JCE Setswana 11 common mistakes
JCE Setswana 11 · Understand the traps and how to avoid them.
Answering comprehension questions in English or mixing English words into a Setswana sentence instead of writing the full response in Setswana.
Candidates think in English, run short of the right Setswana vocabulary under time pressure, and reach for the English word rather than working around it.
What to do instead
Practise a fixed list of circumlocution strategies (paraphrase with a description, use a synonym, use 'selo se se ...' constructions) and do every practice comprehension paper with a rule that no English word appears in the answer booklet.
Giving one-word or phrase answers to 'why', 'how' or 'compare' questions in the comprehension passage instead of full sentences that restate the question.
Candidates copy the wording of the question or lift a fragment from the passage and assume the marker will complete the meaning.
What to do instead
Train the formula: subject + verb + object, echoing the question's key term; mark every answer against a checklist requiring a full sentence, a stated reason and a link back to the passage.
Writing a summary or comprehension answer that copies long stretches verbatim from the passage.
Copying feels safe and fast, and candidates do not realise marks are awarded for rephrasing in their own words.
What to do instead
Do timed exercises where the passage is closed before writing, forcing recall and rewording; then compare with the original and rewrite any identical strings of more than three or four words.
Misreading the instruction word in the question (for example answering 'nnyaya' when asked for 'nnye' or giving two points when one is required) and losing marks on otherwise correct content.
Candidates skim instructions to save time and rely on the general topic of the passage rather than the exact command.
What to do instead
Underline the command word and the number of required points in every question before writing; build a glossary of command words with their expected answer shapes and drill it weekly.
Producing a composition or letter with no paragraphing, no opening and closing formulae, and no clear structure from introduction to conclusion.
Candidates write in one continuous block as they would speak, and have not memorised the conventional openings and closings for letters and essays.
What to do instead
Memorise standard openings and closings for formal and informal letters, and practise a fixed plan of four to five paragraphs with one idea each before writing the full piece.
Making noun class agreement errors, especially wrong concords for people and animals (for example using the class 1 concord with a class 2 subject, or the wrong possessive concord).
Candidates choose concords by sound or by the English equivalent rather than by identifying the noun class of the subject.
What to do instead
Build a noun class table with prefix, subject concord, object concord and possessive concord; before each writing task, identify the class of every subject noun and check agreement line by line.
Using the wrong tense or aspect marker, particularly confusing the present progressive, the perfect and the past, so that the time of the action is misrepresented.
The tense markers are short and easily confused, and candidates translate the English tense directly rather than applying Setswana tense formation rules.
What to do instead
Drill a conjugation grid for a set of common verbs across present, perfect, past and future, then write ten original sentences per tense and have them checked for the correct marker.
Spelling errors that change meaning or class, such as omitting or adding the initial vowel, confusing 'l' and 'r', or writing 'ng' where 'n' belongs.
Candidates write as they pronounce and do not proofread, and they have not internalised the standard orthography of common words.
What to do instead
Keep a personal spelling log of every corrected word, learn the orthographic conventions for the problem sounds, and reserve the last five minutes of every writing task for a dedicated proofread.
Mishandling direct and indirect speech, failing to shift the tense, pronouns and time words correctly when reporting what someone said.
Candidates copy the original speaker's words unchanged or shift only the pronoun but not the tense or time expression.
What to do instead
Learn a fixed conversion checklist (pronoun, tense, time word, place word) and convert ten short quoted statements into reported speech, ticking each item on the checklist.
Ignoring the marking scheme's demand for evidence in literature or passage-based questions, giving a personal opinion with no support from the text.
Candidates rely on general knowledge or feeling about the story and do not know that marks are attached to textual support.
What to do instead
Practise the point-evidence-explanation pattern for every literature answer, quoting or closely referring to a specific incident, character action or line, and check each answer contains all three parts.