The teacher said, It is time that your daughter learnt how to write."