UTAS English Placement common mistakes
UTAS English Placement · Understand the traps and how to avoid them.
Answering each listening question only after the audio has moved on, so the answer for item 3 is written while the speaker is already discussing item 5.
Candidates try to translate or fully understand every sentence instead of tracking the question order, and they lose their place when one phrase is unfamiliar.
What to do instead
Before the audio starts, underline the key word in each question and note the order. During playback, keep a finger or cursor on the current question and write a short cue (one or two words) as soon as you hear the answer, then move on immediately. Accept that you will miss some words; the goal is to be positioned at the right question when its answer is spoken.
Writing a number, time, or spelling from memory without checking it against the audio, e.g., writing '15' when the speaker says 'fifty' or '8:15' when the speaker corrects to '8:50'.
Numbers, dates, and proper nouns are spoken quickly and candidates rely on the first number they hear, ignoring self-corrections and common confusions such as -teen versus -ty.
What to do instead
Train on minimal pairs (thirteen/thirty, fifteen/fifty) and on correction phrases ('actually', 'sorry, I mean', 'let me check'). In the test, listen for the whole sentence around a number and write the final version stated, not the first. Use the pause after each section to confirm the number matches the context (a price, a time, a room number).
Skimming the passage once, then answering questions by matching words that appear in both the question and the text, without reading the surrounding sentence.
Word matching feels fast and productive, and under time pressure candidates treat repeated vocabulary as proof of the answer, even when the text says the opposite or qualifies it.
What to do instead
For each question, locate the matching term, then read the full sentence before and after it. Check whether the text confirms, contradicts, or only partly addresses the question. Practise identifying paraphrase pairs (e.g., 'decline' in the question versus 'fell sharply' in the text) rather than identical words, since correct answers are usually expressed differently from the question.
Spending equal time on every reading passage or question, so the last passage is attempted with only a few minutes left and several questions are left blank.
Candidates do not know their own reading speed and treat all questions as equally weighted, often getting stuck on one difficult item.
What to do instead
Do a timed practice run to measure your pace, then set a per-passage budget (for example, 15 minutes for the first passage, 20 for the second, 25 for the last, depending on the format). If a question takes more than about 90 seconds, mark a provisional answer, move on, and return only if time allows. Never leave blanks; a guess costs nothing.
Answering True/False/Not Given or Yes/No/Not Given items by deciding whether the statement is factually true in the real world rather than whether the passage states it.
Candidates use general knowledge or personal opinion, and they confuse 'Not Given' with 'False' because both feel like the statement is unsupported.
What to do instead
Apply a strict test: if the passage explicitly contradicts the statement, choose False/No; if the passage says nothing about it, choose Not Given; if the passage supports it, choose True/Yes. Highlight the exact words in the passage that justify your choice. If you cannot point to a sentence, the answer is Not Given, not False.
Writing a Task 2 essay that answers the topic in general terms but never addresses the specific question asked (e.g., discussing both sides when the prompt asks 'to what extent do you agree?').
Candidates prepare memorised essay structures and topic vocabulary, then fit the prompt to the template instead of the reverse, usually because they read the prompt quickly.
What to do instead
Spend two to three minutes before writing: underline the instruction words (discuss both views, agree/disagree, advantages and disadvantages) and the specific issue. Write a one-sentence position statement and check that every body paragraph supports it. In practice, have someone mark only task response for a week so the habit becomes automatic.
Producing essays with long, complex sentences that lose grammatical control, so articles, subject-verb agreement, and tense shift within a single sentence.
Candidates believe complex sentences earn higher marks and try to imitate academic style beyond their current accuracy, which lowers the grammar score rather than raising it.
What to do instead
Aim for clear, correct sentences with a mix of simple, compound, and a few complex forms. After writing, do a targeted edit pass for one error type at a time (first articles, then verb tense, then plurals). Keep a personal error log from marked practice essays and check the top three errors before submitting.
Underusing or misusing linking devices, e.g., starting every sentence with 'Moreover' or using 'however' to join two clauses without punctuation.
Candidates memorise a list of connectors and insert them to look academic, without understanding their logical function or punctuation rules.
What to do instead
Learn connectors by function (contrast, cause, example, concession) and practise one paragraph per function. Use a comma after a sentence-initial connector and a semicolon or full stop before it; do not use 'however' as a conjunction between two clauses. Limit yourself to connectors you can use correctly rather than maximising their number.
In the speaking interview, giving one-word or two-sentence answers to Part 1 and Part 3 questions, or reciting a memorised answer that does not fit the question.
Candidates are nervous about grammar errors and choose short answers to avoid mistakes, or they prepare scripts and panic when the examiner's wording differs.
What to do instead
Practise the 'answer plus reason plus example' pattern for Part 1 and the 'opinion plus comparison plus consequence' pattern for Part 3. Record yourself and check that each answer lasts roughly 20 to 40 seconds in Part 1 and longer in Part 3. Prepare ideas and vocabulary, not full sentences, so you can adapt to the actual question.
Speaking too fast with flat intonation and frequent self-correction, making the examiner work to follow the answer.
Speed is used as a substitute for fluency, and candidates self-correct mid-sentence because they monitor grammar instead of meaning; this disrupts both fluency and pronunciation scores.
What to do instead
Slow down to a pace where you can finish sentences, and use pauses at clause boundaries rather than filling with 'um'. If you make an error, correct it once and continue; do not restart the sentence. Practise shadowing short audio clips to build rhythm and stress, and record two-minute answers to check that key words are stressed and the ending is clear.