EIKEN common mistakes
EIKEN · Understand the traps and how to avoid them.
Reading the four passage options for a long reading comprehension question only after skimming the passage once, then answering from memory without returning to the lines that decide the answer.
Time pressure makes candidates treat the questions as a memory quiz. The passages are written so that one distractor paraphrases a true detail from a different paragraph, so memory alone cannot separate the correct option from the near-miss.
What to do instead
For each question, locate the one or two sentences that decide it and underline them before choosing. Reject any option whose support you cannot point to in a specific line, even if it sounds plausible. Practise with a timer so the locate-then-check habit survives pressure.
Treating every unknown word in a passage as a blocker and stopping to puzzle it out, losing the thread of the paragraph.
School vocabulary tests reward knowing every word, so candidates carry that habit into a test where inference from context is the intended skill. Stopping also burns the limited reading time.
What to do instead
Mark unknown words with a light pencil mark and keep reading to the end of the sentence or paragraph. Then ask what the sentence must mean given the surrounding contrast or example. Only look back if a question actually depends on that word.
In the short-conversation listening section, reading the answer choices before the audio starts and locking onto one option, then hearing only the words that confirm it.
Choices often repeat vocabulary from the audio in a misleading way. Pre-committing to an option creates confirmation bias, and candidates stop processing the rest of the exchange.
What to do instead
Use the pause to note what kind of information the question wants (a time, a reason, a place), not to pick an answer. Keep all options live until the speaker finishes, and decide at the end of the exchange.
Missing the point of a listening question because the answer is expressed with different wording from the audio, and the candidate waits to hear the exact phrase from an option.
Candidates expect word-for-word matching, a habit from dictation practice. The test deliberately paraphrases, so exact-match listening produces wrong answers or missed answers.
What to do instead
Train paraphrase recognition: after each practice item, write the audio phrase and the correct option side by side and note how they differ. In the test, listen for meaning and synonyms rather than for option wording.
Writing an essay that lists several opinions in general terms without a clear position, then ending with a summary that adds no new support.
Candidates confuse length and breadth with task fulfilment. They also run out of planning time and write whatever comes, so the argument never commits to one side.
What to do instead
Before writing, state your position in one sentence and list two concrete reasons with an example each. Build each body paragraph as reason, explanation, example. Drop any sentence that does not advance that position.
Reusing memorised essay templates and stock phrases that do not fit the specific prompt, producing an answer that could be pasted into any question.
Template drilling feels safe under time pressure, and candidates fear grammatical errors more than irrelevance. The result reads fluently but answers a different question.
What to do instead
Keep only structural frames (for example, how to introduce a counterargument), never content sentences. Practise writing a one-sentence answer to the exact prompt first, then build the essay around that sentence.
In the writing section, spending most of the allotted time on planning and drafting, then submitting with no review, leaving subject-verb agreement and article errors that the candidate could fix in two minutes.
Candidates underestimate how many small errors they make under time pressure and overestimate how much planning improves the score. The final minutes are usually the highest-value minutes.
What to do instead
Set a fixed plan of roughly a quarter of the time for planning, half for writing, and a quarter for checking. During the check, read only for your three most frequent error types, which you should identify from marked practice essays.
Answering a speaking prompt with one or two sentences and stopping, leaving the examiner to fill the silence with follow-up questions.
Candidates fear mistakes more than silence and treat the prompt as a question to answer correctly rather than a topic to develop. Short answers give the examiner too little language to assess.
What to do instead
Use a fixed expansion pattern: direct answer, then a reason, then a personal example or detail. Aim for three to four sentences on any prompt, and practise recording yourself to confirm you reach that length without rambling.
Delivering a prepared speech in a flat monotone at high speed, with no pauses at sentence boundaries and no response to the examiner's reactions.
Memorised content is retrieved as a block, so attention goes to recall rather than delivery. Speed also masks uncertainty and makes the speech harder to follow.
What to do instead
Practise the same content at three speeds and mark where you will pause. Record and listen back for sentence-level intonation. In the test, treat the examiner's face as feedback and slow down when you see confusion.
In the reading section, spending equal time on every question, so that later questions are rushed or left blank when the passage is long.
Candidates treat the test as a fairness exercise and refuse to skip, often because they do not know which items are worth more effort. The clock then decides for them.
What to do instead
Do a first pass answering only items you can resolve quickly, flag the rest, and return with the time saved. Practise full sections with a visible clock so you learn your personal pace per item and stick to it.