NSSCAS Rumanyo First Language 8195 common mistakes
NSSCAS Rumanyo First Language 8195 · Understand the traps and how to avoid them.
In the oral component, the candidate memorises a short speech and delivers it regardless of the prompt, or answers a listening question by reading back notes word-for-word instead of responding to what was asked.
Oral tasks are treated as recitation; the candidate fears making grammar errors when speaking spontaneously.
What to do instead
Practise 2-minute unscripted responses from keyword prompts and record yourself; in listening, note only 5–6 keywords and answer in one or two full Rumanyo sentences.
Translates Rumanyo proverbs and idioms word-for-word and then writes a literal answer, missing the writer's attitude or implied meaning.
Limited reading of authentic Rumanyo texts; figurative language is not separated from literal statement.
What to do instead
Keep an idiom/proverb log with meaning and function; after each reading, underline figurative phrases and state what they suggest about tone.
Copies complete sentences from the passage, keeps examples and repetitions, and exceeds the word limit.
Believes copied wording is safer; has not practised condensing.
What to do instead
Use a topic-sentence map: one line per paragraph, then rewrite each in fewer words; count words and cut examples.
Makes noun-class concord errors: subject prefix, verb, adjective and possessive do not agree with the noun.
Learns nouns as isolated vocabulary without their class prefixes; oral habits carry into writing.
What to do instead
Build a concord table for common classes and edit one paragraph specifically for every noun and its concords.
Retells the plot of a prescribed story or poem instead of answering the question on character, theme or style; gives no quotation.
Confuses understanding the text with literary analysis; runs out of time.
What to do instead
Use claim–evidence–explanation; for each text prepare five key quotations and practise questions that start 'How does the writer...'
Writes a formal letter or speech in an informal register, omits required format elements such as addresses, salutation, heading or closing, or uses the wrong format for a memo or notice.
Memorises one format; ignores audience and purpose in the prompt.
What to do instead
Use a format checklist for each text type and label the audience and purpose before writing; match pronouns and register.
Starts a narrative or discursive essay without a plan, so the ending is abrupt or the argument has no clear thesis.
Time pressure; writes immediately to fill pages.
What to do instead
Spend five minutes on a plan: thesis or narrative arc plus three topic sentences; check that the conclusion answers the title.
Summarises only the first paragraph or one text and ignores later paragraphs or the second source; misses an instruction to compare.
Reads linearly and underlines the first striking detail.
What to do instead
Survey headings and first and last sentences of all paragraphs; number the required points and tick them off.
Spells by sound, mixing digraphs and single letters such as sh/s or vh/v and dropping or adding vowel length, so noun prefixes and word meanings change.
Pronunciation-based spelling and no proofreading.
What to do instead
Keep a personal spelling list of minimal pairs; proofread for digraphs and vowel length last.
Treats a praise poem or oral narrative as ordinary prose, ignoring formulaic openings, repetition, call-and-response, praise names and audience involvement; describes content only.
Unfamiliar with oral genre conventions; no practice annotating performance features.
What to do instead
Annotate features and explain their effect; practise comparing an oral poem with a written poem.