Érettségi Angol common mistakes
Érettségi Angol · Understand the traps and how to avoid them.
Answering reading questions from general knowledge or from a single matching keyword instead of locating and re-reading the exact sentence in the passage that decides the answer.
Under time pressure candidates skim for a familiar word, find it in a distractor option, and stop searching; the exam deliberately places paraphrased traps that share vocabulary with the text but reverse or narrow the meaning.
What to do instead
For every item, underline the key word in the question, find the sentence in the text that contains the same idea (not necessarily the same word), and mark it. Then check each option against that one sentence and cross out the ones the sentence does not support. Practise with 4-5 short texts a week, writing the line number next to each answer.
Writing a full-sentence answer to a reading question that asks for a short answer, or exceeding the stated word limit for a summary/gap task.
Candidates treat every question as an essay prompt and add explanations; Hungarian érettségi reading tasks often specify a maximum (e.g. 'in no more than 8 words') and points are deducted for extra content even when the idea is correct.
What to do instead
Before writing, count the words allowed and draft inside that budget. Answer only the question asked (who/what/when/how many), with no introduction and no repetition of the question. In practice, do timed mini-tasks where you must fit the answer into the given number of words.
Losing track of the recording during listening and then panicking, so the answer to the next two items is missed as well.
Candidates try to write a complete, correct sentence while the audio keeps moving; they also stop listening to hunt for a word they half-heard, and the script does not pause for them.
What to do instead
Write only keywords, numbers or abbreviations while listening, and complete the answer during the pause or at the end. If you miss an item, mark it and immediately re-focus on the next question - the questions follow the order of the recording, so the next answer is coming. Practise with one play only, never rewinding.
Assuming the correct listening answer will use the same words as the recording, and choosing the option that repeats the heard phrase.
The task is designed so that the surface wording in a wrong option is lifted from the audio, while the right answer is a paraphrase or a summary of what the speaker actually means.
What to do instead
After hearing a phrase that matches an option, ask what the speaker's point is and check the surrounding sentence. Train paraphrase recognition: after each listening task, write the audio phrase and the correct option side by side and note how the meaning was reworded.
Filling cloze and word-formation gaps with a word that 'sounds right' without checking the grammar of the sentence (tense, agreement, singular/plural, preposition, word class).
Candidates translate from Hungarian and stop at meaning, ignoring that the gap may need a noun from a verb, a negative prefix, or a different tense; Hungarian has no articles or gender agreement to trigger the check.
What to do instead
For each gap, first decide the word class needed (noun, verb, adjective, adverb), then the form (tense, number, prefix/suffix), then the meaning. Read the whole sentence again with your answer inserted. Drill word families (decide/decision/decisive/indecisive) and keep a personal list of the transformations you get wrong.
Ignoring the second sentence in sentence-transformation tasks and producing a sentence that means something slightly different from the original.
Candidates focus on the given beginning and complete it grammatically, but forget that the task requires the same meaning, so a change of tense, subject or emphasis loses the point.
What to do instead
After writing, compare the two sentences for three things: who does what, when, and how certain it is. If the original has 'probably', your version must keep the hedging; if it is past, keep it past. Practise 10 transformations a day and mark meaning differences in a different colour.
In the writing task, producing a text with no clear structure - no greeting or closing in a letter/email, no paragraphs, ideas in random order - even though the language is decent.
Candidates write in one block as ideas come, because they have not been taught the fixed layout expected for Hungarian érettségi letter, email, article or opinion essay, and they run out of time to reorganise.
What to do instead
Learn one skeleton per text type (e.g. informal email: greeting, opening remark, point 1, point 2, reaction/question, closing formula, signature) and use it every time. Spend 3-4 minutes planning four bullet points before writing, one paragraph per point, and reserve 4 minutes to check.
Not covering every content point required by the writing prompt, or covering them in one sentence each without development.
The prompt lists 3-4 points to include and candidates address the ones they find easy, or mention a point without explaining or giving an example; content points carry a large share of the marks.
What to do instead
Before writing, copy the required points into a checklist and tick each one off as you write. Give each point at least two sentences: a statement plus a reason, example or detail. After writing, check the checklist again and add anything missing.
In the speaking exam, staying silent or giving one-word answers while searching for the perfect word, and reading prepared sentences from memory.
Candidates fear mistakes more than silence, but silence and memorised monologues score badly on interaction and fluency; examiners assess communication, not grammatical perfection.
What to do instead
Learn and rehearse 10-15 functional phrases (In my opinion…, That's a good point, but…, What do you think?, Let me think for a second…) so you can keep talking while planning. If a word is missing, describe it ('the thing you use to…'). Practise with a partner who must ask follow-up questions, and record yourself to hear the pauses.
Misunderstanding the speaking task instructions (e.g. comparing two pictures when asked to speculate, or giving a monologue in the interactive part) and ignoring the prompts on the task sheet.
Nervousness and unfamiliarity with the three-part structure mean candidates start talking immediately without reading what is required, and they do not use the guiding questions provided.
What to do instead
In the preparation minute, read the task and note one keyword per prompt; in the exam, work through the prompts in order and explicitly answer each. Learn what each task type wants: description and comparison for the picture task, agreement/disagreement and questions for the interaction task. Rehearse each part with a timer.