English Language and Literature
Core concepts
Written English tests grammar (tense, subject-verb agreement, articles, prepositions, voice, narration, conditionals), vocabulary (synonyms, antonyms, idioms, one-word substitution, spelling), and comprehension, plus a light literature component (major writers, periods, and famous works). Candidates should be able to identify parts of speech, correct a faulty sentence, and choose the right tense for a time marker.
Traps
The commonest traps are near-synonyms that differ in register or collocation, prepositions that change meaning ("agree with a person", "agree to a proposal"), and subject-verb agreement when a phrase sits between subject and verb. In narration, candidates forget to change time and place words along with the tense. In conditionals, the third conditional ("If he had studied, he would have passed") is often mixed with the second. Literature questions often swap a writer's nationality or period.
Rule of thumb and worked example
For subject-verb agreement, find the true subject and ignore parenthetical phrases: "The list of items is on the desk" (subject = list, not items). For tense, match the time expression: "since 2010" needs present perfect ("has worked"), "yesterday" needs simple past. For conditionals, remember: present/future real (If + present, will), unreal present (If + past, would), unreal past (If + past perfect, would have).
Vocabulary strategy
Learn words in collocations rather than alone, and test idioms by substituting a literal equivalent to see whether the meaning survives. In comprehension, answer strictly from the passage, not from general knowledge.