Tuzla Canton Secondary Matura common mistakes
Tuzla Canton Secondary Matura · Understand the traps and how to avoid them.
In grammar tasks with clitics, writes clusters in the wrong internal order and in the wrong position - e.g. "On je mi ga dao" or "Vidio ga sam" instead of "On mi ga je dao" and "Vidio sam ga".
The candidate memorised a vague "clitic goes in second position" rule but never learned the fixed internal order (li – je/ni – dative – accusative – se – je) or what counts as the first stressed phrase.
What to do instead
Drill a fixed slot diagram: li | aux | dat | acc | se | je. Rewrite 20 sentences by inserting pronouns one slot at a time, then say the sentence aloud to check that no clitic is stranded after a participle.
In the essay, retells the plot or summarises the given text instead of answering the set question, and never states a thesis; paragraphs drift between narrative, description and argumentation.
School practice rewards content recall and long summaries, and under time pressure the candidate writes what is easiest to retrieve rather than what the prompt asks.
What to do instead
Spend three minutes writing a one-sentence thesis that directly answers the question plus three argument headings. Open every body paragraph with a claim, then support it with one quotation or example, and delete any sentence that only retells events.
Solves logarithmic, root or rational equations and lists every algebraic root without checking it in the original equation, so extraneous solutions such as a negative logarithm argument are included in the final answer.
The candidate treats equation solving as a purely mechanical procedure and has not internalised that the domain of the equation restricts the solution set.
What to do instead
Before solving, write the conditions (argument > 0, denominator ≠ 0, radicand ≥ 0) on the same line as the equation. After solving, test each root against those conditions explicitly and cross out failures; make this a graded step in practice.
In trigonometric equations, divides both sides by sin x or cos x, loses a whole family of solutions, and writes only the principal value instead of the general solution with period.
Dividing looks like normal simplification, and the candidate forgets that a variable expression may be zero and that trigonometric functions are periodic.
What to do instead
Never divide by a variable trigonometric expression: move everything to one side and factor. Then write the general solution with + kπ or + 2kπ and, where required, restrict it to the given interval.
In the writing task, answers only the first bullet point of the prompt, ignores the required register and word limit, and inserts a memorised opening and closing paragraph that do not fit the topic.
The candidate rehearses template essays and, under time pressure, reads the prompt once and starts writing immediately, treating the bullets as decoration.
What to do instead
Underline every bullet and the register word (formal/informal, letter/article) before planning. Allocate five minutes to a skeleton that assigns one paragraph per bullet, then check at the end that each bullet is visibly covered and the word count is within range.
In word-formation and open-cloze items, supplies a word with the right meaning but the wrong part of speech or inflection - e.g. a noun where an adjective is needed, or a singular where the context requires a plural.
The candidate translates the gap semantically and never analyses the grammatical slot, and does not reread the whole sentence after inserting the word.
What to do instead
Before forming the word, label the slot: subject, verb, modifier, complement. Derive the required part of speech first, then apply the correct suffix or inflection, then reread the full sentence to confirm agreement and countability.
In the second foreign language, transfers Bosnian/Croatian/Serbian meanings literally and falls into false friends - e.g. using German "bekommen" to mean "become" or Italian "parente" to mean "parent".
The candidate reads the foreign word through the prism of a similar-sounding native word and learns vocabulary as isolated translation pairs rather than in context.
What to do instead
Keep a contrastive false-friend log with the correct native equivalent and one full example sentence per entry. Learn new words in collocations and test yourself by producing sentences, not by matching word lists.
In stoichiometry, balances the equation correctly but calculates the product yield from the mass of the reagent that is not limiting, and ignores the mole ratio when converting between substances.
The candidate follows the mechanical sequence "mass → moles → mass" without asking which reactant runs out first, and skips the ratio step because it feels redundant.
What to do instead
Use a fixed roadmap: balance, convert every given amount to moles, divide by coefficients to identify the limiting reagent, then apply the mole ratio. Write the ratio as a fraction under the equation before substituting numbers.
Substitutes values into physics formulas without converting to SI units (centimetres, grams, milliamperes) and drops signs or directions in kinematics and electrostatics problems.
The candidate focuses on choosing the right formula and treats units and signs as cosmetic, often because the given data are printed in convenient but non-SI units.
What to do instead
Begin every problem with a data table that includes the converted SI value and a stated positive direction. Substitute only from that table, and check the final unit by dimensional analysis before writing the answer.
In history essays, narrates events in chronological order without answering the "why" or "to what extent" in the question, and does not use the provided source as evidence for an argument.
The candidate equates showing knowledge with listing events, and has practised timeline recall more than thesis-driven argumentation with sources.
What to do instead
Write a thesis that takes a position on the exact question, then build paragraphs as claim–evidence–explanation, citing the source explicitly and commenting on its reliability. Cut any sentence that only adds an event without linking it to the argument.