NSSCO Afrikaans Second Language 6108 common mistakes
NSSCO Afrikaans Second Language 6108 · Understand the traps and how to avoid them.
When answering luisterbegrip questions, candidates write a full sentence copied from memory of the passage instead of the single word or short phrase the question asks for, or they leave the answer blank because they did not catch one word.
Candidates treat the listening task like a writing task and panic when a word is missed, so they either over-write or freeze. Many also try to translate every word mentally rather than listening for the key information word signalled by the question (wie, waar, wanneer, hoekom).
What to do instead
Before the recording plays, underline the question word and predict the type of answer needed (a place, a time, a reason). During the second playing, write only keywords in the margin. After listening, answer in the minimum words required and check that the answer matches the question word. Practise with short authentic clips (radio news, weather, announcements) answering one question per clip.
Candidates answer leesbegrip questions with their own general knowledge or opinion rather than with information stated in or inferable from the text, and they copy whole paragraphs as answers.
Under time pressure candidates skim the text once, recognise the topic, and answer from assumption. They also believe longer answers earn more marks, so they copy chunks of the passage without selecting the relevant sentence.
What to do instead
Train the question-first method: read the questions, then scan for the paragraph containing the keyword from the question, then answer in one sentence using words from the text where possible. For inference questions, require yourself to point to the exact sentence that supports the answer before writing. Do timed passages of 300-400 words with five questions and mark strictly against the memo.
In taalgebruik en grammatika items, candidates choose the wrong verb form because they ignore the subject and the time marker, for example writing 'Die kinders het gespeel' as 'Die kinders het speel' or mixing het and is in the perfect tense.
Afrikaans double negation, the het/is auxiliary split, and separable verbs (opstaan, aantrek) are structurally different from English and from many Namibian home languages, so candidates transfer patterns from English or Oshiwambo/Otjiherero etc.
What to do instead
Build a one-page reference of the perfect tense: het + ge- verb for most verbs, is + ge- verb for verbs of motion and change of state (het gegaan, het gekom, is dood). Drill ten sentences per day converting present to perfect and back, saying aloud which auxiliary is used and why. Then apply the same check to separable verbs, placing ge- inside the verb (het opgestaan, het aangetrek).
Candidates produce the wrong negative form, writing a single 'nie' or placing both 'nie' words incorrectly, e.g. 'Ek weet nie' for 'Ek weet nie of hy kom nie', or 'Hy het nie die boek gelees nie' written as 'Hy het nie die boek gelees'.
Double negation is absent in English and in most Namibian Bantu languages, so candidates omit the final nie or place it before the object. The rule depends on whether the sentence contains an object, an adverb, or a subordinate clause, and candidates learn it as one rule rather than as a pattern.
What to do instead
Learn the frame explicitly: subject + het/is + nie + object/adverb + nie, with the second nie at the end of the main clause. Practise by transforming fifteen affirmative sentences into negatives, underlining both nie words, and check whether a following subordinate clause (want, omdat, dat) keeps its own nie. Mark your own work against a model answer.
Candidates use English or loan words and literal translations in woordeskat and idiomatiese uitdrukkings items, for example 'maak 'n besluit' instead of 'neem 'n besluit', 'ek is lekker' for 'ek is reg', or writing 'handle' for 'hanteer'.
Candidates think in their stronger language and translate word for word. Idioms are learnt as isolated lists without context, so the fixed verb or preposition is forgotten, and collocations (neem 'n besluit, maak 'n fout, hou 'n toespraak) are not practised as chunks.
What to do instead
Keep a collocation notebook organised by verb (neem, maak, hou, doen, gee) and record full phrases with a short example sentence, not single words. Learn ten idioms per week with a context sentence and test yourself by writing a new sentence using each. When unsure, choose a simpler word you can spell and use correctly rather than an English loan word.
In skryfwerk, candidates write a friendly letter or formal letter without the required format elements: no address, no date, no form of address (Beste/Geagte), no closing (Groete/Die uwe), and no paragraphing, or they write a 120-word piece for a 200-word task.
Candidates focus all their attention on content and grammar and treat format as decoration. They also do not plan, so they run out of ideas and length, or they exceed the limit and lose marks for irrelevance.
What to do instead
Memorise two format templates (informal letter and formal letter) and write them out from memory weekly until automatic. In the exam, spend three minutes planning: topic sentence per paragraph, five paragraphs for 200 words. Count words at the end and add or cut one paragraph accordingly. Practise with past-paper topics under a strict 35-minute timer.
Candidates write essays with no paragraph structure, no linking words and no topic sentences, producing one long block of text that jumps between ideas and repeats the same point.
Candidates have not been taught the difference between spoken and written Afrikaans and do not know cohesive devices (eerstens, verder, daarenteen, gevolglik, ten slotte). They write as they speak, in short disconnected sentences.
What to do instead
Learn a fixed set of connectives for sequence, contrast and conclusion and use at least four in every essay. Practise the paragraph formula: topic sentence, explanation, example, link to next paragraph. Write one 200-word essay per week and highlight every topic sentence and connective; if a paragraph has none, rewrite it.
In letterkunde and text study, candidates retell the plot of the poem, short story or novel instead of answering the question about theme, character, setting or the poet's use of imagery, and they quote without explaining the quotation.
Candidates confuse comprehension with literary analysis. They memorise plot summaries because that feels safe, and they have not practised the vocabulary of literary analysis (tema, motief, beeldspraak, personifikasie, stemming, ironie).
What to do instead
For every prescribed text, prepare a one-page grid: theme, main characters with three traits and evidence, setting, conflict, and three quotations with a one-line explanation each. Practise questions with the command word underlined (bespreek, verduidelik, noem) and always structure answers as point, evidence, explanation. Never quote without a following sentence saying what the quotation shows.
Candidates misread the instruction word in a question, giving an opinion where 'noem' (list) is asked, or giving a one-word answer where 'verduidelik' (explain) requires reasoning, and they answer only the first half of a two-part question.
Candidates read the question once and start writing immediately. Instruction words look similar and are not explicitly taught, so the mark allocation per question is ignored.
What to do instead
Before answering, circle the instruction word and the number of marks, then check that your answer matches: noem = short list, verduidelik = reason with 'omdat', bespreek = several points, vergelyk = both similarities and differences. For two-part questions, number your two answers (a) and (b). Do a five-minute instruction-word drill on a past paper before every practice session.
Candidates lose marks in the final ten minutes because they leave spelling, capitalisation of language names and nationalities, and the correct use of die/d'ie and the diminutive unchecked, and they do not transfer answers to the answer sheet correctly.
Poor time management leaves no proofreading stage, and candidates do not know the high-frequency spelling rules (double vowels and consonants, ei vs y, the diminutive -tjie/-etjie/-kie, capital letters for Afrikaans, Namibië, Duits).
What to do instead
Reserve the last five minutes of every paper for proofreading with a fixed checklist: capital letters, double negation, verb endings, diminutive, spelling of ei/y, and answer numbering. Learn the diminutive rules by grouping words (hond-hondjie, kat-katjie, boom-boompie, tafel-tafeltjie) and test yourself weekly. Practise transferring answers on a real answer sheet at least twice before the exam.