Cameroon GCE Ordinary Level English Language common mistakes
Cameroon GCE Ordinary Level English Language · Understand the traps and how to avoid them.
Writing a composition that narrates or describes an event without any argument, reflection or point of view, so the piece reads as a flat sequence of events ('and then... and then...').
Candidates treat narrative as a memory dump and have not been taught that even a personal story must have a controlling idea, a climax and a comment on what it taught them.
What to do instead
Before writing, draft a one-sentence statement of what the story must show (e.g. 'fear is defeated by honesty'). Plan five paragraphs: setup, build-up, climax, aftermath, reflection. Cut every sentence that does not advance or illuminate that statement.
Misreading the composition prompt - writing a story when the question asks for an argument, or ignoring a key instruction such as 'write a letter to the editor' or 'give your opinion'.
Under time pressure candidates skim the question, latch onto a familiar keyword and start writing from memory; they also confuse format markers (letter, speech, article) with topic markers.
What to do instead
Spend a full two minutes on the prompt: circle the topic words, underline the task words (describe, argue, advise, narrate) and note the required format and audience. Write a one-line plan naming the format, audience and purpose, and check the finished piece against it.
Losing marks on the summary question by copying whole sentences verbatim from the passage, including examples and repetitions, instead of compressing the key points into the candidate's own words.
Candidates fear that rewording will change the meaning, or they do not know that summary is marked for content points plus the ability to express them concisely and in own words.
What to do instead
Identify the requested number of points and number them in the margin. For each point, write a single short sentence using synonyms and grammatical shifts (change the word class, combine two clauses into one). Omit examples, figures used only as illustration, and any point not asked for.
Answering comprehension questions with lifted phrases or with one-word answers when the question demands a full statement, and failing to give a reason when the question says 'why' or 'explain'.
Candidates equate finding the right line with answering the question, and they underestimate how many marks are allocated to explanation and to the candidate's own expression.
What to do instead
Convert every question into a statement frame before answering ('The writer says X because...'). Answer in a complete sentence, include the quoted evidence only where it is asked for, and always add the explanatory clause that follows 'because'.
Using the wrong letter format - omitting the salutation, the complimentary close, or placing the address and date in the wrong position, and mixing formal and informal register in the same letter.
Candidates memorise one letter layout and apply it to every task, and they do not distinguish a letter to a friend from a letter of application or complaint.
What to do instead
Learn two templates cold: informal (address, date, 'Dear X,' ... 'Yours sincerely,' or a friendly close) and formal (addresses, date, 'Dear Sir/Madam,' or named recipient, 'Yours faithfully/sincerely,' signature). Match vocabulary and contractions to the relationship: no contractions or slang in formal letters.
Producing paragraphs that are one long block or a string of one-sentence paragraphs, with no topic sentence and no linking words between ideas.
Candidates write in the order ideas arrive and have not internalised that paragraphing and cohesion are separately marked in the composition and are visible to the examiner at a glance.
What to do instead
Adopt a fixed paragraph discipline: one idea per paragraph, a topic sentence first, two or three supporting sentences, and a link word at the start of each new paragraph (However, Moreover, Consequently, In the end). Indent or leave a clear line between paragraphs.
Making subject-verb agreement, tense-sequence and pronoun-reference errors in continuous writing - e.g. 'The boys was', shifting from past to present mid-narrative, or an unclear 'it' or 'they'.
Candidates draft and edit simultaneously, so the sentence they are writing is judged against the idea in their head rather than against the grammar of what is already on the page; long sentences make the subject hard to track.
What to do instead
Reserve three to four minutes at the end for a targeted edit pass: read only for verbs (does each agree with its subject, is the tense consistent?), then only for pronouns (does each have one clear antecedent?), then only for sentence boundaries. Break any sentence over about 25 words into two.
Spelling and punctuation slips that recur in scripts: its/it's, their/there/they're, loose/lose, doubled consonants, missing apostrophes in possessives, comma splices and missing question marks or quotation marks in dialogue.
These are homophones and low-salience features that spell-check habits never fix; candidates also punctuate by breathing rather than by grammar, joining two main clauses with a comma.
What to do instead
Keep a personal error list of the ten words you most often misspell and test yourself weekly. Learn two punctuation rules that catch most splices: a comma cannot join two main clauses (use a full stop, semicolon or conjunction), and direct speech needs opening and closing quotation marks with the comma or full stop inside them.
In the directed-writing or situational task, ignoring the audience and purpose - writing an informal chatty piece where a formal notice, speech or report is required, or failing to include the specific details the rubric demands.
Candidates focus on the topic and forget that directed writing is marked on format, register and coverage of the bullet points or role instructions.
What to do instead
Turn each instruction into a checklist before writing and tick it off afterwards. Decide audience, relationship and purpose explicitly, choose register accordingly (no slang or contractions in a formal notice), and make sure every required piece of information appears in a clearly signposted sentence.
Mismanaging time: spending most of the paper on the composition, leaving comprehension and summary rushed or unanswered, and failing to leave any time to proofread.
Candidates write the composition first because it feels most demanding, then discover the remaining sections need close reading that cannot be done in the last ten minutes.
What to do instead
Fix a timed order in advance and rehearse it in mock papers: for example comprehension and summary first (they rely on fresh concentration), composition second, directed writing last, with the final five minutes reserved for checking. Practise with a clock so the allocation becomes automatic.